6 ways to renovate a kitchen on a budget

I love renovating kitchens. They're probably my favourite room in the house to design because of how much they are enjoyed. Whether it be cooking up a gourmet meal for one or fast efficient meals for a big family, the kitchen really needs to be functional space to use and entertain.

But what do you do if your budget is limited? How do you maximize style in the kitchen without breaking the bank? Here are my top ways to renovate the kitchen on a budget.

1. Begin with a good foundation

This might not seem like a budget saving tip, but it definitely is one in the long term. Older homes and apartments can sometimes present a bit of a mystery in terms of how they were built. DIY additions and not-so-strict building code of yesteryear might leave your new renovation susceptible to potential damage, so check it out thoroughly to avoid future heartbreak and potential costly errors.

In this kitchen, we opened the walls up to find an insufficient amount of insulation (especially since this wall was formerly an exterior wall)! So we fixed the issue by installing Certainteed insulation to ensure the cold stays out and the heat stays in. You can put as many gorgeous interior finishes in a space as your heart desires, but if the space doesn't have a good foundation you may encounter expensive issues down the road. So before you start to renovate, check for things like proper structural support, correct electrical work, water and mould damage, and proper insulation.

2. Keep your cabinets but change the hardware

In this kitchen, one way we stretched our budget strategically was to keep the original cabinets, which were still in great condition. But we wanted to give them a modern upgrade, so we changed out the interior cabinet hinges and drawer slides to quiet close hardware by Grass Canada. Now slamming doors and sticky hinges are a thing of the past ,and the homeowners got a luxurious update at a fraction of the cost of brand new cabinetry. In addition, instead of replacing the drawer and cabinet pulls and knobs, we sprayed them out Oxford Blue by Krylon and then colour matched an interior paint and gave the interior of the glass front cabinets a hit of blue. These simple, yet cost effective changes make a big impact in this kitchen.

3. Use laminate counters for counter surface and shelving

We replaced the dated and warped counters with a beautiful grey Belanger laminate counter that was a wallet friendly investment. The key to using laminate is to use a modern edge profile and keep the colour neutral for the most modern look. We repeated the laminate material in floating shelves. I love this look as it gives the kitchen some architectural detail and a custom element at a wallet friendly price point.

4. Limit your colour palette

Limiting your colour palette is a really great way to stretch your dollar as you don’t have to invest in lots of different pieces to make a decor scheme work. Taking a cue from the cabinet pulls, we picked up the blue again in a simple paisley window covering and large area rug. Decorative accessories on the floating shelves and breakfast bar from HomeSense continued our colour story in fun patterned mugs and striped table linens. To keep your colour story cohesive, use your desired colour at least three times in a space, whether it be in paint, decorative accessories or textiles.

5. Invest in reliable appliances and fixtures

Where possible, appliances and fixtures are where I like to invest my renovation dollars in kitchens as they are the elements that get so heavily used and enjoyed for functional purposes.

For the range I wanted dependability and ease of use, and selected an electric front range by Maytag. With a fast pre-heat option and flat cooktop, cooking and clean-up are really efficient. In a similar way, I went with the beautiful Delta Trinsic faucet with an integrated pull down spout that provides great function along with a touch sensor allowing you to just tap the faucet anywhere to turn it on.

6. Save on light fixtures

While everyone will have their own unique set of values in regards to what is important to them in the hierarchy of design needs in the kitchen, when you are working within a tight budget you really do have to prioritize. I like the approach of saving on light fixtures so you can spend on other areas like faucets and textiles. In this space we used beautifully designed, affordable priced pendants and overhead lighting both from Bouclair.