The kitchen often plays a central role in many houses and is one of the most common areas people think about improving. Renovating your kitchen to make it more efficient and eye-catching can have many benefits. Simple upgrades can increase functionality, save you time and make things look more appealing. Here are some of the main reasons why you should think about renovating your kitchen.

 

Improving Functionality

There are tons of ways that you can improve your kitchen to make it more functional. For instance, you could consider extending your cabinet space towards the ceiling or adding more cabinets for added storage. Or you could go for something more extreme and knock down a wall to extend your counter space or to build a professional center island with added ventilation. Something as simple as improving the lighting or changing a few appliances could make a huge difference in how functional your kitchen can be.

Improving the Overall Look

One of the main reasons people decide to remodel their kitchen is because they feel it’s outdated. And since it can be an expensive room to redo, people often forgo kitchen renovations. But if your kitchen feels like it was trapped in the 70s, then maybe it’s time for an update.

The good part is that you don’t have to go crazy to upgrade your kitchen’s overall look. Something as simple as repainting your walls and cabinets with more current colors or replacing a few fixtures can dramatically change the look of your kitchen. If you go a step further and go for new flooring and improved lighting, you could get a completely new kitchen without spending too much.

Increase the Home’s Value

One of the most beneficial aspects of kitchen renovations is the effect on the house’s value. Out of all the rooms in a house, the kitchen is often the one that offers the highest return on investment out of all renovations. As a matter of fact, according to an article that was published in the United Press International in February 2012, kitchen renovations returned up to 69% of their costs vs about 57% for bathrooms.

And you don’t have to go over the top to get a good ROI. The extent of your renovations should reflect the strength of your local market. According to data that was published by Remodeling magazine, smaller renovations around the $20,000 mark and less provided the best dollar-for-dollar return.

Better Sustainability

Renovating your kitchen is also a great time to reduce your kitchen energy needs and improve its sustainability. Switch to energy star appliances and change your old lighting with led lights. You can even switch out your kitchen towels to organic cotton. Try to go for low flow faucets if you want to reduce the amount of water you use and use sustainable materials like reclaimed wood, bamboo or recycled materials for your cabinets, flooring and countertops.

 

Renovating your kitchen is one of the smartest investments you could do. Not only will it improve workflow in the kitchen, but it will allow you to increase the value of the home while making it both more current at the same time.