Low-Budget, Big Impact Kitchen Renovations Ideas

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Renovating a kitchen can be an exciting and nervous time all at once. Depending on the size and scale of your renovation, it may be something you can do yourself or something you’ll need to hire out help for. Kitchen renovations are generally a fairly expensive endeavour, running anywhere from $10,000 to $22,000. 

However, your kitchen renovation doesn’t have to be that extravagant nor expensive. There are many ways to save yourself money and reduce your kitchen renovation costs while still getting the result you want. 

Create a multi-functional space 

One of the most important ways to make a big impact with your kitchen renovation is to create multi-functional spaces. For example, instead of having a separate oven and stovetop build it right into the countertop. 

You could even have a built-in covering for the stovetop, so you’d retain that countertop space. If you’re not working with much space, you’ll want to make as much use of the space that you do have as possible. 

Incorporate a kitchen island 

One of the biggest minimalist changes you could make is incorporating a kitchen island into your space. There are many ways you could go about this, from the simple kitchen island with space for chairs to the incorporation of cupboard spaces and even appliances. 

Building a kitchen island doesn’t have to be an expensive process either, but it will add dimension to your kitchen and create a separation between the cooking space, cleaning-up space and eating space. 

Shelving 

One of the most important things to do if you’re not working with much space is to build up, rather than out. Shelving is a crucial part of any small kitchen design. Think of different ways to display certain things in your kitchen — things perhaps that are currently in a containment unit of some sort (cabinet, cupboard, whatever) that takes up a lot of space. 

Perhaps, if you are really tight on space — figure out a small wall-mounted shelving unit that works for your space. 

The outside looking in 

One of the nicest ways to ‘expand’ your small kitchen is to include glass cabinet doors. Just as in the bathroom, if you have glass in a space, it immediately expands that space to appear bigger than it already is. 

Glass cabinet doors not only keep your mind from thinking, ‘Where’s that tea mug I always want but can never find?’, they also provide the illusion of more space by adding depth to the kitchen. Glass doors don’t just have to be on cabinets — any door in your kitchen can be a glass door, for the right price. 

All in a line 

One of the best things that you can do if you’re not working with much space is to once again use the power of optical illusion. The principle is to expand the space visually, so one of the great ways to do this is to create a linear pattern in your kitchen design. 

There should be very few sharp corners when you look along with the kitchen space and no circular elements. Keeping things symmetrical will really help you to see that you have more space than you feel you do, even when operating in something small. 

You don’t have to break the bank 

Because you’re not working with a big space, it makes no sense to fill that space. Renovating your kitchen when money is tight is certainly possible. For example, if you’re trying to fit a sink into a small space, and you have patience, time and YouTube, you can probably figure out how to do that yourself, rather than calling in (and paying) a plumber to come in and do it for you. 

Pay attention to the lighting 

One of the biggest considerations in any space is the lighting. How are you going to illuminate your kitchen so that it’s bright and airy, while also being well-lit in the evenings? Some people go for the big, extravagant, chandelier-style lighting in their kitchen. 

Others choose a more minimalist approach and go for pot-lights, either built into their countertops or suspended from the ceiling. How you light your kitchen — particularly a small space will have a huge impact on how spacious it feels especially if you’re using downlights. 

Whether you’re renovating your kitchen for the first time, or are seasoned at this, small kitchens present new challenges, but also an exciting feeling that perhaps you don’t really need all that space after all.