Low-Cost Cabinet Makeovers
Save thousands of dollars by using paint and new hardware to update your existing kitchen cabinets instead of buying new ones. These colorful, budget-friendly examples will help you get started.
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Hang wallpaper in the back of glass-front cabinets to elevate the contents to works of art. Here, geometric-print green-and-white wallpaper adds subtle contrast to the nearly all-white scheme of the kitchen.
Glass-front cabinets are a surefire way to open up a small kitchen. Leaded-glass inserts in these cabinets not only help the kitchen feel larger, but they also add a splash of vintage flair.
Create a unique style statement by transforming your cabinets into a work of art—literally! Here, the doors were removed from a pair of spice enclosures in favor of two artful prints. With a culinary-inspired motif, the artwork blends easily into the hardworking kitchen space.
Open and glass-front cabinets create an airy look. For a clever spin on the style, paint the interiors of your cabinetry a bold hue. Here, chartreuse contrasts crisp white dishware and complements turquoise accessories sprinkled throughout the kitchen.
A cabinet door installed on the side of this pantry conceals a convenient message center. Enclosing the corkboard behind a cabinet door ensures everyday clutter doesn't disrupt the crisp, clean look of this all-white kitchen.
Here, a curtain under the sink creates a relaxed farmhouse atmosphere. The red-and-cream hues of the curtain provide contrast to the soft green color of the cabinets. The traditional gingham pattern blends well with the distressed cabinetry finish and vintage accents throughout the kitchen.
Kitchens awash in white look neat and tidy, but color is the key to keeping the space fresh and fun. If you opt to paint your kitchen cabinets white, choose one or two favorite hues to use as accents. Touches of bright red and sky blue set off pristine white cabinets in this kitchen. Paint the soffit or wall above your cabinets with one of your accent colors for a polished look.
Open shelving will give your kitchen a lighter look. In this space, it also helps draw more attention to the gorgeous gray tile backsplash. Use shelf brackets that fit the look of your kitchen. Curvy brackets like these are in step with cottage style.
Grab a can of chalkboard paint and apply it to a few cabinet panels for a new look and a new message board. Pick cabinets that are easy to reach to make jotting down a grocery list a cinch.
Watch how to turn your own cabinets into message boards.
Bring color and interest into your kitchen with scarlet cabinetry. The bold red hue on these cabinets adds interest to this otherwise neutral kitchen. Open shelving used above the countertop ensures that the striking cabinet color doesn't overwhelm the small space.
Can't decide on just one cabinet color? Mix and match finishes for a unique look. Here, high-gloss lower cabinets stylishly contrast white upper cabinets. Use a darker color on the lower cabinets and a lighter color on the upper cabinets. The reverse (dark on top, light on bottom) can weigh down the space and make it feel cramped.
Give the inside of your cabinets a boost with clever storage solutions. Once a haphazard jumble of cleaning supplies, this undersink cabinet was refreshed with a simple slide-out drawer unit, which corrals cleaners, soaps, and sponges for an orderly storage solution. A large metal bucket also corrals cleaning necessities and can be picked up and carried throughout the house.
Removing the doors from some of the upper cabinets reveals the space inside, making the kitchen look larger. Paint the interior a rich accent color to spice up the kitchen even more.
For a small change with big effect, add stylish hardware to your cabinets. Replacing traditional cabinetry knobs with modern tubular handles is an affordable hardware update that offers a trendy touch for your kitchen.
Cabinets work hard but need not be used for function only. With crisp white woodwork and stylish glass in the original doors, the top section of this wall set stores an abundance of dishes. A tasteful skirt puts a pretty face on nondisplay items on the shelves below.
Distressed cabinets, such as these aged white ones, give off a casual, vintage vibe. The black granite countertop lends contrast to the cabinetry and buttery yellow walls. Stone flooring ties in well with the weathered texture of the cabinets.
Once-boring brown cabinets now offer modern style with several coats of gray paint over their dated facade. The doors were removed from the cabinets flanking the range, and the exterior was painted blue, which helps the kitchen feel more open and offers subtle contrast to the kitchen's gray-and-white color scheme.
A kitchen has an abundance of hard surfaces—appliances, flooring, faucets, and light fixtures—to name a few. To soften the look of your kitchen, refresh your cabinets with a few coats of a soothing paint color. An inviting powder blue does the trick on these cabinets. Light blue walls, white trim, and open shelving also boost the room's bright and airy look.
Existing cabinets get a dramatic makeover with modern orange paint. The color used here takes on a muted tone when paired with a dark wood backdrop and simple hardware.
Go country chic with distressed cabinets. Paint wood cabinets in your choice of color (a bold hue, such as this vibrant robin's-egg blue, will lend a modern look) and once dry, do a little bit of sanding around the door edges and across the cabinet fronts.
A few coats of bold chartreuse paint catapult plain Jane builder cabinets into the spotlight. The look-at-me hue blends well with the colors featured in the whimsical butterfly prints scattered throughout the kitchen.
Love the look of glass-front cabinets but aren't so sure you want the contents of your cabinets totally visible? Try opaque or frosted glass instead, which gives off the same light look as transparent glass but conceals the contents.
For a kitchen with a vintage vibe, glue gingerbread appliques (available at home centers) on door panels. These affordable wood pieces come in many styles and are easy to adhere to cabinet doors using wood glue. Kick up the vintage look by applying a thin coat of burnt umber glaze to the doors and gingerbread. Wipe off while wet to get desired effect.
Two layers of paint transform plain wood cabinets: a red latex base coat coupled with a top coat of oil-base paint (black and raw umber) mixed with oil-base glazing liquid and paint thinner. Basket-style metal hardware suits the decorative paint finish.
This casual, gently distressed look is the perfect theme for a country kitchen. Open shelving allows ample storage and display space without being overtaken by clutter. Unconventional wooden bars serve as door handles while keeping with the cabinets' style.
Fresh white paint unifies cabinets that once combined wood-tone bases with upper cabinets sporting silvery metal door inserts. Doors and drawer fronts were professionally sprayed with lacquer; cabinet boxes were painted by the homeowners.
