Don't Drain Your Wallet On New Kitchen Cabinets When This Alternative Works Perfectly

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When your kitchen needs an update but your bank account isn't on board with the idea, it's time to get creative. You can have a little of both worlds, saving money and updating your kitchen with a few smaller-scale changes. Give your kitchen a facelift instead of a full renovation, moving the focus from knocking down walls to refreshing your cabinets. Whitney Vredenburgh, owner of Nested Spaces in Indianapolis, pointed to replacing cabinets as a big expense when we turned to her for exclusive kitchen renovation advice. "In general, the face of a door is 75% of the cabinet cost [and] the box of the door is 25%, which is why it is costly to get new cabinets and to reface cabinets," Vredenburgh said. Thankfully, she had a few tips on how to give your cabinets a makeover without dropping big bucks, starting with repainting.

A little paint can transform your kitchen completely, and you might not even have to do anything else to make a big difference in the space. You set the mood with the color of your cabinets; red, yellow and orange tones provide a pop of bright color and energizing vibrance, while tones like blue and green create a calmer, more serene setting. The color you choose can help a small space feel bigger (take white, for instance) or create sectioned-off spaces in your kitchen without the clutter.

If you want to make another big difference in your kitchen with a small budget, Whitney Vredenburgh also suggested updating your cabinetry's hardware. Replacing kitchen hardware during remodeling is an easy project that you can do on a quiet afternoon, and there are many options for styles, colors, and price ranges. Choose from a variety of drawer pulls, from plain long bars to unique knobs embedded with flowers; or go with an art deco vibe and incorporate ornate detailing into your cabinetry, like with these Jiasenbao antique brass cabinet pulls. You can find hardware to fit in with any type of décor. Match your kitchen hardware with a fresh coat of paint on your cabinets, and you'll notice an immediate difference in the feel of this vital home space.

Kitchen lighting is another place where you can make small changes and get big results without breaking the bank. You can start by simply replacing light bulbs with LED bulbs (energy efficient and bright) and add some LED lighting underneath top cabinets — look for adhesive options like the MCGOR magnetic motion-sensor lights if you don't want to make a permanent change. Get creative with kitchen lighting by incorporating unique overhead fixtures, and use it to designate certain spaces in your kitchen without creating physical boundaries. You can even add a few string lights to give the space a warm, whimsical touch.