Everyone knows the kitchen is the heart of the house, and a good kitchen renovation can add thousands to the value of your home. But when you are considering making changes, updating or having a completely new kitchen installed altogether, you need to know where to make the right investments, and choosing your fittings carefully can help you to not only improve your kitchen and its functionality but recoup your investment should you sell up and move on.
5 Ways To Invest In Your Kitchen | Home Life
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Surfaces
The worktop is one of the first things most people notice in any kitchen. Marble granite or stone countertops are all popular choices and are hard-wearing and durable, meaning you can rely on your investment for many years to come. If you are looking for an area of your new kitchen to splurge on, countertops are an excellent place to start. Don’t forget your countertops will set the tone for the look and style of your kitchen, so make sure you make a choice that fits in with your overall aesthetic.
If you cannot afford to replace your countertops with high-end materials, look at options such as covering your existing ones with vinyl for an easy update that can instantly lift the look of your kitchen.
Appliances
While you want your kitchen to look good, you also need it to be functional and practical too. Investing in as high-quality appliances as possible will pay off in the long run. If you are looking to sell in the near future, and appliances are included in the sale, this can help you boost your sale price. Look at where you can add in your appliances and choose ones that will work for your lifestyle and lift your kitchen without taking up too much space. If you are investing in your kitchen, now is the time to look at those appliances you have always wanted. Be it side by side fridge and freezer incorporated into your cabnitry, wine cooler, integrated dishwasher, washing machine, and more, get it now while you can.
Lighting
The lighting in your kitchen can really make or break the impact of the room and how it works for you. You need to look at both natural and artificial lighting and how to increase both. This could be adding skylights to extensions roofing, opening up a wall with bifold doors to let more light flood in, or adding in more windows.
For artificial lighting, you should look at ways you can layer light in the room. Your main ceiling light should be the focal point of your lighting for the room, while lights in drawers, under cupboards, on walls, and in recesses or alcoves can complement this as the main lighting source and allow you to increase the light in the room.
Countertop lighting has become more prevalent in recent years and can add an extra element to your design if appropriately incorporated.
Extension
New kitchens are a good investment on their own, but if you have the space, increasing the size of your kitchen can be even more impactful on your daily life and your home’s value. As the family spends more time together in the kitchen than in other rooms, putting your money into an extension to increase this space to allow for greater functionality and a more bespoke design can benefit you now and down the line.
Extending your kitchen in the right way for the home and improving functionality, layout, and use of space can add up to 20% to the value of your home, so this is an investment that is worth making.
Backsplash
It’s not an expensive investment as some of the other orphans, but adding a backsplash can help you protect your kitchen walls from messes and keep it looking good. Backsplashes can range from inexpensive to thousands of dollars if you want to really invest in something durable and stunning. But adding some protection to the walls around your main cooking areas is always going to be a good idea.
With Americans spending around 400 hours on average in the kitchen per year (that equates to over an hour per day), you want to make sure that the space is well-designed, durable, and fit for purpose. And with more buyers citing a new kitchen renovation as a must-have on their wishlist, choosing to invest in your kitchen can pay dividends when it comes time to sell. Think carefully about your kitchen and what you need from it to ensure you make the right investments in the right areas.
