At N-Hance®, we know how much planning and care goes into a successful cabinet makeover. Whether you’re refinishing an old set of scuffed and faded cabinets, switching the color of your cabinets and drawers, or refacing your cabinets in an entirely new style, updated cabinets can do wonders for your kitchen.
To help you get the best results out of your cabinet makeover, here are 12 tips from the cabinet experts at N-Hance.
Tips for Cabinet Makeover Projects
- Budget First. Kitchen makeovers have a habit of going above budget. But there’s no easier way to overspend on a cabinet makeover than failing to make a budget in the first place. An initial budget will help you set realistic goals and avoid falling in love with upgrades outside of your price range.
- Inspire Yourself. Before you make any firm decisions about your cabinets, spend time looking for inspiration. The internet provides a trove of great concepts for kitchen makeovers. By going in with your mind open, you’ll be more receptive to different styling concepts and creative choices.
- Use What You Have. Kitchen makeovers can be thorny if you try to shoehorn your dream kitchen concept into a space where it simply won’t fit. Instead of attempting to make your kitchen into something it isn’t, try to make it into the best possible version of itself.
- Plan Your Palette. An otherwise gorgeous kitchen can be spoiled by a lackluster palette or clashing colors. Meanwhile, a simple color change to your cabinets can transform a drab, dreary kitchen into a bright, inviting space. Find a palette that works for you, then plan your cabinet makeover around it.
- Think Functionally. One danger of getting kitchen inspiration from Instagram and Pinterest is losing sight of functionality. A picture-perfect kitchen can be a nightmare for preparing actual meals. So, if you plan to reconfigure your cabinets, think through how this could impact the way your space functions.
- Ask Friends for Tips. Lack the knack for interior design? In that case, you might want to ask some design-savvy friends for tips. Creative types might appreciate the chance to reimagine a new space, provide tips from their own experience, or act as a sounding board for different ideas.
- Small Changes, Big Impact. Sometimes, one or two small changes can elevate a space to a completely new level. Before committing to a big, expensive change (like cabinet refacing) think about whether smaller changes (like refinishing) wouldn’t work as well or better.
- Create a Cohesive Space. Your cabinets are a big part of your kitchen, but they’re still just one part of your space. A successful cabinet makeover will take the look, feel, and layout of your kitchen into account, updating your cabinets in a way that’s cohesive and in keeping with the feel of your home.
- Complement with Accents. When you update the look of your cabinets, the right accents can do a lot to complement your space and achieve the look you have in mind. Accents can be small changes, like new cabinet hardware, but can also take the form of new paint, a new backsplash, or new counters.
- Paint with Light. Lighting is one of the most underrated and overlooked elements of interior design. The placement, color, and brightness of both natural and artificial lighting in your kitchen will have a big impact on the look of your cabinets. So keep this in mind when choosing a new color or finish.
- Find Inner Beauty. At N-Hance, we focus on cabinet exteriors. But during a cabinet makeover, you’ll also want to think about the interiors of cabinets and drawers. Explore new ways of organizing your cabinets to improve the way you use your kitchen.
- Do Your Homework. A cabinet makeover comes with a significant price tag, and it will transform the look and feel of your kitchen. So, before you hire a contractor or purchase any materials, make sure you’ve done your homework. Trustworthy contractors will be more than happy to provide detailed estimates and to help you through the planning stages of your project.