Elaine Griffin, a professional designer, says that “decorative sleight of hand” can have the biggest visual impact in the kitchen out of all the other rooms in your home. Meaning the kitchen is where you can use small, personal touches to easily create a gorgeous room. Cabinets are often built to be standard and “boring,” which, in turn, means your kitchen can be “boring.” Nevertheless, you can easily turn your kitchen from bland floor model to a luxurious custom kitchen with these insider tips and tricks from Elaine Griffin.
Go for Height
”I cry when I see 36-inch tall upper cabinets in anything but the lowest-ceilinged spaces,” Griffin says. “The 42-inch models are a way better option (plus, those six additional inches equal another shelf for storage space). In lofty spaces (9-foot ceilings and up), stacked upper cabinets deliver more storage still.”
Don’t Neglect the Details
Hardware is like earrings for your kitchen cabinetry, delivering major bang for your buck. This is especially true in rentals, where changing your kitchen hardware can add more upscale elegance than anything else.
Light It Up
When we first walk into a kitchen, we look up at the ceiling and check out the lights. “Almost. Every. Time,” Griffin says. For that reason, stunning light fixtures over islands, the breakfast nook, and the sink are important. “This isn’t a moment for the utilitarian!” But you’ll want to establish a visual hierarchy of ceiling light fixtures, she says. “One zone will act as the ‘star’ and the others ‘supporting characters,’ to keep your kitchen from looking like a Christmas tree.”
