Decorating Your Kitchen On A Budget
Decorating on a budget can be challenging, but also rewarding. Here are some simple tips for decorating your kitchen on a budget.
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Use fabric in your kitchen. Years ago, there was a belief that you shouldn’t use fabric in a kitchen because of the grease and food splatters, and the difficulty cleaning. Nowadays, most fabrics can be thrown in the washer and dryer, so go ahead and use it! It softens the kitchen, can add romance or charm, and makes it feel like a warm connection to the rest of your house, instead of a cold utilitarian space. Curtains or valances, appliance covers, and table runners all can be easily stitched at home. (Or fused with an iron and hem tape available at your sewing or craft store.) Fabric does not have to be expensive either. Flat twin sheets are always a great value, and can be gotten on sale for as little as 3 dollars. Keep an eye out at garage sales for sheets, quilts, tablecloths, and even clothing that have your homes color schemes.
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Repaint those cabinets! Unless you have high quality wood cabinets, chances are they could use some rejuvenation, and painted finishes are very hot! There are many techniques you can easily learn to give your kitchen cabinets an expensive designer look. Crackling, faux finishing, and glazing are all quite simple and cost effective. Try the Internet for some guidance; most major paint manufacturers have websites with great instructions!
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Paint those walls! These days our kitchens are the hub of the home, and we all feel more comfortable in rooms that offer mood and character. If you have wood cabinets, color on the walls will make the wood appear richer, and will emphasize your accessories.
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If you don’t want the hard work that goes into total repainting of your cabinets, consider removing a cupboard door to make a display cabinet. Paint the entire interior of the cabinet a light or bright accent color, and put your prettiest on display. Or have someone good with power tools cut out the center panels of the doors, then shirr fabric over the inside to hide the contents of the cupboard…secure with a staple gun or Velcro tape.
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Pick up inexpensive plate hangers from the hardware store and hang the saucers from your good china around the backsplash, or as a border. Don’t have any china? Visit garage sales and thrift stores this weekend to pick up a bunch of sweet little plates for a song. (No, they don’t have to match, or be fancy!)
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Hang tea towels on the diagonal over your curtain rod for a fresh summer valance, and save some extra to stitch up into potholders and placemats.
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Save empty bottles and fill with colored water to set on the windowsills, or line up the bottles and fill with one flower each from your garden
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Use plants abundantly in your kitchen. Build a small shelf across your windowsill, and start plants from seed or cuttings to save money. Plants breather life into a room! Get instructions for a window shelf here.
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Have outdated laminate counters but you can't afford to replace them. Try painting them to look like granite. The total cost for doing a kitchen would be about 50 to100 dollars. Get complete instructions for faux granite here.
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Want to do something about that out of date vinyl flooring, but can’t afford to replace? You can indeed paint vinyl flooring. The biggest trick is keeping everyone out of the kitchen while it cures! The steps are the same as for painting countertops…you need a good primer specifically made for non-porous surface such as BIN or KILZ, and this is a step you CANNOT skip! Next, paint your floor using ordinary house paint; expensive floor paint is not necessary. Try finding a photo of a floor design in a magazine, and then graph it out on paper first. Use masking tape to add grout lines if you wish. Let dry thoroughly, then seal with a water based polyurethane. For a high traffic floor I recommend 6 coats, and that will give you years of floor life! (You can also use the same idea as in the faux granite to add texture to your floor by using contrasting colours and a sea sponge.)
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Love that pickled cabinet finish? It’s easy to do over your present cabinets. Use TSP to make sure your cabinets are absolutely clean, then lightly sand. Now using thinned down white house paint, brush over the surface of the cabinet. Work on small area at a time. Wait a few minutes, and then wipe down with a cloth. Repeat the process until you get the level of color you desire! You may wish to seal with polyurethane, or a paste wax.
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Use the area above your cabinet to display collectibles. Put them together in smaller groups, but be sure to leave some space between each group of objects for the eye to rest.
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Use strings of white holiday lights under kitchen cabinets for a quick and cheap lighting alternative. Simply use a staple gun or nail in brads to attach to the bottom of the cabinets. Be careful never to staple the wiring, and if you do, don’t use that string of lights!
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If you are a renter but want to add some style, cut motifs out of contact paper to adhere to cabinet doors or walls. You can use stencils to trace a design onto the backing paper, or simply draw freehand. It is easily removable when it’s time to leave, with no big cash investment.
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Bring a comfortable chair into a corner of your kitchen to encourage visitors while the cooking and cleaning is going on. Some of the most memorable family moments happen in the kitchen!
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Store your cookbooks on the kitchen counter…not only are they right where you need them; books add a lot of warmth and hominess to a room.
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Use no fire glass paints and dollar store clear glass plates to create one of a kind décor for your kitchen walls. Try decoupaging a motif from wallpaper or gift wrap onto the back of the plate with white glue, let dry, then sponge paint in your kitchen colors over the back of it. Pick a color that contrasts nicely with the motif for best results. Metallic gold makes an elegant statement.
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If you don’t need your entire cupboard space, remove the cupboard door; paint the interior a contrasting color, then display a beautiful piece of pottery or artwork. Instantly adds an upscale feel.
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Frame your kid’s artwork, and hang it in your kitchen! Give each child their own frame, (remember garage sales and thrift stores!) and allow them to update their artwork weekly.
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Use plants abundantly in your kitchen. Build a small shelf across your windowsill, and start plants from seed or cuttings to save money. Plants breather life into a room!
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Make sure you have plenty of lighting in the kitchen. This doesn’t have to mean expensive or elaborate built in lighting strips…a small tabletop lamp on the counter is high on personality, and practicality! Remake a shade from a flea market find, or learn how to make your own lamp with a lamp making kit from your craft or hardware store!
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Don’t be afraid to mix wood finishes or colors in the kitchen. Some of the most successful and popular designer kitchen combines dark wood with light, or painted cabinets with stained.
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Make a pot rack, and add character to your kitchen with the practical pots and pans you already own! Pot racks can be made from a variety of items with a little chain, some s-hooks, and some wall anchors. (For the ceiling of course!) How about an old wine rack, or even a sturdy piece of latticework?
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Add extra storage space and an eating area by adding a simple plywood box with a hinged lid in your kitchen. Painted to match the kitchen theme, it’s a great breakfast table for little ones, and doubles as storage for kitchen items used less often, such as the Thanksgiving platter or the Santa cookie plates. (Can you say, breadmaker?) You can have the home improvement center cut the wood to size for you for a small fee, and then it’s just a matter of some screws and hinges! Real simple, honest!
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Add casters to a small dresser as an instant island for your kitchen! Just make sure you buy the right size casters for the weight of your piece.
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Buy inexpensive clear glass jars at your local discount store, and display your food staples. Pasta, beans, even cereal can add interesting color and texture to the room.
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If your cabinets are beyond painting, but you can’t afford to replace them, sew gathered skirts from flat sheet material and attach with Velcro strips to the bottom cabinets. Then remove the doors from the top cabinets, and replace each door with a fabric panel, using either Velcro, or cup hooks and ribbon loops.
Make your kitchen YOUR home, stamp YOUR personal style on it and have fun doing it!
