As the years go by, your kitchen gets further and further from its prime. At the heart of your home and the most used room, you want your kitchen to be a place you feel comfortable and happy to be in every day. So, if all you can see are flaws every time you need to cook, get a glass of water, or sneak in for a snack, it’s time for an upgrade.
No need to hold off on modernising for fear that remodelling will be expensive and time-consuming. With a style or theme in mind, and just a few alterations to the most vital elements in the kitchen, you can transform your space from out-dated to upscale, without the need for a full remodel.
How to update your kitchen without remodeling
Update your doors, drawers and panels
Not sure how to update your kitchen doors, drawers and panels? You can choose from a variety of styles and textures that would each introduce a unique feel to the space. For example, matte finishes have a sleek but relaxed vibe, whereas a glossy finish provides a high-tech, contemporary feel. A white or neutral colour theme is timeless, with great opportunities to accessorise with pops of colour. Plus, if your kitchen has exposed brick, pairing it with a plainer colour palette can give you an industrial and urban style. Whatever option you choose, replacing the cabinet doors will leave the space looking much fresher.
An extra tip: a fair amount of older style kitchens have a whole lot of upper cabinets that can consume the eye and leave the space looking crowded and disorganised. Removing some of this clutter will open up the space and allow for the more modern option of open shelving – but more on that later.
Choose the right kitchen handles
Once you’ve chosen new doors for your cabinets, it’s important to accessorise. The right handles that work with the style of the doors and drawers can bring the space to new heights, while a poor choice can bring down the whole look and feel of the room. Have a plan and style in mind.
Black handles are a great way to create contrast between your doors and handle, while metallics like brass turn up the luxury of the space. It may even be as simple as changing the type of handle. You can make use of curved designs, which are both functional and contemporary, or angular shapes integrated with the lines of the cabinetry for a firmly modern feel. You may even remove the need for statement handles completely, and keep the focus on your doors and drawers with built-in options or push to open mechanisms.
An extra tip: if you aren’t replacing your cabinet doors or drawer facings, you can still modernise your kitchen with a handle refresh! Just make sure you match your new handles with the style and colouring of your existing hardware and appliances. At DDK, we offer a range of designer handle options to suit your desired look.
Change your kitchen benchtop
The benchtops in your kitchen take up the majority of the space, and it’s generally where the eye is first drawn to. An update here will carry throughout the whole space and leave the area looking refreshed.
Replace your old benchtop with any number of modern alternatives – DDK offers a number of great options for kitchen benchtop materials. From scratch and water resistant Caesarstone that gives you a polished, modern aesthetic, to economical and versatile laminate, there’s plenty of options available to suit your vision. Modern designers are getting creative with what materials they use, and you should too.
An extra tip: you can mix benchtop materials using a zoning system. Consider having stone for the working area, laminate for dining area, and make use of other options like stainless steel in the spaces that get less attention, or more consistent wear and tear!
Choose an eye-catching kitchen splashback
Replace your old splashback with something that makes a statement. A lot of modern kitchens use the splashback as a feature that ties together the theme of the room, so choose something versatile. You have the chance to experiment with colours and patterns – you could explore marble, pressed metal, directional tiles, or even a printed photo of your favourite artwork!
An extra tip: If you like the idea of a mirrored flashback, face it against another large mirror on your wall. This creates an illusion of never-ending reflections and can make the space appear bigger.
Find effective kitchen storage and space saving solutions
Without effective storage options, a new-look kitchen won’t stay that way for long. It’s important to make your kitchen storage work for you, and you can optimise it in fresh and modern ways.
A popular option for the contemporary kitchen is the use of open shelving, where you can display your stylish hardware out in the open. This saves things being shoved away into drawers, and reduces mess. You can also optimise your shelving by using corners to get rid of awkward, empty space.
An extra tip: hidden compartments for storage can add to the style of your kitchen, while saving space. For example, you can have a pantry with plenty of pull-out drawers hidden between the fridge and the wall. Check out DDK’s blog on storage solutions for extra tips and tricks on optimising your space, or our kitchen storage page for options to include in your new kitchen.
A DDK Facelift
So, you know you have some great options to modernise your kitchen space, but what’s next? DIY is hard, and let’s face it, not everyone is a kitchen styling specialist. That’s why you should talk to the experts, and consider a DDK Facelift for your kitchen.
We use as much of your existing kitchen structure as possible, and replace your doors, handles, benchtops, and splashbacks. Our specialist kitchen designers can show you how to update your kitchen cost effectively, while providing you with options that guide you towards your ideal style. Then, in just a few easy steps you get the kitchen of your dreams, custom made by an Australian manufacturer.
Reach out to DDK today to get your kitchen modernised.