Remodel your kitchen for the fall

The kitchen is the first room homeowners choose to remodel when they decide to update their home. But who said remodeling a kitchen requires you to break the bank? Homeowners wishing to update their outdated cooking areas should take advantage of our five kitchen remodeling ideas.

Whether it is redoing the island, buying brand new appliances or just adding fresh cabinet knobs, remodeling a kitchen doesn’t only give you peace of mind, but it can also increase the value of your home.

1. Replace or Add Kitchen Backsplash

One of the hottest kitchen updates these past few years has undoubtedly been the backsplash. Rather than painting their entire kitchen or even attaching wallpaper, homeowners are choosing to highlight the area above their sink or stove as the premier spot of their kitchen

The backsplash for a kitchen is designed to protect the wall from splashes, grease and common cooking stains. There are plenty of ways to protect the area, but creating a backsplash can be attractive and quick.

Glass backsplashes have been growing dramatically in the last few years. Ceramic and porcelain backsplashes are still popular as well, but they have decreased in value over the last year or so.

With so many backsplashes taking up little space, you have the freedom to try something out of the box and change it at a later date. Keep in mind, this is what you will be staring at as you cook and clean dishes, so you might as well make it friendly on the eyes.

2. Create Open Kitchen Shelving

A popular design this year has been open shelving. More designers are choosing to go with open kitchen designs so you might as well have your cabinets match the current theme of the entire room.

Open shelving gives narrow and smaller kitchens the feel an open layout and sense that there is more to the kitchen than just the refrigerator and the oven. All you would have to do is remove the doors from some of your open cabinets and sand/paint the interiors.

Now that you have an open cabinet display, you should go and buy vibrant color plates and mugs. This way, as onlookers roam throughout your kitchen, they can get a feel of your personality and appreciate your remodeled kitchen even more. In addition, open shelving usually frees up some space all around the kitchen, including the pantry. We all know those who have a few kids running around can appreciate the extra storage in any room, especially the kitchen.

3. Painting / Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets

It may be the most obvious answer, but putting on a new coat of paint or changing the color scheme all together can do wonders for an outdated kitchen. Painting the cabinets is a quick and inexpensive way to give your kitchen a facelift. Years of daily use, coupled with the grease and grime that accumulates from cooking, can make your cabinets look dull and worn. A good coat of paint will have all cheap kitchen cabinets looking like new.

4. Add Swing-Out Cabinets

A great and inexpensive way to add more storage to the kitchen is by installing swing-out cabinets. We all have those deep cabinets with foods we didn’t even know existed, but swing-out cabinets brings all our goods right in front of our eyes. Swing-out cabinets will also greatly declutter one of the busiest rooms in your home. This option has gained popularity for corner cabinets, but any cabinet can be altered with some rails, new wood and extra nails.

5. Install Undercabinet Lights

Besides storage, another issue many homeowners have with their current kitchen design is lighting. Whether it’s chandeliers or pendants in bad locations or just poor design, homeowners are frequently resorting to adding additional lamps or even flashlights in their kitchens. A great work-around is by installing undercabinet lights.

This lighting can be installed under almost any wall cabinets. Not only will this extra lighting help you as you chop vegetables or find a new recipe for tonight’s dinner, but with the help of a dimmer, you can create a romantic feel for date night. Working with electricity can get dangerous, so be careful before you go installing your undercabinet lighting.