Refreshing or redesigning a kitchen need not require an eye-watering budget – though it can certainly feel that way. Interior designers earn their fees, in part, by knowing precisely where to spend and where to save.
Yet there are a few details that can make a kitchen look more expensive and high-end without requiring a designer’s touch.
Ahead are three of the most effective, designer-approved approaches to achieving a kitchen that looks genuinely bespoke. The best part? They can all be done affordably...
1. Swap a built-in island for a freestanding worktable
This is a design swap that can entirely alter the character of a kitchen. Rather than installing a fixed island – which can feel heavy and corporate in all but the most generously proportioned spaces – consider a freestanding worktable instead.
Deeply rooted in the British kitchen tradition, these workhorse tables are undeniably stylish, and bring a collected-over-time quality that no amount of new joinery can quite replicate.
Where storage is a concern – particularly in kitchens without a adjoining larder or utility room – well-specified drawers around the perimeter will serve you far better than standard base cupboards, and are the near-universal choice of designers working at the higher end of the market.
2. Treat your kitchen like a living room
The most beautifully designed kitchens rarely 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 an oven. This is the essence of what designers have taken to calling a "living room aesthetic" – rather than approaching the space as a purely functional zone, treat it as you would any other room in the house.
In practice, this means layering the space with the same considered touches you'd bring to a sitting room – tactile fabrics (performance-grade, naturally), thoughtful lighting at multiple levels, well-chosen window dressings, and a piece or two of original artwork. The effect is a kitchen that feels gathered and lived-in rather than fitted and finished. It's a subtle distinction, but a transformative one.
3. Incorporate architectural flourishes
In kitchen design, it is invariably the small details that contribute to a more expensive overall look and feel.
Architectural flourishes – shaped plinths beneath a butler's sink, or elegantly profiled corbels supporting upper cabinetry are the hallmarks of a well-designed kitchen. These details are inspired by freestanding furniture, giving even standard fitted cabinets a more bespoke feel. If your budget doesn't stretch to entirely bespoke cabinetry, these smaller interventions offer a remarkably cost-effective means of elevating the whole.
Country kitchen essentials
Cast Iron Round Casserole Dish
nkuku Juniper Drop Ceramic Stand - Cream & Juniper
Set of 2 Kitchen Storage Jars - White
Handmade Stoneware Berry Colander
Le Creuset Le Creuset Pepper Mill
Kanto Stoneware Handled Mug
Anna Logan is the Deputy 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.
