Over time, kitchens get a little tired and dull. They need to be injected with a new lease of live regularly, so here are some top tips to help you out.

● Improve Functionality First

When people sit down and plan the new look for their kitchen, they often leave out the boring stuff like storage and functionality. But what’s the point in having a kitchen that looks great if it doesn’t do what you need it to do? You’ll quickly get bored of the room’s style if it’s not functional or suitable for you family.

Storage should be your number one focus when you’re planning the new look for the kitchen. If you get it right, storage can combine with style though. Your cabinets can look great as well as offer you all the storage that you need to store your pots and pans in!

●● Make Lighting Changes

Lighting is very difficult to get right in the kitchen. No other room in the house is as difficult to light as the kitchen is. That’s because having one big overhead light is usually insufficient and doesn’t offer the amount of light you need to work in the kitchen safely. There are some essential tips to remember though.

You can still keep the central overhead light in the room, but you have to have other lighting arrangements in place to accompany it. I’d definitely recommend under cabinet lighting so that your surfaces can be kept well lit at all hours of the day. Not being able to see what you’re doing when you’re cutting up vegetables is not the safest thing in the world.

●●● Re-Tile Your Surfaces

Aside from the colour of your walls, the thing that says the most about the style of your kitchen is the tiles you use. It’s not just about style though, they can start to look a little dirty and messy if you don’t change them once every few years or so. Once you take away the old ones and replace them with new ones, the appearance of the room totally changes.

There are so many tiling options out there. There are different shapes, styles, colours and patterns to be found, so there’s plenty to look through. Make sure you get samples and see how they look within the context of your room before you buy them. And have someone who knows what they’re doing fit them.

●●●● Add a Breakfast Bar

Kitchens need to be as open and spacious as possible. So, don’t break up the space by having a dining room that is separated from your kitchen by a wall. Knock down the wall and you’ll instantly feel how much more spacious and vast the room feels. Then, you can add a breakfast bar in the middle of the room.

The breakfast bar will act as the main sitting space in the room, but you could have another table in the corner too if you like. Try incorporating your storage space into the breakfast bar so that you have more space in the rest of the room. Most retailers offer lots of different options, so find the one that meets your needs.

Photo source: wikimedia

These tips are essentials so make sure you consider them when you’re designing your kitchen’s new style. Don’t be afraid to use your imagination too though.