So much happens inside kitchens. They’re where the (food) magic is made, where conversations are had over dinner prep, and where meals are enjoyed at the kitchen table or breakfast nook. A kitchen is where you spend a lot of time, so you’re familiar with all its faults and features, which can feel monotonous after a while. When your kitchen’s ambiance starts to feel dull, it might be a good idea to tweak your kitchen space. You might consider giving your kitchen a more luxurious feel with an upgrade or several.
The best part is that you don’t need to do a complete overhaul. You can take your kitchen from basic to deluxe with a few upgrades. A Denver kitchen designer can offer expertise on what aspects of the kitchen should be upgraded. This article offers suggestions on seven upgrades that can make your kitchen feel more luxurious. Read on to find out more.
7 Luxurious Kitchen Upgrades
Thinking about upgrading your kitchen? From using high-end materials to art, here are seven upgrades that can give your kitchen a luxurious feel:
1. High-End Materials
Certain materials give your kitchen an expensive feel, take for example the stainless stove hood which is as beautiful as it is functional.. These are high-quality materials whose prices are somewhat steep but worth every penny. One of the items in your kitchen you can upgrade using high-end materials is your countertops. You can use concrete, marble, quartz, and cement to make your countertops look elegant. As a bonus, not only are they gorgeous, but they’re sturdy as well.
For your sinks, natural stone (granite and marble), granite composite, ceramic, and stainless steel are suitable materials for a high-end feel. Brass and zinc will give your faucets a classy look, and your choice of finish–brass, bronze, copper, or nickel–adds to their classiness.
Swapping out your lower-grade materials with high-end ones will turn your kitchen into a completely different place. Your kitchen will transform into a space whose surfaces and features look right at home in the kitchen of a five-star restaurant.
2. High-End Appliances
Fancy appliances add an upscale touch to your kitchen, combining style with functionality, allowing you to make coffee and reheat your food in style. Swap out your refrigerator, oven, microwave, dishwasher, or coffee maker for its sleeker equivalent to give your kitchen a luxurious look. Besides their sleekness, high-end kitchen appliances might have one or two features absent in basic appliances. Take, for instance, the best commercial espresso machine that crushes coffee beans and froths milk and an electric kettle that lets you adjust the temperature. A regular coffee maker and electric kettle will give you practicality, but luxury is more than that. Luxury is about aesthetics as well as function.
Not only do high-end appliances improve the look of your kitchen, but they also improve your kitchen experience.
Tip: While you’re at it, you could replace or add non-appliances to your kitchen as well–a bread bin, utensil rack, knife rack, dish rack, soap dispenser, kitchen towels that match, and jars for your cereal, grains, and coffee grounds.
3. Smart Devices
A smart device connects to another device via a wireless connection, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and local networks. It is capable of carrying out users’ prompts. Smart devices take things further than high-end appliances; they use voice control and can remember instructions.
Smart kitchen devices make performing tasks in the kitchen less stressful than they would be otherwise. A smart bin can tell when you’re passing by and open and close accordingly. A smart ice maker can make a fresh batch of ice every hour, ensuring you never run out of ice. And a smart toaster lets you choose the type of bread you wish to toast.
With their high-tech flair and ultra-modern appearance, smart devices add luxury to your kitchen, making it look pricey and stylish.
4. Painted Walls and Pops of Color
One way to give your kitchen a brand new appearance is by painting its walls. Certain colors like beige, cream, white, gray, black, and charcoal can make your kitchen look elegant. You can paint your kitchen walls white for a clean, minimalist aesthetic, giving your kitchen the appearance of being larger than it is. Alternatively, you can go for an accent wall, which makes a statement.
Getting an accent wall involves painting a single wall with a vibrant, eye-catching solid color, which draws attention to it. If you’d like to draw attention to a specific kitchen section, an accent wall is a great way to do it. Using matte concrete, marble slabs, or porcelain tiles, you can also experiment with textures for your accent walls.
Suppose you’re interested in a neutral-colored kitchen. In that case, you can add a pop of color to prevent it from looking too devoid of color with a bowl of fruit on the island, a vase of flowers, or a potted or hanging plant. Consider the colors gold, rose gold, stainless steel, and matte black for pulls, knobs, and faucets.
5. Art
Art is often associated with opulence. Art installations can elevate your living spaces, your kitchen included. Putting a piece of art in your kitchen can make it feel like more than just a kitchen by giving it an artistic and sophisticated touch. You don’t need to do much. One well-placed painting, on the accent wall, over the rangehood, or facing toward the breakfast nook, is enough. However, you can add several if you have ample wall space to make a gallery wall. Macrame, tapestries, blown-up photographs, floating walls, and mirrors give an artsy touch.
If your kitchen walls lack free space, consider getting an art piece to tuck away in a corner or a piece to display on the island or atop cabinets. A bust, miniature statue, or abstract sculptures are objects you can place in your kitchen for a bit of art. Whether you opt for an eclectic mix of art or themed pieces, your choices will make your kitchen feel luxuriant.
You can take things a step further by creating a corner dedicated to art and turning your kitchen into an art gallery or museum.
6. Lighting
Lighting is crucial in a kitchen. During the day, natural lighting is there to help you see what you’re doing in your kitchen. As night falls and visibility drops, you have to turn to artificial lighting. In this way, light fixtures are functional, but they can also be aesthetic. How the light hits your kitchen can make it feel spacious and give it a classy air.
Hanging lights over your island and dining area can make your kitchen ceiling seem higher and illuminate these parts of your kitchen. Chandeliers and pendant lights are good light fixtures for these areas. You can place lamps on countertops, and use discreet, LED under-cabinet and under-shelf lighting while you prepare meals. Install light dimmers to adjust light intensity to suit your needs, enhance the ambiance, and save energy.
Switch up your kitchen lights for a modern, expensive atmosphere.
7. Hiding Your Appliances
Luxury is free of clutter. Having appliances placed around different parts of your kitchen can give it a cluttered look, particularly if the appliances are numerous. So why not opt for hidden appliances? Tuck away your appliances in cabinets, creating an unobstructed space and leaving you with more room to experiment with your kitchen’s decoration and upgrades.
Integrate your appliances into your kitchen furniture. Small kitchen appliances like toasters, coffee makers, and electric kettles can be tucked away inside cabinets when not in use. You can also hide larger appliances such as microwaves, dishwashers, ovens, and refrigerators behind cabinets. In addition to keeping your kitchen clutter-free, hidden appliances are ideal when they don’t match your kitchen’s decor. You can enjoy a seamless aesthetic without worrying about your bold red coffee maker not suiting your neutral-accented kitchen or your pastel-colored fridge not fitting in with your charcoal and silver-accented kitchen.
Upgrading to hidden kitchen items gives your kitchen the luxury of space and a sleek, seamless appearance.
What Luxury Upgrades Should You Apply to Your Kitchen?
There is no specific upgrade that must be applied to your kitchen. Rather, it’s about what your kitchen needs or what you want. It also depends on your budget. You don’t need to break the bank to give your kitchen a luxurious edge. You can apply as many upgrades to your kitchen as you wish, or you can apply one or two upgrades. Whether you merely paint your walls, buy a premium kitchen appliance, or install an art piece, as long as it suits your vision of a luxury kitchen, it is the right upgrade for you.
