Simple Design Ideas to Upgrade Your Home

If you’re looking to make an upgrade to your home, but don’t want to start any major projects, we have some great news! You can drastically update your space without starting any major renovation by focusing on your cabinets. Updating your home with custom cabinets, or making small adjustments to your existing cabinets, can make a huge difference. It’s also super simple and affordable.

We’ll take you through some of our favourite kitchen cabinet design ideas, simple changes you can make to your cabinets, and how to get started. 

Play With Materials

A simple yet effective way to upgrade your home’s style is by playing with different materials for your cabinets. If you know that you want wooden cabinets, there are various types of wood to choose from including red alder, cherry, or maple —  just to name a few. 

The next thing would be to consider the materials used on the cabinet doors themselves. You can mix and match different items, which can add contrast and character to your kitchen. The classic selection would be wood or glass panels. But consider things like gold metal grate fronts or chicken wire if you’re into more dramatic styles. The possibilities are truly endless, and you’re really only limited to the availability of certain equipment. Another option would be to completely remove the doors all together for a Scandinavian-style kitchen. 

When it comes to hardware, you can get really creative. Handles and knobs might be things that get overlooked, but when done right, can make a huge impact. If your cabinets are a muted color, consider choosing hardware that stands out like geometric shapes or patterns. Black iron handles are clean and simple, but can be bold against a cream colored cabinet. You can even find glass mosaic handles or knobs in the shape of animals if you really want to make a statement. 

Think About Placement 

Another simple way that you can upgrade your kitchen or bathroom is by adjusting the placement of your cabinets. 

For example, consider the average kitchen layout. For the most part, cabinets are located above counters and beside appliances. But if you want to change things up, you can place cabinets in all different areas of the kitchen. Having cabinets up to the ceiling and letting them snake around the room over appliances adds more character to your space. Or if you have a kitchen island, add cabinets and drawers underneath for more storage space. 

Or by choosing to only have cabinets on the lower section of a kitchen or bathroom, you can create a minimalistic style that leaves more space on the walls for pieces of art or mirrors. You could also leave your walls completely bare to play around with negative space and to declutter the room. 

Floating cubbies are a modern design trick that adds a whimsical style to any room. They don’t have to be very big and are super easy to install. Corner cabinets can look sleek, but are also great design hacks if you’re working with a smaller or tricky space. You can work with a design professional to make sure that the cabinets are customized to fit just right. 

Consider Color

If redoing your cabinets or adding new cabinets is still too big of a job for you at the moment, you can make drastic changes with just color alone. 

Think about your style or the style you want your home to emulate. If you’re drawn to more earthy tones, then maybe you’ll want to consider natural wood finishes on your cabinets. 

If you’re interested in adding extra flare, then you might want to consider colors and finishes that are more dramatic and eye-catching. This could include navy blue or crimson red cabinets. Lacquered or glossy cabinets add a luxe feel to any space. French country cabinets or ones made from reclaimed wood painted with fresh, white paint gives off a rustic feel. 

Another design idea would be to play around with color blocking. Color blocking is a technique used that combines two or more contrasting shades. When you combine hues that are on the opposite sides of the color wheel, you create a chic and vibrant, yet simple, look. 

How to Get Started

If you’re interested in upgrading your home, but don’t know where to start, focusing on cabinets is a great first step. 

Working with custom cabinet makers means that you’ll be getting exactly what you want out of your cabinet designs. If you want more information on how to get started, give us a call. Our design specialists will work with you to make sure your ideas come to life, and we offer free consultations.