Nothing will change the look of your kitchen faster than painting your kitchen cabinets.  Create a cottage charm by painting your formerly dark cabinets’ creamy white such as Milk White, Stone White or Beige White from Crown. This will instantly make your kitchen feel larger. For a more rustic look remove a couple of drawers and replace with willow baskets. Bright green paint such as Soft Lime or Modern Organic from Crown will bring a country fresh feel and will add new life to previously tired looking kitchen cupboards. Create a citrus sparkling kitchen by combining two shades of lime green.

To create a more modern, spacious look why not try removing the doors from some of your upper cabinets to reveal the space inside.  Go that extra mile and paint the interior of the cabinet in a rich accent colour to spice up the look even more.  You can also install some freshly painted white shelves against a yellow painted backdrop such as Hot Sun to really open your kitchen space up.

Coloured kitchen cabinets have become extremely popular and they infuse a touch of modernity so why not create a playful kitchen by painting the doors and drawers bold red and bright yellow. Vibrant red such as Scooter Red can really disguise a tired looking kitchen. Freshly painted kitchen cabinets embellished with multicoloured stripes create a lively change from standard finishes.

Why not create a handcrafted look by adding some vintage stencils to your kitchen cabinets and drawers. People often forget about the minor details such as updating kitchen cabinet knobs and pulls. Satin nickel or stainless steal will instantly bring new life to your old cabinets. Check out IKEA for some great deals on knobs and handles.

Why not update your kitchen curtains to venetian blinds. Curtains in a kitchen should be minimalistic so if you decide to stick with curtains for your window dressing it would be a good idea to stick to solid fabrics or muted prints rather than busy floral so they don’t overpower the kitchen space.

Think about updating your lighting fixtures with something more modern particularly if you have one of those fluorescent boxes in middle of your ceiling that is crying out to come down. Good lighting is really important in a kitchen but there comes a point when florescent lighting is just overkill. Spot lighting and kitchen unit lighting is a good choice and will really set the mood in your kitchen. Be bold and try something new like a contemporary pendant in the centre of your kitchen.

Finally check out some of the big department stores for some finishing touches there are some great finds out there. 

Remember long gone are the days of having to keep your kitchen traditional and choosing safe neutral shades. Injecting colour into your kitchen is a fantastic way to give it that fresh look you are hoping to achieve.

Happy decorating!

Neville