It doesn’t take thousands of dollars and months of remodeling to create your ideal kitchen. In fact, a few simple changes can transform the look and feel of the entire room. Here are just a few ways to liven up your kitchen during your next renovation project.

Improve Your Lighting   

There are four basic types of kitchen lights that can be installed and arranged depending on your existing architecture. For example, if you have a large kitchen island where you host company while you’re cooking, you can hang “task lights” directly above it. You can also find shades and covers in every style imaginable, so there’s always something that will match the theme of your interior design. If you have a sleek, contemporary kitchen, buy metallic orb covers. If you have a country, kitschy kitchen, use rattan shades.

Lay Your Tile

Kitchen tile comes in many different types, including porcelain, ceramic, clay, cement and natural stone. You also have your choice of shapes, colors and patterns if you’d like to add a little personality to your floor. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box and choose something different than your neighbors. A professional, like those from the Monterrey Tile Company, can lay mosaic pebble tile just as easily as plain white squares, so it all comes down to what aesthetic you’d like to see in the space.

Upgrade Your Appliances

You don’t have to shell out big bucks to completely replace all of your kitchen appliances. A few tasteful and well-placed items will raise the atmosphere of the entire room, especially if they’re everyday appliances like the fridge or the coffeemaker. No one really pays attention to another person’s blender, but they’re much more likely to notice a elegant French press acting as the centerpiece of your countertop.

Improve Your Storage

The invisible parts of your kitchen are often just as important as the visible ones. For example, while your wall-mounted, solid-oak cupboards might be beautiful to look at from the outside, the cabinet risers on the inside are how you’ll really maximize your vertical storage space. The pantry might have a colorful door, but the Lazy Susan’s attached to the shelf corners are the real heroes. Don’t neglect the boring organizational elements of your kitchen while you’re picking out fun new countertops and backsplashes.

These are just a few ways to cultivate your dream kitchen without renovating the entire space. With a little creativity and a lot of planning, you can turn your visions into reality much sooner than you might think.