Little Details that Make a House - The Kitchen

I've seen some houses in the $200,000 to $250,000 price range that have made modest changes that have helped the overall functionality of the home. The costs have been minimal. Today I'm going to write about easy kitchen ideas.

If your cabinets are old and unattractive, take off the doors and enjoy open shelves. Maybe you have been thinking of getting new dishes -- this is a good time because these dishes will now be seen and you want them to be attractive. Get square baskets, put coffee mugs inside and then put your silverware in the mugs. Now you can use a drawer for something different. If you want to keep the cabinets but they are dated, just change the knobs. Make sure you know the spacing between the screws of the current knobs if they are attached in two places because it is easier to attach them in the same holes. If you take the cabinet doors off, be sure to fill in the holes where the hinges were with wood filler and paint if they are painted cabinets. I bought my knobs online by googling "Arts and Craft Kitchen drawer pulls." We sanded and painted our cabinets and then changed the knobs They are great and make the kitchen look more authentic to the style house.

Have a nook in the kitchen that sits there with no purpose? Put shelves across and make that your pantry. Don't want to look at your canned goods? Put a curtain across.

You've decided to change your countertop and you don't have a breakfast counter? Put in an 11' overhang. Just get the contractor to cut a piece of Formica larger than you currently have. Then get a couple of chairs and it's the perfect place for quick meals or homework.

Hard to see to work on your countertops? You can get lights that are battery operated and attach them under the counter.

Need some more space? I know you love your cookbooks, but these days, so many recipes can be found on epicurious.com Use your space for more important items that you use every day -- pots and pans if you don't have a rack, Pyrex baking dishes, etc. By the way, when you have a small kitchen, a pot rack is a great space saver. I've seen some that hang flat on the wall or hang above the stove or sink. We removed a corner cupboard dividing the space in our kitchen and I found a square one that perfectly fit the footprint of the old cabinet.

Lastly, speaking of pots -- are there some you use once a year? Other fun items that you don't use often? (Pasta maker, panini machine, waffle iron) Then put some shelves in your basement or buy metal baker's shelves and put all that rarely used stuff down there. Add the boxes of bulk food you buy at Costco. Unfinished basements can be such wasted spaces.

Keep your kitchen counters clear of "stuff" and the space will look bigger. Look for places to tuck items. And you'll be more organized in the end.