The kitchen is the heart of the home, where you entertain, make memories, and cook meals for you and your loved ones. As one of the most used rooms in your home, the kitchen plays an important role in your daily life, from making your first cup of coffee in the morning to cooking a meal for everyone to gather at the end of the day. It’s no wonder why a modernized kitchen is a must-have for millions of homeowners across the housing market. Whether you live in Minneapolis, MN or Boise, ID, remodeling your kitchen not only improves the lifestyle and convenience of current homeowners, but also adds value and makes it more attractive to homebuyers looking to sell in the near future.
We asked kitchen experts to share their best tips and tricks for kitchen remodeling. From cabinet updates to technology improvements, check out what they have to say.
What buyers really want in a kitchen remodel
For buyers, organization and quality are of paramount importance. High-impact choices include functional accessories like pull-out trays and bins, high-quality light stone countertops like quartz or granite, and updated cabinetry in neutral finishes. A functional layout, upgraded appliances, and proper lighting also greatly increase appeal. Homeowners often overestimate the value of trendy or flashy backsplashes, hardware, and custom paint. Because these are frequently replaced by new owners to suit their personal preferences.
We recommend maintaining balance and a practical workflow, prioritizing a functional layout that blends well with the rest of your home. A common mistake is over-customizing your space. Sellers often don’t see a return on investment for niche design choices. Buyers generally prefer move-in-ready, neutral environments that allow them to personalize their spaces through basic, practical elements rather than expensive inherited trends.
When planning your kitchen remodeling budget, a good rule of thumb is to allocate 10 to 25 percent of your home’s value, and keep in mind that many other projects fall in the 5 to 10 percent range. Always keep resale value in mind when deciding how to invest these funds.
– RTA Store
Update your cabinets to improve the overall look
The kitchen is the perfect place to increase the overall value of your home. There are several easy and inexpensive ways to remodel your kitchen. Examples include repainting cabinets with a high-quality finish, replacing drawer and cabinet handles with larger, sleeker designs, and converting drawers to soft-close cabinet hardware.
– S&R Development, serving Dallas, Texas and surrounding areas
Consider frameless cabinets to maximize storage space
Small kitchens can benefit from retrofitting frameless cabinets by adding access to valuable storage. The lack of a frame visually adds four feet of space to a typical base cabinet, and the clean lines on the door front bring a contemporary aesthetic to modern homes.
– Prodigy Cabinetry, serving Greenville, SC and surrounding areas
If new cabinets are beyond your budget, consider having them professionally painted.
When remodeling your kitchen, you can change the cabinets, backsplash, flooring, and fixtures. When creating a budget, many homeowners find that one easy way to save money is to have their cabinets professionally painted. If you like the style of your cabinets and their construction is still solid, this option can save you thousands of dollars over buying and installing new cabinets. A professional who does the proper preparation will leave your cabinets with a hard, chip-free, factory-quality, fresh finish. Modern, durable, washable and can even be painted a new color of your choice.
– A leading cabinet painting expert serving Princeton, NJ and surrounding areas.
Go for a clean, classic style to increase your home’s value
For my kitchen remodels, I like to use a clean, classic look and accessorize nicely with hardware and splashes of color. To me, nothing is more important than good quality “wooden” drawers with nice hardware mounted underneath.
– Cabinet Refresh, serving Los Angeles, CA and surrounding areas
Upgrade your countertops to quartz or granite
Renovating your kitchen is an opportunity to not only modernize your space, but also add beauty and functionality to your home. We take pride in helping our customers upgrade their kitchens with beautiful quartz and granite countertops.
– Kitchen & Bath by Design, serving Denver, CO and surrounding areas
Custom cabinets increase convenience
Custom cabinets are a great way to increase functionality, reduce clutter, and increase counter space. Appliance garages, blind corner clouds, dish drawers, and pull-out shelves are all popular upgrades. When it comes to customization, the options are endless.
– Eastside Kitchen & Bath, serving Kirkland, WA and surrounding areas
Improve functionality with proper kitchen layout
Layout is something you need to pay attention to when renovating your kitchen. A good layout will improve the flow and functionality of your kitchen. These details include everything from where the spice rack is placed to built-in trash cans. Thinking about the layout will make your kitchen more enjoyable.
– Utah Home Improvement Experts Serving Salt Lake City, Utah and Surrounding Areas
Define what’s driving your kitchen remodel
When designing a kitchen island, its functionality should be considered first. If you want to cook and eat on your kitchen island, make sure you have enough space to separate the stove and dining area.
Consider installing a swing-out tap, also known as a pot filler, near your countertop. Avoid heavy blocks of doors and drawers by adding interesting details like glass doors, windows, wine storage, snack refrigerators, and display shelving.
– Home Improvement Experts Serving Dallas-Fort Worth, TX and Surrounding Areas
Customize your kitchen island
One of my favorite features when remodeling a kitchen is a customized kitchen island. Here in Florida, we thrive on “great rooms” that basically combine at least three spaces into one: kitchen, family room, and dining area. So wrapping your island in decorative moldings or adding accent tiles to the front can help it feel more like a unique piece of functional furniture than just a cold, sterile food prep space. If you choose a calm, neutral countertop, you can paint the base a pop of contrasting color (we recommend black or navy) and finish with a fun light fixture or counter stool.
– Abide Design Interiors, serving Lakewood Ranch, FL and surrounding areas
Create an open layout
Let’s be honest, we all love to eat, and it reduces stress and makes us feel good in general. Get the family involved by opening up your kitchen to the living room and adding a bar top for additional seating. If cooking is a chore, consider adding storage space, reducing countertop clutter, and installing convenience features to make cooking easier.
– Reliance Cabinetry, serving Richmond Hill, GA and surrounding areas
Utilize vertical space to add functionality and beauty to your kitchen
There was a time when upper cabinets were short and boxy, making the kitchen feel intrusive and ultimately less functional. Upper cabinets that extend all the way to the ceiling are not only practical (they can store things like rarely-used kitchen items), but they also create a cleaner, more unified look.
– Traditional Cabinetry Serving Brainerd, MN and Surrounding Areas
Full-height backsplash prevents splatters and stains.
Are you done spending precious time scrubbing grease stains and food splatters from the grout of your tile backsplash? If you’re planning on installing new quartz, granite, or porcelain countertops, consider a full-height backsplash. Not only does a full-height backsplash add a striking statement to your kitchen, it also provides a smooth surface with minimal grouting, saving you tons of elbow grease when cleaning up after dinner.
– Lakeside Surfaces, serving Kentwood, Michigan and surrounding areas
Consider working with a professional to avoid unnecessary spending
Renovating your kitchen is the perfect time to transform your space. Adding a new sink and replacing old appliances can make a space feel larger and more functional, but it can be an expensive project if you don’t know what to look for. To avoid unnecessary expenses, consider hiring a professional to do the work. This option is a good choice for large kitchens, but can also be expensive
– KRLA Remodeling, serving Los Angeles, CA and surrounding areas
The ceiling is not the limit
When considering a kitchen remodel, most people think of the ceiling as the limit for vertical space. But that’s not necessarily true. Many bungalows have the opportunity to remove the ceiling and open up the kitchen, benefiting from new cathedral ceilings and increasing vertical space for custom kitchen cabinets. You might be surprised at how opening up your space opens up possibilities.
– May Huang, CEO of Dodi Home, serving Fremont, California and surrounding areas.
Paint the walls a bright white or gray color
Our favorite suggestion, perfect for any home style, is Benjamin Moore’s Balboa Mist. Matches all tones and styles, regardless of age. We also recommend adding white quartz countertops and a fun tile backsplash. It’s a quick and relatively affordable way ($5,000 to $10,000, depending on vendor) to make your kitchen look great on a budget.
– Tyler Davis Jones, co-founder of The Rise Seattle Group, based in Seattle, Washington
Leave plenty of room to work
Before remodeling your kitchen, think about your flow patterns, ergonomics, and habits. Do you need space for one or two cooks, where should you swing your elbows, how much counter space do you need? We recommend leaving at least 42 to 48 inches of clearance for work aisles, 12 inches near stoves, and 18 inches near sinks. Otherwise, you may end up regretting the modification.
– Magnet Remodeling, serving Orlando, FL and surrounding areas
Organize and maximize storage
Smart use of accessories such as roll-out trays and pull-out pantries can help you make the most of the available space. Is there no room for an island? Add a rolling cart with locking casters to your kitchen to add storage space that can be moved out of the way when you need it. Floating shelves can not only add extra storage space but also add style to your kitchen without taking up floor space.
– Virginia Maid Kitchens, serving Newport News, VA and surrounding areas
Add a large skylight above the island
One of my favorite features to add when remodeling a kitchen is a skylight above the island. Diffuse skylights fill the space with abundant natural light and are also a means of natural ventilation. To simulate evening sunlight, cornice uplights along the perimeter of the skylight continue to fill the space with useful indirect light.
– ENR Design Architecture, serving Dallas, Texas and surrounding areas
Find small upgrades that have a big impact
With just a few small changes to your kitchen, you can add even more versatility and convenience to your lifestyle. Using a separate island instead of the regular peninsula found in many kitchens gives you more space to roam around the kitchen. Many new cabinet styles are made to accommodate almost every kitchen appliance you own. When you remove these appliances from your beautiful countertop, they can find their own place. Simple ideas to make your kitchen bigger and more fun.
– Kitchens of Woodbury, serving Woodbury, MN and surrounding areas
Transform your kitchen with new appliances
The kitchen sells the house. If you want to sell your home quickly, we recommend upgrading your kitchen appliances. Because they instantly transform your home and increase its value. However, if you’re on a budget for a kitchen remodel, start with smaller upgrades like the sink, faucets, hardware, and lighting.
– Salt and Furikake
Take proper care of natural stone
If you’re renovating your kitchen before selling your home, be sure to address all natural stone surfaces. Properly maintained natural stone can add great value to your home. Conversely, poorly maintained stone may be used as a bargaining chip against the listing price or may result in a “relief/repair/replacement” clause being added to the sales contract that must be addressed prior to escrow. Ensuring that your stone surface is properly cleaned, sealed, and polished will help you add maximum value when it comes time to sell.
– My Stone Care
