Let’s be honest: updating or upgrading a kitchen can be expensive, especially if you want to prioritize both function *and* beauty. Designers know all the tips and tricks for getting you the best value based on your budget—that’s one of the reasons you hire them, of course—but there are a few details that can make a room look high-end without requiring a designer’s touch. Below, I’m sharing the three easiest, designer-approved updates that you can steal to make your kitchen look more custom than it actually is. The best part? They can all be done affordably!
Embrace a “Living Room” Aesthetic
The best-designed kitchens often don’t feel like kitchens at all. Instead, they’re designed to feel like any other room in your house—but just one that happens to have a stove. That’s all thanks to the “living room” aesthetic trend taking over kitchens.
“Anna,” you may be asking, “what is the ‘living room’ aesthetic for a kitchen?” It’s pretty simple: approach designing your kitchen like you would decorating your living room. A kitchen designed with this approach blends functionality and comfort. It’s no longer a purely utilitarian space. Instead, it’s filled with small details that create a layered, lived-in look—think sumptuous fabrics (performance, of course), layered lighting, patterned window treatments, and various types of artwork. Together, these elements transform a hardworking space into something far more inviting.
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Incorporate Furniture-Style Detailing
When it comes to designing a kitchen, it’s important to remember that it’s all the small details that contribute to a more expensive overall look and feel. That’s why it’s worth paying extra attention to architectural flourishes. Shapely toe kicks—like the curved feet seen beneath the sink in Country Living Creative Director Maribeth Jones’s Alabama cottage (pictured)—are inspired by freestanding furniture pieces and are a telltale sign of a well-designed kitchen, giving even prefabricated cabinets a custom feel. You can also spruce up your upper cabinets with charming corbels, as Maribeth did, to enhance that built-out look.
Swap a Bulky Island for a Freestanding Worktable
This is a design swap that instantly changes the entire look and feel of your kitchen. If you’ve read any article I’ve written about kitchens during the last two years, there’s a good chance you’ve come across the idea of a freestanding kitchen island, aka a worktable island. A staple in British kitchen design, these workhorse tables are undeniably chic. Not only do they bring a collected-over-time feel to any newly built kitchen, but they also imply a level of storage-agnostic chicness that only comes with high-end (aka, expensive) kitchens. If your home doesn’t have an adjoining pantry, make up for the lack of storage by opting for designer-preferred drawers over standard lower cabinetry around your perimeter.
Anna Logan is the Senior Homes & Style Editor at Country Living, where she has been covering all things home design, including sharing exclusive looks at beautifully designed country kitchens, producing home features, writing everything from timely trend reports on the latest viral aesthetic to expert-driven explainers on must-read topics, and rounding up pretty much everything you’ve ever wanted to know about paint, since 2021. Anna has spent the last seven years covering every aspect of the design industry, previously having written for Traditional Home, One Kings Lane, House Beautiful, and Frederic. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia. When she’s not working, Anna can either be found digging around her flower garden or through the dusty shelves of an antique shop. Follow her adventures, or, more importantly, those of her three-year-old Maltese and official Country Living Pet Lab tester, Teddy, on Instagram.
