5 Easy Kitchen Updates with Big Impact {Friday Favorites}…

 

Hello friends and welcome to another Friday Favorites!

Over the last few weeks, it seems like every where I turn, people are telling me that they’re updating their kitchens. Some of my friends are doing total kitchen remodels and others are looking for smaller inexpensive projects for updating their kitchens.  I thought today that I would share some of my favorite easy kitchen updates that can bring big impact, without spending tons of money and time.

Let’s jump right in!

Turn a Cabinet into an Open Crystal or China Cabinet

This is one of those great dual purpose projects that can create more storage but can also add gorgeous kitchen appeal.  Taking an existing kitchen cabinet and turning it into open shelving is not only easy to do,  it’s a beautiful way to store and display crystal, china or pretty much anything:

 

 

Years ago, I removed my kitchen cabinet doors and added glass shelving to create a place to store my crystal stemware.  It not only added an elegant touch to my kitchen but it was the perfect place to create easy access because the area directly below is a great spot for serving drinks when I entertain:

 

 

 

I wanted the cabinet to have lights to really make the crystal pop, so I had an electrician install the small halogen lighting in the crystal cabinet that I purchased at Lowe’s for $30.00:

The electrician cut a hole to perfectly fit the little lights, which he tapped into my electricity line coming from my light switch under the cabinet. I measured the existing wood shelving and ordered two beveled glass shelves from our local glass company. I used the existing shelf prong holders to hold the glass:

 

The electrician also added an individual switch to turn the light on and off in the cabinet, so I do not always have to have the light on. The spots where the cabinet door hardware was attached was sanded and painted.

I have seen several other DIY kitchen cabinet turned china/crystal cabinet transformations in blogland and one of my favorites was done by blogger Emily A. Clark:

 

 

I loved how Emily’s open cabinet storage project turned out and not only did she remove the doors, she also painted the inside back wall in a dark bronze color to really make the space stand out. For more on Emily’s open shelving transformation, you find it here.

My friend Megan from the blog Honey We’re Home was so inspired by Emily’s cabinet project, so she did her own version by painting the back of her cabinets and going shopping for some pretty white dishes and pottery to make the space really beautiful:

 

 

I just love what Megan has done her cabinets and what a great way to add such a gorgeous touch to the kitchen, while utilizing the space for storing.  You can see Megan’s post here.

Here are a couple more pictures that I found online for china/crystal cabinet inspiration:

 

 

 

 Turn a Bookshelf into a China Cabinet

If you don’t want to convert an existing cabinet but you like the idea of storing and displaying dishes and crystal, you might want to consider adding a bookshelf to your kitchen if you have the space.  I had a wall in my kitchen that was perfect for a bookshelf and I use it to store a little bit of everything including china, serving trays and other serving pieces:

 

 

 

I love the dual purpose of adding the inexpensive bookshelf because it can beautifully store tons of pieces but also makes a big impact in a kitchen and adds to the decor.

Here is more bookshelf inspiration that I found online:

 

 

I love this library bookshelf turned china cabinet from the blog Swedish Dekor:

 

 

Add Decorative Touches to a Focal Wall

This is another one of my favorite ways to make a big impact in a kitchen by adding decorative touches to a focal wall:

 

 

 

A couple of years ago, I went crazy and painted a clock (it works too) on the big focal wall in my kitchen:

 

I had so much fun painting the clock on the wall and it really makes my kitchen just pop and it’s a good conversation piece too! If you’re interested in seeing the tutorial for the paint wall clock, you can click my post here.

Even adding a few framed pieces of art to create a small gallery wall is an easy update with big impact as you can see on this next image:

 

 

Add Pendant Lighting

Kitchen lighting has really evolved over the last couple of years.  While light fixtures in the kitchen continues to be functional, it has really become a significant decorating element as well.  Switching out the lighting in a kitchen by adding pendants is one of the easiest ways to bring a kitchen up to date in a flash:

 

 

 

You don’t have to look very far or spend a lot of money for pendant lighting as both Lowe’s and Home Depot have trendy affordable fixtures that are fantastic!

Paint the Walls/Cabinets

I know that paint is really one of the obvious ways to quickly and inexpensively update a kitchen, but I cannot do this list with out including and reiterating this element.  In my opinion, nothing can impact a kitchen more than the color of the walls and cabinets.  If you’re looking for a way to make a dated kitchen look newer and updates, choosing colors that are popular in kitchens today is a great start.

My favorite place to go to determine what paint color trends today is by looking on the website Houzz.  Houzz is the place where all of the designers upload their current projects.  The best part of all, many of the designers include exact paint color information as well.  If you search kitchens, you will begin to see a trend in colors for both kitchen walls and cabinets.

 

 

This list is a good place to start if you’re looking for easy and inexpensive ways to update a kitchen with big impact. I hope you see something here today that you can use!

Well friends, thank you for hanging out with my today! I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!

Cheers!
Cyndy