Everybody aspires to make their kitchen more than just a cooking space. The kitchen is the heart of every home. The kitchen should be well decorated since this sometimes becomes the meeting place for the family. A good kitchen should be well equipped, with big cabinets, properly lit and spacious. Decorating the kitchen may be quite expensive, for example, buying new tiles for your kitchen will cost you up to 1000$. Here are simple but effective ways to decorate your kitchen:

1. Upgrade accessories

[one_half_first]A good kitchen is worth nice looking and latest kitchen accessories. It is important to make the maximum out of the accessories in your kitchen. The pantry items you choose should be able to match the color of the cabinets in the kitchen.

You can add a few accessories such as a wall clock on one of the walls or a trashcan in one of the corners. A floral pattern is the best to adopt.

Wooden items such as chopping boards can also add a cozy look to the kitchen tables. The most important of all is to ensure that they are neatly arranged.[/one_half_first][one_half_last][/one_half_last]

2. Brighten up your kitchen

A kitchen that does not get enough lighting or has dark colors will look small and congested. You can, therefore, paint your kitchen walls with bright colors, decor it with a country style, and if you like dark cabinets, you could add some led lights on them to make them look brighter. Concerning the lighting of the kitchen room, make sure that nothing blocks the lights from your windows. You can also replace your dark curtains with brighter ones. Here are some tips for optimizing lighting in the kitchen rooms:

• To brighten up your counter space, stick some led strip lights on them and on the under cabinets. Led lights are very cheap and consume very little energy.
• Use energy saving bulbs to replace the incandescent light bulbs.
• Use pendant lights to replace an old lighting system.
• A mirror on the cabinet or on the walls will be a nice idea to make the kitchen entertaining and also for reflection of light.
• Outdated lighting systems should also be removed.

3. Cooking tool wall storage

This is an idea got from the busy restaurant kitchens. They use some nice industrial hardware and well-painted racks mounted on the wall to store their utensils. Here are some ways of adopting this idea.

• Use magnets mounted on the wall to store metallic cutlery such as knives.
• Mount a pegboard just above your counter. The pegboard should be well painted and polished. It will be important also to hang items by merit of color or use.
• Install hang racks to hang utensils that are fitted with hooks or have a hanging hole.
• Hang baskets are also available. This can be used to store small items, thus may include fruits, ingredients or even cutlery.

4. Use hideaway furniture

The most important component of your kitchen is space. To maximize the available space, you can choose simple furniture that can be moved away from the kitchen when they are not needed. Some examples of such furniture include;

• Bar stools that can be tuck under the cabinets.
• Kitchen cabinets or tables that can be rolled back.
• Wall mounted, dropdown kitchen tables or chopping boards.

5. Pot Racks

Small kitchens usually face a problem in storing large pots. The best option in such a case is to use pot racks, they can either hang from the ceiling or mounted on the wall. Pegboards mounted on the wall will be ideal for a small kitchen. The pots should be arranged neatly maybe according to their sizes or frequency of use.

6. Increase your counter space

A large counter space will make the cooking process easier and faster. A spacious kitchen looks modern and appealing, one should, therefore, device ways to increase their kitchen space as much as possible. There are so many suggestions on how to increase space in the kitchen. Here are a few suggestions:

• Use of cooktops that are made up of low-profile ceramic. The modern cooktops are well designed to give you extra space where you can place a few items when not in use.
• Cooktop cover. Your cooktop can be converted into a counter space by covering it with a wooden or plastic panel when not in use. You can chop your ingredients on top of this cover before you start cooking.
• Add a butcher block. It is advisable that you buy one with wheels or fit a set so that you can easily push it away when not in use. Adding some simple stools to the butcher block will form a nice breakfast bar.

7. Additional Shelving

Shelves are important in storage in the kitchen.To achieve a more elegant look in your kitchen, add a row of narrow shelves to blank walls. Here you can store your cookbooks and recipe guides.You can also put movable shelves at the corners, here you can store extra nonperishable groceries.

8. Add a backsplash

When you are unable to tile the area around the sink, a backsplash will solve the problem. A standard backsplash is about 10 to 40 square fit. A well-decorated backsplash will cost you up to $5 per square feet which is very cheap. The backsplash will protect the walls from effects of water such as paint peeling off. A backsplash will not only make the sink area beautiful but can also be cleaned and disinfected easily.

9. Carpets and Mats

A few pieces of mats or rags in your kitchen will improve its look. First, look for a carpet to spread on the floor space. The carpet must not necessarily cover the whole kitchen space, you can put it under the dining table in the kitchen if you have one. The color of the carpet should also match the general color of the paint in the room. Secondly, you can add small mats on random places in the kitchen room, for example, places where you like standing like next to the fridge, next to the cooktop. A brilliant idea is putting some mats beside the sink, this is important since it does not only make the sink space look more beautiful but also absorb any water that is splashing from the sink.

10. Add wall covering

Wall coverings are a cheap and easy decorative technique. Wall coverings come with adhesive backs and are therefore easy to install, you just cut and stick. It gives more volume to your cabinets and countertops. Wallcoverings come within a range of decorations such as beautiful landscapes, quotes and amazing color combinations.

11. Change Knobs and handles

This is one of the easiest and quickest updates. Choose stylish and well-polished knobs and handles for your drawers. Polished Nickel handles are the best for kitchen cabinets and drawers. It is advisable to avoid funny knob and handle designs, for example, some people choose handles that are customized in the shape of some objects. You should avoid such since they old very fast.

12. Painting

Paint the kitchen furniture to give them a new and polished look. If you won’t be able to paint all your walls and furniture, you can concentrate on the part just above your cabinet or sink. Some interior designers will propose painting the upper parts of your kitchen with brighter colors than the lower components, this will enhance a well-lit look in the kitchen room. When choosing paints, you should choose kitchen adapted paints that are water resistant.

If you don’t want to engage in heavy paintwork, you can concentrate on a small area and paint it with a very conspicuous color, for example, if the color of the kitchen walls is white, you can paint one of the corners with a yellow or pink color.

13. Remove cabinet doors

If you have a small or medium size kitchen, you could open it up by removing the cabinet doors especially for shelves on the high parts of the kitchen. However, if you are not confident enough to remove the cabinet doors you can replace them with glass doors that will enable you to see your utensils without opening the cupboards.

14. Changing Faucets

Faucets are what make a kitchen look stylish. Choose faucets that are well designed, for example, the tall curved faucets look elegant and stylish. You should also choose Faucets that are of good color, for example, red or black.

15. Adding a dining table and chairs

If you have a spacious kitchen, you can consider adding a nice dining table in the kitchen space. If you already have a dining table and chairs, you may consider changing the set to a modern and stylish one, you can choose a set that comes with chairs that have the same color as the kitchen walls. A good dining table will add a more elegant look in your kitchen.

Conclusion

If you don’t have enough budget to redo your kitchen decorations from the floor to the ceiling, these fifteen ideas will help you achieve what you desire at your budget.

In redecorating your kitchen, you do not need to break your piggy bank just to go through the process. There are numerous ways to liven up your kitchen without spending anything. You need to learn the 3 main areas which will be covered by a kitchen decorating; they are the floors, walls and storage. You can use these 3 as a guide in fixing your kitchen. Choosing the themes for your kitchen may be very tough. But the outcome of your newly renovated kitchen will depend on your new concept. You can start with these steps:

3. Walls – wall paper can be the best solution but it can cause you a lot than paint. Paint can cover larger area; this means you can save a lot on paint. There are different pint colors to choose from if you want to blend it with the colors of your wall and floors. Creativity counts! You can make wall frames containing your own recipes; you can have it printed and hang it on your kitchen wall.

How to decorate a small kitchen

Every kitchen represents a place for the family, friends, food and fun so you have to make sure that it has a grand design with a huge impact. Today, decorating a kitchen can be easy with the number of designs and techniques available. You shouldn’t be bothered with a big or small kitchen. It is actually not an issue of size but how it is been executed.

Some wonderful ways to decorate a small kitchen are:
Selecting the right color for the kitchen space is vital because it is one of the rooms which will be used by most of the people. You need to select one that will make your kitchen look more spacious and appealing. Bright colors makes a room look more spacious so you can opt for any light colors.

Make sure that the kitchen appliances are chosen with smaller features. If the kitchen appliances are big and gigantic, it will take a lot of space and you won’t be able to add any extra accessories. One of the easiest ways to completely change the look of the kitchen is by putting your appliances to new positions.

It is not necessary to build a number of cupboards in a small kitchen. It will not go along with a small kitchen. It is better to replace them with shelves which are quite handy and you can place almost all of the kitchen appliances. However if you want cupboards, one good idea is to build kitchen cupboards in different heights.

You can also place the table in the corner cubicle instead of a free standing kitchen table. This will open at least half of your dining space. You can also build a table that contains shelving drawers and units below the table where in you can store large items and all the other items that are often used less.

How to Make the Most out of a Small Kitchen?

Having a small kitchen does not mean you do not have a good kitchen. Even though you can’t fill it up with furniture or appliances as compared to what you can place in large one, that doesn’t mean it wont be as functional. You can make the most of your small kitchen if you remodel you small kitchen focusing on visual balance, space utilization and functionality.

Here are some things to consider on how to make the most of a small kitchen:
1. Find ways on how to maximize your storage space
In maximizing your kitchen space, you have to partition your storage spaces and make them achieve multiple functions. For example, a wooden rack can be placed on your window provided that they will not block sunlight. This will allow you to have additional space to display plates or other utensils. Aside from its added functionality it can also serve as a decoration.

2. Use Eye Pleasing Colors
Colors can greatly contribute to the overall ambience of your kitchen. It is advisable to use light colors because unlike dark colors, light shades create a visual illusion of having a bigger space. Researches also conclude that light colors can improve a person’s mood.

3. Customize your cabinets
You can also remodel your kitchen cabinets according to how you use them. By maximizing your storage spaces you can free up space for something else. Unused cabinet space should be utilized, if not they should be eliminated.

4. Customize your kitchen furniture
Having a small space may present difficulties in making stuff fit in your kitchen. It may limit you in your choice of appliances and furniture, but you can get through this ordeal by determining what you really need. Eliminate bulky furniture and replace them with a smaller and a more compact one. You may also want to consider portable ones, they offer the same functionality and you can just fold them over when finished.

5. Utilize Lighting effects
Light can greatly influence the ambience of your kitchen. With proper lighting and positioning your kitchen can appear bigger than it really is. The positioning and the intensity of light also contribute to this feat. Using accent lights tends to provide an impression of a larger space. When used properly, lighting effects will surely enhance your kitchen’s harmony and comfort, no matter how small it is. You don’t need to have a large kitchen to achieve full kitchen functionality or visual edge. Make the most out of your kitchen by planning and strategizing on how to boost the room’s efficiency. As long as you place the right things at the right place, you are guaranteed to maximize whatever space you have. It is not how big your kitchen is, it’s how you make use of it.

References:

• Michaud, E., & Hirsch, A. (2009). The Healing Kitchen: From Tea Tin to Fruit Basket, Breadbox to Veggie Bin, How to Unlock the Power of Foods That Heal. Dallas: BenBella Books, Inc.
• Rhodes, V. (2001). Pumpkin decorating. New York: Sterling Pub.
• Ward, L. (1999). Use what you have decorating: Transform your home in one hour with ten simple design principles using the space you have, the things you like, the budget you choose. New York: Berkley Pub. Group.