10 Easy Ways to Freshen Up Your Old Kitchen
Put some spark back into your tired old kitchen with these simple but savvy ideas
Kitchens get so much use that, before you know it, they’re looking more than a little old and tired. You may not be able to make yours shiny and new again just yet, but these strategies will have you whistling while you work again in no time flat.
2. Plant a kitchen garden
If you have a sunny windowsill, make the most of it and grow some aromatic herbs. You’ll find you use fresh herbs in your cooking far more often if they’re within easy reach.
Learn how to grow your own kitchen garden
If you have a sunny windowsill, make the most of it and grow some aromatic herbs. You’ll find you use fresh herbs in your cooking far more often if they’re within easy reach.
Learn how to grow your own kitchen garden
3. Add some artwork
A brightly coloured or artistically brilliant artwork can become a new focal point in your kitchen, and that can be enough to breathe new life into a drab space.
A brightly coloured or artistically brilliant artwork can become a new focal point in your kitchen, and that can be enough to breathe new life into a drab space.
4. Buy a new rug
A rug or mat in unexpected colours can do wonders for a kitchen in need of an image upgrade. The only rule? It has to be easy to clean.
A rug or mat in unexpected colours can do wonders for a kitchen in need of an image upgrade. The only rule? It has to be easy to clean.
5. Paint the floor
Purple and green diamonds may not be your cup of tea, but don’t be afraid to cut loose and experiment with colour combos that could work in your kitchen. You’ll know the right one when you see it.
Purple and green diamonds may not be your cup of tea, but don’t be afraid to cut loose and experiment with colour combos that could work in your kitchen. You’ll know the right one when you see it.
6. Install new lighting
Light fittings can date faster than you can sing ‘nineteen ninety-nine’, so scout around for some pendant lighting that makes your day; you’re sure to be thankful you did. Dimmer switches are easy to install and well worth it if your lights hang over a work area that doubles as an eating space.
More: 10 Kitchen Pendant Lighting Ideas From the Experts
Light fittings can date faster than you can sing ‘nineteen ninety-nine’, so scout around for some pendant lighting that makes your day; you’re sure to be thankful you did. Dimmer switches are easy to install and well worth it if your lights hang over a work area that doubles as an eating space.
More: 10 Kitchen Pendant Lighting Ideas From the Experts
7. Paint the cabinets white
Nothing brightens more than white in a kitchen, and it will take less time than you might think to repaint the cabinets. Don’t try to cut corners by not removing the handles first (it will get messy and take you longer, anyway, to try and cut in around them), but you can take a shortcut by just painting the outsides of door and drawers.
More: How to Plan a White Kitchen That’s Anything but Boring
Nothing brightens more than white in a kitchen, and it will take less time than you might think to repaint the cabinets. Don’t try to cut corners by not removing the handles first (it will get messy and take you longer, anyway, to try and cut in around them), but you can take a shortcut by just painting the outsides of door and drawers.
More: How to Plan a White Kitchen That’s Anything but Boring
8. Create a display
If you have some shelves or an old kitchen hutch that has seen better days, browse through antique shops for new treasures to display. Tie them together by colour or kind, and add freshly cut flowers from the garden every few days. If nothing’s in bloom, try a rustic arrangement of leaves or branches instead.
If you have some shelves or an old kitchen hutch that has seen better days, browse through antique shops for new treasures to display. Tie them together by colour or kind, and add freshly cut flowers from the garden every few days. If nothing’s in bloom, try a rustic arrangement of leaves or branches instead.
9. Update the splashback
Splashbacks tend to look dirty no matter how much you scrub them when they’ve been there for some time. Refreshing the splashback will be like waving a magic wand in your kitchen, especially if it’s in a happy hue like this one. Do the job yourself if you have time – mosaic tiles come grouped and spaced correctly in grids – or outsource the job to someone in the know.
More: Kitchen Inspiration: 10 Stunning Splashback Ideas
Splashbacks tend to look dirty no matter how much you scrub them when they’ve been there for some time. Refreshing the splashback will be like waving a magic wand in your kitchen, especially if it’s in a happy hue like this one. Do the job yourself if you have time – mosaic tiles come grouped and spaced correctly in grids – or outsource the job to someone in the know.
More: Kitchen Inspiration: 10 Stunning Splashback Ideas
10. Make it welcoming
When there are people you like keeping you company in the kitchen, it can’t help but feel a little brighter. Make friends and family feel welcome with ultra-comfortable seating that says ‘relax and stay a while.’
YOU TELL US
Do you have any tips for making your old kitchen look fresh again? Let us know in the comments section below.
MORE
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When there are people you like keeping you company in the kitchen, it can’t help but feel a little brighter. Make friends and family feel welcome with ultra-comfortable seating that says ‘relax and stay a while.’
YOU TELL US
Do you have any tips for making your old kitchen look fresh again? Let us know in the comments section below.
MORE
Trend Watch: 13 Kitchen Looks Expected to Be Big in 2015
15 Essentials for the Entertainer’s Kitchen
8 Kitchen Additions That’ll Make Life a Little Bit Easier
8 Sensational Splashback Materials … and Not a Tile in Sight!
Freshening up your kitchen need not take more than a couple of hours, and the before-and-after difference will amaze you. For a clean-anything concoction that will have your kitchen looking and smelling great, mix two teaspoons of eucalyptus oil into a spray bottle filled with water along with a teaspoon of washing-up liquid. Get rid of grease and grime on and around stovetops, clean out the fridge and microwave, and wipe down cabinet fronts and handles. Don’t forget the windows! You’ll be surprised how much extra light comes flooding in. The last step is to rid benchtops of all but essential items. Aah, now doesn’t that feel better?