The kitchen is one of my absolute favourite spaces in the entire home. I remember in my growing up years waking up to the smell of fresh baked bread. I would follow my nose to the kitchen where there i would find my dad, cooking up a storm. He loved his kitchen, so it was spacious and had plenty of space to store all his little chef toys. My father prioritised the size of the kitchen over the size of the bedrooms. As somebody who inherited my dad's foodie genes, I totally get it. I did not get to enjoy my dad's love for cooking as he passed while I was still young; but his memory and that smell of fresh baked bread lingers in my memory. That might explain why one of the major things I absolutely love about France is their bread.
Regardless of the size of your kitchen, it is one of the important spaces in the home. Historically it was only known as a space for meal preparation. In modern day, it has evolved into a multi-use space that in some homes has become an annex to the living room - where families gather around for holiday dinner preparations, homework gets done while mom gets dinner ready, and sometimes we turn our kitchen work surfaces into a workstation.
There are many elements that make up the priority spaces in an interior space. The flooring, the walls and the ceiling. In the kitchen there are inter-spaces that define the functional areas of the kitchen. For instance when you think of a backsplash, you think the area right above your sink or cooker. Or a countertop defines space where you can perform tasks on etc
And so because it is the focus of a lot of attention and an area that is used regularly, we always like to see a beautiful but functional kitchen. Sometimes a complete overhaul is just not feasible but that does not mean that you cannot give your kitchen a facelift that completely changes your kitchen game.
These are true words articulated by this old German proverb - "Der liebe Gott steckt im detail", which translates as 'God is in the detail'. You would be amazed at what glorious changes a little detailing can make in your interior space.
Flooring
Your kitchen flooring defines and grounds the entire scheme of your kitchen. If you are looking to change your kitchen flooring on a budget, there are a wide variety of amazing kitchen flooring-types that you can use. Examples are vinyl flooring which are not only beautiful, but more importantly durable, easy to clean and can be installed, in some cases, over an existing floor.
If changing the flooring is not your jam, simply adding a runner or a rug can immediately transform the look of your kitchen. A nice colourful runner the entire length of your kitchen ( preferably the side that houses your sink ) creates a nice visual interest; not to mention adding a splash of colour and pattern to your space.
If you are feeling adventurous and would like to upgrade the look of your flooring tiles, using a contrasting grout colour is an interesting way to increase the aesthetic appeal of your flooring. It does take a bit of elbow grease if you are doing it yourself; so hiring a professional would probably give you the best result :-)
Walls
For people with separated kitchen spaces or a mix of painted walls and tiling, changing the paint colour or installing wallpaper are super easy ways to upgrade your kitchen space. Depending on your preferences, use pops of colour that contrast nicely with the rest of the kitchen or add interesting texture or art like a landscape wallpaper, like this beautiful cork wallpaper. In choosing wallpaper, be sure to choose one that is moisture resistant, antimicrobial and easy to clean.
Kitchen walls that extend into a diner or living space poses a bit of a tricky situation. Where do the tiles end ( if you are the wall-to-wall tile type of person ) and where do all other wall treatments begin? Most importantly what is the best way to transition through that threshold? That people, is what's interior designers are for aka yours truly *wink wink*
Work surfaces
Next in line to the large surface areas that define your kitchen space - enter work surfaces! Now these are not accessories - they are more like that key piece of an outfit that can make or break your entire look.
Investing in a great quality stone work-surface would serve you for decades to come because of their durability and enduring beauty. But if you are looking for a quick upgrade that doesn't break the bank, there are a wide variety of material choices made of laminate like this one, engineered stone and composite that mimics the look of natural stone, but at a much lower price.
Also, if your kitchen is a multi-use space, try mixing and matching different materials for an easy chic look. It is easy to overdo this, so be careful by making sure that the colours and textures don't clash.
Lighting
Lighting is an important element in any space. More so, lighting can be used to dramatic effect in your kitchen. Installing lighting in and under your cabinets or at the perimeter of your kitchen island are fabulous ways to instantly upgrade the look of your kitchen. A lighting tutor I had once called light treatment 'painting your space with light'. She was not wrong.
Add a little bling
The power of bling. No, I'm not a big fan of too much shiny in my space. However, just the right dose of bling - for me especially metallics of the gold, copper and bronze persuasion, instantly infuses your space with that wow factor. Refinish your chair legs, light fittings, cabinet doorhandles etc in gold marquetry without changing them, and see what a difference it would make in the overall look of your kitchen. And for this particular one you don't need to hire anyone to do it for you. You can make it a fun DIY project for you and your family. If you are getting kids involved, do protect all underlying surfaces from an overeager paintbrush.
Your backsplash
Nothing frames your top and bottom cabinets quite as nicely as the backsplash. Depending on your design tastes, it can go anywhere from a nice minimal marbly look, to a range of bold and beautiful colour-ways. For example these bold and beautiful tiles are enough to make a statement in your home. The great thing is they come in a wide range of price points, so that there is something for everyone. If you are not looking to overhaul your wall tiles, a fun and easy way to upgrade your wall tiles is by opting for peel and stick tiles. They come in a wide variety of colours and patterns and the great thing is, when you get tired of it or need to change, all you have to do is peel off. These peel and stick tiles by Wallpops are absolutely gorgeous.
Your tap heads
Tap heads! They come in so many different shapes and sizes; some even have more than one function that allows you to manipulate your water source. So it makes sense that this feature deserves attention. My favourite taps are the pillar taps and those ones with the weird snake-like appendages that allow you to fill your pot with water without popping it in the sink first. I imagine the sheer pleasure of turning on and turning off a gold-plated tap head. These tap heads are by no means cheap, but they add an intense glam factor to your kitchen and would make for an instant focal point.
Reface your cabinet
Last but not the least option you have for upgrading your kitchen space is to re-face your cabinets. Re-facing can be anything from painting your cabinet surfaces a different colour to changing the cabinet doors entirely. There are a wide variety of colours and patina finishes to choose from. Matte paint is generally not considered ideal in a kitchen space because of the high levels of humidity. If you are the DIY type, I would recommend reading this article to walk you through the steps to repainting your kitchen cabinets.
There you go guys! I hope you enjoyed reading this article. If you have any thoughts or ideas do let me know in the comments below.
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