5 Easy Ways to Make Your Kitchen Look More Expensive
You don't need a brand-new kitchen to make your space feel more luxurious.
In fact, some of the simplest changes can make the biggest difference. I’m a huge believer in looking at what you already have before assuming everything needs replacing. Often, a few carefully chosen details are enough to make a standard kitchen feel much more considered, cohesive and expensive.
Here are five of my favourite ways to elevate your kitchen without a huge renovation.
1. Upgrade Your Kitchen Handles
If you have a fairly standard kitchen, changing the handles is one of the easiest transformations you can make.
Builder-standard chrome handles can make cabinetry feel quite basic, whereas something with a little more character instantly gives it a more bespoke look.
I love using brass or aged brass to bring warmth into a kitchen, but think about what works with your particular colour scheme rather than automatically following a trend.
Designer tip: Measure the distance between your existing screw holes before you start shopping. Find new handles with the same hole centres and it's a really straightforward swap without having to fill and drill new holes.
Oxfordshire New Build Kitchen with updated brass handles. Photo by David Giles
2. Style Your Splashback with Chopping Boards and Herbs
This is such a simple styling trick.
Rather than leaving your splashback completely bare, layer a couple of beautiful wooden chopping boards against it. Mix different shapes and heights, then add a pot of fresh herbs or a small plant in front.
As well as adding warmth and texture, it's a clever way of drawing attention away from things you might not particularly love, such as lots of plug sockets or a splashback you aren't ready to replace.
It also gives you that lovely relaxed, layered look you often see in beautifully styled kitchens.
Just remember to keep anything flammable safely away from your hob and don't obstruct sockets while they're being used.
Benson Kitchen by Happy Home Design student Emma Jones
3. Make Your Salt and Pepper Mills Part of the Scheme
It sounds like such a tiny detail, but the everyday items you leave sitting on your worktop all contribute to how your kitchen looks.
Instead of basic supermarket salt and pepper grinders, choose a statement mill in a colour that complements your kitchen.
Perhaps it picks up the colour of your cabinetry, bar stools, artwork or another accent you've used elsewhere in the room.
I particularly love the colourful Addison Ross salt and pepper mills. They come in some gorgeous shades, so you can choose a colour that complements your kitchen and turn something completely practical into part of the overall design.
This repetition of colour is what helps a room feel cohesive and intentionally designed. Your practical pieces don't have to be hidden away. They can become part of the styling.
Fun salt and pepper mills by Addison Ross
4. Add Colour with Your Bar Stools
Your bar stools are a brilliant opportunity to add colour and personality, particularly if the kitchen itself is fairly neutral.
Rather than automatically choosing grey, black or chrome, look at the colours you've used elsewhere in the room and consider repeating one of them in your stools.
A beautiful green, blue, pink or rich warm tone against simple cabinetry can completely change the personality of a kitchen and make it feel much more individual.
And don't try to squeeze in as many stools as physically possible!
Two generously sized stools with plenty of breathing space can look far more luxurious than three smaller stools crammed together.
Bradfield Kitchen project - Holly Scott Interior Design
5. Swap a Basic Light for a Statement Pendant
Never underestimate what lighting can do to a kitchen.
If you have an island, peninsula or dining table, replacing a basic light fitting with a statement pendant creates an instant focal point.
You don't need to spend thousands on designer lighting either. Look for an interesting shape, scale or material that connects with other elements in your kitchen. Glass, brass, ceramic and woven finishes can all work beautifully.
And don't be frightened of going a little bigger. One of the most common mistakes I see is lighting that's simply too small for the space.
A generously sized pendant can instantly make a kitchen feel more luxurious and considered.
Tilehurst Kitchen Design by Holly Scott Interior Design
6. Update Your Splashback
If styling your existing splashback isn't quite enough, updating it can completely change the look of your kitchen without the expense of replacing the whole thing.
A dated splashback can make an otherwise perfectly good kitchen feel tired, so this is a great area to focus your budget. Because you're usually working with a relatively small amount of space, you can also afford to be a little braver with your choice.
Think beautiful tiles laid in an interesting pattern, a textured or handmade-look tile, or even a simple tile in a gorgeous colour that connects with the rest of your scheme.
You don't necessarily need an expensive tile to create an expensive-looking result either. Often it's the way you use it that makes the difference. Something as simple as changing the layout from a standard brick pattern to vertical, stacked or herringbone can give an inexpensive tile a much more considered feel.
Designer tip: Don't choose your splashback in isolation. Look at it alongside your worktop, cabinetry, flooring and wall colour. The most successful kitchens aren't necessarily filled with expensive individual elements. It's how all of those elements work together that creates the finished look.
Statement Splash Back in Berkshire kitchen design project by Holly Scott Interior Design
It's All in the Details
Making your kitchen look more expensive isn't necessarily about spending more. It's about making more considered choices.
Look at the colours, finishes and materials you already have and find small ways to connect them.
A brass handle that relates to your lighting. A coloured bar stool that picks up a shade elsewhere in the room. Wooden chopping boards that bring warmth to a plain splashback.
It's these little connections that take a kitchen from simply functional to a space that feels beautifully designed.
And sometimes, the smallest swaps really do make the biggest difference.
Shiplake Kitchen Design Project by Holly Scott Interior Design
Want help pulling your kitchen together?
If you know your kitchen doesn't need replacing but you're struggling to see what would make the biggest difference, this is exactly the sort of thing we can work through during a Design Consultation.
We can look at your existing kitchen together and work out which changes are worth making, from colour, lighting and splashbacks to handles, bar stools and those all-important finishing touches.
You'll come away with clarity, confidence and a plan for creating a kitchen that feels much more you.
Book a Design Consultation →
