Kitchen Makeovers – Cost Effective Solutions
A little bit of imagination goes a very long way, and with kitchen makeovers it can also mean that you come up with more cost effective solutions to everyday challenges. With everyone watching what they spend at the moment, investing in your existing property rather than ‘upgrading’ somewhere new has become the fashionable thing to do. Add to that a concern about how much household waste we’re all producing, and the option of refurbishment rather than replacement when it comes to your dream kitchen fits in perfectly with this principle. So what are some cost-effective ways of transforming your tired looking kitchen into something straight out of an interior design magazine?
From Couture to Kitchens
As it is with couture, so it is with kitchens. It’s the detailing that can make or break a kitchen makeover, and that means the little touches such as cabinet handles, work surfaces and innovative features that make a kitchen much more individual. The thing to avoid when planning your perfect kitchen makeover is to avoid becoming too ‘generic’. It may be easy to go to the local hardware shop and pick up some off-the-shelf handles, but do you actually want something that everyone else already has? Or do you want to spend a little more time thinking about how to make your kitchen more of an extension of your own personality?
To achieve this, it’s best to sit down and talk (preferably in the kitchen) with a professional designer. They’ll be able to spot the potential in your existing space and offer suggestions as to how you can introduce cost-effective solutions that also look great.
From the ground up…
When was the last time you actually noticed your kitchen floor? One of the easiest ways to breathe new life into a kitchen is to take a look at the floor. Are you still walking over cracked tiles and grubby grouting that’s seen better days? A bright, vibrant floor design is easy to install, it can instantly refresh the look of a kitchen and it’s more hygienic too.
Moving up, your existing units could benefit from simply replacing the doors or drawers. Add in those bespoke handles we were talking about earlier, and you’ve instantly got a design-rich look that’s unique to you. Head up towards the work surfaces and again, ditching the Formica for fashionably chic granite tops that simply fit over the top of your existing units can instantly transform the look of your kitchen. You can go totally traditional or urban chic, depending on your preference.
If your appliances have plenty of life left in them, why replace them? Using a refurbishment approach to kitchen design rather than a costly replacement plan means that you can plan your existing appliances into your overall design, and keep a hefty chunk of your finances intact too!
Reviving your kitchen using refurbishment principles means that you have more money for the little touches that make the space uniquely yours. Fond of fish? Why not plan in a workstation that’s specifically designed to prepare seafood, with specialist equipment at hand? Or if you’ve got a set of copper pans that look as good as they cook, why not go for the traditional rustic French design and include a rack that displays them proudly, rather than tucking them away in a cupboard?
The options are limitless, and constrained only by your own imagination.