The winter holidays are coming, and with them plenty of time in the kitchen. You’ll be whipping up holiday favorites, hanging out with family and friends, and preparing festive dinners.
Does the thought of people hanging out in your kitchen make you cringe? Maybe you yearn for a redo, but the budget won’t stretch as far as you’d like? No worries. There are plenty of ways to do quick kitchen updates that will make it look amazing. Many quick kitchen updates are also surprisingly affordable. People will notice it looks spruced up even if they can’t immediately put their finger on what looks fresh and different.
Photo by Adobe Stock/Africa Studio
Here’s 12 quick kitchen updates that you can easily accomplish before the holidays.
Paint the Kitchen Cabinets
Painting kitchen cabinets is quick and very affordable. If you’re feeling ambitious, you might even create a holiday theme, with red and green cabinets. Citrusy colors are also bright and lively and will add cheer to the winter holidays.
Add Updated Cabinet Handles and Pulls
It’s easy and affordable to replace your old cabinet doors and pulls with new, spruced-up ones. If you’ve had plain handles for years, buy some in bright contrasting colors for a great pop in the kitchen.
Paint an Accent Wall
Painting an entire kitchen can be a major effort, given the number of large appliances that have to be pulled out from the wall. Painting just one accent wall can be smooth sailing and done in an afternoon. Here, too, you can choose a color that’s great for the holidays, like scarlet or navy, which will also lift your spirits come February.
Purchase Small Appliances in Vibrant Colors
If you’ve been thinking of purchasing some small appliance, do it now. Choose an eye-popping color to provide a bright contrast with your existing color scheme. In a yellow kitchen, you can choose a deep tangerine-colored juicer. Are your walls light blue? A navy toaster will look right at home.
Change Around Your Cabinet Doors
If you’ve had the same cabinet doors for years and don’t want to paint, it’s equally fun to simply change out the doors. A contrasting door or two can present an appealing pattern to observers. Glass cabinet doors are a great option, and they show off your china to great advantage. Plus point for the holidays: Glass doors let guests locate the dishes they’ve been asked to find.
Add a Backsplash
Nothing says country kitchen like a beautiful tile or tile pattern. Backsplashes in tile can comment on the kitchen, like a retro milkmaid, or be scenes of dairy cows in the spring. Tiles can be added in a few days. Only a few are needed for a lovely backsplash.
Add New Rugs
If you currently have no rugs, adding some will give your kitchen an entirely new look. Be sure to either harmonize or contrast with your existing kitchen. If you currently have a rug, buy a completely different look. Is your current kitchen rug beige? Add a bright, vibrant peach.
Create New Window Treatments
Window treatments can entirely alter the look of a kitchen. If you currently have curtains that allow you to look out, wooden half-shutters will be an entirely new look and add a green and sustainable feel to your kitchen. Japanese blinds can also be a new, environmentally conscious look, and they harmonize with all colors.
Change Your Light Fixtures
Give your current light fixture the once-over. Change it up. Many kitchens have one central light, often rectangular. There’s no reason you have to stay with that — you can replace the fixture with a bright circle or diamond shape. One key advantage to a new light fixture: They remove the necessity of cleaning the old one for holiday parties.
Replace the Countertops
This is a pricier redo, beloved of many TV home renovation shows. However, there are many ways to replace countertops that don’t run a high price tag. Many laminates are less expensive than marble and granite, and equally durable. It’s also possible to replace just one or two countertops in textures and materials that harmonize with the old.
Add a Vase
Fresh flowers can make a kitchen look spruced up. Even just one carefully chosen rose on the table makes the area look special and expectant. Choose a pleasant vase that will look equally good with the kids’ wildflowers and a sprig of Christmas holly.
Choose Some Holiday Kitchen Magnets
If you always have magnets decorating your refrigerator or message space, go all out to get some holiday-themed ones. They’re a bright and cheery piece of décor that doubles as a utilitarian way to hold your shopping lists and school reminders.
Want to do some quick and easy kitchen updates for the holidays? This dozen will have your kitchen looking like the merriest place in the house.
