As the holiday season creeps closer and closer, homeowners around the nation are already racking their brains on how to present their homes in the best possible light when their guests show up for holiday gatherings. By this time of the year, any major renovations or remodeling are going to take more time than is available, and can be quite costly during a time of the year when most homeowner’s funds need to be dedicated to winter utility expenses and holiday gifts. There is good news! Not only do you not need to spend thousands to give your kitchen a new look, but it also can be done over the span of a few weekends, leaving you just enough time to decorate and stage the room before your guests start to make appearances in late November and December. Here are four easy ways to give your kitchen a facelift for the holiday season.
1. Grab a Paint Brush
If you can’t bear to live through another cold winter with your outdated cabinets staring back at you as you prepare meals, a fast and easy way to give them a new look without breaking the bank is to give them a fresh coat of paint. One of the easiest DIY projects that one can undertake in the kitchen, a fresh coat of paint over old, yellowed, wood can make the space look bright and new. Be sure to test a small section before painting all of the cabinets to ensure that the paint you choose sticks the way you’d like. If need be, you can always remove the cabinets and give them a good sanding before laying new stain on.
2. Pull those Pulls
If painting your cabinets seems like too big of an ordeal, or if you are already satisfied with the color, focus your attention on the hardware on each cabinet door. Many cabinet knobs and handles will lose their finish over time, and may not match up to the rest of the colors in the kitchen. A general rule of thumb is to match the color and finish of your cabinet knobs to the finish of appliances in the kitchen.
3. Make More Room for Cooks
If your family enjoys working in the kitchen together to prep and cook holiday meals, finding a way to create additional space for more helping hands may be a great way to spruce up your space. Many home stores have different versions of the rolling island, which can be rolled out and locked into place when needed, then stored out of the way when not in use. If your counter space is limited, try reorganizing your cabinets and cupboards to make room for larger appliances that take up valuable counter space. You can always donate or sell items that you’ve realized you get little to no use out of, as well as items that you’ll be upgrading after the holidays.
4. Let There Be Light
An aging light fixture in the kitchen is one of the biggest eyesores that homeowners come across each and every morning and night when they enter the room. While many are turned off to the idea of changing a light fixture out on their own, it’s actually quite easy to do! Search online for a DIY guide or video, and you’ll be a self-taught electrician in no time! Just be sure to turn off the breaker first! Other spaces in the kitchen can also benefit from some new lighting, such as above and below cabinets, over the sink, and even inside of cabinets with open or glass fronts. These types of projects will most likely require the assistance of an electrician, but can usually be completed in a day or two.
Now that you have a few new ideas to spruce up that kitchen before the holidays kick off, which ones are you going to tackle first? If you have any other ways that have “wow’d” your guests, feel free to leave them in the comments below! If your quick-fixes are good, we may share them in our next blog!