Five ways to upgrade your kitchen

With magazines and television endlessly parading immaculate designer kitchens before us, it can be easy to feel a bit of kitchen envy. However, tempting as it may be to throw everything out and start again, if you’re on a budget a whole new look can be tricky, if not out of the question.

The secret is to focus on the details: small alterations are a budget-friendly way of transforming a room, and are usually easy to achieve. We’ve put together five ways to upgrade your kitchen without breaking the bank. Read on and get ready for a whole new room.

Making your mark on your kitchen

1. Individual touches

Many fashionable bespoke kitchens are notable not for the designer that worked on them but for their individual touches. Adding family photos, memento's and trinkets are all great ways of adding personality to a room, as well as drawing interest and questions from visitors.

2. Open-plan shelving

If your kitchen is on the small side, you can open it up by taking the doors off cupboards and having ‘open-plan’ shelving. Not only does this make cooking easier by allowing you to grab things quickly, it’s also a great way of showing off unusual ingredients or pretty crockery. You can also sand down cabinets and paint or varnish them a lighter colour: as a rule, lighter fitted kitchens work better for small rooms.

3. Getting great value

If you are looking to completely re-decorate the kitchen, making small economies where possible helps stretch the budget further. There are an infinite amount of companies out there that offer free quotations and designs, to help you get your dream room on a budget. A good rule of thumb to follow is to check out their kitchen reviews to make sure you know they do a good job. They’ll also be able to offer advice on the cheapest and best quality materials, to ensure you get value for money and a hard wearing kitchen suite.

Bright colours to reflect your personality

4. Create an accent wall

If you’re after a bold look but don’t want to spend too much, why not have one accent wall and leave the others a more neutral colour? Choosing a bright colour is a great way of transforming a room completely.

5. Minimalism

If you fancy yourself as a bit of a kitchen specialist, you need plenty of space to work and create fabulous dishes. Minimalism is a timeless kitchen design, so begin by de-cluttering the room as much as possible. If your cupboard space is limited, invest in trolleys or cabinets that can be placed elsewhere in the house: the less there is in the kitchen itself, the more minimalist (and stylish) the look.

For those who love to re-decorate and play with lots of different styles, a tight budget can be pretty depressing. However, by making smaller changes, adding individual touches and the odd homemade item, you too can make the most of the kitchen you have, without breaking the bank. And with the pennies you save, you’ll be able to throw a dinner party for friends and neighbours, to show off the new look and get plenty of compliments – ec