A beautiful kitchen is the heart of any home (even for those of us
who spend most of our cooking time around the microwave!) Time
spent together in the kitchen can bring a family closer together
and make wonderful memories (although my own memories of doing
dishes as a teenager are less than pleasant – something about
dishwater being “disgusting!”)

Turning your plain
kitchen into something special isn’t as hard as you might think.
Here are a few simple ideas which can make your kitchen a designer
showcase.

1.
To give your cabinets a special flair, use three different stains.
Use one lighter stain on the upper cabinets, one slightly darker on
the drawers and an even darker one on the bottom cabinets. Add a
little pigment in a primary color (red, blue or yellow) to add an
additional dimension and a little “pop.”

2.
To add a little flair, take out a few drawers and insert low baskets
in their place. You will probably have to remove the middle drawer
slide or side slides, but that is easily done with a screwdriver.

3.
Want to update your backsplash? Use beadboard! Have your local home
improvement store cut it to length and attach with nails or
adhesive.

4.
Tired cabinet doors? Cut out the middle of the doors, leaving a two
inch edge all around. Staple fabric panels to the back of the doors.
Cover the staples with fabric trim glued with a hot glue gun. You
can use any fabric from elegant to country, stripes to plaid, or
gingham to quilted.

5.
Update your cabinets with special memories. Attach frames painted or
stained to match the cabinets to the front of each door. Fill the
frames with family photos or your children’s artwork. Or highlight a
special collection such as vintage handkerchiefs or postcards.

Try
one of these ideas or use them to jumpstart your own creative
imagination. Remember, there is a designer in each of you! It’s just
very well hidden in some – VERY well hidden!