Want to build the perfect kitchen but you’re worried about going over your budget? Well, now you won’t have to worry with our useful list of the top 14 budget-friendly kitchen ideas; showcasing the best designs and fixes you can do yourself for cheap!
Use an upcycled table
Now, this can be DIY on two levels, depending on your available resources, money and the amount of effort you’re willing to put in. So, the first and most obvious choice is to outright buy an antique or vintage table, there are tonnes of beautiful design choices available and you’ll be sure to find a great deal on a stellar table largely due to the age of the item.
Secondly, you can buy a table constructed from upcycled materials handmade by a craftsperson, this allows you to get your hands on a custom, unique design for less than a brand new table would cost.
Finally, if neither of the last two options suits you then you can go about crafting your own table from upcycled materials. Naturally, the last choice is far more time consuming and likely won’t be to everyone’s taste, however, all choices could suit most budgets and hopefully some people’s tastes.
Paint your cupboards and shelves
We all know that some shades and colours make the price of furniture skyrocket. Now, there are some things that we wouldn’t recommend painting, however, there are other things that we most definitely would; namely shelves and cupboards. Both are generally made from solid and smooth materials which makes them perfect to coat with paint. This gives you further options to match a style of shelf or cupboard to the colours of your kitchen without breaking the bank.
You can even use this idea if you’re not particularly on a tight budget, it’s that handy, to customise your kitchen units to make sure they suit your tastes and the general colourway of your kitchen.
Mount metal baskets on the wall
DIY chic is very much a trendy thing these days, it’s here right now and it will most likely be here to stay for many future generations of kitchens so it’s well worth investing in some key components of this design trend. Luckily you don’t need to pay much to get the real deal authentic accessories for your kitchen. You can buy these metal baskets in many places and can normally pick them up pretty cheap. Naturally, you can use them as intended as simple storage units but by mounting them on the wall you get an extra visual effect of a great DIY chic shelving unit.
Add a touch of green with some house plants
House plants are all the rage these days regardless of your living space, you’d be hard-pressed to find a person who hasn’t had at least one house plant in their time. For a kitchen, you can really mix and match your house plants in terms of type and size. We really like the idea of having a few smaller house plants dotted around on a single wall to create a really, green and natural effect.
Pick up some vintage or antique hardware
All you need is a little elbow grease to polish up tired old hardware and have it sparkling in no time. Seriously, you can pick up some antique hardware like lamps, handles and ornaments for pretty cheap but they will probably require a clean to spruce them up and have them looking fresh.
Use mason jars and other upcycled products for storage
Ok so we’ve all been to a bar that serves drinks in mason jars or some similar receptacle, despite what you think about that, mason jars actually function pretty well as DIY storage. First off, they actually have a really nice vintage look to them which makes them stand out. Secondly, they come in various sizes meaning they can be used to hold a variety of items; from stationary to cutlery but our favourite use of upcycled jars is for sure as plant holders.
Paint your floors instead of shelling out on expensive flooring
So we’ve looked at painting shelves, but if you really want to save cash, undertaking the task of painting your entire floor is definitely an option. If you have a dark kitchen but don’t want to break the bank buying dark wooden floors you can stain or paint your lighter coloured floors. You can create a great worn or stained effect by painting your wooden floors. Though this can be pretty time-consuming, it definitely allows you to stay within your budget while being able to create flooring of your desired colour or shade.
Make use of freestanding tables and shelving units
Chances are you or someone you know has an old table or shelves lying around not being used. These kinds of items can be picked up for cheap or even free and put to good use in the home. Adding a freestanding shelf allows for tonnes of extra storage while an extra table or tables can do the same while also offering an extra kitchen surface to boot.
Repurpose old bed slats to create a cool DIY storage space
By taking some old bed slats and fixing them to the wall and adding a few hooks you can create a great place to hang pots, pans, chopping boards and other culinary tools that looks authentic and showcases your tools for the ultimate DIY flourish.
Decorate your fridge
This one might seem a tad strange, do you really want a fridge cluttered with decorations? Well, if you’d like yes, but that is not the only option here. You can add wallpaper to spruce up your fridge and make it look a little more welcoming. There are a great number of patterns you can choose from for your wallpaper, you can even use any surplus wallpaper from previous decorating to make it even more economical.
Use funky coloured jars and hardware
Colour blocking is easy if you just pick up a couple of jars with solid colours. You can even mix and match these colours to create a rainbow effect, all you need to do is stack them near each other on the same shelf and voila, you’ve created a colourful and stylish effect in your kitchen.
Swap out your cupboard doors
Are your kitchen cupboards looking a little tired? If so, bear in mind that the main part of them that people notice are the doors. There’s no need to shell out on completely new cupboards when you can simply buy new cupboard doors. There’s even a chance to add some extra flourish here by adding contrasting but complementary coloured doors, for example, if your cupboards are black why not add white doors to make them really stand out?
Add a feature wall
Creating a feature wall in the kitchen will really stand out, that way you don’t need to spend time and money on all the walls and simply focus your time and income on one of them. You can do this by adding patterned or coloured wallpaper or even adding a chalkboard for the kids (or adults) of the house to play around with. Create one wall to dictate the feel of your kitchen for a quick and cheap fix.
Add cupboard curtains
Adding fabric to cupboards in place of doors or even adding them to shelves creates a mysterious yet chic effect by veiling what is stored there. Furthermore, you can go that extra mile in terms of DIY feel by using upcycled fabrics to create these curtains. You have many patterns and textiles to choose from in your fabrics.
