Simple Kitchen Upgrades Improve Look and Function

Whether you've just moved in or have lived in your home for years, a few user-friendly kitchen updates can give you more for less. Making even a few small changes can enhance your enjoyment of the central room of your house—while potentially improving your property value and maybe even saving you a little money in the long run. These simple projects can be done on your own or with minimal outside help.


Buy a new appliance. Purchasing a new stainless steel refrigerator or double-oven range is enough to give your kitchen an instant face-lift. For the best in energy efficiency, get an Energy Star-certified appliance. If you’re looking to save, consider buying an “open box” or slightly used appliance from a big box retailer—potentially drastically cutting the price.

Consider new flooring. When on the hunt for low-cost kitchen flooring, luxury vinyl is likely to be your best choice. Due to the hardwood flooring shortage driving up prices for those materials, more homeowners have turned to luxury vinyl tiles (typically peel-and-stick with grout), which cost around $3–$18 per square foot. If there’s a little more room in your budget, consider an under-the-floor radiant heating system.

Put in new lighting. Swap out old hanging pendant lights with bolder statement fixtures—or look into installing pendants if you don’t have any. Some illuminating over-island pendant picks include industrial dome lights, globe lanterns, frosted bell lights and even antique gold chandeliers. Be sure to use LED bulbs for better energy efficiency.

Repaint cabinets. Touch up chipped paint or make worn cabinets new again with a totally different color like a trendy white, black, baby blue or earthy green. Metal, wood and wood laminate are considered some of the easiest cabinet materials to repaint.

Turn a house into your home—one small change at a time. What you think may be a minor change to your kitchen could significantly affect your home’s overall appearance and value in addition to making it a little more energy efficient. You spend a lot of time at home, so make sure you enjoy it.