Your kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the home, not to mention one of the biggest investments. Between appliances, decor, and accessories, it’s crucial that you focus on functionality while keeping things clean and stylish.

Of course, keeping your kitchen contemporary and up-to-date with design trends is important, as a modern space will allow for comfort, accessibility and ease while adding to the resale value of your home.

Regardless if you’re trying to sell your home or staying there for the next 20 years, finding ways to modernize your kitchen will only work to improve the quality of life in this room and your home overall.

6 Ways You Can Modernize Your Outdated Kitchen

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1- Update your kitchen flooring

You may not pay too much attention to it, but flooring plays a huge role in how clean, modern and chic your kitchen looks. This is especially true if you’re working with rolled vinyl or linoleum, which will arguably date this room for about twenty years. These materials are stuck in the past and should be replaced with those which could be considered timeless including wood, tile, stone and so forth. A floor renovation project is not easy or something you’ll want to complete every other year.

Luckily, these materials are dependable and last a long time, while boosting the overall value of your home.

Further, there are models of ceramic tile on the market that actually mimic the look of hardwood, travertine or slate. This is because wood flooring can be quite expensive, and will allow homeowners working within a tight budget to still accomplish the aesthetic they’re hoping for.

2- Replace the colour palette and fixtures

If your kitchen is outdated, chances are the fixtures and colour palette are part and parcel. This is because the materials used for fixtures made years ago are likely no longer in style.

If the surface of your cabinets or countertops is in fine condition, but something in your kitchen still feels off then we'd suggest breathing some new life into the space by replacing accents and fixtures.

If this is the case, update drawer pulls, light fixtures, range hood, and other accents. There are plenty of innovative materials and design trends on the market that’ll allow you to update your kitchen without breaking the bank.

Some materials you may consider working with include matte aluminum, stainless steel, copper, brushed or rose gold. Mixing and matching decor styles will add a little bit of contrast that could work to shake things up in the best way possible.

3- Go green!

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In the last few years, homeowners are becoming more and more conscious of their carbon footprint. If you’re among them, congratulations. Paying attention to climate change and how we can make a difference is crucial, and the first efforts start on the homefront.

Outdated kitchen appliances are not only consuming a considerable amount of energy, but this excess energy consumption is costing you more money on energy bills each month.

Investing in eco-friendly appliances will offer you a modern look, while also working towards saving our environment and saving you money. Alongside replacing appliances, consider replacing plumbing fixtures such as low-flow faucets that work to further save water. Taking care of the earth’s resources while enhancing the aesthetic appeal of your home is a win-win situation, don’t you think?

4- Open-concept shelving

Many older homes come complete with walls and walls of cabinets. Especially true of upper cabinets, these were once in abundance to hold dishes and cookware. This look is antiquated and it’s likely anything sitting up on those shelves is collecting dust.

One way to remedy this is to open up the space and either completely remove the upper cabinets or consider open-concept shelving. Removing your upper cabinets and installing open-concept shelves will allow for excess wall space to put plants, decorative items or dishware that you’d like on display but don’t want to use on the regular.

5- Modernize surfaces

When it comes to kitchen surfaces, including countertops, backsplashes, islands, tables and so forth; here is one place where you can definitely modernize. Many older kitchens will have cheap vinyl installed, or possibly an outdated tile. Now, there are so many options when it comes to choosing surfaces for any of the aforementioned areas of the kitchen.

Natural stone options such as granite and marble are favoured for their longevity and polished look but could be a bit steep price-wise for some homeowners.

There are plenty of budget options on the market including materials that consist of resin and polymers. Over the last few years, materials such as concrete, brick and higher-quality tile have grown in popularity. Your choice really comes down to personal style.

6- Add a seating area

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Have you recently visited a friend's home to check out their kitchen renovation and discovered a breakfast bar or nook or a countertop equipped with stools? Including seating in your kitchen has been on trend over the past few years, and is something worth considering if you have the space for it.

The kitchen is a social room, so why not increase comfort and pleasure by setting up seating? If you’re working with a smaller space, you may want to set up a tiny bench by a window or a side table for kids to do their homework.