10 Ways to Update your Kitchen without Renovating

Kitchens are no small challenge when it comes to designing and updating them. They come with a lot of finishes, design decisions, and a huge price tag! But if you can't afford to renovate your Kitchen just yet, there are some small tweaks you can do to make your Kitchen more appealing in the meantime. Today, I'm sharing with you 10 ways you can update your Kitchen without renovating!

Top 10 Ways you Can Update your Kitchen without renovating:

1. Replace Your Kitchen Sink

This will be no small feat and probably the biggest, most expensive tweak you can make in your Kitchen without renovating. But the impact will be worth it! I always encourage others to make small changes that will make a HUGE impact and replacing your Kitchen sink and faucet will do just that in your Kitchen. See how Ashley from At Home with Ashley updated hers here >

2. Update your Backsplash Tile

There are a lot of great peel-and-stick options on the market now for renters and those looking for a temporary upgrade. I used removable wallpaper to update the look of my tile backsplash in my Kitchen update (since we are renting). But you can also look into peel-and-stick tiles for a longer-lasting solution.

3. Paint your Kitchen Floor

Painting a floor might seem kind of, well, out there. But its becoming more and more popular, especially in the Scandinavian Design Style. Often Nordic homes have painted white floors to give an open, airy feeling. If you're stuck with an ugly tile floor, consider painting it! You can even create a faux concrete patterned tile look by using a stencil or pattern on the floor.

4. Update your Window Treatments

Your window treatments are kind of like the jewelry to your room's outfit. If they're stuck in 1982, your room will feel dated and off - no matter what else you update! Its pretty easy and inexpensive to add some patterned curtains for a pop of color to your Kitchen. This is a great tweak to update the look of your Kitchen without doing a full on renovation!

5. Replace your Kitchen Cabinet Hardware

Another simple update that you can do in a weekend, is simply replacing the hardware on your Kitchen cabinets. This will do a lot to update the look and feel of your Kitchen.

6. Paint your Cabinets

Painting your Kitchen cabinets is a great solution when you can't afford or are not ready to replace all your cabinets. It make take a little sweat equity, but just like replacing your Kitchen sink, this will create a massive impact in the space. Consider all the options you have for painting your cabinets - like doing a two-toned Kitchen or just painting the fronts of your cabinets.

7. Paint your Refrigerator

Is your refrigerator looking a little grimy on the outside? Did you know you can actually paint your refrigerator? You can simply paint your refrigerator with a fresh coat of white paint - see the tutorial here - to freshen it up or you can go bold and add a pop of color!

8. Cozy up your Home with Area Rugs

If you can't paint or replace your floors, you can always add color, pattern, and texture by introducing some inexpensive area rugs. I did this in our Kitchen until I could update the floors. I love having the soft, warm texture underfoot...especially in the winter!

9. Create your own Kitchen Island

Our current Kitchen is just slightly too big to not have a Kitchen Island and slightly too small to have a Kitchen Island. I know that doesn't make sense, but without an island the Kitchen had a big empty space in the center of the room. (My husband mostly used it for sliding around in his socks after I mopped the floor!) But I knew that adding a traditional-sized Kitchen Island would crowd the space too much. That's when I decided to DIY my own Kitchen Island from an old piece of furniture.

10. Update your Lighting

Lighting is one of the most overlooked and underutilized design tools of all time. Most people don't think to update their lighting because electrical...wires...tools...its a bit overwhelming! But lighting is actually an inexpensive way to drastically change the look and feel of your room. In your Kitchen, make sure to add undercabinet lighting. You can find pretty expensive, easy-to-install LED lights on Amazon. Consider painting or changing out your overhead light or ceiling fan. And if you can, add a wall sconce or pendant above your sink. See how you can add a light without wiring for electricity over here at Nesting with Grace >

With these simple changes, you don't have to renovate to get your dream Kitchen. Start small and do what you can. I've found that small changes every day add up to massive impact over time!

What are some changes you have made to your Kitchen to make it more your style? Tell me in the comments! Not sure what your decorating style is? Take my Style Quiz and learn your unique style and how to implement it in your home!