If your budget is around $100: Change the wall color. Between cabinetry and appliances, kitchens generally have limited wall space — which means it won’t take much paint to cover it.
If you do the painting yourself, your only costs will be a gallon or so of paint (check this guide, or ask at the paint store to get the right amount) and basic painting supplies.
If you have cash left, use it to pick up a new art print and pop it into a ready-made frame to decorate your freshly painted wall.
Get started:
See 8 great kitchen color schemes
Houzz TV: How to paint a wall like a pro
If you do the painting yourself, your only costs will be a gallon or so of paint (check this guide, or ask at the paint store to get the right amount) and basic painting supplies.
If you have cash left, use it to pick up a new art print and pop it into a ready-made frame to decorate your freshly painted wall.
Get started:
See 8 great kitchen color schemes
Houzz TV: How to paint a wall like a pro
If your budget is around $300: Change the wall color, put up a new art print and then swap out a light fixture. One swap for tired lighting can make a huge difference in how your kitchen looks and feels — and there are so many great budget lighting options available you don’t have to break the bank to get an on-trend look. If you have more room in your budget, replace all of the kitchen lights, or splurge on a fancier pendant over the island.
Get started:
How to choose your kitchen lighting
Browse light fixtures
Get started:
How to choose your kitchen lighting
Browse light fixtures
If your budget is around $500: Paint, hang art, get new lighting and add open shelves. Open shelving certainly has its fans — and its critics — but one thing is certain: It does wonders for small spaces. Even replacing one small upper cabinet with a set of open shelves can make your kitchen feel more spacious and provides an opportunity to display favorite dishes and accessories.
Get started:
The pros and cons of upper kitchen cabinets and open shelves
How to add simple open-shelf storage for about $40
Get started:
The pros and cons of upper kitchen cabinets and open shelves
How to add simple open-shelf storage for about $40
If your budget is around $700: What’s next? After the fresh paint, art, lighting and open shelves, consider springing for a new faucet. Replacing a kitchen faucet costs less than doing the whole sink (that’s next) and can be a DIY job for handy homeowners.
Get started:
Here’s how to pick a new kitchen faucet
And here’s how to replace it
Get started:
Here’s how to pick a new kitchen faucet
And here’s how to replace it
If your budget is around $1,000: If you have more wiggle room in your budget, splash out on a new sink to go with that new faucet. Keep in mind that if your new sink is a different style than the old one, you may face additional installation costs to fit it properly into the cabinetry and counter.
Get started:
How to choose the right kitchen sink
Tips for selecting a sink material
Get started:
How to choose the right kitchen sink
Tips for selecting a sink material
If your budget is around $1,500: Paint, art, new lighting, open shelves, a new sink and then a makeover for your cabinets. Brand-new cabinetry is one of the higher-cost items in a kitchen remodel, so if you can avoid it, do! If your cabinets are in pretty good shape, repaint them, following the necessary steps to preparing them for their new finish. Then replace the old cabinet knobs and pulls. Know that if your cabinets need to be refaced — which involves replacing rather than just repainting the doors — the cost will be significantly more.
See more of this kitchen makeover
Cabinet color: Wedgewood Gray, Benjamin Moore
Get started:
How to paint kitchen cabinets
How to reface your cabinets
How to choose cabinet knobs and pulls
See more of this kitchen makeover
Cabinet color: Wedgewood Gray, Benjamin Moore
Get started:
How to paint kitchen cabinets
How to reface your cabinets
How to choose cabinet knobs and pulls
If your budget is around $5,000: Along with updating the cabinets, installing new counters is one of the biggest-impact changes you can make to your kitchen. There’s a wide range of options when it comes to great-looking kitchen counter materials — there’s a huge cost difference between, for instance, maple butcher block from Ikea and marble — so hunt around until you find something you like that fits your budget.
Get started:
Your guide to 15 popular kitchen countertop materials
Contractor tips: Counter installation from start to finish
Get started:
Your guide to 15 popular kitchen countertop materials
Contractor tips: Counter installation from start to finish
If your budget is around $10,000: Paint, lighting, open shelves, a new sink, refreshed cabinets, new counters … what’s left?
If you have more room in your budget, it’s time to choose new appliances. To avoid extra installation costs, select appliances that fit in the same space the old ones occupied.
Get started:
Tips for buying kitchen appliances
How to pick the right fridge
If you have more room in your budget, it’s time to choose new appliances. To avoid extra installation costs, select appliances that fit in the same space the old ones occupied.
Get started:
Tips for buying kitchen appliances
How to pick the right fridge
Tell us in the Comments: What would you most like to change about your kitchen?
Next Steps
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
Find a kitchen designer
Shop kitchen products and materials
Next Steps
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
Find a kitchen designer
Shop kitchen products and materials
What to do when striped panel is out of Style
AFTER
Classic white kitchen with flat panel doors. The flooring and architecture are the rock stars of this design. Refaced to reflect its original era style. Old world movie star!
BEFORE
www.kitchenmagic.com/cabinet-refacing
Gorgeous cabinets! And...what a magnificent beast of a cooker! What brand is it please?