Budget Kitchen Makeover Ideas
by Pamela Cole Harris
If your house is like mine, your family spends a lot of time in
the kitchen (you remember the kitchen? The room where you microwave those TV
dinners, pop the popcorn and open soup cans?) Contrary to what those up-scale
style magazines say, you don't need to spend a fortune to update the look of
your kitchen (unless you won the lottery, in which case, you are more than
welcome to come update mine!). Here are a few simple and inexpensive ways to
give your kitchen some pizzazz!
1. If you have solid wood cabinets, strip the color or finish.
Then apply a new stain with a couple of drops (or squeezes!) of yellow or green
oil pigment (available at your local craft store) added. The color will have
more depth and more drama!
2. Experiment with molding from your local home improvement
store. Use different types of molding to create interesting effects. Don't
confine yourself to the expected - a rectangle in the center. Try a narrow strip
across the top or bottom - or for a dramatic effect, try a diagonal strip with
the handles attached at the same diagonal.
3. Try adding beadboard as a backsplash for a traditional or
country kitchen. Be sure to cover with a quality paint that can be scrubbed!
4. Want a Tuscan look? Mount terracotta or stone pavers as a
backsplash! Apply matching or contrasting mortar to customize the look.
5. For an even more inexpensive look, use vinyl floor tiles in a
stone or mosaic pattern as a backsplash. There are some wonderful vinyl tiles
available today! You can create a whole new look for under $30!
6. Try replacing your conventional doors with window shutters
for a plantation look.
7. Try adding color to white cabinets by painting small frames
red. Ask your children to paint flowers or scenes on white paper. Then mount the
paintings in the small frames and attach two or three (depending on the
proportions of your cabinets) to the front of each door. Voila! Your own art
gallery! (And you can change the paintings anytime you want!
8. Glue inexpensive rectangles cut from woven grass placemats to
your cabinet doors. Frame with strips of molding to simulate grass or rattan
inserts.
9. Cork squares can also be used as dramatic interest when glued
to the front of bland cabinets. And the cork is useful! You will have message
boards on each cabinet!
See? A dramatic makeover in your kitchen takes just a few
inexpensive touches! Now, if only I could get a cooking makeover that easily, my
husband would be a happy man!
Pamela Cole Harris has been a writer for over 35 years (Yikes! Has it been that
long? Her fun, tongue-in-cheek
approach to decorating has made
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com one of the most popular décor sites
on the net. She brings the same spirit of fun to cooking at
http://www.thewellfedtraveler.com and running a home
business at
http://www.pajamabusinesses.com.