For a lot of people, the school of thought is that designing your kitchen means doing a full remodel and renovation and all the hoopla you see on HGTV shows. 

Not!

True!

Not only are renovations costly, but not everyone has the luxury of building the kitchen of their dreams -- for example, in a rental. I doubt your landlord would take to kindly to you deciding to knock down a wall so you have an island with marble waterfall counters. #justsaying

But whether you own or rent, there are a number of things you can do to turn up the sexy in your kitchen. Some can be small purchases that you make and others can be larger cosmetic upgrades.

Check out 3 of my favorite easy peasy kitchen upgrades...

Colored Cookware & Appliances

I'm a huge fan of pops of color threaded throughout a space to give the feel of continuity, without being too "matchy". Unfortunately, people hear the phrase "pops of color" and immediately their minds go to the brightest, boldest colors of the rainbow. Your "pop" doesn't have to be pinks & yellows (unless that’s your thing, in which case, rock on!) but instead it's just a “break” in whatever other dominant colors you have going on. 

I hereby declare instead of color pops, we start saying color breaks!

Colored cookware requires minimal effort on your part, in terms of decor, but does just enough to be impactful. Not to mention it’s actually functional. IT’S COOKWARE!

It's a great way to bring personality to your kitchen & connect it to the rest of your home (especially in an open concept layout). So let's say your living/dining room is mostly beiges & browns, but you have some maroon throw pillows that tie into the brown, tan, and maroon rug in your dining room. That maroon tone is your thread... your POP... YOUR BREAK!

These are items that can live on your counters and/or on your open shelving; but in addition to that, when you're entertaining and pull out some of these items for use, you're introducing another layer of decor. 

Open Shelving

It's amazing the difference open shelving can make in a kitchen. It's mind boggling really. Just the simple act of switching your upper cabinet doors from solid to glass, can suddenly make the kitchen feel more open; it gives the illusion of more space simply because there's this visual openness. So imagine removing your uppers altogether & swapping them out for shelves. Now you're no longer "confined" by the actual casing.

“But Albie, I rent and can't just remove cabinets all willy nilly." 

But you can remove doors!

Follow along with me here...

Most kitchen cabinets are attached to the casing by screws, making the door relatively easy to remove. Of course you want to remove the door as carefully as possible & keep track of your screws, joints, etc., since you'll be responsible for all of this when you move out; however, done correctly, and you'll create the same effect as having open floating shelves.

In either instance, you've also now created an opportunity for you to show off your pops of color!

You're Welcome! 

Appliances that you normally hide away for lack of counter space, can now be showcased, along with colorful dinnerware.

Because of the open shelving, you can also get creative with storage & decor, by now incorporating baskets & plants.

My last Mood Board Monday -- the Charming Modern Kitchen -- is a great example of how open shelving can really elevate & enhance any kitchen design.

Backsplash

Backsplash is one of those things that people hear and immediately think, "CHA-CHING!" Don't get me wrong, installing backsplash tile is something that can most definitely add up to some coins, however, you have to think of it in a few different ways:

• what am I paying for in terms of materials
• what am I paying for in terms of labor
• how will this elevate the aesthetic appeal of my kitchen
• what is that worth to me

Once you you can answer those questions, it can help you put the cost in perspective. 

Now if you own, one way to offset the cost of labor is to shop around for the materials yourself.

And all is not lost if you rent.

I have been BEYOND pleasantly surprised by some of the "peel & stick" tile options I've seen. I know, I know. You hear "peel & stick" and immediately think say "ick!" but so many brands have created really durable, good looking, quality backsplash options that resemble real tile work. 

Mind. Blown!

Whether you own or rent, go with grout or "peel & stick", adding backsplash to your kitchen is perfect for adding that WOW factor that you might've been missing.

No matter what route you take, it's going to be an investment, but so many times we can only process spending that kind of time and money if there's a large pragmatic benefit. So here it goes...

The obvious value add is protecting your walls. But beyond that, think about that feeling you get when you walk into a kitchen with a backsplash versus one without!

A backsplash provides an instant visual upgrade. 

If you rent, which of these upgrades are you ready to tackle? Which ones are speaking to your spirit? Which ones have you already done!? Let's talk about it!