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Friday, April 29, 2022
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How to revamp a kitchen
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’m not one to be found in a kitchen, much to my husband’s chagrin, and the only knowledge I have when it comes to kitchens is how to make them look good! It’s the one room when we purchased our new home that I put the most amount of effort and time into ensuring the renovation looked good, kind of ironic since I can barely find the on button on the stove. I’m somewhat of a Pinterest junkie so before I started the reno, I spent countless hours finding the latest kitchen trends, which I will share with you. Say goodbye to a few upper cabinets and introduce floating wood shelves. The shelves give a nice break to a wall lined full of cabinets and draw your eye to whatever décor you have selected to display on them. On higher shelves I put items that we don’t need to access daily, artwork, family photos and a unique ceramic vase. I also put several very low maintenance plants on the higher shelves. The lower shelves display all of our dishware and several unused cookbooks. Keep the shelves simple, minimising clutter but interesting.
REFRESH with unique door pulls and knobs (Image: Semihandmade) Instead of floating shelves, you can also opt to change the front of the cabinet doors for glass, breaking up the monotony of solid cabinets while adding visual interest. The front of the glass will also play up reflections and make the room feel lighter. Backsplashes are a great way to add a little pop to any kitchen. If you feel daring, try a bigger pop, if your
PAINT the island an accent colour to add interest (Image: Sparrows & Lily)
kitchen is larger. If you are worried it may be too overwhelming stick to something a little more subtle. Using muted tones as a backdrop, you can always bring in colour with the use of dishes or items on display. I would suggest before purchasing an entire backsplash bring several samples to give a true sense of the colour within the space as lighting and shadows drastically change between a showroom and the actual space they are being installed. Another fairly inexpensive trick to update or change a kitchen is to change out old, dated kitchen knobs. Think of knobs as like jewellery. They can be a loud bold statement piece or thin, dainty and understated. “Hardware on white cabinets will stand out and steal the show, so it’s a great opportunity to go bold! If you have warm tones, go with gold, black, or bronze hardware. If you have a cold grey tone, then silver, pewter, black, and stainless-steel hardware will work,” according to the website Family Handyman. A simple way to refresh your kitchen is simply to repaint. Think beyond just the walls, hire a professional to spray kitchen cabinets,
and an island if you so happen to have one. Bring in a ‘wow’ factor by spraying your island a different colour from the rest of the kitchen; blues, greens and black islands are trending now. The possibilities to revamp a kitchen are endless from lighting to cabinets, to open shelves, to glass cabinets, new hardware, counter stools, and a fresh coat of paint can go a long way. • Brooke Pyfrom is the proprietor of Oasis, Sandyport, and Oasis, East Shirley Street. She sources exceptional pieces from around the world to combine trendy with traditional.
LIFE BY DESIGN
BROOKE PYFROM
CREATE a ‘wow’ factor with a strong backsplash (Image: ADD interest with open shelving (Image: Denby Pottery Mercury Mosaics) USA)