If the look of your kitchen makes you want to dine out, it may be time for an upgrade. Nothing reinvigorates a home like a newly remodeled kitchen. It’s best to think of renovating this space as an investment. Here are five updates to ensure your kitchen will earn compliments from anyone who enters.
Add Character with Color
Even the most lackluster space can be energized with color. Paint the walls or hang new curtains in a brightly colored fabric. For a bigger statement, consider purchasing new painted cabinets. To save you time and energy, manufactures now offer cabinets in a wide range of beautiful and colorful painted finishes. Another option would be installing a bright, vivid backsplash which can instantly brighten a space. For a more subtle change while enriching a space with a neutral color scheme, try adding color with new kitchen towels, brightly colored countertop appliances, and vibrantly colored dishes.
Enhance Lighting
Lighting is a critical element in kitchen design, both for its decorative and functional benefits. Not all lighting is created equal, and possibly the best way to enhance the room is to install custom lighting to suit your kitchen’s needs. It can also make the space look more spacious and elegant. With styles ranging from incandescent bulbs with vintage glass shades to ultra-chic halogen cones, hanging pendants are popular ceiling fixtures for the kitchen. For an instant update, install pendants over an island or countertop where the low-hanging fixtures won’t interfere with traffic flow. Also, don’t forget about task lighting. Whether for food prep or just increased ambience, under-cabinet lights are best for illuminating your countertops and work surfaces. Plus, they often install easily and operate unobtrusively from beneath your cabinet. For a more decorative glow, try installing beautiful wall sconces for an added layer of light.
If you decide to change your paint or cabinet color as well as your lighting, keep in mind how the new colors will look under the new lights.
Faucet Facelift
The sink area is among the most hardworking of kitchen spaces, and the faucet, in particular, gets the most grueling daily workout. Because of its constant use, updating the faucet will immediately improve the function and look of your prep space. Also, consider adding fixtures that coincide with your faucet. Fixtures, such as built-in soap dispensers or beverage faucets, can further the functionality and improve styling at the sink.
Amp up Accessories
Much like fashion, accessories can make a room. For example, hardware is the finishing touch that can make your space feel polished. Consider updating the hardware on your cabinets to something better suited for your needs or design. Install accessories such as hooks, towel bars, or towel rings on the side of an upper cabinet, the end of an island or in other work areas. Also, think about updating your storage containers. For example, trendy canisters for the items you store on the counter can help revive your kitchen’s style as well as make your space look less cluttered.
Add Personality
After tackling your kitchen updates, be sure to treat yourself and your kitchen to something nice. Adding something beautiful like a bouquet of flowers or a potted plant will bring life into the space. You can also jazz up your kitchen with lively artwork. Whether it’s a professional painting you love or fun vintage posters, artwork helps complete your renovation. For a more personal touch, hang a grouping of family photographs, put up a map marking locations your family has traveled, or frame some of your children’s more colorful artistic creations for a vibrant and charming display. You can also make artwork functional by painting an old framed mirror with chalkboard paint to display grocery lists, menus, or your favorite quotes.
Before starting demolition on your kitchen remodel, make sure the design is a reflection of you. By following these five steps not only will you have a kitchen that complements your lifestyle, you will also draw plenty of compliments from family and friends. 
by Michele Burkhead
Kitchen Tune-Up
850-765-0558
