Want to Add Value to Your Home? Try These 7 Real-Deal Kitchen Upgrades

The kitchen is the heart and soul of every home. For busy families, avid cooks, and seasoned hosts alike, it is the centre of daily life and a place where both function and aesthetics are more important than ever. As for home buyers, it’s the area of interest when they’re inside a for-sale property.

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If a kitchen renovation is on the cards for you, there are particular projects you can do to get the best deal out of your money. Fortunately, you don’t have to shell out big and renovate the entire kitchen to make it happen.

There are real-deal upgrades you can do to upgrade the value of your home. Check them out below!

Open Up Your Kitchen Space

Open shelves are a thing now. Designers have it that opening your kitchen area is an excellent way to make it look more spacious. It’s about time to display that precious china collection you have!

You can start by replacing your kitchen cabinets with open shelves. There are a number of shelves design ideas to choose from. As a bonus, having open shelves are most cost-effective compared to traditional kitchen cabinets.

You get to make your kitchen area bigger, plus you get to save more. What’s not to like?

Consider Adding a Kitchen Island

A kitchen island is an instant value booster to your home. Not only will it give you a serious storage boost, but it also provides another work surface. It is also a smart way to draw the kitchen out into an open-plan dining or living space.

In case you’re considering it, there are a few rules of thumb you need to adhere.

• Leave an extra one metre on either side of the island unit to allow for free-flowing traffic in the kitchen. If space is limited, an 850 millimeters allowance will be enough.
• Deciding on the size of your kitchen island should conform to the proportions of your kitchen and the items it will house.
• You can opt for open shelving to your island if you like to boost your display options. You can also add drawers if storage is the priority.
• Invest in custom-designed solutions to maximize your drawer space. These solutions can be made to accommodate plates, cutlery, and glassware.

Give Your Benchtop a New Life

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When buyers step into your kitchen, a kitchen benchtop is one of the first things they see. Hence, upgrading it is a good idea.

If you’re on a strict budget, a hard-wearing laminate is a good option to start with. It can be made to imitate high-end materials like timber and marble without hurting your pocket. On the flip side, if you’re ready to splurge, quartz or granite are the best options since they’re both durable and aesthetic-wise.

Below are some things to consider in case you want to add it project to your renovation project.

• Opt for a bench material in neutral shades that won’t date such as gray, blue, and beige.

• Choose the heat-resistant, and solid variety if you will buy a laminate for a benchtop.

• Benchtops may take a lot of beating before it shows signs of wear-and-tear. However, be prudent in choosing the materials. Make sure they’re water, heat, and stain resistant, and easy to clean as well.

Image: Classic Easylife Kitchen

Incorporate Details to your Finish

The devil is in the detail, no matter how small it is. Simple fixtures such as knobs, light bulb, or water taps could go a long way in updating the look of your kitchen.

Marble and glass complement well with aluminum. Adding lighting fixtures that go well with these two is a foolproof way to upgrade the aesthetic value of your kitchen.

Choose the Right Color Scheme

Go extra when it comes to choosing the shades for your finishes. While you love yellow tiles and bright red splashback,  contemplate first if it’s something that buyers will like.

For floors, walls, and ceilings go for neutrals such as grey, beige, and white as they will less likely to go out of date.

• If you prefer a more colorful tone in your kitchen area, choose a brightly colored coffee machine, a catchy pendant light, or funky bar stools. These items are replaceable in case the potential buyer doesn’t like them.

Invest in Energy-Saving and Good Quality Appliances

Another way to leverage the value of your property is through investing in good quality appliances. If you invest in quality, aesthetics will follow. That said, go for everything energy-star rated to get the most return out of your investment.

It’s also best to purchase brands from the same brand and range for a coordinated, stylish look.

Image Modern Easylife Kitchen

If Your Budget is Very Tight, Here’s What You Can Do…

It’s inevitable to spend when you’re in a renovation project. You can minimize the expenses to as little as possible provided you can do things yourself and have the time to invest in shopping around.

Often, you can reuse the available kitchen components and only spend on things you truly need. You can also do the following;

• Hardware Items: These will give a whole new look to your kitchen cabinets for a very minimal cost.

• Reface cabinets: Brand new cabinets are expensive. If yours are still in good condition, you can reface them instead of buying new ones. Degreasing, sanding, painting, and staining the existing cabinets will make your old kitchen look up-to-date and sleek for only half the cost of all-new cabinets.

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 Shopping Guide

Easylife Kitchens  is the largest retail kitchen group with 32 showrooms nationwide, Easylife Kitchens will bring your dream kitchen to life, designing timeless kitchens for every lifestyle. Easylife Kitchens offer a 2-year guarantee. The Easylife Kitchens evolution is here! Visit one of our showrooms to view the latest European design trends.

Easylife have showrooms nationwide, click here for more:

 Contributor Lisa Jones

Shopping Guide Australia

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