3 Essential Budget Kitchen Improvements

The kitchen is the most influential part of your home for it has the essential components that every homeowner values. Most homeowners spend more time in their kitchens than any other room in their home and it is the number one room homebuyers look to when considering buying a new house. Here are three essential budget kitchen improvements to put your money where it is most important.

1.) Soften your hard surfaces: Your kitchen has nothing but hard surfaces, from the countertops and flooring to the appliances and walls. Create a softer experience by adding upholstered furniture at the countertop bar, dining areas, and even with small area rugs and wall art. The kitchen doesn’t have to only be cold and sterile.

2.)Add collectibles and personality: Displaying personal items such as vintage collectibles, antiques, and family pictures is a wonderful way to make your kitchen feel like home. Every kitchen has appliances, cabinets and countertops but only your kitchen has the personal touches that makes you feel like cooking and sharing the experience with family and friends.

3.)Update your cabinet hardware: Believe it or not hardware on cabinets can make all the difference in the finished appearance of your cabinetry. Similar to jewelry or accessories for people, hardware creates a finished and clean look. Change your hardware and door pulls to a modern or complimenting style to the rest of your kitchen. You will be amazed at the results.

Image via

The smallest additions to your kitchen can make it feel warm and inviting. Use these three essential tips to update your kitchen and breathe new life into it. Adding color, textures, your personality and a few updated finishes will make your kitchen come alive!

Renia

BEACH STUDIO IN HALKIDIKI

We have been asked to decorate a very small studio that is 45sqm in Halkidiki. Greece. Located by the beach, it has a spectacular view, for it is the perfect location for a beach studio.

The small home is a one-bedroom studio with an open kitchen living room and bathroom. The challenge in these types of projects is making the home feel warm and inviting, but also adhering to a small budget. We have to be creative with our decorating choices, while still giving the client a gorgeous end result.

 

Design Ideas

In the bedroom, the owner had an old bedroom set in brown wood, which we changed into white lacquer, to enlarge the room. The white color also helped bring a fresh feeling to the space, and the furniture no longer swallowed up the rest of the small bedroom. Adding white to any space also gives a fresh summer feel and psychologically feels inviting.

Above the headboard on the wall, we decided to place ceramic birds we found in the local village market. It gave the wall dimension and a subtle focal point, in which also gave a summer effect in the room.

Money Saving Design

When designing the space, we realized that style shouldn’t be minimized because of a small budget. For example, in the windows we used ready-made curtains from Ikea and tied them with knots in a special way. This gave the room a pulled together look, and dressing the windows helped make the space feel like a home, rather than just a small room.

Since our client has beach views, we wanted to bring in the sea life inspiration wherever we could. From seashells in the windowsill, to the birds on the wall, we wanted to embrace the outdoors, inside the home as well.

Bathroom Ideas

The one bathroom area is a good place to bring a neutral color palette and soft textiles into the space. To soften the look of the vanity we used a linen skirt and matched the shower curtain to unify the space. Simple decor items like a flowering orchid make for a beautiful space without over cluttering with visual elements.

The beauty of this space is that it also hides the washer machine! So the skirted area under the vanity housed the machine, and we used mirror cabinets for storage of toiletry items.

Living Area Ideas

When designing your small home, ensure functionality is at the heart of your intentions. In this small beach home, we utilized sofas that could convert into beds, to help the homeowner be able to accommodate visitors. 

Pulling inspiration from the beach, and seaside living, we covered an accent wall with bamboo and kept the breezy ocean home living theme throughout the entire space. Playful collections like these hats can be functional and decorative. Never miss an opportunity for display to act as decor too!

Ultimate views from either side of the balcony, makes this the best seat in the home. An affordable table from Ikea, simple dining chairs and a lounging area opposite, make this the treasure of the home. 

This simple but cozy beach view home is the perfect place to retreat to at the end of a long day. The affordable design ideas we used helped the homeowner make great multifunction areas, and still feel comfortable and relaxed. Ahhh… the ultimate home.