The kitchen is the beating heart of every home; not only is it where your meals are prepared and often eaten, but it’s also a social space in which family get together – whether to catch up over a quick breakfast or chat about the day that has gone by over a good glass of wine.
It’s food that gives us the strength to keep our bodies, minds, and souls going throughout the week, and so it makes sense that our homes are centred around cooking and eating. But if you’re going to be spending such a lot of time in your kitchen, then it pays to make it one of the most attractive rooms in the house as well as the most important.
A luxury kitchen suite is the key to creating a stylish room, and yours should be kept clean and up-to-date if you’re keen to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Without a good set of kitchen cabinets, the room can look cold, dated and unkempt – not a vibe that will impress visitors, or tempt family to spend much time in there, either.
As time passes and you grow tired of how your kitchen looks, you might want to remodel it by either moving a few things around or painting some pieces of furniture to give them a fresh and updated look – however, a vast number of people wanting to remodel their kitchens base their plans around their cabinets, as they can’t be moved freely around the room like everything else.
Purchasing new cabinets every other year is neither practical nor cost-effective, even for those who are not afraid to splurge on creating a beautiful home. A common alternative is refacing; resizing or redesigning the cabinets, giving them a much-needed update without the upheaval or hassle. Even so, in many situations you’ll find it’s best to admit defeat and start over again with a brand-new kitchen you can really make your own.
To reface or not to reface? That is the question
Before you replace your kitchen cabinets to achieve the dream kitchen you’ve always wanted, determine whether your current ones are worth saving or not. Here are four nightmare cabinets that scream, ‘just replace me now’ – so if any of them sound like yours, then you know what to do.
The cheapskate
When moving into a brand-new home – particularly if you bought it as a ‘project’ property to transform into a luxury abode yourself – it’s only natural that the wallpaper, carpets and kitchen cabinets will leave a lot to be desired.
It goes without saying that in this instance, the current kitchen suite is unlikely to be salvageable, as older and cheaper suites are often thin, brittle and poorly made – and a far cry from that opulent feel you’re looking to create.
In refacing, re-enforcing old pre-assembled kitchen cabinets using a double lamination process is possible if – and only if – the existing structure is sturdy. You can’t expect to end up with a great cabinet when the foundation itself is rickety, so in this instance, it goes without saying that it’s time to replace.
The worn-out traveller
Some newly purchased houses and apartments may have been sitting empty whilst they were on the market, and despite how beautiful they are from an aesthetic perspective, a stunning set of kitchen cabinets may have sadly been left to collect dust and rot.
Once any piece of furniture is left in such a situation for an extended period, the damage will start to show – and even an expensive set of cabinets will start to rot due to water damage from leaks or grow mould in the corners thanks to a cold and damp atmosphere.
No matter the reason, if the existing cabinet is damaged to the point of no return and not even a sliver of the cabinet or its frame can be saved or refaced, then you might as well purchase a brand-new cabinet and remember to keep on maintaining it. It’s the perfect opportunity to treat yourself to a whole new kitchen – no expense spared.
The tin man
There was a time that metal cabinets were seen as the real deal, and offered a raft of benefits in that they were both easy to clean and the most durable of all options on the market. Gone are those days, however, and in this day and age, when it comes to pre-assembled kitchen cabinets, aesthetics prevail.
In case you’re in any doubt, that means metal cabinet absolutely have to go – ugly, dated and difficult to reface, there’s little that can be done to salvage this kitchen disaster.
The odour eater
After hours and hours of cooking and preparing meals in the kitchen, it’s inevitable that the once mouth-watering scents of your favourite meals will fuse with other odours, and will seep into porous materials such as wood. When this occurs, no amount of air fresheners or cleaning products can mask the smell, and the only thing left to do is start again with a brand new set of pre-assembled kitchen cabinets, that are sure to bring life back into the most important room in your house.
If these four fatalities sound like the cabinets in your kitchen, then it’s time to go out with the old and in with the new – and create that luxury kitchen you’ve always dreamed of.
