One of the most popular styles right now for making over a kitchen is the “shabby chic” look. There are many different (and mostly very simple) tricks that you can implement in your kitchen to refresh and transform it, from the doors on your units to the accessories you use to decorate the room. Here are some of our top tips for a shabby chic kitchen revamp.

Traditional kitchen doors

Updating the fronts of your units can make a huge difference. Adding traditional kitchen doors to replace tired, damaged or plain doors can add a lot of character, and even create a lot more light in the room if you go for a lighter colour. Cream or ivory coloured doors in a classic wooden style work well as the basis for a shabby chic makeover.

Vintage appliances

To go alongside your updated units, you may need to switch out your modern kitchen appliances for more retro alternatives if you want to achieve a cosy and classic shabby chic look. If you want an old fashioned look without actually reverting to obsolete technology, you can find ovens, fridges and other appliances with modern functionality hidden inside classic designs.

Storage and display units

As well as what you keep behind your main kitchen cupboard doors, you may want to have a lot of small items like teacups, mugs, plates, pots and everything else you have dotted around your kitchen on display. By adding some rustic shelves, miniature wall-mounted units or other pieces of vintage furniture, you should be able to squeeze in plenty of extra character (and useful storage space).

Bring the outside in

To add unique and unexpected details to your new kitchen, look to your garden for inspiration. Incorporating shelf brackets, chairs, tables, even authentic chimenias, and other decorations that were originally meant to be used outside to freshen up the overall look. Ornate metal designs with distressed white paint (plus splashes of pastel colours and soft fabrics) tend to work perfectly. Real plants and flowers also make the perfect decorations to brighten up any room as a finishing touch.