Best Vintage Kitchen On a Budget Ideas - From Walls to Worktops (2024)

Vintage kitchen on a budget – how to decorate and design yours.

Vintage Kitchen On a Budget

Vintage kitchen on a budget

Would you like a vintage kitchen on a budget?

Given a choice, most of us would love a brand new kitchen to cook in every day and entertain our friends in. If you’re stuck working in a space that’s past its best, it can make things like cooking, baking, food prep and entertaining (what would usually be enjoyable tasks) into a bit of a chore.

However the kitchen is of the most expensive upgrades in the home, and it’s not something everyone can afford to shell out on.

Creating a vintage kitchen on a budget can be a fun and creative project. From selecting the right color scheme to finding the best kitchen cabinets, every element plays a role in achieving that timeless look.

However, you’ll be pleased to know that you don’t necessarily need to spend thousands or invest in a brand new kitchen for yours to look fantastic. There are plenty of cheaper upgrades you can make that will modernise it your vintage kitchen.

A freshen up in the kitchen isn’t just pleasing to look at, it can also improve your lifestyle too in many ways. It can help you to make more space and feel less claustrophobic, it can help you to get organised and you can use the room in a way that best suits your needs. Here are some ideas for how you can go about it.

Vintage Kitchen on a budget Cupboards

Your cupboards are what will make the most impact on your kitchen, but brand new ones can be a huge cost.

However, by just switching up the fronts, you get an entirely new look but without having to replace all of the units. You could buy new door fronts since these come in a standard size, however, if yours are made of solid wood then you can save money even further. Give them a sand down and paint them with cupboard paint to transform them, it’s easy to turn old-fashioned wooden units into modern looking ones.

Solid wooden kitchens are expensive, and so it makes sense to reuse instead of simply throwing them away instead of replacing them with cheaper veneer. The only issue would be if they’re rotten, warped or broken- in this case it would be better to get rid of them and buy new.

Vintage Kitchen Worktop – Vintage Kitchen On a Budget

Having a new worktop fitted isn’t as pricey as you might think, in fact if you take a look at sales and discounts, you could purchase one up relatively cheaply.

Anyone with moderate DIY skills could fit it, and it overall gives you have a fresh new look.

If your budget is really on the small side, you might be interested to know that there are wraps you can get especially for worktops. These are easy to fit and hardwearing, they can completely change the colour and finish of a worktop and best of all they don’t cost much at all.

Vintage Kitchen Tiles

The tiles in a kitchen are usually a big giveaway to its age. Trends come and go, but unlike wallpaper or paint colours, tiles are difficult and expensive to change meaning they’re on the wall for a lot longer. If yours are patterned or ugly then one way to get around this would be to paint them.

Just always prep carefully to get the best finish, it usually involves scrubbing them down first and priming them. Removing them and replacing with a backsplash instead is another option.

These are much cheaper to buy as well as being easier to fit than new tiles If your tiles are plain and don’t look too bad, just a little old and dirty, then the best way to get around this would be to regrout them. Use a tool to scrape the grout out and then refill it, which gives the appearance of new tiles but without having to pay for them to be re-done.

Vintage Kitchen on a budget Fixtures and Fittings

Fixtures and fittings in the kitchen are more important than you might think. It’s these details that will take the room to the next level, and includes things like cupboard handles, taps and plug sockets. They might not seem like significant things, but they all add up when it comes to the overall finish.

Unfortunately these small touches can really take a chunk out of your budget if you buy full price. Your best bet would b to look for deals, end of line items allow you to get great quality at a much lower price. Ebay and Amazon are also good for less expensive varieties that look good but won’t break the bank.

You could also choose your fixtures and fittings carefully to reduce costs. For example, instead of replacing the entire sink, just updating the tap is a quick way to modernise a kitchen. Things like strip LED lighting under cabinets are inexpensive, but will add a luxury feel for a budget price.

Vintage Kitchen Wall Colour

Once your tiling or backsplash is in place, you will want to update the rest of the walls too. Painting the walls is an easy way to make it feel fresh and new. Go with a light neutral colour to make the space look as bright and spacious possible. If you use paint that’s specifically for kitchens, it will be wipeable so more hardy against spills and splashes, steam and mould.

Flooring

The flooring is one part of your kitchen that will make a big difference to how it looks overall. Things like cracked tiles, warped wood and peeling vinyl will all make it look old fashioned or uncared for. How about adding a new sheet of vinyl over the top, it’s much less expensive than having new tiles or wood laid, and comes in lots of colours and different effects so suitable for all kitchens and decor styles.

If you’re going to be having a plumber fit a new appliance like American style fridge freezer with a water and ice dispenser or a dishwasher, make sure they do this before the flooring is put down. That way you don’t need to take it up and risk damaging it.

Declutter and Organise your Vintage Kitchen

Finally, when your kitchen is complete, you don’t want to fill it up again with lots of junk and things you don’t use. Spend some time going through every single item and appliance, throw away anything that’s no longer useful. Otherwise you could donate things that still work but you don’t use, that way your appliance or equipment gets a new life where it will be used and enjoyed. Make space for the items in your kitchen that you do use and love, that way it stays looking nice and you don’t have to rummage for things every time you need them.

It is really interesting to look at how much the average kitchen costs and see how yours compares.

I do hope you have enjoyed my post on how to create a vintage kitchen on a budget. You might also like my post on how to transform your kicthen in one day

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