If you just can’t stand your kitchen, you might be disappointed to learn that the average kitchen remodel costs over $25,000.
Ouch. I don’t know about you, but that’s more than I can afford to responsibly spend on sprucing up my kitchen.
Lucky for me (and for you!), though, there are tons of DIY kitchen ideas that can transform our kitchens from dingy to dinner-party-worthy.
Come with me and we’ll look at tons of different options to give your home a low-cost kitchen makeover!
DIY Kitchen Ideas to Change the Look of Any Kitchen
If you’re renting an apartment there can be a lot of limitations on what changes you’re allowed to make. Even if you own your home but just aren’t looking to undertake a five-figure renovation project, you can still transform your cooking and dining experience with a kitchen makeover.
Get a Rug
Adding a rug to your kitchen can really tie the room together.
Putting a beautiful rug down on even the saddest of flooring can add a sense of coziness and a splash of color to your kitchen. Match it to the rest of your kitchen decor, or use it as a stunning contrast piece.
If you feel like your kitchen is drab lacks personality, this is a great way to both protect your flooring from heavy traffic and spruce up your kitchen’s vibes.
Hang Art
One of the best ways to cheaply change the character of a room is by hanging some art on the walls.
Whether you have an old painting passed down from your grandmother, some cool photographs you found at a thrift store, or an artistic friend who loves to share their artwork, decorating your walls with art adds tons of personality to an otherwise mundane space.
Add or Change the Lighting
Lighting has a huge effect on the mood of a room. If you find yourself squinting to see the vegetables you’re chopping, consider adding some under cabinet lighting. If you feel like the atmosphere of your kitchen is gloomy and dark, getting a plug-in pendant light is an inexpensive way to brighten your space without having to deal with rewiring.
Even changing your lightbulbs can make a huge change. Lighting that has a higher Kelvin rating is known to make us more energetic but are also capable of interrupting our sleep patterns. Lighting with a lower Kelvin rating is known to have a calming effect and can make a room feel cozy.
Warm white light, which is slightly higher on the scale than the lowest category soft white light, is considered the best bulb temperature for kitchens and bathrooms.
Paint Something
Even if you can’t repaint your whole kitchen, painting something can affect the feel of the whole room. Even if it’s just an accent wall, a bump-out, or the base of an island, painting something in your kitchen can add color, personality, some contrast.
One of the most impactful kitchen updates is to repaint your kitchen cabinets. This isn’t a small job for a beginner and can be difficult to do on your own. If you want to really jazz up your kitchen, you might look into hiring a cabinet painting service.
Add Some Wallpaper
Wallpapering used to be one of those kitchen updates that was tedious, imperfect, and stressful. Luckily, now there’s a bunch of peel-and-stick wallpaper options that make the process much simpler. Some of them are even removable, so this is a viable option even if your renting!
The skies the limit in terms of what wallpaper can do for your kitchen. Maybe you want to add an impressive, bold mural, or maybe you’d rather a subtle floral pattern. Either way, this is a sure-fire way to give your kitchen a makeover.
Get New Window Treatments
Adding some new curtains to your kitchen’s windows is an awesome way to update your kitchen’s decor. Finding patterned curtains to hang in your kitchen is another avenue to add some of your own style to your kitchen if you can’t do a full remodel.
Buy and Install a New Faucet
Upgrading your sink’s faucet is an excellent and relatively inexpensive way to make a real difference in your kitchen. If your faucet has seen better days, swapping it out for a new one with the same specs can be a simple and easy DIY project.
Hang Shelves
This is a great option whether you need some more storage space or would rather hang shelving to display cookbooks or decorative items.
If you love taking on woodworking projects this is an easy one to do yourself. Otherwise, there are tons of unique and beautiful shelves you can buy that can cat as a piece of artwork in themselves.
Get Some Plants
It’s amazing what adding some greenery to a room can do! Pick up some plants and stylish pots and breathe new life into your kitchen. Not only are houseplants a beautiful addition to your home, but they’re also believed to help improve air quality and boost our mood.
Swap Out Hardware
Sometimes the little details are easily overlooked, but they can also make a huge difference in the way you experience a room.
If it’s not in your budget to replace those cabinets you hate, look into replacing the hardware with pieces that you love. You might be surprised to find your feelings towards your cabinets change drastically when you’re opening and closing them with your new hardware.
Is It Time for a Kitchen Makeover?
We spend a lot of our time in our kitchens, so whether you love or hate your kitchen can have a huge impact on your experience making meals and cleaning up. Thankfully we don’t have to shell out tens of thousands of dollars to make huge improvements in our kitchens!
Did you love this article on DIY kitchen ideas? If so, be sure to check out the rest of our blog for more great articles on everything home and real estate!
