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Renovating your kitchen on a budget: experts share 6 tips - La Nacion Propiedades
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Renovar la cocina con poca plata: los especialistas comparten 6 trucos
Diseñadores dan consejos que pueden hacer que tu cocina luzca como un lugar distinto con poca inversión
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October 20, 2024
Designers give tips that can make your kitchen look like a different place with little investment
Tips for renovating a kitchen on a budget Shutterstock
Kitchen renovations can be time-consuming and expensive . But what if you don't have the time or money ?
Or maybe you rent and don't want to invest in someone else's property . Or maybe you have more important things to spend your money on than new cabinets and furniture.
There are plenty of ways to upgrade your kitchen without having to tear it all down , and the results can still be impressive. Even professional designers sometimes leave part of the kitchen intact —both on projects for clients and in their own homes— to avoid waste and unnecessary expense .
“A lot of times, people want to avoid the cost of replacing all of their cabinets ,” said Amy Elbaum of AE Design, an interior design firm in Los Angeles. So if the cabinets are well-built and in good condition, “we try to fix them up . ”
Here are some of the shortcuts she and other designers use to save money without sacrificing style .
First step: paint the cupboards
What is one of the easiest, cheapest and most effective ways to refresh the look of a kitchen? Painting the cabinets .When Elbaum was working on a client’s kitchen that had dated, orange wood cabinets, she kept them but sanded them and painted them with a navy lacquer. “The overall layout and most of the appliances were fine,” she said. “ Painting was the best option . ”
Remodeling a kitchen using the same furnitureNYT
For that project, the designer had a professional spray paint the cabinets. But they can also be painted by hand with a brush. Painting with a brush leaves a brush-like texture in the finish, but that's something many designers prefer .
When Kimberly Bevan of New York-based Bevan Interiors was updating the kitchen at her weekend home in Andes, New York, she wanted the brushstrokes to show through. “I went with that hand-painted look, rather than a sprayed shop finish, which looks very smooth,” she said. “ For the traditional style of these cabinets, the hand-brushed look really worked better .”
But don’t stop there…
After painting the cabinets, don’t put down the paintbrush. In her kitchen, Bevan also painted the walls and ceiling and even the tiles . “The paint was what helped make the change so much,” she said.After painting the walls and ceiling taupe, she painted the yellow, patterned tile behind the sink a light pink. “It took three years, and it held up really well,” she said. Before applying the satin-finish paint to the tile, she applied a coat of primer.
“ You can paint tiles, paint bricks, paint melamine, paint metals ,” said Ruth Mottershead, creative director of British paint company Little Greene.
Some products don’t even require a base coat first : “I did it in my own kitchen,” Mottershead added, where she painted her walls, cabinets and tiles.
One of the most convenient options when remodeling the kitchen is to change the color of the walls.NYT
Painting an entire kitchen is an opportunity to play with block paint , she noted, with various elements in contrasting colors. In her own kitchen, she painted most of the room a light pink, but two walls a deep green.
Other options, Mottershead says, include painting tiles and cabinets in contrasting colors , or mimicking the look of wood paneling by painting the top and bottom of walls different colors, using masking tape: “It creates a little bit more interest in a room, and a little bit more pizzazz.”
Change “the dashboard”
The area of the wall where pots and pans “spatter” is what some call the “backsplash.” Instead of painting it, you can replace it entirely (or install a new one, if there’s just drywall).When Jessica Geller, founder of the interior design firm, moved into a home with a new kitchen, she changed the backsplash to reflect her personal taste.
“The previous owners had installed a glass panel that didn’t look like it was part of the original architecture,” Geller explained. “The biggest change we made was removing it and replacing it with hand-painted terracotta tiles.”
Now, he said, “ it seems like a completely different cuisine .”
The tiles above the counter give it a particular distinctive look Daniel Karp
Change the hardware
Whether you change the color of your cabinets or not, installing new hardware can help give your kitchen a new look .After painting her client's kitchen cabinets navy blue, Elbaum drilled additional holes to change the simple pulls to handle-shaped pulls.
Rebekah Zaveloff, founder of Imparfait Design Studio and KitchenLab Interiors in Chicago, likes to mix different types of hardware with a similar finish, giving her kitchens a custom look .
But “you have to be careful,” Zaveloff cautioned, to make sure the pieces match . “Ask for samples first.”
And if they don't match, it has to look intentional.
Installing new hardware can help give your kitchen a new look. Shutterstock
Try new lighting
Another high-impact measure: installing new light fixtures . Many people have recessed lighting in their kitchens; replacing them with sculptural pendants can instantly change the look of the space .“ I don’t like kitchens that look like hospitals, where you can operate on the island ,” said Zaveloff, who likes to use vintage chandeliers and oversized pendants to light islands.
Even if you don't have wiring, you can still add decorative lighting . Zaveloff recommended cordless, battery-operated sconces. Or try corded sconces, which can be plugged into the wall.
In her previous home, she used a swing-arm lamp with cord to light the kitchen dining area. “It mounts to the wall and I love it because you can take it with you when you leave,” she said. “If you rent, it goes with you.”
Another key change in kitchens is installing new lighting fixtures.Magali Saberian
I added furniture
Do you need more space for storing or preparing food ? That doesn't necessarily mean you have to buy traditional kitchen cabinets .Freestanding furniture can help you out , and like corded lamps, it can come with you if you move. In a kitchen Jenkins designed for herself, she used an antique French baker’s cart on wheels as an island. “I love mixing and matching new pieces with antiques,” she said. “I like that juxtaposition.”
In a small kitchen, she noted, an island on wheels also provides flexibility : “You can move it. Put it in the center or off to the side. You can prepare food on it, but also serve it.”
And a tall, free-standing cupboard can serve as a pantry .
Designers used antique cabinets with glass doors in their kitchens . Instead of looking out of place, antique cabinets can add character to a kitchen .
Adding furniture is a good possibility to have more storage.NYT
“I actually bought that cabinet before I designed the kitchen,” said one of the specialists, who tends to look for antique pieces to accompany new cabinets when renovating his clients’ kitchens.
This is not a temporary measure, she stressed: “I loved that piece and I wanted it in my kitchen.”
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