Where to Invest Your Cash on a Kitchen Refurb
Renovating a kitchen can not only totally change the look and personality of your kitchen but give your entire home a new lease of life and, most likely, increase its value.
But many homeowners would like to be strategic when investing their hard-earned money in a kitchen refurbishment. In this mini article, we’ll discuss where you should invest your cash on a kitchen refurb and where you could keep your costs down and save. Let’s dive in!
Three Areas to Prioritise for Your Spending
Before discussing these three areas, it’s important to understand why you should invest in some areas and keep your costs down with others.
All in all, you want to prioritise the areas that matter most to renewing a kitchen and, generally, the aspects of a kitchen that you’ll use the most. Also, if an aspect of a kitchen is more prone to wearing down if you don’t spend enough on it, this is a good reason to invest.
Worktops
Kitchen countertops are one of the most used (if not the most used) part of a kitchen. Aside from offering practical value, they are very visible. Also, as somewhere you might eat food, you’d probably be concerned with their aesthetic more than say your kitchen cabinets.
For the above reasons, it’s best to purchase long lasting and hard-wearing worktops. Some of the most durable countertop materials include:
- Quartz
- Granite
- Crushed/recycled glass
- Laminate
- Porcelain or ceramic tiles
- Solid surfacing
Storage
It may be easy to overlook storage in a kitchen, but it can make a huge difference. Not only can good kitchen storage make life easier, but it can significantly reduce clutter. And the less clutter a kitchen has, the better it will look and the nicer an environment it will feel. Internal cabinet storage is a great approach to enhancing your kitchen storage as part of installing a new kitchen.
Taps
Kitchen taps stand out more than many might realise. They are also, in many ways, the focal point of a kitchen sink. And just as worktops are used all the time, so are kitchen taps.
Therefore, investing in a gorgeous kitchen tap can arguably go further to enhancing your kitchen than even an expensive kitchen sink. Of course, you should still try your best to match the colour and look of your kitchen tap and sink even if they are from different providers. If in doubt as to how you should approach this, consult with a professional in advance of having your kitchen refurbished.
Also, taps aren’t just about looks… They also provide one of the key ingredients to life! You should, therefore, invest in high-end taps that will offer anti-limescale protection and ensure a clean and refreshing glass of water virtually every time.
You may also want to purchase a kitchen tap set which includes a boiling water tap so you can get your morning cuppa to take on the day ahead. Your kettle may not be very pleased, though.
Three Areas to Prioritise For Saving Cash
Now that we’ve discussed what areas to prioritise for investing in a kitchen refurb, let’s discuss where you are best off saving money.
Appliances
Kitchens tend to come with several appliances; however, some can be more important than others. If you are keen to save money where you can, you’ll want to avoid buying appliances you won’t really use.
For instance, if you’re considering buying a toast maker (or even a donut maker), you should make sure you really want them and that they don’t become semi-impulsive buys.
Beyond that, you may not need to use some appliances as much as you think (thus may not have to spend as much for the sake of durability).
For example, a dishwasher isn’t even technically necessary since we can wash our dishes in the sink. You and your family could even take a half and half approach here too. If your household were to use a dishwasher half the time and wash the dishes in the sink the other half the time, you may find that a budget-friendly compact dishwasher would do the job.
As mentioned, some appliances are more important than others. Your oven and hob are especially important since their quality can shape the quality of your dinner meals and how long it will be before they need replacing.
Walls
If your current kitchen has old wallpaper or fading painted walls, you may be tempted to splash out on tiling the walls with exquisite porcelain or ceramic. However, a simple uniform paint tone can still work great once you’ve made adequate improvements elsewhere in your kitchen.
Here are some colours worth considering (in some cases we are referring to the colours of fittings such as the sink and the colour of the walls or/and cabinets):
- Grey satin
- Midnight blue
- Olive green and warm wood tones
- Pale yellow
- Light pink with burnt orange
- Eggplant
- Forest green
- Marigold with brick red
- Navy blue
- Cream, greige and light mint
- Black and charcoal
- Dark blueish green
Lighting
Lastly, you should also work to save money when it comes to how you light your kitchen. After all, light is light. Yes, you could invest in opulent kitchen lighting (e.g., a chandelier), but if your primary concern is how your kitchen is lit up, there’s no need.
Moreover, with good worktops and kitchen taps (and perhaps a new fancy kitchen table), you can already give your kitchen a new lease of life. Therefore, lighting is an area you could save money with.
Sources:
https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/decorate/kitchen/a35863784/new-kitchen-save-spend-money/
https://www.houseandhome.ie/advice/kitchen-remodel-guide-budget-cost-26309
https://www.idealhome.co.uk/kitchen/kitchen-ideas/budget-kitchen-ideas-217912
