Update your kitchen on a budget

Cheap and chic

Is your kitchen looking a little dowdy after the Christmas festivities or do you just fancy a change of style for 2009? Follow our tips to updating this room without spending a fortune.

For more ways to update your home on a budget see our ideas for bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms and dining rooms.

By Elspeth Pridham

Colour therapy

For an instant face-lift, give your kitchen cabinets a lick of paint. Cover over scratches and smudges with a coat of the existing colour, or change the look of the room completely with a bold new shade. For the perfect finish, sand down wooden doors and drawers, apply undercoat and then complete with an oil based gloss or satin paint. For melamine doors use a specially formulated basecoat, such as International\'s Melamine Primer, before finishing with your chosen colour.

Out with the old

If you\'re happy with the basic layout of your kitchen there\'s no need to rip the whole thing out, it is possible to just buy replacement drawer fronts and cabinet doors. Try www.doorsdirect.co.uk for a wide selection of designs. Before you buy, measure the doors you are replacing carefully to ensure you get an exact match. Changing drawer and cabinet handles can make a striking difference to how a kitchen looks - coloured glass knobs will add a splash of colour to an otherwise neutral scheme while long chrome handles will bring a plain kitchen bang up to date.

Surface suggestions

Worktops are one of the first areas to show their age but can be easily replaced, try www.worktop-shop.com who will cut and install a new top to suit your kitchen. Or, if you have the DIY expertise, you can buy lengths of worktop from B&Q to fit yourself. A solid timber or granite top will look authentic in a traditional setting while coloured laminate or stainless steel will enhance a more modern kitchen.

Tile style

Tiles are costly to remove and replace, so for a quick-fix simply paint over unfashionable patterns. International\'s One Coat tile paint is available in a selection of colours and can be applied directly to the tiles without the need for a primer. As a fashionable alternative to tiles fit laminated glass panels behind the hob and sink to provide a colourful and durable splashback.

Bright and bold

Forget pale and interesting, colour is making a welcome return to the kitchen. Either paint the entire room in a fashionable new shade, such as soft lime, or be bold and pick out focal points in a stronger more vibrant colour such as plum or teal. Picking out one feature wall, a chimney breast, alcove or even the inside of glass fronted cupboards will add interest to the room. Crown\'s kitchen and bathroom paint is tough and moisture resistant and is available from Homebase.

Window treatment

Add a colourful fabric at the window to complete the kitchen facelift. Although curtains look the part in a farmhouse kitchen a blind is often more practical if the window is above the sink or worktop. Choose floral or checked fabric for a more traditional setting, or bold stripes and plain designs for the modern kitchen. John Lewis will make up roller or roman blinds to order.

Contemporary accessories

Just as you update your wardrobe with fashionable accessories, you can update your kitchen with a few carefully co-ordinated items. For the modern kitchen choose colourful tea towels, oven gloves and storage jars in vibrant shades. Cargo has a selection of kitchen accessories featuring funky orange and green spots. You can extend the theme even further with a colourful clock, cutlery with coloured handles or even a bright new washing up bowl.

Vintage charm

For the classic look scour car boot sales and antique shops for pretty china and enamel-wear to add rustic charm to your kitchen. Alternatively Jules China has a wide selection of country cookware and tableware in pleasing pastel shades which will make an attractive display on a dresser or open shelves. For pure \'50s nostalgia Cath Kidston has vintage florals on everything from mugs and jugs to napkins. Mix and match patterns and colours for an authentic look.

Table talk

Don\'t write off a shabby table and chairs, get out the sandpaper and rub the wood back to a smooth surface - this can then be given a glossy coat of varnish or, for the country kitchen, painted off-white or cream. Alternatively a pretty tablecloth or practical wipe-clean oilcloth will cover a multitude of sins. Complete the look with co-ordinating seat cushions. Cucina Direct have matching sets of floral and gingham tablecloths, napkins and seat cushions

Let there be light

Effective lighting can transform a dreary kitchen into a bright and practical workspace. Spotlights positioned under the wall cabinets highlight the work surface and create an attractive glow. Cucina Direct stock LED spots that attach to the wall cabinet and, as they are battery powered, are quick and easy to install.