Is Your Kitchen Ready For The Holidays?

Most of us spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and not always just cooking. Traditionally the kitchen has always been the heart of a home, and more and more these days is a great spot for entertaining. The holidays is no exception to the rule and it is the place to be when you have a house packed full of family and friends. Is your kitchen ready for the holidays?

Whether you have a larger, open concept kitchen, or a smaller more convenient kitchen, here are some simple tips that can help you inexpensively bring it back to life.

• REFRIGERATOR - Get rid of the magnets! - Unless you have artwork done by the family, remove everything from the fridge to have a nice clean look.


• WALLS AND CEILING - To quickly brighten up the space and bring everything to life, try a fresh coat of paint. This will immediately change the whole feel of the kitchen.


• ACCESSORIES - Provide some accent colors through the selection of brightly colored floor mats and dish towels.


• CABINETRY - If those cabinets look like they have seen better days, paint them. Even if you have a nice neutral wood.


• HARDWARE - Now time to add your own personal style through some new hardward(knobs, handles, hinges) for the cabinets and doors. This is a great way to liven up old cabinetry and distracts onlookers from the cabinets themselves. This is probably the easiest do it yourself kitchen project and often overlooked when preparing a home for sale.


• FLOORING - If you don't have tile in your kitchen, perhaps it's now time to consider? If ceramic or slate tiling is not really in the budget, there are many varieties of linoleum available that are very inexpensive. Many times I have buyers that are even fooled into thinking the floor is tiled with very deceptive lower cost flooring.


• WINDOWS - Line the window sill with some potted herbs grown from seed, and maybe hang a valence to tie everything together

Since the kitchen is thought to be the most important room of the house, this should be the first spot that you are working on renovating whether you are looking to stay in the home for years, or are preparing to sell in a few months.

If you would like anymore information or tips on improving the feel, look, and worth of your home, please feel free to contact me at anytime. amiller@kwottawa.ca