Kitchen aesthetics: Small changes that make all the difference

If you’ve ever tried to renovate your kitchen, you’ll know that getting the aesthetics right can be challenging. Mrs Adams and I did it to our previous family home and my word, getting the correct look was tricky.

It takes time to figure out the theme and all of the colours. The good news is that you don’t need to tear down all of your custom cabinetry or spend thousands of pounds on a completely new cooker. Often, small changes improve kitchen aesthetics the most.

What are these? How should you adjust your kitchen to make it more visually appealing?

Layer your lighting beyond the ceiling

One of the first things you might want to do is layer your lighting beyond the ceiling. Most kitchens just have a few harsh spotlights mounted directly above, but these hardly ever create a warm, welcoming environment. If you really want your lighting to be right, it needs to be spread out, and you must have the right type of LED bulbs.

Adding warm white lights (2700 K to 3000 K) illuminates countertops and erases dark corners without making everything feel white and harsh. If you can put lights in glass cabinets, that’s also a great way to improve the look of your kitchen. Glass will naturally radiate the light around the room, helping to distribute it more evenly and gently.

Swap the hardware out

Another way you can improve the look of your kitchen pretty quickly without much effort is to change the cabinet handles and drawer pulls. Many designers consider these to be the “jewellery” of the kitchen, but they can degrade quickly over time, especially if you’re using wooden options. Oil-rubbed bronze hardware is a great and inexpensive way to improve the look of your cabinets. You could also replace these elements with black metal or anodised aluminium. Just make sure you keep the centre-to-centre hole measurements exactly the same as before. This prevents you from having to drill new holes and then put putty in the old ones to hide them.

Clear your countertops

You can also look into clearing your countertops. Visual clutter in the kitchen matters more than in most other parts of the house, and you’ll notice that the room feels most relaxing when the surfaces are completely clear. If you have mismatched plastic dish soap bottles and sponge wrappers everywhere – it’s not a good look.

To deal with these problems, use matching soap pumps around your sink. These can follow the theme of your kitchen more accurately than plastic soap bottles. You can also use uniform glass jars with minimalist labels. These are massive improvements over store-bought cardboard spice boxes or plastic sachets.

Change your countertop material

Inexpensive countertop material can look okay, but over time it degrades and it gives the whole kitchen a sort of cheap feel. If you can upgrade to quartz worktops, you’ll massively improve the feel of the room. You’ll be surprised by how much stone and stone-effect materials can improve the aesthetic.

One caveat: just make sure that you change all of the countertops in your kitchen, including those on your kitchen island and in separate workspaces. If you don’t do this, it can harm the aesthetics of the room and leave you feeling shortchanged.

Use more organic textiles

Organic textiles in the kitchen? Yes, it’s a real thing now, and more people are discovering that it works incredibly well, especially in rooms that are dominated by tile, glass, and stainless steel. Organic textiles make spaces feel alive and cosy.

To inject more organic warmth, start with greenery. Make sure you have some potted herbs in your kitchen, like rosemary or basil. Adding a small vase of eucalyptus clippings can also be highly effective and increase the amount of natural movement and the “pop” the room exudes.

Don’t use microfiber dish rags. Instead, use heavy, woven linen tea towels with earthy tones. These are far more attractive, and you can place them all over your kitchen without ruining the aesthetic.

Also, use warm woods, such as walnut and maple, for your cutting boards and backsplash. These can be great options.

Use the rule of thirds for styling your shelving

When styling your shelving in your kitchen, make sure you use the rule of thirds, especially if you have open shelves. The temptation is to fill them up completely with cups, tubs of salt, bottles of lemon juice, and creatine supplements.

Here’s how to arrange them instead:

• One third for functional items like plates and bowls. Stack these neatly every day after you finish washing up.
• The next third for aesthetics and art. A small framed sketch or a ceramic vase can go a long way in a kitchen that otherwise looks sterile. You could also use cookbooks stacked horizontally, even if you don’t plan on using them.
• The final third. Make sure that there’s plenty of breathing space left over. Don’t fill up the entire length of the shelf to avoid it looking cluttered and messy.

Once you do all of this, you’ll notice that your kitchen starts to look so much better. You can also start to take risks. For example, you might want to hang some copper crockery from your shelving or over the top of your oven to make it more accessible. You could also invest in refrigerated drawers for your fresh herbs, providing convenient access right next to your preparation areas.

Upgrade your taps

Upgrading your kitchen taps is another easy option. In many kitchens, the faucet is a natural focal point, but if it’s cheap and plastic-looking, it won’t inspire anyone. Upgrades are simple: just swap it out for a high-arc gooseneck faucet that adds height and a premium feel. You can also use a pull-down sprayer model if you do a lot of cooking that requires pan cleaning. These types of taps are great for scrubbing away dirt and grease.

Interestingly, changing the faucet is a manageable DIY project. It’s something that you could feasibly take on yourself with minimal risk. Why not try it and see what happens?

Ultimately, upgrading your kitchen styling doesn’t have to be taxing. Which of these changes are you going to make to boost aesthetics in the room?