25 Easy Ways to Upgrade Basic Kitchen Cabinets

Want to give your outdated or builder-grade kitchen cabinets a fresh new look? Add style and functionality for a fraction of the cost of installing new cabinets with these tricks.

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By: Kamron Sanders

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Harness the Power of Paint

Newsflash! The new decade is here, and your kitchen no longer has to be all white. Paint is your new best friend and it’s time you rewrote your kitchen’s color story. Choose a fresh hue to give old cabinets new life and distract from less-than-trendy door styles.

GET THE HOW-TO: Step-by-Step Guide on How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets

From: Lisa Furtado

Try Removable Wallpaper

Whether you are removing cabinet doors, opting for glass-fronts or simply tired of the boring interior of your cabinets, removable wallpaper is the perfect way to add a pop of color and pattern. But why stop there? Find a multitude of creative uses for removable wallpaper at the link below.

Install Crown Molding

Add height, interest and sophistication to your kitchen by installing beautiful crown molding along the top of builder-grade cabinets. Hire a skilled trim carpenter to craft custom molding to your height specifications or, if you're handy with a miter saw, DIY your own. Color-match molding to the cabinets or choose a contrasting hue for a striking visual.

From: Grace Blu Interior Design

Swap Out Boring Hardware

Swapping out old knobs and pulls is one of the quickest and cheapest fixes for what ails your kitchen cabinets. Hunt for new, trendy options at your local big-box store, salvage shops or from your favorite online retailer. Pro Tips: Match the width of your new drawer pulls to the old ones before buying so you don't have to drill new holes. You might knock some paint off the cabinets when removing old hardware, so be prepared to sand and touch up those spots with fresh paint.

Install Sliding Shelves

Custom kitchens have lots of built-in features to add functionality, but there’s no reason you can’t have the same perks on a budget. Roll-out shelves for bottom cabinets are a must and these sturdy ash drawers from The Container Store are easy to install with just a screwdriver or drill.

BUY IT: The Container Store, $49.99-$69.99

Get Organized With Drawer Dividers

Plastic isn't the only option for drawer organizing. These days, drawer dividers come in beautiful wood finishes and are often made to adjust perfectly to the width of your cabinet, giving them a bespoke quality that is only improved upon once you add your favorite curated kitchen tools.

Remove Some Cabinet Doors

Love the look of open shelving but don't want to tear out your cabinets? Try removing a few cabinet doors, instead. By doing so, you can use glassware, dinnerware and other beautiful kitchen items as decor pieces and create an open, airy look in your kitchen. Follow the link below to learn how to seamlessly remove cabinet doors.

From: Urbanology Designs

Add Glass Door Inserts

According to glass insert manufacturer Bendheim, refacing your cabinets costs 80% less than totally replacing them. Plus, it’s a project you can do yourself over a weekend without losing the use of your kitchen (see our DIY instructions below). Not brave enough to go totally open with your cabinetry? Try this project on just the set of cabinets flanking your stove or over the coffee counter and put your best dishes on display.

GET THE HOW-TO: Update Kitchen Cabinets With Glass Inserts

From: Lori Paranjape

Beautify With Beadboard

Dress up a boring kitchen island or plain cabinet fronts with beadboard. The sophisticated paneling has been used for years to add texture and interest to otherwise plain surfaces and is the perfect way to rethink old, tired cabinets before painting.

From: Tiffany Brooks

Hang Storage Bars Inside Doors

Want to maximize storage in the kitchen without building more cabinetry? Look to your pantry or cabinet doors as blank canvases for all your hanging storage needs. Put that wasted space to good use and install a small window treatment rod (like this Fintorp Ikea rail and Syrlig curtain clips) to hang spices, potholders and more in reach and out of sight.

READ THE ARTICLE: 12 Galley Kitchen Organization Ideas You'll Wish You Thought of Sooner

Add Interest With Furniture Legs & Feet

Add a traditional, handmade quality to your builder-grade kitchen cabinets by installing furniture legs and feet. Make the legs yourself or purchase prefabricated legs (just make sure you measure the height from floor to bottom of cabinet) then install them beneath the cabinet in the toe kick space. Paint the feet to match the cabinetry for the ultimate custom look.

Try Open Shelving

Open shelving is the piece de resistance of a modern kitchen. We love it tucked in among upper cabinets as shown above, filled with flowy plants in front of a window or spanning an entire wall. Regardless of where you choose, installing open shelving in your kitchen will add necessary storage space and undeniable charm.

Add Toe Kick Drawers

Instead of installing baseboards underneath your kitchen cabinets, opt for toe-kick drawers to create extra storage space for flat items such as cutting boards and serving plates.

SEE MORE: 30 Potential Storage Spaces You're Overlooking

Make Room for Wine

Is there an empty, awkward space between your fridge and cabinetry? Modify it to store your best vino. Hit the hardware store to source the inexpensive materials to make this tall, thin cubby shelf (a great weekend project), or search the web for premade versions.

From: Susannah Watts

Add A Peg Organizer

Peg organizers are a great way to add functional storage to lower cabinet drawers. Not only does this organization system get the job done, but it looks far more beautiful than the plastic and coated metal organization systems from big box stores. The end result will have your kitchen looking straight out of a magazine.

WATCH THE VIDEO: Custom Drawer Organizer

Replace Door Fronts With Chicken Wire

With some chicken wire and white chalk paint, craft blogger Amy Gregson transformed her builder-grade oak cabinets into her dream farmhouse kitchen. “It really lightened the space up and gave it a ton of personality,” she says. “It makes me smile every time I walk in there!”

GET THE HOW-TO: Kitchen Cabinet Facelift

Create Lid Storage

Pots and their lids are great partners on the stove, but inside the kitchen cabinet, not so much. Get a handle on the havoc and make your cabinets more functional by storing lids on the door with a minimalist rack like this steel model from The Container Store.

BUY IT: The Container Store, $49.99

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Light It Up Under the Cabinets

Installing lighting under your cabinets isn’t just a practical improvement. This easy upgrade combats the shadows cast by your ceiling and pendant lighting and will make the whole room glow with ambient warmth. Don’t underestimate the power that even small under-cabinet lighting installations can make on the kitchen as a whole.

From: M.A. Allen

Built-In Message Center

Storage dilemma: Daily mail and magazines quickly pile up and clutter your kitchen. Solution: If you don't want to pin items on your refrigerator or have the wall space for a bulletin board, a base message center cabinet is a good alternative. It gives you an organized spot for the papers, while also providing a great way to end a cabinet run.

Handy Spice Storage

Adding smart, sliding storage in your kitchen has never been easier. With an abundance of cabinet-modification products on the market today, you’re sure to find one that suits your needs and takes your kitchen to the next level. This hidden spice storage makes use of the weird cabinet void between the stove and cabinet and perfectly fills the space.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Mismatch Upper and Lower Cabinets

Add beauty and colorful contrast to your kitchen by mismatching your upper and lower cabinets. This is a fantastic way to upgrade a white kitchen without biting off more than you can chew. This trendy approach tends to look best with a dark, moody color on the bottom and a white or other neutral on top.

SEE MORE: 100 Bright and Beautiful Colorful Kitchen Ideas

From: Elizabeth Lawson

Play With Pops of Pattern

Give a whole new meaning to custom cabinetry by lining the sides of drawers with removable wallpaper. Elegantly enhance with subdued patterns, or pick a beautiful, bold motif to add some secret style to simple cabinets.

Add Under-Cabinet Shelving

Don’t forget the dead air space underneath upper shelves — it’s a smart place to stash mugs, dessert plates, baking sheets and other compact kitchen items. The Container Store offers under-cabinet shelving made from vinyl-coated wire that adds usable real estate to existing cabinets without taking up any extra space in your kitchen.

SEE MORE: 30 Small Kitchen Storage Ideas

Or, Under-Shelf Wine Glass Holders

As with under-cabinet shelving, under-cabinet wine storage is a fantastic way to utilize dead space. The storage not only adds to the usability of your cabinets but offers a safe storage solution for wine glasses that allows them to air dry.

Craft a Plant Shelf

Look up! A simple shelf overflowing with greenery acts as a second window treatment above this kitchen sink. To recreate the look, install a common wood board between upper cabinets, then fill with low-maintenance house plants. You can paint the shelf to match cabinets or choose a fun, complementary or contrasting color, instead.

GET THE HOW-TO: 30 Indoor Plants for Low Light

25 Easy Ways to Upgrade Basic Kitchen Cabinets

Related To:

Shop This Look

Harness the Power of Paint

Try Removable Wallpaper

Install Crown Molding

Swap Out Boring Hardware

Install Sliding Shelves

Get Organized With Drawer Dividers

Remove Some Cabinet Doors

Add Glass Door Inserts

Beautify With Beadboard

Hang Storage Bars Inside Doors

Add Interest With Furniture Legs & Feet

Try Open Shelving

Add Toe Kick Drawers

Make Room for Wine

Add A Peg Organizer

Replace Door Fronts With Chicken Wire

Create Lid Storage

Light It Up Under the Cabinets

Built-In Message Center

Handy Spice Storage

Mismatch Upper and Lower Cabinets

Play With Pops of Pattern

Add Under-Cabinet Shelving

Or, Under-Shelf Wine Glass Holders

Craft a Plant Shelf

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