By Beatrice Kemp
SDUN Columnist

Sure, we’d all like a fabulous top-to-bottom kitchen remodel, but who’s sitting on the $70,000-$80,000 a “mid-range” remodel would cost? The kitchen is the heart of the home—the place where everyone congregates first thing in the morning, for family gatherings and during a raging party. Even in these tough times, there are some small things you can do (or have done) to your kitchen that will give it a facelift, increase efficiency and make this most important space appealing.

Organize
An organized kitchen is an efficient kitchen. Take a look around yours. No doubt you have designated storage areas for food preparation tools, eating and serving items, foodstuff, storage items, cleaning products and miscellany (like the junk drawer). You can vastly improve all of these areas by adding drawer and shelf organizers. Even better, add sliding shelves or drawers inside your cabinets. Some of the best I’ve used I found online at shelvesthatslide.com. These are very well built wood-framed drawers that come in a variety of standard heights and sizes, or can be custom built to your specifications. For less than $100, I recently added two to my kitchen. All the hardware is provided, and installation was a breeze. They work just as well—and look better than—the ones I had professionally done during my remodel a few years ago.

Make a splash
The backsplash is the perfect place to add pop to a kitchen. If you are semi-skilled and willing to try, you can tile that space between the countertop and the upper cabinets. Both Lowe’s and Home Depot have beautiful, reasonably priced ceramic and porcelain for the do-it-yourselfer. Mosaics (small 1” x 1” tiles) in 12” x 12” sheets are easier to work with and come in a range of textures and colors. A more subtle but equally impressive splash can result from mixing 6-inch ceramic squares with a row or two of colorful glass subway tiles. If you’re less than handy, reasonably priced professional installation is available.

Color, color, color
The most economical way to change the look of any room is—paint! Of course you could paint the entire kitchen, or just paint the ceiling in a bold color. To inspire creativity, try Behr’s Tibetan Orange or stimulate appetite with a red-like Behr’s Fire Cracker. If your kitchen already has a standard 6-inch tile backsplash, why not paint the wall between the tile and the upper cabinets in an elegant metallic from Modern Masters from Bayside Paint? Give the space a real boost by painting the cabinets. Add drama with a deep color like Glidden’s Mossy Green or keep it light and airy with one of my favorites, Polished Pearl, also from Behr. It will take a bit of work to get it right—stripping, sanding, priming and at least two coats—but take your time and do it right. It is well worth it.

Add sparkle
I love sparkle, and in a kitchen highly polished cabinet hardware is just the touch. Should you decide to do only one thing for your kitchen, then change (or add) the cabinet hardware. Home improvement stores have great selections and prices. I’ve also bought gorgeous, incredibly well priced hardware online at coolknobsandpulls.com. The site has an amazing selection for the best prices I’ve found, and offers quick shipping and reliable service.

Under-cabinet lighting greatly improves the functionality of a kitchen and also adds sparkle. Have an electrician install strip lights above the countertop. If your budget doesn’t include a pro, then spring for a few of the battery operated, self-stick LED lights that look like hockey pucks and cost less than $10 each. Attach one every 10 to 12 inches underneath your upper cabinets. They may peak out a bit if you don’t add a light rail molding to the bottom of your cabinet, but the sparkle is worth it!

So don’t wait for the recession to end. Make a checklist of the updates you want to tackle and get busy!

Designer Secret
The unexpected makes a space memorable. This often means using an item in a space that ordinarily would not be there, such as putting a large-scale crystal chandelier in a kitchen or using an antique armoire for storage in a bathroom. Sometimes the unexpected is merely something slightly different, such as painting just the back of a bookcase in a bright or bold semi-gloss or sparkling metallic color. Instead of tiling, how about a kitchen backsplash composed of a series of small prints in aluminum frames with the same color mat on each—or a long, narrow mirror in a stainless-steel frame? Use the unexpected to add excitement to your space.

Beatrice Kemp is the owner of B. Kemp Interiors and specializes in design and redesign of residential kitchens. Comments and questions can be sent to her at [email protected].