If you’re here reading this then you’re thinking about updating your kitchen and you may be wondering if a kitchen refresh will do, or if you need to go all in with a kitchen remodel. With so many people spending more time at home these days and low interest rates to refinance home improvements, kitchen updates are HOT right now and a great investment.
Let’s be honest here…kitchens are the heart of your home. AND kitchens can make or break the sale of your home. A gorgeous, well-appointed kitchen leads to multiple home offers, while a bad, outdated kitchen can leave you hearing crickets and drumming your fingers on your old laminate or worse, white-tile countertops (please get rid of those ASAP). So what’s a homeowner to do?
What's a kitchen refresh?
A kitchen refresh is a less expensive alternative to doing a full kitchen remodel. So, instead of tearing everything out (including your hair;) you’re leaving parts of your kitchen intact and making cosmetic changes. There are different levels to a kitchen refresh and costs will depend on how far you go with your refresh.
What’s included in a kitchen refresh?
As I mentioned above, there are several levels or combinations of updates in a kitchen refresh. These levels aren’t cut and dry and you can mix things up and have any combination of changes. It’s about what your needs are and what works best for your home and your budget.
Level 1 Kitchen Refresh
This is the most basic and budget-friendly refresh. While it will update your space, it won’t make as dramatic of a change as a higher level refresh would. You might include:
- A new coat of paint on the walls
- Updated knobs and hardware
- New accents, accessories or window coverings like a valance
Level 2 Kitchen Refresh
Moving a long with a few more upgrades, a Level 2 refresh might include:
- Adding a new faucet
- Adding or updating pendant lighting chandeliers
- Repainting kitchen cabinets (professionally painted gives the BEST results)
- Adding a new backsplash
- New lighting (pendants or chandelier)
- Updating the hardware (knobs and pulls)
- A new coat of paint on the walls
- New accents, accessories or window coverings
Level 3 Kitchen Refresh
With a Level 3, you’re really starting to make some changes that will make a bigger impact. Again, you decide how much or how little you want to update, but here are some more changes you could make.
- New countertops (quartz or natural stone is best)
- Adding a new faucet
- New sink
- Repainting kitchen cabinets (professionally painted gives the BEST results)
- Adding a new backsplash
- New lighting (pendants or chandelier)
- Updating the hardware (knobs and pulls)
- A new coat of paint on the walls
- New accents, accessories or window coverings
Level 4 Kitchen Refresh
Alright, now we’re really stepping things up. The main difference here is that we’re changing the cabinet doors. This is not replacing the whole cabinets, but just the door fronts. This is a good option if your cabinet doors are outdated or ornate and you want a cleaner look like a shaker style. It’s an added expense, but one that makes a big difference in the overall look. And while you’re changing the door fronts, you might as well add soft-close hinges so your new doors don’t slam shut.
- Replacing cabinet doors (leaving the cabinet boxes in place)
- New countertops (quartz or natural stone is best)
- Adding a new faucet
- New sink
- Repainting kitchen cabinets (professionally painted gives the BEST results)
- Adding a new backsplash
- New lighting (pendants or chandelier)
- Updating the hardware (knobs and pulls)
- A new coat of paint on the walls
- New accents, accessories or window coverings
Level 5 Kitchen Refresh
Here we are at the highest level of a kitchen refresh. This is basically everything you can do without gutting the whole kitchen. And with all this work, you might say “well, if I’m doing all this construction already, why not just tear out the whole kitchen and start fresh?”
At this point you could and you have a decision to make. But, if you’re not changing the layout and you can work with some of what you have then you may want to do a more extensive kitchen refresh rather than gutting your whole kitchen. If your cabinets are in good shape and you like your kitchen layout then this option still makes sense for you. Kitchen cabinets are one of the most expensive parts of a kitchen remodel so you’re still likely saving by doing a kitchen refresh. At this level you might consider:
- Replacing some cabinetry or building a custom island while leaving perimeter cabinets intact. (For example-if you’re removing a mircowave and replacing with a hood or adding open shelving).
- Updating appliances
- Replacing cabinet doors (leaving the cabinet boxes in place)
- New countertops (quartz or natural stone is best)
- Adding a new faucet
- Adding a new sink
- Repainting kitchen cabinets (professionally painted gives the BEST results)
- Adding a new backsplash
- New lighting (pendants or chandelier)
- Updating the hardware (knobs and pulls)
- A new coat of paint on the walls
- New accents, accessories or window coverings
What about flooring?
I’m going to say it straight here. If you don’t like your current floors now, then it’s very unlikely you’ll like them any better after a refresh. You’ll have done all this work and invested all this money and will still be saying “I really don’t like my floors.” It’s a waste to leave them and do all the other work in my personal opinion.
Doing a refresh without tackling what really bothers you about your space is like putting lipstick on a pig. It’s still going to be a pig. (Quick side note…no disrespect to pigs who are actually highly intelligent animals which I find rather cute. After all, I’m an animal lover who was vegetarian for 20 years;) But, you get my point. If you don’t like it now, you won’t like it after. So, plan and budget accordingly. I’d much rather squirrel and save for what I want, then invest good money into something that isn’t really what I want that I’ll have to change in a couple of years.
How much does a kitchen refresh cost?
You’re not going to like this answer, but it’s true. It depends. A kitchen refresh can cost a few hundred dollars to 20K+. It depends on the size of your kitchen and the scope of work. Some parts of a kitchen refresh cost more such as countertops and appliances. In an upcoming post I’ll talk more about countertops including costs.
Another expensive part of a kitchen refresh is cabinet painting. In order to get the most durability, I recommend professional painting. Yes, you can buy kits at home improvement stores and DIY this, but as the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” Kitchen cabinet painting is a lot of work and the prep and degreasing isn’t easy (but it’s super important). So, I recommend going with the pros on this. Depending on your kitchen size and location you might spend 2K-5K. It’s worth the investment if you can get several more years out of it. You don’t want to see brush strokes on your cabinet doors. It doesn’t look good and is tougher to update down the road.
Is a kitchen refresh the right decision for me?
When thinking about a kitchen refresh vs a kitchen remodel there are some factors to consider. For kitchen inspiration Pinterest is a great place to start.
A kitchen refresh is likely right for you if:
- The cabinets are good quality, solid wood
- The current layout work for you
- This isn’t your “forever” home
- Investing in a full remodel will outprice your home out of your neighborhood
- Your budget is limited
A kitchen remodel is best for you if:
- You want to make a big change or statement
- You plan on living in your home for a while
- The cabinets are lower quality
- The current kitchen layout doesn’t function well
- Your home value is high (you want your kitchen to reflect your expensive neighborhood)
- Your budget is more flexible and larger
- You’re renovating other areas of your home
Conclusion...final thoughts
A kitchen refresh or remodel is a really smart decision that will improve the value of your home. If you’re thinking about making some exciting changes but aren’t sure what to do, then working with a designer is a smart first start. Depending on the level of your refresh, there are a lot of moving parts and contractors involved with a kitchen refresh including: painters, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, fabricators, tiles, handy workers. A designer can help you manage it all. With full remodels or renovations, then it’s a good idea to bring a general conractor in as well.
If you’d like help with your kitchen refresh, simply fill out a few questions to get started and hop on a free discovery call with me about your project. We can make a plan to move forward and get your dream kitchen started.
