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Fitting a new kitchen has been named as the UK’s top home improvement, and it’s no wonder why with this functional and timeless room being coined the ‘heart of the home’ for many years. Let’s just take a minute to consider what that phrase means: the kitchen is the beating organ of the house, a vital place that – without it – the rest of the home would not function. Wow! Now that’s important. So, what makes your kitchen the heart of the home?
The kitchen is no longer simply a place where you go at the end the working day to whisk up a quick meal and retire to eat it in a separate dining room; it is the very epicentre of a busy and bustling home; a place you can meet with family members and dedicate some real quality time to one another and have some down time; a place to maintain your health and wellbeing; a place that often nowadays merges the eating and living areas – the popularity of open plan living means the kitchen is where we ‘live’ in our homes in the 21st Century. So how far would you consider your kitchen the heart of the home? And, what can you do to make it feel like it is the centre of your home?
Here’s our top tips to transform your kitchen into the heart of the home, ranging from budget fixes (e.g. accessorising) to more elaborate kitchen updates (e.g. installing skylights).
Smaller Budgets
If you are working with a smaller budget, there’s no need for you to miss out on that ‘heart of the home’ feeling. There are plenty of ways to refresh your kitchen area.
- A lick of paint goes a long way. Paint the walls and cupboards to give your kitchen contemporary styles. Go for special Kitchen paint, which protects your kitchen from mould and damp caused by condensation that can build up during cooking, and also provides a wipe clean surface so you can wash grease and food spills with ease, without ruining your paint job. Go for light colours to bring a sense of space and add brightness to your kitchen.
- Don’t just stop at the walls. There are some brilliant products available for rejuvenating tiles, whether its painting them, or re-grouting, perhaps even with glitter grout. You can bring your own style to the kitchen at an affordable price. There also lots of useful tutorials available on YouTube to support you in your project.
- You can purchase a variety of cupboard and drawer fittings to help update your look too. Be consistent in your choices.
- If you don’t want to commit to refitting the entire kitchen, or spending your energies and time redecorating consider buying new kitchen accessories and small appliances. From toasters and microwaves (in a rose gold finish!) to crockery and plates, utensil hangers, and table runners – all can add a certain panache to your kitchen helping it to feel homely.
Middle Ground Spenders
If you’ve got a little more cash to splash, then some of the following tips can help you transform your kitchen.
- Switch around the light fittings in your kitchen. Low hanging pendant lights work really well over dining tables or kitchen islands. And spotlights have a great effect underneath wall mounted cupboards. Fairy lights even have their place in a kitchen, adding to that homely feel, and great for after dinner ambience; place these around soft furnishings or surrounding a window for a starry effect.
- Replace kitchen worktops. This freshens up the kitchen, and doesn’t have to cost loads. You can purchase the worktop direct from suppliers and cut and fit yourself. If you’re looking to update the kitchen worktops but don’t want to make a huge task of it, try a large cutting board that fits over the existing worktop, but creates a central spec for preparing meals. You can also purchase laminate or worktop paint, but ensure you buy the best quality as you don’t want to cheapen the look of your beautiful kitchen.
Big Spenders
For those of you who want to completely redesign your kitchen to get that wow factor, we have some more elaborate changes for your kitchen. These not only give heart to your kitchen, but style and an impressive finish. You’ll never want to leave the kitchen!
- Go for a full kitchen re-fit. Enlist the help of a professional kitchen designer and architect as well to really maximise the space. Changing the layout of your kitchen gives you lots of options to create the sort of kitchen to suit your lifestyle, whether that’s an island breakfast bar for you and the children before the school run, or a wine chiller and concealed TV for Friday night entertaining in your kitchen.
- Purchase vintage kitchen furniture. Retro, kitsch and vintage furniture is a great way to add class and style to your kitchen, and has a revival in recent years. You may be lucky to buy a unique piece at a bargain price, but the popularity does mean you often have to pay a little above contemporary high-street furniture. You can get hold of excellent quality sideboards, kitchen dressers, dining tables, and bar trolleys. These can add a theme and style to your kitchen that you can work with for the rest of the room. They often become a central focal point also, giving it that ‘heart of the home’ feel you’re trying to create.
Not into vintage designs? Treat yourself to a bespoke or designer piece instead.
- Install skylights. Skylight windows are a great addition to kitchens. They work well in both small or galley style kitchens as they bring lots of light into these spaces. They are equally impressive in large kitchens, flooding the room with light. The natural light makes the kitchen feel spacious. You also benefit from the ventilation skylights provide to kitchens, allowing steam and cooking smells to escape.
Try some of these kitchen redesign ideas, and see the difference they make to this important room in your house. Let us know the difference they make to your kitchen. Do you have your own top tips and must-have products for making your kitchen homely? If so, share them in the comments page here.
source/credit: kitchenkingdom.co.uk
