5 ways to modernise your kitchen for sale or rent

Your kitchen affects your home's value more than you may have thought. Fortunately, some relatively minor changes can help thoroughly modernise your kitchen and fetch a higher asking price

Tall windows let in plenty of natural light, cabinetry, countertop, cuisine classique, interior design, kitchen, room, window, gray, brown

Formani Ferrovia exclusive to www.sopersmac.co.nz ceiling, interior design, real estate, room, gray

134 One topic. Three applications. Four motion technologies.Infinite architecture, ceiling, daylighting, floor, home, house, interior design, interior designer, kitchen, product design, real estate, room, sink, tap, white

DOMUS LINE Atom 24Vdc Spotlight with Angled Spacer Atom architecture, ceiling, countertop, daylighting, interior design, kitchen, white, gray

A three pendant lighting arrangement is ideally situated countertop, cuisine classique, interior design, kitchen, gray, black

In this kitchen by architect Evelyn McNamara, Resene countertop, interior design, kitchen, white, black

One of the challenges when putting up wallpaper chair, floor, flooring, furniture, interior design, product, product design, table, tile, wall, gray, white

R H Cabinetmakers custom design and manufacture cabinets cabinetry, countertop, interior design, kitchen, property, real estate, room, wood, brown

Open shelving makes for speedy access of contents cabinetry, countertop, interior design, kitchen, real estate, gray

A narrow shelf next to the cooktop is countertop, interior design, kitchen, room, gray, black

Are you thinking of selling or renting your home?

Before you do, making a few small changes to your kitchen can make all the difference to your home's value.

"Never skimp on the kitchen. It's the first thing most people look at and comment on when they're buying a home. Real estate agents universally agree that it is the most important space in the house and can often dictate the value of the home," say GJ Gardner Homes.

Hardware

It might seem insignificant, but updating hardware such as handles and taps can really make a difference to your kitchen's appearance.

Take the above image – slick metallic hardware complements the large industrial lights overhead. The combination of dark earthy textures, clean whites, interesting prints and metallic hardware establish this kitchen's modernity.

Or eliminate hardware and go handle-less to achieve a really minimal and modern look.

Lighting

We all know fluorescent lighting does no-one any favours – same goes for your kitchen. It's an easy change too, just switch out the lightbulb.

A functional combination of ambient and task lighting will create a softer, more modern atmosphere in your kitchen.

If your kitchen has less access to natural countertop, cuisine classique, interior design, kitchen, gray, black — If your kitchen has less access to natural light, turn up the ambient lighting.

Having good access to light, real or artificial, can make all the difference to a kitchen – and by extension your home's value.

Paint and wallpaper

The walls of this kitchen are finished countertop, interior design, kitchen, white, black — The walls of this kitchen are finished with Resene Nero, to achieve a chic look.

It's surprising what a difference a layer of paint or sheet of wallpaper can make.

Both are low-commitment options that you can easily change when the time comes.

It's not just walls either, if you have older wooden cabinets a layer of paint can help to update them.

Cut and paste wallpaper is an easy chair, floor, flooring, furniture, interior design, product, product design, table, tile, wall, gray, white — Cut and paste wallpaper is an easy way to embellish and overhaul your walls.

You don't have to be an expert to hang wallpaper, there are plenty of options for first-timers.

Cabinets

One staple of older kitchens is built-in cabinetry. Upper cabinets can take up a lot of space making the kitchen feel cluttered and dated.

Open cabinets allow for easy access – keeping your most used kitchenware within arms reach improves convenience.

Lots of food, cook books and other miscellaneous cabinetry, countertop, interior design, kitchen, real estate, gray — Lots of food, cook books and other miscellaneous items are held in this scullery's open cabinets.

Not only do open cabinets create a more modern-looking kitchen, they increase your storage capabilities too.

Accessorising

The kitchen in this home has an cabinetry, countertop, cuisine classique, interior design, kitchen, room, window, gray, brown — The kitchen in this home has an eclectic mix of accessories to modernise and make it feel lived-in.

You have a lot of freedom here. Go for a combination of practical pieces and decorative elements to renew and inject some personality into your kitchen. Here are some ideas:

See our guide on picking small appliances
A knife block or utensil holder will always be handy when cooking
Indoor herb planters make your kitchen feel more organic and of course the herbs can also be used when cooking
You can display your prized cookbooks in your new open cabinets
A piece of art on a boring, empty wall will make all the difference

A few red accessories really pop in contrast countertop, interior design, kitchen, room, gray, black — A few red accessories really pop in contrast to this neutral kitchen.

We hope you've found this helpful.

Now go and give your kitchen the contemporary overhaul it desperately deserves!

Story by: Loukas Tsitsiridakis

16 Nov, 2018

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