The kitchen is mostly a practical room. But it can also be beautiful and, with a few tweaks, more functional. Modernizing your kitchen is about identifying where you have a need and finding some technology to fulfill that. Here are some major and some easy renovation ideas to make your kitchen pop.

Soft Closing Cupboards and Drawers

Soft-closing drawers are not only safer for your kitchen, with less chance of trapping fingers and damaging the drawer-contents, but also look great. These dampers can be installed on most drawers and cupboards and require a little know-how, but your quiet kitchen will be worth the effort. There is a handy tutorial on how to install soft close drawer slides for those of you who are ready to take on the DIY challenge.

Make One Big Splurge

A brand new appliance can make a kitchen more appealing to use. Consider the needs in your kitchen and think about whether something needs updating. Maybe the washing machine needs updating, or the dishwasher is getting a little run down. These big appliances, if you are upgrading them, can also be sold on second-hand websites so they don’t need to go to the dump. Modern and eco-friendly!

Breakfast Bar Stool Style

If you are fortunate enough to have a breakfast bar, then updating your stools is a great way to modernize your kitchen. These can come in a range of amazing designs, from vibrant plastics to sleek wooden designs to steel chairs with leather touches. To really make a statement, try a range of different chairs that mix and match with the other textiles in your kitchen and bring it together.

Install New Window Shades

Shades and blinds get faded after a while so update your shades to give your room a pop of color or a new fresh look. Automatic closing blinds make organizing your room’s brightness easy, especially if you have a lot of windows or they are hard to reach. This can be a good upgrade for elderly relatives or people with limited mobility.

Automatic Coffee Maker

A bean-to-cup style coffee maker just oozes modern sleek and is perfect for the coffee bean aficionado in the house. Nothing beats freshly-ground beans and this machine will turn them into coffee for you without all the grinding.

There are also models with milk steamers if you are looking for that barista-level latte in your own kitchen. For a more in-depth analysis of other appliances that will upgrade your kitchen, then check out these appliance reviews.

Adding Photoframes and Art

This is a simple way to modernize your kitchen without major renovations. Some art that is special to you is fun to pick out and looks great on the walls. Lots of people have an art piece they’ve been meaning to put up for ages, so now is the time!

Under Cabinet Lighting

Mood lighting is low-lighting that comes from multiple areas. One easy way to add mood lighting, and to make your chopping spaces easier to see, is to put lights underneath your cabinets. This gives you a nice overhang to hide wires and bulbs and it’s practical.

Paint the Walls

Walls naturally get grubby, especially in the kitchen where there are grease particles and food splatter. A quick lick of paint will make your kitchen pop, and don’t forget the ceiling! A nice white ceiling may fade if there is any smoke residue.

Add Shelves In Your Cupboards

Often, cupboard space is underutilized. Tall cupboards take up precious real estate and are often under-used. Put shelves inside your cupboards to use the vertical space or add hanging hooks to hang cups from. Adding tiered shelves can also make your long term products more visible when you’re cooking. Make your space work for you!

These simple things will help boost your kitchen into the 21st century. Big changes don’t need to mean a big overhaul. There are lots of ways to utilize space in the kitchen and rearrange its contents to make it seem bigger without expensive renovations, or breaking down walls! If you’re enjoying modernizing your kitchen, then here are 3 simple home design tweaks that make a huge difference.