Tips for improving your kitchen in small (or big) ways

  • By Melissa Rayworth Associated Press
  • Tuesday, January 27, 2015 3:48pm
  • Life

Another holiday season has passed, and with it the marathon cooking and baking sessions. The hours spent using every kitchen appliance and inch of counter space had a potential benefit more lasting than a good meal: When we really use our kitchens, we discover what does and doesn’t work in this very important room.

Remodeling a kitchen can be expensive and challenging, but you can make substantial cosmetic changes with just the help of a painter and electrician, says interior designer Betsy Burnham of Burnham Design in Los Angeles. And if you’re ready for even bigger changes, it’s still possible to stay on budget and create a gorgeous kitchen with a minimum of stress.

Step one is deciding what really needs to be done. Can you work with the appliances and cabinets you’ve got, or is it time for a full-scale remodel?

Step two is the budget, coming up with a realistic estimate for each expense, says designer Brian Patrick Flynn of Flynnside Out Productions.

Then, the fun can begin. Three areas where a little improvement can go a long way:

Storage

A smoothly functioning kitchen has space for everything to be stored away, within reasonable reach. Can you achieve that with your current cabinets? If so, Flynn suggests keeping them and just replacing or refinishing the doors. “Cabinetry installation adds a lot to a budget,” he says, “so saving by simply reusing what you’ve got can be a massive help.”

If your cabinet doors are stained wood, consider painting them. Then, change the hardware. Drawer pulls and cabinet door handles “can make or break the look of the space,” says Lee Kleinhelter of the Atlanta-based design firm Pieces.

Flynn agrees: “I always use high-end hardware regardless of how high or low my budget is,” he says. “Adding an interesting metal and finish to your doors just really adds character and uniqueness. You can never go wrong with dull black pulls and knobs, and I’m also a huge fan of antique brass. When it comes to silver tones, I try to stay classic and go with polished nickel.”

If you do need to add or replace cabinets, Burnham suggests having them custom-made. It can be expensive (Flynn estimates that ready-made cabinets cost about one-third as much as lower-end custom designs). But they are worth the investment, Burnham says. “You’ll get well-made pieces, built to your needs, that will last through time, kids and tons of use.”

Rather than adding cabinets with doors, she suggests installing drawers. “Deep drawers provide excellent storage for pots and pans, and even oversize plates,” Burnham says, “and banks of drawers just look cool.”

Fresh colors and materials

Painting kitchen walls can be “a quick, inexpensive solution to a kitchen remodel on a low budget,” Kleinhelter says, and “any color can work.” But she advises clients that kitchen decor “should work with the rest of the house.” Bring in colors that appear in nearby rooms, or stick to a neutral palette.

If you’re trying to update your kitchen’s look, Burnham says “there’s been a shift from the once-ubiquitous all-white kitchen toward gray-painted cabinets, and we’ve found ourselves experimenting with color.” Her office is designing one kitchen “that’s predominantly a sophisticated cream color, and another that will have dark, olive-green cabinets and a textured, black-stone countertop.”

Homeowners are also getting more creative and saving money with materials like concrete. Concrete tile is “an inexpensive material that comes in an incredible array of colors and patterns,” Burnham says, and “it works for backsplashes or kitchen flooring, and really makes a statement.”

Try mixing affordable elements with higher-end ones: “Basic butcher block is my favorite countertop because of its classic appeal, and it’s insanely affordable. By juxtaposing it with a unique backsplash, like a mosaic marble or rustic stone, it looks more high-end,” Flynn says. “My biggest splurge on kitchens is usually my lighting and backsplashes.”

And choose colors and materials you’ll be happy with long-term, rather than something trendy.

Seating

A new table and chairs can update a kitchen’s look and make it more comfortable. But it’s tempting to sacrifice function for style. Don’t.

“We all live in our kitchens,” says Kleinhelter, “so it is important to have comfortable and durable seating.”

Stools are popular, and Burnham says designers in her office love the simple, clean look of a row of stools arranged along a bar or kitchen island. But, she says, comfort is key: “We find most clients like seats with backs and arms.” Also choose seating that’s easy to clean and durable.

Whether you’re simply buying a new table and chairs or beginning to plan a full kitchen remodel, Flynn offers one last piece of advice: Take time to choose the things you really want, and be patient if the project takes longer than you’d hoped. What matters is the final result, not how many weeks or months it took to get there.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.