Forget Paint And Stain — A Smarter Way To Update A Kitchen With Dated Cabinets

Whether you're a home chef who loves making elaborate meals or someone who'd rather just toss something in the oven or microwave, your kitchen should be a place that you enjoy. If outdated cabinetry is making it hard to relax in this space, there are solutions. Many of the ways to transform outdated kitchen cabinets involve changing the cabinets themselves, but that won't work for everyone. If you're a renter who can't make permanent changes or if you secretly love your dated cabinets, you'll be happy to know that you can give them a fresh new look without painting, staining, or replacing them. All you need to do is update the rest of your kitchen decor to better complement them!

It may seem like a small change, but you might be surprised by just how much adding or updating your kitchen decor can do. For starters, if your kitchen is mostly empty, your cabinets are a natural focal point. Adding more decor or rearranging what you already have can take some of the attention off your cabinets. Playing with color relativity and creating a cohesive color scheme through your decor can help your cabinets blend into the rest of your kitchen, as well. Colors tend to look different depending on the surrounding colors, which you can use to your advantage when planning your decor. 

You can tone down an outdated and overly bold honey oak or cherry-stained cabinet with carefully chosen decor. Adornments in neutral colors and shades of green often help with brightly stained wood, but don't be afraid to get creative and play around with it. Since moving decor around is easier than painting the walls or redoing your backsplash, you can test out a variety of colors, styles, and arrangements to find what looks best.

Your countertops are a good place to start, since they're directly below your cabinets. If you're worried about clutter, look for decor that's both pretty and functional. Containers for your most commonly used spices or spatulas in complementary colors, lined up underneath your upper cabinets, would work nicely, and you can even make your own. A DIY puzzle piece utensil holder or handmade clay jars can add a personal touch to your kitchen, complement your cabinetry, and serve a purpose. Metallic accents and greenery can tone down brighter cabinets or liven up darker ones, so consider adding some plants to your kitchen. Place cut flowers and foliage in a metallic vase or add some small potted plants. A kitchen herb garden on your windowsill is great for cooking and adding a pop of color. Don't forget about the space above your cabinets! Decorative elements can be placed there to draw eyes upwards. Neutral bowls or sage-green figurines could create some nice contrast above your cabinets.

Concentrating all your decor around your cabinets may make your kitchen feel off-balance and draw more attention to your dated cabinetry, so decorate the rest of the space as well. Adding some framed art to your wall is a nice way to add class to your kitchen and direct focus away from your dated cabinets and towards the broader area. If your cabinets and flooring are both wood, then covering some of the floor with a rug will help break it up. Finally, take a step back and look at your kitchen as a whole. Ideally, it should look much more cohesive. If your cabinets still stick out and seem dated, try moving a few pieces around or even swapping new pieces in to adjust the look.