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Your kitchen needs to be an aesthetically pleasing space that makes you happy. It should also be full of light, which is important for cooking and cleaning, and more welcoming for socializing and eating. So, what do you do if your space just isn’t packing that brightness punch, and if your kitchen is just all around blah? Maybe you’re moving and need to fix some kitchen design flaws before selling your home. Or maybe you just moved into a new home with a dull kitchen, and a full renovation isn’t feasible. One of the most effective kitchen design updates on a budget lies in getting some reflective surfaces into your kitchen. Stainless steel, copper, gold, silver, pearlescent, or bronze finishes — these tones are timeless, and feel simultaneously modern and elegant. The difference between having a boring kitchen and creating the minimalist kitchen of your dreams is pops of shine. Not only will they elevate the room, but they’ll help bounce around whatever light the kitchen is getting, so the whole space feels brighter.
Appliances are the easiest way to do this. Big ones like your refrigerator, oven, and dishwasher will obviously make a bold impact, but you can achieve the same effect in an even easier, quicker, wallet-friendlier way with smaller pieces like your coffee machine, microwave, toaster, stand mixer, and blender. Think about even smaller accents where you can carry out the theme, too, like backsplash tiles, and cabinet and drawer handles.
The best reflective-surface appliances and accents
Choosing an appliance that’s a major focal point of the room with a reflective surface guarantees an instant lift. A Kenmore 33-inch fridge in stainless steel will generate plenty of shine. But if bigger-ticket items aren’t in the budget, pick a theme and tie smaller appliances into it. For example, bring in that silver effect with a stainless steel COWSAR 9 Bar espresso machine and this silver Emerson countertop microwave that also boasts a mirrored glass door. Lean into warm copper with a penny-toned COOKLEE Stand Mixer and a two-slice toaster in stainless steel and rose gold. Or, give your kitchen the Midas touch with a golden SANQIAHOME teapot and gilded NutriBullet personal blender.
Once you’ve picked a color scheme and have updated a few of your appliances, bring the entire look together with accessories. If you’ve gone gold, consider a golden cooking utensil set, McCook gold-tone stainless steel knife set, and Consumest molten sink caddy — you can even swap out your sink hardware, like the drain strainer with the Mudder three-piece sink set in gold. For copper, choose a Kitchen Details copper geode paper towel holder. On display on a floating shelf, a copper salad bowl with serving utensils doubles as decor. For silver, swap out your hardware with an Estmoon 30-pack of brushed nickel cabinet handles, and try the effortless, commitment-free process of jazzing up your backsplash with adhesive RoomMates StickTiles in a silver tin finish.
