Is the kitchen in your house the same as it was when you built it 20 years ago? Chances are your lifestyle and interests have changed, but your kitchen hasn’t. What are you going to do about it? Maybe you purposely bought a house with an outdated kitchen because it was a steal and you had plans to make it your own. But there it still sits.
How long are you going to live with an outdated kitchen?

Signs of an Outdated Kitchen

The kitchen above may be too close to reality for many of you.

• Does your kitchen suffer from brownout – brown cabinets, flooring, countertops, and backsplash
•  Are the cabinets a mishmash of styles, for example the original cabinet profile paired with raised panels during a well-intentioned update that did not a cohesive plan
• Maybe your appliances do not match
• you still have your same tired backsplash that needs to be refreshed

Tips to Help Update Your Kitchen

If your kitchen is outdated like the one above; you are probably dying to rip it all out and start fresh….but unfortunately that kind of big budget project isn’t doable right now. That doesn’t mean you have to live with what you have. You can give your kitchen a facelift using some of the suggestions below.

Cabinets

• A big plus here is the cabinets already go to the ceiling. Add a small crown molding and paint all the cabinets white. This accomplishes two things – it brings a unifying element to the mismatched cabinets and it freshens up the drab brown. You can also go a step further if your cabinet doors are flat like these and add trim around the edges to give them a shaker style and then replace just the doors on the island to match.
  

Appliances

• In this kitchen, the homeowners had already replaced the old refrigerator with a new white one. Do the same with the old stove and dishwasher.  White or stainless doesn’t matter; they just need to match.

Countertops 

• The dated laminate countertops are already showing signs of pulling apart.  Replace them with a granite imitation solid surface.  Here is one from Home Depot that ties in the wood floors with the updated gray color scheme that many people are looking for.
  
  Figure 3  Home Depot Colorway Poplar

Backsplash

• Replace the tired backsplash with this pretty beveled white subway tile.  It will make the kitchen feel bigger and gives a nod to the raised panels on the island.
  
  Figure 4 Wayfair MSI Beveled white subway tiles 2″x4″

Lighting

• If you have a similar situation where you have a low ceiling with a large, bulky fixture hanging down, replace it with a new semi flush mount ceiling hugger like this one from Harborcreek. The pretty seeded glass has a nostalgic nod to the 50”s era cabinets.

• If there is space under the upper cabinets, add battery operated undercabinet lighting for more task and ambient light.
  
  Figure 5 Wayfair Harborcrek 3 light semi flush mount

Window Treatments 

• Replace the wood blind and themed valance with white blinds and low profile valance in a more neutral greige color and pattern.

If the kitchen above reminds you of your own, it doesn’t have to.  Stop living with the frumpy step sister and make your kitchen the belle of the ball again!  And let us know how it turns out! Tackling remodel projects can be stressful.  We would love to help you transform your space into a one-of-a-kind home that hugs you – contact us today!