20 Ideas for Your Next Kitchen Renovation
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Planning a kitchen renovation soon? Here are 20 ideas you can use when the time comes… And when you're ready roll? Service Central has a bunch of crazy talented renovators and cabinet makers ready to turn your dreams into reality. Get a quote today…
1. Incorporate Mind-Blowing Corner Drawers
My world was rocked when I discovered this was a possibility. Sure, you waste a little bit of space, but the ease of accessing all your stuff makes that ok. You'll need a professional cabinet maker for this one -- you can't get these corner drawers off the shelf at IKEA (yet).
2. Or Make the Most of Corner Cupboards with These Slide Out Trays
Failing the corner drawer, some simple hardware can make that hard to reach corner cupboard a little easier to handle.
3. Have a Space for Spices and Jars with These Narrow Pull Out Trays
Narrow pull out cupboards are the perfect space to keep spice jars and other condiments. Put one right next to the stove for easy mid-stir-fry access.
4. Or Hide Baking Trays and Other Cumbersome Items in a Sneaky Kickboard Cupboard
Those cumbersome baking trays and cake tins you end up storing in the oven? Have a secret hiding place built into your new kitchen -- right in the kick board! Perfect for those long, flat containers.
5. Include A Book Shelf Beside Your Breakfast Bar
Got a heap of cooking books, but nowhere convenient to store them? Try a bookshelf underneath your breakfast bar for easy access and an attractive feature for your kitchen.
6. Install Drawers Inside Your Existing Cupboards for the Best of Both Worlds
If you're not planning a complete replacement of your existing kitchen, adding drawers to the inside of you cupboards is a great way to improve the access to your cabinets without spending a fortune.
7. Make Cabinets Look More Like Furniture with Cute Feet
These cute feet added to your kitchen cabinets makes them look and feel more like furniture than your everyday kitchen. A great way to bring a bit of personality into your kitchen without spending a bunch of money.
8. Put a Rod in Your Pot Drawer for Tidy Lid Storage
Why didn't we think of this earlier? Instead of rummaging through your cupboards to find that elusive saucepan lid, make sure it stays front and centre with a simple rod installed into your drawers.
9. A Custom-made Marble Island Bench
Add a bit of class and charm to your renovated kitchen by installing a custom-made marble island bench that looks more like a table. An alternative is to find a table with beautiful legs and have a bench top made for it -- the problem with this approach is tables are usually lower than bench tops, so keep that in mind.
10. Remember to Use Colour
Everything looks better in colour! Be brave, choose a bold colour for your kitchen. Green always works well, because it's fresh and has food vibes. But yellow or red can work equally as well.
11. And Don't Forget Texture
Texture can also bring some personality to otherwise plain kitchen cabinets. Lines like this work well, but don't feel limited. When it comes to texture, let your imagination run wild.
12. Consider Concrete Benchtops
In-situ concrete makes a great bench top. The strength of stone without the price tag. You can colour the concrete whatever colour you like, but its natural grey tone is always a winner.
13. And How About a Sitting Nook
People love to sit in the kitchen and chat while someone else is cooking -- it has a very wholesome social feel. So instead of trying to prevent that, work with it! Include a spot for sitting right in the heart of the action. You could even use it to look up recipes or have a quick breakfast before you run out the door for work.
14. Patterned Tiles and Raised Cupboards
This image is a double banger: It has a bold patterned tile. I've said it before -- be adventurous with tiles. You can have A LOT of fun!
The second great thing about this image is the cabinets are raised off the ground. If you have a small space, this is a great way to make the kitchen feel larger. It's also a beautiful, unique idea.
15. Include a Disappearing Power Supply
Um. Amazing.
Power points are a necessary but ugly evil in the kitchen. They ruin the clean lines of your splash back and get grubby fast. So, now you can hide them away when you're not using them! This could work really well on an inland bench, too, where you don't have the option of installing power points on the wall… Very clever.
16. Open or Glazed Overheads
Overheads cabinets are great for additional storage, but they can really close in a small space. Also, plates and mugs and glasses are beautiful objects -- so why not show them off instead of hiding them away behind doors?
17. Make Sure Everything Has its Place
When designing your new kitchen you have the opportunity to plan a space for everything. Really well designed drawers and cupboards ensure your kitchen stays neat and tidy, because everything has its own place. I love these bento box-style drawers. They are a neat freak's dream!
18. See Through Splash Backs to Take in a View
If you've got a view, make sure your new kitchen takes advantage of it! Even if it's just looking onto a narrow garden space between the house and the fence a see through (and better yet, openable) window for a splash back will make your kitchen feel more spacious, lighter and brighter. Considering you'd probably be spending money on a glass splash back anyway, making it a window is not going to break the bank.
19. Hide it All Away
While I'm a big fan of showing off plates and glassware, there are some things that should be hidden away, namely all those bulky appliances. A cupboard for your microwave is a great start. It's also really great to have a pantry with your kettle, toaster, rice maker hidden away. They can be all plugged in and ready to go, but they'll be out of site, so the rest of your kitchen looks neat and tidy.
20. Remember a Chalk Board
What kitchen wouldn't be better with a chalkboard? Perfect for shopping lists, reminders or leaving passive aggressive notes for your husband.
What's Your Best Kitchen Renovation Idea?
Have a brilliant kitchen renovation idea you'd like to share? Be sure to let us know in the comments, we'd love to hear!
About the Author
Brodie Norris runs Lunchbox Architect, a website featuring one exceptional, architect-designed family home every weekday. Check out what's in the lunchbox today!
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