The kitchen is literally the "life center" of your home. This is where Mom makes all those delicious desserts and all that you must eat prior to the desserts. A lot of time is spent there, so why not make your kitchen one of the most exciting and certainly the most functional room in your home.
You can spend a lot of money or very little to put excitement into your kitchen. What do you like and what makes you feel good? Your goal should be to make your kitchen functional and comfortable to work in. You can maximize your cooking skills as well as make your work more enjoyable in a lovely updated kitchen. Think "outside of the box" and visualize a very different ambiance. For a country-style kitchen, go for wooden bins, baskets, antique accessories, potpourri, fresh-cut flowers or a basket full of fruit for a walk by snack. If it is the clean line modern look you desire, you can use steel racks, stainless steel, and decor with predominantly clean lines.
Changing to a new paint color will always give any room a lift; keep your cabinets fresh and flowing with cheerful color. An inexpensive upgrade would be to simply to replace the cabinet hardware to create a new look. Evaluate your lighting. You want to be practical by illuminating the work areas as well as highlighting a decorative accent. Proper lighting can make an enormous difference in cheering up and updating your kitchen.
If your budget includes new counters you will probably have researched and examined numerous magazines, etc. Also consider new kitchen appliances for several reasons. If you haven't visited an appliance store lately, you will be surprised at just how much appliances have changed. They are now designed with energy conservation in mind to keep us all GREEN. Their convenient new features will save you time and turn food preparation into a real joy. You will be transformed from a cook to a chef and you'll look forward to the daily cuisine adventure.
Hang racks from the ceiling for pots and pans; this will liven up your kitchen and also free up more storage space. Consider bead board paneling if you desire a more nostalgic look.
Hopefully your budget will allow you to consider flooring. Vinyl flooring is functional but not too exciting and it is probably what you have now. Tile is an excellent choice for appearance and is easy to keep, however it is cold and hard on your feet. Most of the new millennium kitchens are using hardwood flooring; they really warm up your kitchen giving you a nice cozy ambiance. If you have an older home, you may already have the hardwood underneath the vinyl, in which case all you will need to do is to sand and polish the floor for a lovely look.
There are many new kitchen ideas found on the internet or in trade and home magazines. The nice thing about updating your kitchen is that it can be done in phases as long as you have a plan in place.
