Although the school year is winding down, my plate seems to be overflowing with all sorts of schedules, deadlines, and to-do lists: whether it be work, wedding, or socially related, my "cupeth runneth over" SO I am SO happy to be sharing a GUEST POST from Kelley Walters at Modernize.com to provide all of YOU with some awesome ways to upgrade your kitchen - because let's be serious, if it's a space you spend a lot of your time, you might as well like the way it looks right?
Kitchens are like shoes. Just because they’re a necessity doesn’t mean they can’t be cute. If your boring kitchen is in dire need of a form-meets-function makeover, check out these simple (but divine!) upgrades below.
A Splash of Color
Obvious, maybe. Big results? Definitely. You might be thinking of painting your walls with a color that pops, but consider instead painting a less likely area with a hue that feeds your soul. Coat dull cabinets in robin’s egg blue or eggplant purple to bring some new life to your kitchen. If that sounds too drastic, consider painting only the lower cabinets for a burst of accent color. Luckily, your color and design options are virtually limitless with paint. If you want a mural stretching across your uppers, what’s stopping you? If you’re afraid to commit, or in a rental and painting the cabinets is a no-go, contact paper or wall stickers are equally fun (and temporary) choices.
Decorative Pantry Door
Pantries don’t get enough credit. Even though this cache holds nearly everything that makes your kitchen smell like home, pantry doors are often built to blend in as much as possible, or at the very least are neutral and boring. Jazz up even the smallest of kitchens by installing a fun, unique pantry door. Scour flea markets and garage sales for distressed doors that fit your pantry, or If you’re handy, you can even cut your favorite find to fit. Bonus points for windows, especially if you’re going for a rustic farmhouse look.
Flip a Switch
If real estate is all about location, location, location, then kitchens are all about lighting, lighting, lighting. If you spend significant time in your kitchen, you’ll want a sufficient source of light, but conventional fluorescent boxes feel sterile and uninspired. Sputnik-style fixtures can drop like a chandelier or hug the ceiling, but both fun varieties emit lots of light in different directions. Don’t be afraid to mix and match fixtures, either. A pastiche of complementary fixtures means you really can have your cake and eat it, too. Whatever your ceiling choice, accent lighting not only highlights key areas but illuminates key areas. Rope or track lighting under cabinets is both pretty and practical, and wall sconces overlooking your kitchen table add visibility and vibrancy. For added romance, install dimmer switches to new fixtures for low-light options.
Obvious, maybe. Big results? Definitely. You might be thinking of painting your walls with a color that pops, but consider instead painting a less likely area with a hue that feeds your soul. Coat dull cabinets in robin’s egg blue or eggplant purple to bring some new life to your kitchen. If that sounds too drastic, consider painting only the lower cabinets for a burst of accent color. Luckily, your color and design options are virtually limitless with paint. If you want a mural stretching across your uppers, what’s stopping you? If you’re afraid to commit, or in a rental and painting the cabinets is a no-go, contact paper or wall stickers are equally fun (and temporary) choices.
Decorative Pantry Door
Pantries don’t get enough credit. Even though this cache holds nearly everything that makes your kitchen smell like home, pantry doors are often built to blend in as much as possible, or at the very least are neutral and boring. Jazz up even the smallest of kitchens by installing a fun, unique pantry door. Scour flea markets and garage sales for distressed doors that fit your pantry, or If you’re handy, you can even cut your favorite find to fit. Bonus points for windows, especially if you’re going for a rustic farmhouse look.
Flip a Switch
If real estate is all about location, location, location, then kitchens are all about lighting, lighting, lighting. If you spend significant time in your kitchen, you’ll want a sufficient source of light, but conventional fluorescent boxes feel sterile and uninspired. Sputnik-style fixtures can drop like a chandelier or hug the ceiling, but both fun varieties emit lots of light in different directions. Don’t be afraid to mix and match fixtures, either. A pastiche of complementary fixtures means you really can have your cake and eat it, too. Whatever your ceiling choice, accent lighting not only highlights key areas but illuminates key areas. Rope or track lighting under cabinets is both pretty and practical, and wall sconces overlooking your kitchen table add visibility and vibrancy. For added romance, install dimmer switches to new fixtures for low-light options.
Let Life In
Just as a few potted plants add life to a concrete patio, you can liven up your kitchen with herbs or succulents. If you have a window, frame glass shelving in between and allow your new additions to thrive in the natural light. If having fresh herbs on hand sounds like too much work, consider stocking up on hardy herbs like rosemary, chives, and sage. Succulents are a great choice for both high-sun and low-light areas. Even if you don’t have a window, you can place shadow boxes or floating shelves anywhere you won’t hit your head. Add some UV light and you have an indoor garden ready to flavor even the most exquisite meal.
Your kitchen is the heartbeat of your home. Once you realize there’s no need to sacrifice function for aesthetics, the memories you make in your kitchen will have an Instagram-worthy background.
Just as a few potted plants add life to a concrete patio, you can liven up your kitchen with herbs or succulents. If you have a window, frame glass shelving in between and allow your new additions to thrive in the natural light. If having fresh herbs on hand sounds like too much work, consider stocking up on hardy herbs like rosemary, chives, and sage. Succulents are a great choice for both high-sun and low-light areas. Even if you don’t have a window, you can place shadow boxes or floating shelves anywhere you won’t hit your head. Add some UV light and you have an indoor garden ready to flavor even the most exquisite meal.
Your kitchen is the heartbeat of your home. Once you realize there’s no need to sacrifice function for aesthetics, the memories you make in your kitchen will have an Instagram-worthy background.
Kelley provided some easy and even DIY tips that YOU can try to upgrade your kitchen from drab to fab! I think my two favorite are bringing in plants - I love my shamrocks that I've been keeping alive since March or even fresh cut flowers and her "pop" of color tip!
- How have YOU upgraded your kitchen?
- Do you CARE more about look or function of your kitchen?
- What's your favorite kitchen feature?
- What tip are you most likely to try?
This post and photo content* was provided and written by Kelley Walters from Modernize.com
*pink arrow logo was retrieved from here
*pink arrow logo was retrieved from here
