Who Says You Have To Break The Bank To Liven Up Your Kitchen?

Whoever said you have to drop $20,000 to bring your kitchen back to life never did their homework.

For homeowners looking to freshen up their home’s centerpiece on a budget, there are affordable and easy ways to spruce up your home’s most important and most used room. On a budget of $100 or less, you can go a long way to making your kitchen look like an HGTV show kitchen.

Revive Your Cabinets With New Handles and Pulls

An easy upgrade you can finish faster than a load of laundry, putting new handles and pulls on your cabinets can give them a flashy upgrade in little time. A brushed nickel finish in an especially sharp look, but beware trendy looks of today with limited style lifespans.

“Changing out cabinetry hardware is one of the easiest and quickest updates,” HGTV’s Scott McGillavray told Good Housekeeping.com. “I’ve seen people use hardware that looks like forks and spoons or mini chickens. These options are fun, but they get old fast.”

A Fresh New Color For Cabinets

Let’s face it, you wouldn’t want to wear the same color every day of the year, year after year. So why should your cabinets?  A fresh coat of paint and a fresh, bright color, like citrus orange, yellow or green, can bring your drab-looking cabinets back to life.

Paint An Accent Wall

Not in the mood to repaint your cabinets? Try painting a single accent wall to give your kitchen some new loud, vibrant color.

“Go darker than you usually would,” McGillavray said. “If I’m painting a room light gray, I’d add an accent wall that’s two shades deeper.”

See A New Light

Nothing can make a kitchen look older than its years than a weathered, decades-old light fixture. The quick-fix solution to bring your kitchen’s lighting up to the 21 century: A colorful pendant.

Turn Your Appliances Into Accents

While a new refrigerator may not be in this year’s kitchen upgrade budget, small, fashionable appliances can give your kitchen bold new color often for $50 or less. Try a cobalt toaster or a cherry red mixer to spice up your kitchen’s most visible features.

Other quick, easy ways to upgrade your kitchen include hanging window treatments, placing rugs in front of the sink and painting the floor.

Remember, whoever said you have to break the bank to liven up your home’s heart just didn’t think cheap enough.