Making small tweaks to a budget kitchen can make a huge difference in its high-end look and feel
Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more Home improvements are much like weddings, in that everything you’re quoted for costs at least double what you would expect.
Since moving house last year I’ve had various staggering estimates for new additions such as walls, bookcases and built-in wardrobes – and don’t even get me started on re-turfing the garden. In a world where every Instagram influencer seems to move house and immediately do a full high-spec renovation, I’m instead making improvements at a very slow and steady pace. One area of the house that I really love already is the kitchen.
It’s from IKEA – the Sinarp dark wood kitchen cabinets, to be specific – but I think it looks sleek, modern and more premium than it actually is . A kitchen like this is a good example of how small tweaks can make a huge difference in how high-end a space looks.
From colour choice of appliances, to getting the right lighting in place, here’s what I’ve learnt… Elevate the hardwareA simple way to make your kitchen look posher is to change the handles and knobs. When the original hardware is in place, most of us can spot an IKEA kitchen a mile off; less so if it’s been swapped for something more chic.
I can’t take credit for changes the handles in my kitchen – the previous owners made that call – but it meant that when I first viewed the property, I assumed it was a fancy, expensive kitchen rather than a budget-friendly one. What’s more the new handles don’t need to be pricey either; Plank hardware and Etsy have lots of great options.
Plank Hardware Lovell Circular Knob £7.95 Shop Plank Hardware Watt T-Bar Bronze Handle £11.95 Shop Etsy Brass Twisted Rope Cabinet Handle £29 Shop Go matchy-matchy I am certainly not suggesting you get rid of any working appliances in order to buy a full matching set – but when you do naturally need to replace things, having a colour scheme in mind, rather than my old tactic of buying whatever was on special offer, makes a huge difference. I’ve gone for black and chrome in my kitchen – for the kettle, microwave, coffee machine, toaster, dish rack and so on – and it feels much less haphazard.
Morphy Richards Cassini Black Kettle, Toaster and Microwave Set £279.97 Shop George at Asda Haden Cotswold Kettle, Toaster & Microwave Set £129 ShopDitch the nasty binFor most of my adult life I’ve been carting around the same dodgy old, mismatched kitchen bins, including one where the touch-open function was broken . I didn’t realise until I finally replaced the bins with one sleek EKO Home one how much of a difference it would make.
The same is true of a lot of the after-thought things in your kitchen – the oven gloves, the tea towels etc – if they look a bit grotty, it can bring down the whole vibe of the kitchen. Eko Home Ecocasa Recycling Pedal Bin 30L+20L £169.99 Shop Dunelm Curve 3030L Pedal Bin £75 ShopEmbrace the open shelf I loved the open shelf in this kitchen when I first looked around, but it was originally above the sink and I wanted more storage there.
So, we bought a few more IKEA cabinets and then moved the shelf over to the other wall. The key to making it look chic rather than shabby is being very selective about what goes on there; avoid having lots of cereal boxes and kitchen clutter, and choose a few nice, uplifting photographs and ornaments for a cosy, curated feel.
Impact Furniture Floating Wall Shelf Modern £94.95 Shop Etsy Rustic Wooden Shelf with Down Brackets From £18 Shop Install chic lightingMy colleague and You magazine’s interiors expert Nicole Gray will always say that the lighting makes or breaks a space; I think that’s very true in a budget kitchen, where harsh overhead lighting can make the space feel cold and clinical. I love the pendant lights over the kitchen island here, which are useful for food preparation but also give it a feeling of intimacy and modernity.
Strip lighting under the overhead cabinets makes the area look bright and appealing; it’s a very simple way to elevate a kitchen space. John Lewis Baldwin 3 Pendant Diner Ceiling Light £185 Shop KABBLEKA LED lighting strip with USB £7 Shop
IKEA Kitchen Kitchen Renovations Subtle Upgrades Hardware Changes Stylish Storage
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Making Budget Kitchen Improvements at a Slow and Steady PaceThe author shares their experiences with home improvements and offers tips on how to make a kitchen look high-end without spending a fortune. They discuss the importance of small tweaks, such as changing the kitchen hardware and matching appliances, and the impact of lighting and storage on the overall vibe of the space.
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