There are a lot of reasons why you may be tired of your family kitchen. Perhaps you’ve been living in the same home for a long time, and for whatever reason have been unable to renovate it in the past. Maybe you did renovate your kitchen some time ago, but simply haven’t done so since and now find the choices you made out of date or inconsistent with your changing tastes. Some people simply can’t renovate their kitchens even if they’re financially able to do so, because they’re renting.
While renovations are not entirely out of the question for renters, it can be much more difficult to plan a remodeling project when you’re renting. For one thing, who’s going to pay for kitchen remodeling services. The tenant, who wants the remodeling job done and ideally to their tastes, or the landlord who owns the home and will be benefiting from the project?
After all, 83% of those renovating their family kitchens reported that the renovation would have a positive impact on their home’s resale value. A renovation can be an amazing opportunity for change if you own your home and have your finances in order, but it’s not always going to be the best decision for everyone.
Nonetheless, the kitchen is meant to be the centerpiece of the home, in a lot of ways. While the family room may at first seem like the main place where people converge and interact, the kitchen is where the food is made and stored, and it can sometimes be where people eat as well depending on the home’s layout.
For that matter, a kitchen with beautiful furniture and well-made appliances can be quite the conversation piece for guests. Ultimately, you need to be able to take pride in your kitchen, rather than being bored of it. It might simply be time to revamp it a bit.
There are plenty of ways to do so, some of which will of course include renovation, but others are more made for those with a limited budget. You’ll need to use your creativity, but with the right mindset, there are plenty of ways to fall in love with your kitchen before you know it.
1. Update Your Appliances
Updating your family kitchen appliances can be a part of a major renovation project, or it can simply be an entirely appliance-based project that is far less expensive than a total overhaul. This is the right move for someone who views their kitchen in purely utilitarian terms, and has fallen out of love with it in large part due to its functional limits than because of how it looks.
There are a lot of benefits that come with installing kitchen appliances, beyond simply making your family kitchen easier to use. A lot of outdated kitchen appliances not only work less easily and look bad. They also run less efficiently. This means that you’re spending money on your water and electricity that you don’t need to use.
Many providers of plumbing services instruct homeowners to first look into whether or not some of their appliances need to be replaced before worrying about serious repairs. While the initial investment into new appliances may seem like something of a sacrifice at first, you’ll be spending far less in the long term if you buy energy-efficient appliances.
Some appliances that begin to fail most easily, of course, include refrigerators. These not only can periodically lose power, resulting in spoiled food. They can also fail to make ice and then leak, resulting in water being lost. While you may think that you need new plumbing installations, a new updated refrigerator could do the trick.
If you’re passionate about cooking and willing to spend some extra money, you may want to upgrade to a new oven or stove. Many homeowners now consider adding a gourmet oven and stove combination not only makes cooking easier, but reignites their love for it and ultimately for their family kitchens. The last thing you want is to get bored while doing the very thing that your kitchen is meant for.
Adding in something like a copper sink, which is often easier to clean, can also make the space a bit nicer and more easily functional, while at the same time adding value if your home is every put up on the market again.
2. Get Organized
Maybe getting in touch with your local remodeling contractor is completely out of your budget, even if you’re only considering new appliances. Luckily, there are other ways that you can make your kitchen look as good as new. This can be done simply by reorganizing your kitchen and getting rid of clutter and any unnecessary items.
In particular, this can make a huge difference in your kitchen is on the smaller side. It’s much easier to make your kitchen seem like it’s more spacious than it is if you simply take some of the items that you don’t need out of the room itself.
While it might be difficult at first to decide to throw away some old items that you once treasured, this is an important part of reorganizing and cleaning. Ask yourself if you want the item you’re thinking about removing and if it adds anything to the functionality or aesthetic of your kitchen. If it doesn’t, you should simply let it go.
While you might be able to sell some items from your family kitchen in a yard sale or online, others might be a bit more challenging or simply useless. If that’s the case, you might want to put larger items that you’re getting rid of outside. This depends on how your junk removal services work, of course.
As long as you get rid of those extras that you don’t need anymore in some way or the other, you’ll be way on your way to a better kitchen. From then on, you may want to reorganize your draws to ensure that the items you rely upon most are easily accessible, while putting special items, like holiday china for example, away.
You may also want to invest in dividers and organizers so that you can separate different items by category. Of course, every kitchen is centered around food. You might want to reorganize your refrigerator as well, and use s spice rack to organize your seasonings. This will ensure that your next big meal prep session is less about desperately seeking certain ingredients, and more about relaxing.
3. Add Some Creative Accents
As many interior contractors will tell you, falling back in love with your family kitchen doesn’t have to be about a major overhaul. You can add in a few bright or creative accents and art pieces here and there to change the look of your kitchen without issue. Some choose to keep fresh flowers in their kitchen at all times.
This is in part due to, of course, the floral scents that can help cloak some of the heavier food smells associated with a typical family kitchen. Another benefit is, of course, the pop of color that flowers provide. Of course, for some this won’t be the best option, in part thanks to the allergies that some people carry. Fake flowers can often work if you want the same benefit without the complication.
Another option to consider, of course, is switching out your dishrags or tablecloths for those that are more brightly colored or come with attractive patterns. One reason why a lot of people like this idea is that a dishrag or tablecloth is something that they need anyway, while at the same time fulfilling that need for a creative accent piece.
Of course, if you’d like to change up your accents in a manner that is temporary but similar to the effect you would get through painting a wall, you have options as well. Many renters change up their homes in a temporary manner through the wallpaper.
Though wallpaper might seem outdated to some, it’s recently picked up steam due to the wide variety of options it offers and the fact that it’s relatively easy to remove. Wallpaper can be solid, creating a look similar to that provided by painting. However, it also comes in different patterns. While a coastal theme wallpaper look might come off as odd in a living room, it could be perfect in a kitchen, where a little bit more creativity is typically allowed.
Of course, the financial decision is ultimately up to you and what you want, rather than what some imaginary arbiters of taste say is best. Of course, before adding any wallpaper or other semi-permanent accents to your family kitchen, you should consult with your landlord.
While they’ll most likely be fine with it, especially if you offer to remove the wallpaper on your own, it’s better to be safe rather than sorry. Different wallpapers are also more high quality than others, and if you aren’t entirely sure about how to apply them outright you can always consult with an interior decorator. Either way, it’s an option to consider!
4. Try Out New Furniture
In a lot of cases, the family kitchen includes the dining area as well, or at the very least flows into it without a door. Your kitchen may also include a bar. The point being that kitchens come in many different shapes and sizes. This is why one of the best ways to change up your kitchen and fall back in love with it is simple to switch up the furniture in your kitchen and dining area.
If space is an issue, perhaps you should try out a smaller, more casual dining set in your nook. On the other hand, if your kitchen flows into a large dining room that you’ve never properly utilized, you may want to consider a small banquet table. Certainly, getting a dining table is one way to keep yourself from eating in front of the television as you may find yourself doing.
It’s also a great way of fostering engagement between relatives and sparking conversations. There are other types of furniture to consider aside from a dining room table and chairs, but these pieces are among the most common types within or associated with a typical kitchen.
When considering where to buy your furniture, you should consider handmade furniture. Handmade furniture typically lasts longer than the average mass-produced pieces of furniture, and for that matter is often made of more high-quality components.
One reason why a lot of people find themselves choosing handmade furniture is also that they enjoy supporting individual artisans, rather than major home improvement stores. Consider perhaps investing in a kitchen island, perhaps with wood or granite finishings. Not only does this give people a place to eat. It also gives them a place to congregate around, and is also perfect for storage and meal prep.
Ultimately, how you revitalize your kitchen is really up to you and your priorities. If a kitchen is no more than a place wherein you prepare your food, you may want to stick to functional and organizational improvements. But if your kitchen was once your pride and joy, you may want to look into an aesthetic overhaul. However, you don’t have to break the bank to create a kitchen that you love again. You can save money while at the same time creating a kitchen that you love.
At the end of the day, if you love your kitchen, that’s what is most important. But if you are planning on selling your house sooner rather than later, you may also want to think about making changes that have a broad appeal to add value. It’s much easier to do so than you might think. At the end of the day, everyone simply wants a kitchen that they love!
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