Change your Kitchen in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

If you’re anything like me, you are always looking for new ways to improve your surroundings! This does not mean that you have to constantly change the entire look of your room or spend huge amounts of money on pieces that you’ll get sick of after a few months. Depending on the room, there are numerous ways to make your space more enjoyable – aesthetically and functionally. Through this blog and the next, we’ll go through the most used rooms in a house and talk about five easy ways you can improve the space in each; the kitchen, bedroom and the bathroom.

Let’s start with the kitchen as this room can easily turn into an extra storage space, or a haven for clutter and dust. The first tip I can give you is to take an inventory of everything currently out on your countertop; make a check by the item if you use it everyday. You will be amazed at the small amount of items that you use daily; most likely you’ll find that soap, salt and pepper grinders, a toaster or a coffee pot make the cut. Everything else can find a new home close by, maybe in a pantry or cupboard; watch how your kitchen transforms into a pristine area just by putting away the things you don’t use. For those of you that like to have your knick knacks out, just keep in mind that by putting them away, you will have fewer items to keep clean, as the kitchen tends to be one of the dirtiest places in a house with all of the grease and food splatters. Plus, this gives you a chance to take out only a few trinkets at a time and rotate them so they constantly seem new to you. Sometimes it’s easier for people to notice and appreciate the little things you love if it’s not like walking into an antique store where there are so many things that it can be overwhelming.

Another easy kitchen fix is to change out your cabinetry hardware (the pulls and knobs). Sometimes an outdated looking cabinet just needs a bit of a face lift. No, you don’t have to tear out your old cabinetry and put new in and you don’t even have to paint that wood if you don’t want to. I commonly find oak cabinets in the homes of my clients with brass hardware. That hardware unscrews easily and you can pick up some replacements at your local hardware store in a new and updated finish – the trend today seems to be a brushed nickel or a wrought iron finish. This is the quickest and most affordable way to refresh the look of your cabinetry. How about those towels and kitchen rugs…is it time for a replacement? There’s nothing like an old towel to make it look like you don’t care about the aesthetics of your kitchen. Turn those old towels into rags and refresh your space with some new ones! I like to think of kitchen linens as the artwork of your kitchen. They are the small details that make a huge difference in the space. Think about your color scheme, your rugs and towels should coordinate; bring the same color to different levels of the space – countertop, floor, etc.

Speaking of knowing your color scheme, something to think about is having a neutral color for your kitchen towels and accessories. My personal favorite color is white; this way I can have my stainless steel and olive wood cooking utensils shine against my white rubber spatulas instead of looking too busy with red ones for example. There is something to be said about having your natural elements (wood, metals, etc.) stick out more than your artificial plastic ones. The last tip for the kitchen is to have an item in it that makes your space smell wonderful! The kitchen is where we go to find good food – it should also have good smells. Maybe this means adding a candle, or cutting some fresh flowers from your garden every week. One of my personal favorite fixes is to add fresh herbs; not only is this functional for those of you that like to cook, but it adds such a wonderful fresh aroma that is hard to resist! Nowadays you can find wall planters that act as piece of artwork for your wall but grow fresh herbs instead. I highly recommend having fresh thyme in your collection, not only for its functional use but for its amazing fresh smell!

These are some easy and affordable tips to quickly transform your kitchen into a space that you feel comfortable and happy in! Of course the majority of us would like to completely gut our kitchens and start over, but try these tips first and watch how daily life in your kitchen improves. Stay tuned for the next blog, as I will share with you five easy tips for your bedroom/bathroom!