Five Easy Ways to Give Your Kitchen Designer Wow!


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. Stale 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!

About The Author

Pamela Cole Harris has been a writer for over 35 years (Yikes! Has it been that long? Her fun, tongue-in-cheek approach to decorating has made http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com one of the most popular décor sites on the net. She brings the same spirit of fun to cooking at http://www.thewellfedtraveler.com and running a home business at http://www.pajamabusinesses.com.







Related News



The Home Depot Declares Third Quarter Dividend of 22.5 Cents - La Voz de Dalton

The Home Depot Declares Third Quarter Dividend of 22.5 Cents
La Voz de Dalton, GA -9 hours ago
The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2270 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, ...
The Home Depot Declares Third Quarter Dividend of 22.5 CentsPR Newswire (press release)
all 13 news articles

Raven Industries Announces Higher Sales and Earnings for Third Quarter - MarketWatch

RTT News

Raven Industries Announces Higher Sales and Earnings for Third Quarter
MarketWatch -Nov 19, 2008
"These include lower levels of new home construction and home improvements negatively affecting our bed-control deliveries, and the loss of a significant ...
The Home Depot Announces Third Quarter ResultsEarthtimes (press release)
Raven Industries Announces Higher Sales and Earnings for Third QuarterSunHerald.com
Patrick Industries, Inc. Announces Third Quarter 2008 Financial ...PR-CANADA.net (press release)
Earthtimes (press release)
all 424 news articles

The Home Depot Declares Third Quarter Dividend of 22.5 Cents - MarketWatch

The Home Depot Declares Third Quarter Dividend of 22.5 Cents
MarketWatch -12 hours ago
The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2270 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, ...


Home improvement retail sinks on data - Forbes

Medill Reports

Home improvement retail sinks on data
Forbes, NY -Nov 19, 2008
AP , 11.19.08, 03:13 PM EST Shares of home improvement chains dipped Wednesday after the federal government said construction of new homes and apartments ...
How home improvement chains fared in 3rd quarterThe Associated Press
Home Depot Posts 31% Fall in Net Income, Cuts ViewWall Street Journal
Tough economy takes toll on Home DepotAtlanta Journal Constitution
CNNMoney.com - Bloomberg
all 529 news articles

Ahead of the Bell: Home improvement retailers - Forbes

Ahead of the Bell: Home improvement retailers
Forbes, NY -Nov 19, 2008
The home improvement retailers are part of a sector that has "competitive dynamics, stable gross margins through the downturn, and clear cyclicality ...
Home Depot Is Not in a FixBarron's
all 6 news articles

Economic Downturn Sparks New Home Improvement Trend - MarketWatch

Economic Downturn Sparks New Home Improvement Trend
MarketWatch -Nov 18, 2008
With the harsh reality of uncertain economic times, and the average consumer shouldering $10000 or more in credit card debt, a new trend in home improvement...

Sector roundup: Solar, home improvement - Forbes

Sector roundup: Solar, home improvement
Forbes, NY -Nov 19, 2008
CHICAGO (AP) - Shares of home improvement chains dipped Wednesday after the federal government said construction of new homes and apartments slowed at a ...

AG Van Hollen: Home improvement company and owner charged with ... - Wisbusiness.com

AG Van Hollen: Home improvement company and owner charged with ...
Wisbusiness.com, WI -Nov 19, 2008
The complaint alleges that in November, 2005 defendants entered into a $55250 home improvement contract with a Menasha couple promising, among other things, ...

THE GOODS ON HOME IMPROVEMENT: A sturdy shovel for winter's fury - Lancaster Newspapers (registration)

THE GOODS ON HOME IMPROVEMENT: A sturdy shovel for winter's fury
Lancaster Newspapers (registration), PA -17 hours ago
By ALAN J. HEAVENS / McClatchy-Tribune, Correspondent It's never too early to think about snow removal — more than a few flakes fell in the Poconos recently ...

Kudzu.com Survey Reveals DIY Projects Are an Unreliable Way to ... - MarketWatch

Kudzu.com Survey Reveals DIY Projects Are an Unreliable Way to ...
MarketWatch -Nov 19, 2008
In fact, one in four (25%) Americans have hired a professional to fix or finish a home improvement project they first attempted themselves. ...