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Little touches to make your kitchen more glamorous

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Four top tips

As a homeowner, perhaps you've wondered how to update the appearance of your kitchen. For such a functional space, you may wonder whether there's anything you can do to make it more unique or add a touch of class without breaking the bank or starting a lengthy remodeling project.

Fortunately, there are small changes you can make to your kitchen to freshen up its style. Better yet, you can achieve this without spending a lot of money or putting in much effort. Following are some of the little touches you can add to your kitchen decor to add style and make your kitchen glamorous as a whole.

Tip 1: Spruce up the cupboards, cabinetry, and worktops

You might wonder how cabinets, of all things, can be updated to provide a more luxurious feel in your kitchen. If you're willing, you could spend some cash and have new kitchen cabinets installed. These will instantly help define your kitchen's style. You might look into cabinets, cupboards, or kitchen islands made of sturdy and long-lasting materials like hardwood, or you might find less expensive but attractive designs in medium-density fiberboard (MDF). They may have a plain design with clean lines if you're interested in a more simplistic, modern look, or they might have borders that make them truly stand out. Pay attention to wood grains as well in making your choices.

If you don't want to completely change your existing cabinetry, you might try refinishing them with lacquer or varnish. Another idea is to update the cabinet knobs and pulls. At your local hardware or home goods store, it is relatively easy to find glass, stainless steel, or iron knobs and pulls that will give a distinctive flair to your cabinetry. Look for elegant and unusual designs made of good materials that fit the character of your space.

Changing out your worktops will also help the look and feel of your kitchen. Think about replacing older wooden or laminate worktops with surfaces made of more durable and stylish material, such as marble, granite, or slate.

Tip 2: Make a statement with your splashback

kitchen splashback

Learn more about kitchen splashbacks

A kitchen's splashback immediately says something about your style, and can be used to integrate your kitchen into the rest of your home. If you like simplicity, you might choose a stainless steel or a single-colour tile splashback. If you're a bit more daring, you might experiment with mosaic or 'subway' pattern tiles. For a “country” kitchen aesthetic, you might go with a black-and-white checkerboard pattern in your tile splashback, or use soft colours such as a dull yellow or light blue. A more modern aesthetic might suggest natural stone splashbacks, such as ones made of slate.

Tip 3: Give walls and the ceiling some special attention

It's very easy to update a kitchen by paying attention to the walls and ceiling. You might try painting your kitchen in a different colour; light, neutral, pastel colours are particularly easy on the eyes. If you don't want to paint the whole kitchen, you can paint just one of them, or part of a wall, in a stand-out colour to create an 'accent wall' that will add interest to the space. Using high-quality wallpaper might be another useful option.

The ceiling can also be made a little more glamorous. There are many styles of decorative coving you can apply to the ceiling for relatively low cost, to add an instant touch of luxury.

Tip 4: Choose your kitchenware carefully

kitchenware

Learn more about kitchen design

The appliances that you actually use in your kitchen every day are often-overlooked elements of kitchen design. Whether they are coffeemakers or espresso machines, microwave ovens, blenders, or toasters, we use these machines on a daily basis to assist us in our food preparation tasks. For a more luxurious feel in the kitchen, you should update these items as well!

First of all, when shopping for your next new appliance or looking to replace one that you already have, look for those of very high-quality construction and materials (for example, glass and stainless steel, as opposed to plastics). The little extra that you spend will certainly pay off in terms of basic style. In addition, make sure to choose special designs and colours that appeal to you; think of each new appliance as an art piece that will improve your kitchen as a whole. For example, a red kettle might stand out very nicely on top of a white or stainless steel oven. You might select a few quaint jars for your worktop. You might find the more unusual items online or at specialty retailers, or you may be in luck at your local home goods store.

Finally, don't neglect cookware and dinnerware. For eating utensils, look for stainless steel and interesting designs. For cookware, select items made of substantial metals; iron Dutch ovens, skillets, woks, and saute pans, for example, are extremely sturdy, will last a lifetime, and have an immediate rustic appeal. Make sure your bowls, plates, teacups and glasses have an elegant appeal, either through carefully-coordinated colours or distinctive designs. Even common kitchen utensils such as ladles, spatulas and mixing spoons come in stainless steel versions that look much more elegant and stylish than their plastic counterparts.

Updating the style of a kitchen may seem hard at the outset, but you can make some very simple, even subtle changes to transform it into a more luxurious space. Enjoy giving your kitchen a touch of glamour. Remember, you are limited only by your imagination!

About the author

Article written by Sarah Paulsen for Factoryfast. Sarah is an interior designer, specializing in kitchen decor. Visit the FactoryFast website to see their range of furniture and kitchenwares.