Picture: Wasa Crispbread / Unsplash
Kitchens are traditionally the heart of the home, but it doesn’t always feel that way. They can be dark, dated, unwelcoming, and unfriendly to visitors and homeowners alike.
While it’s true that kitchen renovations can cost a considerable amount of money, you don’t have to undertake a complete transformation to see results. Make your kitchen a warm and inviting space by doing some of the following things.
Update Your Cookware and Servingware
When all your best bowls are chipped, your favorite pans have lost their non-stick coating, and your pots have seen better days, it’s hard to take pride in your kitchen. However, if you were to browse some of the best quality cookware brands and purchase new pots, pans, and other kitchen essentials, you might be surprised by how motivated you are to cook up a storm. Sometimes, shopping for new kitchen goodies is all it takes to change your outlook on this part of your home.
Lighten Up
A kitchen should be light and bright so you can see what you’re doing, but that’s not always the case. You might have lighting in all the wrong places, too many dark colors, or clutter filling every surface.
Fortunately, creating a sense of lightness and brightness doesn’t have to be a significant undertaking (nor an expensive one). Clear the clutter, consider installing new lights or brighter bulbs, and replace some of the darkest features. For example, if you have dark wall paint or cabinetry, you might see the value in painting them a lighter color to achieve that much-needed lightness.
Use Warm Décor
Kitchens can be sterile environments out of necessity. Food needs to be prepared in a hygienic space or you risk giving your family members and guests food poisoning. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t introduce décor to welcome in some warmth.
Consider easy-wipe artwork that you can install on walls, unique light shades in warming colors, and a beautiful vase filled with flowers as a centerpiece for your counter. There are a surprising number of ways to incorporate warmth without compromising hygiene and food safety.
Purchase Bar Stools
While you might not need a helping hand to prepare the family meal, that doesn’t mean you have to cook on your own. Sometimes, the best way to make your kitchen a warm and inviting space is by ensuring there’s room for people to sit and socialize with you while you cook.
Bar stools can be an excellent way to achieve this goal. If you have a breakfast bar, place comfortable bar stools in front of it so that you don’t have to prepare meals in isolation. These same stools may also come in handy if you don’t have enough room for a dining table.
Install a Feature
Kitchens can be busy places, especially when you have utensils hanging on walls, dishes drying on racks, and any number of patterns and textures on walls and floors. If you intend to undertake significant renovations to transform your kitchen, don’t underestimate the importance of toning down your décor and incorporating a single feature.
Rather than your eye being drawn to busy flooring, a patterned backsplash, and cookware clutter, it can be drawn to a single element, such as a beautiful piece of artwork or bold-colored cabinetry contrasted against neutral walls and floors.
Everyone deserves a kitchen they can be proud of, and it doesn’t have to be a costly exercise to get it. Focus on lightening the space, purchasing cookware you love, and creating a communal area. You should then be closer to having the kitchen of your dreams.