So keep reading for 12 budget-friendly quick-fixes you can do yourself to improve any kitchen...
Before and after: The only improvements I haven't done myself is replacing the worktop and sink, which I saved up to have a professional do
Paint the tiles
The first DIY I attempted in my rather unattractive 1990s kitchen, and one of the easiest ways to completely transform any tiles - kitchen or bathroom. We were blessed with 20-year old peach tiles when we moved in, so I took some white tile paint to them, and for just £10 kicked everything off in here. It's given the space a much cleaner, fresher feel, and even made what is a very small space feel bigger. It's been over two years since I did this, and I've more recently touched up the tiles to refresh them again, however they've held up really well.
Update your tile grout
Another big change you can make to the tiles you're stuck with, is changing the colour of the grout. This is easier than you might think - use a grout pen, which you can find in most homeware stores, to simply draw along the grout and completely refresh the look.
Paint the cupboards
My most recent quick-fix in my own kitchen, and one I wish I’d have done years ago. I spent three days painting my kitchen cupboards, taking them from a grubby cream colour to a more traditional country cottage-style grey. My old, tired cupboards were covered in a plastic vinyl wrap, which I removed using a heat gun (my full DIY tutorial is here), and then painted the mdf underneath with a specialised kitchen cupboard paint. The good thing about using paint like this is that it would also work in other styles of kitchen, such as a laminate surface, or even on top of the vinyl wrap if you don't fancy removing it. Finish off with a lacquer or wax to protect from chipping.
Replace cupboard handles
At the same time as painting the cupboards, I took the opportunity to replace the handles too, and I was so surprised at the difference its made. I switched my dated chrome handles to more traditional looking brass knobs for the cupboards, and cup handles for the drawers, which were a bargain from Amazon.
When switching handles for knobs I had to fill the holes left in the cupboard doors, which can easily be done with some wood filler and sandpaper. Fill the hole and then sand back to get a smooth finish. You might need to repeat this a couple of times until you're happy with the finish, and then simply paint over the top.
Replace the flooring
Probably my favourite quick-fix for any space, updating the floor can make a huge difference to the look and feel of any room. So if yours is looking past its best, this is always a good place to start. I’ve laid vinyl floor tiles directly over the top of my grubby lino, in a DIY that only took me an afternoon and cost just £90. Full how-to over on this post here. I chose traditional-style patterned tiles to tie in with the look I’ve been going for in here, and still absolutely love them nearly a year on.
Cover worktops with vinyl
Something I’ve seen many people over on Instagram and Pinterest do, but not had a go myself. It’s possible to apply DCFix vinyl to your kitchen worktops to give them a whole new look. DIY queen Mel from Little Terrace House on Instagram has done this to her worktops, transforming them into traditional-style oak beauties. She’s got a blog post on everything she's done to her kitchen too, so definitely worth a look if you’re considering doing this.
Whilst we’d all love a beautiful integrated kitchen, if that’s not an option at the moment why not make a curtain to hang infront of the ugliest of appliances in your kitchen? I’ve done this to hide my tumble drier, in a DIY which cost me the grand total of £9.90 - you can find my step-by-step DIY tutorial here.
Vinyl wrap appliances
If a curtain isn't your thing, you could have any appliances, such as a free-standing fridge, wrapped with vinyl to give it a more eye-pleasing look. Alternatively you can paint them, just make sure you use a hard-wearing finish, or apply a lacquer afterwards as this is high-traffic area (or our fridge certainly is, anyway…)
Rethink storage
We all dream of a beautifully organised pantry to neatly store away dried foods don’t we? But having a small kitchen doesn’t mean this can’t be reality. Last year, at the peak of lockdown, I decided to turn one of my kitchen cupboards into a faux-pantry. This particular cupboard was permanently overflowing with packets, cans and tins. So after a bit of a shuffle, I managed to save all-important space by storing food in jars, and transforming the look of this area. Full details and links to all the bits I used are in this post here.
If a curtain isn't your thing, you could have any appliances, such as a free-standing fridge, wrapped with vinyl to give it a more eye-pleasing look. Alternatively you can paint them, just make sure you use a hard-wearing finish, or apply a lacquer afterwards as this is high-traffic area (or our fridge certainly is, anyway…)
Rethink storage
We all dream of a beautifully organised pantry to neatly store away dried foods don’t we? But having a small kitchen doesn’t mean this can’t be reality. Last year, at the peak of lockdown, I decided to turn one of my kitchen cupboards into a faux-pantry. This particular cupboard was permanently overflowing with packets, cans and tins. So after a bit of a shuffle, I managed to save all-important space by storing food in jars, and transforming the look of this area. Full details and links to all the bits I used are in this post here.
Add open shelving
Stuck with lots of blank walls in your kitchen? Why not fill the space with some open shelving. Using old scaffold boards is popular in traditional-style kitchens, however it can be hard to come across these if you don’t have a local timber yard. To combat this I’ve hacked my own using pine planks from my local hardware store, stained with oak wood stain to give it a similar look. Exactly how I did this is over on this post here.
Add accessories
Now you’ve got your lovely new shelves up on the wall, its time to accessorise them perfectly, and add some personality to your kitchen. If you’re struggling to know what to display, choose a colour/style and stick with it. I have a really awkward corner in my kitchen which I’ve tackled with a long scaffold-style board and lots of accessories, all of which are in either a black or rust-brown colour, to tie the look together. Choose a mix of pieces, and add texture through wooden chopping boards, dried flowers and glass vases/candle holders. You can find more tips on how to style a kitchen shelf here.
Add a mirror
My go-to tip for any small space (I have at least one in every room in my house!), pop a mirror in your kitchen to bounce light around the room, and give the impression of more space. The mirror in my kitchen is an old IKEA bargain which I previously moved from the hallway, and have painted black to tie in with the rest of the room.
Are you stuck with a kitchen you’re not too keen on? Would you consider making some quick-fixes like these?
Thanks for reading,
Sam Xx
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