Redoing a kitchen presents you with an overwhelming number of options. Let’s lower your stress by reducing those options to six common choices. But before discussing them, let's consider why updating a kitchen is worthwhile.

Why a Kitchen Should Be Updated

The initial costs of a kitchen upgrade may give homeowners pause if they don’t consider the long-term benefits. For example, a modern kitchen can increase the home's resell value. It’s one of the top demands of buyers.

An up-to-date kitchen can also increase the joy the present owners receive from their home. The new kitchen might be brighter and cheerier, creating a pleasant place for family and friends to gather.

Upgraded kitchens are also more functional. They're built with the needs of the family in mind. They might offer more storage and additional food prep areas.

With that in mind, here are six ways you can redo your kitchen.

1. Painting

You may have last painted your kitchen years ago. And you probably painted it in a color scheme that was popular at that time. Now, that color is no longer in style.

That’s not an unusual situation. Paint preferences change yearly, so it’s easy to have an outdated kitchen color. But painting a kitchen in a modern color can quickly erase the years. 

2. Cabinetry

Outdated cabinetry will overpower any other effort you make to modernize a kitchen. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to bring cabinetry into the modern era.

First, decide on your needs. For example, do you want to hide unsightly appliances? In that case, cabinetry with glass fronts would probably not be your first choice. On the other hand, if you collect one-of-a-kind stemware, you might want glass fronts.

3. Cabinet Hardware

One of the simplest upgrades you can make to a kitchen is to upgrade the hardware on the cabinet. In other words, improve the handles and hinges.

If you choose new hardware that’s the same size as the old, you may not have to drill new holes. It would just be a matter of unscrewing the old hardware and inserting the new. The project likely will require only one afternoon.

4. Coffee Bar

It’s called a coffee bar, but that doesn't mean you can’t tailor it to your tastes if you prefer tea or smoothies. However you use it, it can easily become the most popular place in the house.

Homeowners like it because it provides a convenient place for all the gadgets and tools needed to make their favorite drink. Having it all in one space helps keep the kitchen looking tidy.  

If you don’t like open shelving, you can choose to incorporate the coffee bar into a recess area that uses cabinetry doors. If you don’t have time to clean the nook before guests arrive, you can simply close off the area.

5. Seating

Kitchens are always more friendly spaces when they offer comfortable seating other than around a kitchen table. Breakfast nooks are popular. They tend to be small, making them good candidates for even modest-sized kitchens.

They could be a built-in banquette in the corner, bar stools with backrests, or simply a bistro table with chairs in a cozy location.

6. Countertops

The countertop is another kitchen component that immediately gives clues to the last update you’ve made. What was once a trendy, hot-selling countertop can soon become a tiresome reminder of the past. 

Countertops these days are available in various colors to suit more modern tastes. There are also many different materials from which to choose according to your needs. Some will better handle the demands of serious home chefs, while more sensitive materials are more suited for easygoing use.

What Not to Do to Your Kitchen

Once you update your kitchen, you’ll want to enjoy it for years to come. To do so, keep in mind a few kitchen safety tips.

Don’t open the oven door on a fire. Opening the door will introduce more oxygen and can cause the fire to flare. Instead, keep the door closed and turn off the oven. The fire will die once it uses up the oxygen.

Keep your oven mitts dry. Oven mitts offer great protection from hot pots and pans, but only when they’re dry. If moisture gets on them, toss them in the dryer because when they’re wet, they transfer heat to your hands much faster than you can imagine.

Use heat-resistant glass. If you use glassware for hot items, consider purchasing glass designed to tolerate heat. Otherwise, you could spend less time cooking and more time picking up pieces of shattered glass.

Written by Taylor McKnight, Author for RenoPro Gallery