Between the frigid outdoor weather and coronavirus-related closures, many families are stuck inside this winter. One way to make the most of this additional time at home is by knocking out some long-planned home improvement projects. In this article, we’ll review several kitchen improvements worth completing and discuss how they can bring life back into your home’s kitchen after this long year.

Plan a full remodel

If you’re a “no half-measures” type of person, and you have the budget and time, why not complete that kitchen remodel you’ve been putting off for years? With your family stuck at home, anyway, there might never be a better time to get started. A kitchen remodel adds significant value to your home while also enhancing the space for you and your family.

The keys to any successful remodel are the countertops and cabinets. Go with high-quality materials that fit, design-wise, into your new kitchen. For countertops, go with granite or quartz: stone countertops are durable, beautiful, and often retain their value better than butcher block or stainless steel. Granite countertops are a particularly popular option for homeowners who want to ensure their kitchen is ready for full-time family use. They stand up well to accidental cuts, hot pans, spills, and more.

Any remodel involves a lot of moving parts. We recommend you work with an experienced kitchen remodeler who can help guide you through the planning phase and then arrange to get materials and the professionals needed to install them.

Make small, yet impactful, upgrades

If you don’t have the budget or time for a full kitchen remodel—or you want to work with your existing space—focus instead on these upgrades:

• New wall paint: Repainting the walls of your kitchen can bring new life into the space. Color is more than just a personal preference: certain shades influence mood, making them ideal for the kitchen. For example, blues are calming, while greens encourage people to eat healthier. Pick a paint color that you love and pick up the brushes!
• Lighting: You’d be amazed at just how much light influences how people see your kitchen. No matter how luxurious or clean a kitchen is, it’s going to look faded and old under dim light. If you’re ready to look at your kitchen in a new way, invest in better lighting. Add pendant lights over your kitchen island and lighting underneath your cabinets to illuminate your countertops.
• Backsplash: A tile backsplash serves two purposes. First, from a practical standpoint, it protects your walls from food splatter and other everyday damage. Perhaps more importantly, it plays an important aesthetic role in tying the design of your kitchen together. Want to keep everything else in place while still trying out a new look in your kitchen? Just replace the backsplash.

Take a practical approach

So far, we’ve outlined a few potential aesthetic changes to your kitchen. What about some practical ones? Here are a few kitchen improvement projects that will make your daily life easier.

• New appliances: If your decades-old dishwasher isn’t getting the job done, then no other upgrade is going to make as much of a day-to-day difference in your life as a new dishwasher. Seriously: take all that time you spend on dishes and imagine yourself doing anything else. If it’s time for new appliances, start shopping for winter sales now.

Cabinet accessories: If you were to poll American homeowners about the state of their cabinets, many of them would complain about the lack of storage and accessibility. It’s hard to get excited about baking when you know it’ll take 20 minutes to pull all the pans out. This winter, upgrade your cabinets by installing storage racks, pull-outs, and other accessories that make accessing what’s in them easier.