We’ve been in our home for five years now and I’ve always wanted to update the kitchen but it was too intimidating for me. I removed the bulky hardware as soon as we moved in, so the main eye sore was the orange-toned cabinetry. The layout is open and mostly functional. I would love some more counter space near the range and a pantry, but overall, I can’t complain.

After following ChrisLovesJulia’s weekend kitchen makeover and with the beginning of quarantine starting, I decided to tackle a Phase 1 kitchen renovation simply by painting the cabinets and updating the hardware. That was the goal. During the process, I considered removing the uppers (or some of them) and swapping them for open shelving. I also considered moving around some of the cabinets so that the tops all lined up, making them look more modern, with clean lines. However, that would require some extra hands that I didn’t have at the moment. So, I shelved those ideas for Phase 2, maybe.

I’ll share more in-depth details about all things kitchen in the reveal post, but here are three ways inexpensive ways you can elevate your kitchen.

Paint your cabinets

This is the no-brainer. Painting your cabinets will give you a completely different look and feel in your kitchen. After painting our cabinets, the space instantly felt brighter, lighter, and more like “us”. This does require a time commitment (prep is key!), but I was able to transform our kitchen with 1 gallon of paint for $40.

Add new hardware

They say hardware is the jewelry of the kitchen and I couldn’t agree more. If I’m being honest, after painting the cabinets, they felt really grey to me and so monotoned. I couldn’t tell you how many times a day I thought about repainting the cabinets again to make them slightly warmer. But once I put the hardware on, those feelings all changed. I went with a gold/brass finish and it helped warm the space up! I also installed four different types of pulls (finger pulls and cup bins for the outer cabinets and round knobs and cabinet pulls for the island). Mixing up different styles in the same finish/family of hardware really added a nice detail and finishing touch.

Add soft-closing hinges

This simple change makes your kitchen feel brand new! I had originally searched for new hinges that were soft-close to replace all of the hinges (holy expensive!) but Brandon ended up finding a small attachment piece that you install separately that does the same thing and they were only $3/each. They are easy to install and will help with the durability of your freshly-painted cabinets.

Add art

Art is never something I really paid any attention to until I began studying all of my favorite interior designers and DIYers. They always some great pieces of art in the kitchen to help bring that “lived-in” feel and coziness.

Which one of these easy DIYs would you tackle first?