A Cabinet Full of Ideas

29 May A Cabinet Full of Ideas

Modify your kitchen cabinets with ease and flair

You’ve become too used to your kitchen. But you just don’t have the interest or budget to invest in a complete remodel. But you’ve got to do something – you’ve had the same layout for years. A change is in order, and luckily it is easily obtainable. There are quick and easy methods for kitchen remodeling that only really require bit of time and effort, maybe a few bucks, and you can have an updated kitchen before you know it!

The most obvious, and also possibly the most effective way to refresh your kitchen and bring it into the modern age is with a new coat of paint. Make the room inviting by painting your cabinets all-white. Or create a cozier vibe by painting them dark. Or just go nuts with a brave new color of your choice! You can always change what you decide you don’t like!

Perhaps one of the reasons you’re inspired to update the kitchen is because it’s drab. You can fix that by adding lighting, and there are a fun variety of ways to do so!  You can use led light panel or small fixtures within cabinets that have glass fronts, or you may install lighting directly to the bottom of your cabinets to illuminate the respective sections of countertop. For the most dramatic effect, install dimmable task lighting so you can select any level of brightness that you find appropriate for any given time.

You can continue the profound changes with open shelving. How do you incorporate it? By removing ALL of your cabinet doors! If the kitchen had felt at all claustrophobic this is a good way to ‘open up’ the room. Of course, you’ll certainly want to remove the remaining latches as well, and sand or touch up the paint of the newly revealed area. You’ll completely transform the room and even make it a bit more functional as well.

If you want to incorporate a bit of real craftsmanship, try re-facing your cabinets. Simply remove the center panels of your shakers, and add glass door inserts. That’s where the fun is in – choosing the glass. There’s almost nothing you can’t get. Glass styles are wildly abundant – from stained to etched to colored or crackled there’s most definitely a look right for you!

And of course, bottom cabinets benefit greatly from roll-out shelving. It’s a cool built-in feature that is inexpensive and enhances functionality. Also known as slide out trays, they are really just short sided drawers. You can purchase the materials cheaply and install them with relative ease.

Maybe you find the kitchen rather dull. You’ve reached the point where you want to impress, you want to add some flair. Your cabinets are solid and plain, ideal for a decorative touch. That’s where crown molding comes in. It provides a high-end look and a greater feeling of height. It attaches to the top of your cabinet and extends out to the ceiling, adding a sense of distinction to the entire kitchen.

Another easy way to modify the kitchen is to update the hardware. Replace the old outdated stuff with sharp new knobs, pulls, latches, etc… and again, if you don’t already know, there are countless textures, styles and colors available, pick a theme and have fun!

Finally, you can create space and storage by utilizing the dead space found under your upper shelves. You can use it as a stash area for assorted housewares, or you can install tiny hooks and hang a series of mugs and cups from the bottom of the cabinet. You may instead add under cabinet shelving which can actually be installed to cleverly swing out when needed. Of course, you can simply buy loose lightweight stand-alone shelves, such as those constructed with wire mesh, and lay them on the counters beneath.

Hopefully some of these ideas inspire you to get out of your kitchen rut! Brightening the room or giving it an all-new look is as easy as you want it to be. However ambitious your intentions it’s always good to know that a favorable change is just within reach!