The Fixer: three kitchen hacks you need to know about

As Aussie begin to use kitchens as more of an entertainment space, it can feel hard to change it without doing a full reno. Here are some quick and easy hacks to transform your kitchen without breaking the bank.

Family time in the kitchen.

Australians are beginning to move on from the all-white kitchen and are embracing the Hamptons palette of blues and whites or warmer tones of terracottas and greens.

Colour is a simple way to update, but if you’re not quite ready to give up your all-white kitchen you can always add some colour via accessories, says Nobby Kitchens managing director and owner John Hall.

He suggests coloured counter stools, appliances, hanging lights or splashbacks. Whatever your style, breathing a little life into the kitchen can be done without burning through your time or even your budget. Read on for more ideas.

This all-white kitchen has dashes of warmth in the bar stools and flooring.

Our white kitchen is perfectly functional and the layout is great but it lacks warmth. how can we breathe some life into it?
One of the first rules of renovating is to live in your new home for at least six to 12 months. It’s great advice because it gives you time to see how spaces work, where the light is coming from and, in a kitchen, whether you have sufficient storage.

 But that doesn’t mean you can’t make small changes that will have a big impact without messing with the floorplan. The easiest, fastest and cheapest option is paint. Colour and communications manager at Dulux, Andrea Lucena-Orr says the latest water-based paint products in the Renovation Range work for laminate or vinyl wrap and are suitable for cabinets and benchtops, as well as ceramic tiles.

“Maybe you just hate the tiles but they are still in good condition,” she says. “Removing tiles can be a dirty job. Painting them is so much easier and cleaner.” While you could go with one colour trimmed with white, try experimenting with an ombre effect (one colour for the bottom cabinets and a lighter or darker tone for the top) or even painting individual cabinets in different, contrasting colours. “It’s paint at the end of the day and it can be painted over,” says Andrea. “You can really go to town.”

Drinks anyone? Picture: Peter Tarasiuk

Have easy access to glassware and add a few stools to the island bench.

Is there a way to make having friends in our new kitchen less of a hassle?

The rise of bar culture has put even more pressure on our kitchens, which are somehow meant to cater for home cooking as well as running a cocktail lounge.

Make things easy on yourself by attaching wine glass racks underneath your upper cupboards and perhaps even an open shelf for highball and lowball glasses.

Putting in a mirrored splashback will let your glassware glitter and sparkle, bringing a little subtle glamour. Add a cocktail shaker and a few select bottles of spirits to set the scene.

If you can, keep the bar area separate from the island bench, which works well as the main serving space. A few retro bar stools will complete the speak-easy theme.

Boost your kitchen’s vibe with colour.

Are there any other suggestions beyond plain colours?

Many people are wary of patterns in kitchens but there are still ways to vary the blocks of colour.

Splashback tiles have really taken off in recent years, in jewel-like colours of emerald green, sapphire blue as well as the soft blues and greens of the natural landscape.

It’s not a big job but depending on your space and your skill level, you could tackle it yourself or hire a tiler to replace the splashback tiles in a week.

If you have an island bench, you could clad the base in vertical timber battens or replace the benchtop. Bunnings and Ikea both stock stone-look benchtops for a fraction of the cost of the real thing. Also, don’t underestimate the value of a well-positioned pot plant or an artwork in the kitchen, as long as the space doesn’t feel cluttered.

Originally published as The Fixer: three kitchen hacks you need to know about