Quick fixes for the kitchen
Improve your cooking space without busting your budget.

If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, surely you want it to be cosy and comfortable to work in. It may be just a small space, but it’s your favourite place in the house. Or, you don’t really like cooking simply because you feel your kitchen doesn’t look appealing enough to tempt you to spend more time in there.

Never mind if you don’t have a big budget to work with. There are a few quick fixes which you could do to make the kitchen, often dubbed the heart of a home, a brighter and more welcoming cubby. You won’t need an expensive interior designer or burn a hole in your pocket either. — Compiled by PATSY KAM

Give your kitchen walls a pop of colour. — Filepic

Paint the walls

Sometimes, that’s all it takes. Give your old kitchen a new paint job and it’ll look almost as good as new, I kid you not! Choose a bright colour instead of plain white or safe neutral shades. Try a bright yellow or orange if you’re adventurous enough. Just that pop of colour can do wonders to make your kitchen look cheerier.

Paint the cabinets

So OK, repainting the kitchen takes too much effort. What about changing your cabinets or repainting your existing ones? If your original cabinets are of good quality timber, give it a new coat of paint. If it was in plain wood finish, you might want to try a stronger shade, or even go white. Imagine white cabinets against an orange backdrop, now that’s making a statement!

Statement cabinet door handles. — Filepic

Change the cabinet handles

If you’re tired of those ugly knobs which your cabinets have, amp it up a notch by replacing them with new, modern ones. Some bright plastic or metal ones have quite funky designs and draw positive attention.

Change to tableware with bright, cheerful colours. — Filepic

Change your tableware

This is probably one of the easiest things which you can do. Get a new set of brightly coloured tableware. These days, choices are aplenty as designers become more daring and introduce revolutionary ideas – even basic plates, bowls and serving spoons can look classy and sophisticated without costing a bomb. Take a picture and visualise the set in your home to see how they match.

Keep the counter top neat and free of clutter. — Filepic

Rethink your storage

Takes a bit of effort but if you take out all the things that’s stuffed right in the back of your cupboards, you’d be surprised to find what a hoarder you’ve become over time. Put aside the utensils which you use on a regular basis and keep those on a top shelf or easy-to-reach cupboard. The fancy stuff which you keep for special occasions? Some of the serving trays or quirky plates were probably bought because they were on offer, hand-me-downs from relatives, or something that you liked at that point of time. But will you ever use them? If the answer is no, then give those away. And, all the stuff that’s sitting on the kitchen counter top – unless it’s something you need to use on a daily basis like your coffee-maker or rice cooker – keep them out of sight. Store the small bits and pieces in containers or baskets to make things neater. When you clear the clutter, your kitchen looks a lot more spacious.

Grow your own herbs by the kitchen window. — Filepic

Add some greenery

Never mind if you don’t have green fingers. It takes a lot to kill hardy vines like money plants and they do look pretty, trailing from a basket placed slightly higher. A well-placed pot here and there adds colour and makes the kitchen feel more alive. Or, you could grow small pots of herbs near the window sill. Besides the welcome sight, you get to use herbs from your own mini organic garden.
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If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, surely you want it to be cosy and comfortable to work in. It may be just a small space, but it’s your favourite place in the house. Or, you don’t really like cooking simply because you feel your kitchen doesn’t look appealing enough to tempt you to spend more time in there.