How to design a kitchen on a budget and with taste: tips and 51 photos

Economical is not the same as poor quality and boring. It is quite possible to come up with and implement a kitchen design on a budget and with taste. Of course, if you take this process seriously, study the issue and prepare. You can save literally on everything: finishing materials, headsets and other furniture, appliances and decor. In this article, we’ll give you some workable tips and tricks for decorating a kitchen on a budget.

All about how to inexpensively and stylishly equip the kitchen

Headset
— Materials
— Design
— Accessories
Technique
Decoration Materials
Decor
How to make budget design interesting
Interior styles

Set and furniture

The kitchen set is the central object in the room. Usually, it is he who «eats» most of the repair budget. It is logical that you can also save decently on it. How?

materials

Of course, solid wood cabinets look solid. But it’s definitely not an economical option. Do you want to save money — take a closer look at the headsets made of chipboard or laminated chipboard. Chipboard is an inexpensive material, but quite reliable. And decorative coatings allow you to realistically recreate different textures. Including stone or wood. Inexpensive chipboard cabinets are covered with plastic or acrylic. More expensive — veneer.

In second place in terms of efficiency after chipboard are MDF — fibreboard.. They are usually covered with film, enamel, acrylic or veneer.

If you want to save money, give up glass facades in favor of «deaf» ones made of chipboard or MDF. It will be significantly cheaper.

The same goes for countertops. Artificial stone looks expensive and costs the same. Instead, you can stop at the same chipboard, for example, in plastic.

Design

The cost of a headset depends not only on the material, but also on the configuration. In short: the simpler, the cheaper. Corner and U-shaped are convenient, look interesting, but in most cases they will cost more than linear ones, that is, straight lines..

The kitchen island is a fashionable and accent element. But also expensive. And because of the size, it is only suitable for a spacious kitchen in the same apartment or private house. To save the family budget, it is better to replace it with a bar counter. By the way, it can replace the dining table — saving both money and space. This is a good idea for a small kitchen.

Fewer cabinets = lower price. You can reduce costs by abandoning the top, hinged drawers. So the budget kitchen will acquire an even more modern design. Now often, instead of a closed second tier, open shelves are hung. Or even leave the wall free. If you cannot do without upper cabinets, order drawers of standard sizes, and not up to the ceiling. It’s significantly cheaper.

Well, and, most importantly, choosing a headset, consider ready-made, modular kitchen sets. They are much more affordable than those that are made to order, on an individual project.

accessories

The cost of accessories from advertised brands can significantly reduce enthusiasm at the start of repairs. If the budget does not allow this, pay attention to alternative manufacturers. Better not from cheap, but from the middle segment. After all, quality is also important to us.

Another way to save money is, wherever possible, to abandon retractable, withdrawable mechanisms, “carousels”, “magic corners” and other things.. All this, of course, is convenient to use and makes life much easier, but it also costs a lot. Simple swing mechanisms, ordinary loops are a sure way to save money.

Technique

In recent years, designers are increasingly trying to mask the cooking area. Make it invisible, especially if the layout involves combining the kitchen with the living room. One of the working methods is to hide appliances behind beautiful doors or simply build them into cabinets. However, built-in models themselves are significantly more expensive than stand-alone ones. You will also have to pay extra for extra facades. For example, for a refrigerator or hood. That’s why the choice of those who want to save money is the usual, free-standing equipment from the middle segment. You can not hide the equipment for another reason: some models themselves serve as interior decoration. But this is no longer about saving, but about creating a certain style.

By the way, a good way to save money is multifunctional models. For example, an oven and a microwave are two in one.

Decoration Materials

The kitchen is a special place. There is almost always high humidity, steam and heat from cooking. Finishing materials need strong, stable, reliable.

If you want to do your own wall decoration, choose wallpaper. Vinyl will do, better if they are washable. You can also cope with the installation of special panels for interior decoration on the walls. For example, from MDF, chipboard, PVC.

Another fairly affordable option is paint. But only on the condition that you do not need to additionally align the walls. Washable paint is a practical choice. Such a coating will make it easy to maintain order and cleanliness. And if necessary, fix the defects on your own.

For finishing the floor there is no cheaper option than linoleum. In modern design projects, it is almost never used. But if you’re on a budget, this is a good idea. Moreover, modern linoleum is distinguished by its high-quality pattern and even embossed texture, reminiscent of a real wood or stone coating. In addition, do not forget that it is durable, resistant to moisture, wears out extremely slowly.

Ceramic tiles and porcelain stoneware are unrivaled when it comes to flooring. You can find budget materials from Russian manufacturers.

But laying tiles and porcelain stoneware yourself is quite difficult. Most likely, you will have to hire craftsmen. And this pleasure is not cheap.

More expensive in the store, but sometimes cheaper in laying — quartz vinyl tiles. She is also indifferent to humidity.

As for the ceiling, the fastest and easiest way to decorate it is to use a stretch fabric. If the ceiling is even, no communications are laid along it, you can simply whitewash it.

Another important point is the material for the apron. Most often, ceramic tiles, porcelain stoneware or tempered glass are used. You have to be careful with glass. It is better to choose a plain surface and avoid large, bright photo printing. There are options cheaper than the first two: PVC panels, MDF panels. They can imitate wood, stone, marble.

Decor

The easiest way to save money is not to overbuy. And in the case of decor, this rule works 100%.

It is better not to overload the kitchen with decorative details: dust and soot will collect on them. If you really want to, leave 2-3 of the most important elements that set the tone. And the rest can be abandoned. For example, from curtains. Free, «open» windows, which do not delay, but freely let light into the room, are increasingly found in design projects.

What to do so that the interior is not boring

The main task of budgetary repairs is to create a good, up-to-date base. And only then it can be supplemented and beaten, change the character and mood.

Collected relevant ideas in a short video

How to make a simple kitchen design more interesting?

• With limited finances, there is no room for error. Therefore, when choosing the color of the headset, look at the sophisticated and calm shades of white, beige, cream, gentle and light pastel colors. Let the facades be even, smooth. It is better to abandon milling — without it, it is both cheaper and stylistically more versatile. Don’t want white? Look at the complex, compound, muted shades of blue, green, even pink. Most importantly, avoid flashy colors. They get bored quickly.
• Do you already have too bright facades? They can not be changed, but simply repainted. Himself. To do this, you first need to clean off the old coating, if there are cracks — putty, cover everything with soil. Then apply paint using a spray gun, brush or roller. After — a protective coating.
• Want to add some flair to a simple headset? Use unusual, accent pens. For example, you can find interesting vintage items.
• Any interior comes to life under the influence of light. Hang an accent designer lamp in the center of the room. But don’t limit yourself to them. Make several light scenarios: top, side — on the walls, illumination of work areas, LED strip on the shelves.
• You can make the kitchen special with the help of … plants. Floor pots, hanging planters, a vase of flowers on the table — all this will create a calm and relaxed atmosphere, add coziness.

Interior styles for budget kitchen design (photo)

The cost of repairs will inevitably depend on the chosen interior style.

For example, an authentic classic or neoclassical style won’t come cheap no matter how hard you try. However, like the interiors with the prefix eco-. They require expensive natural materials.

But minimalism with its asceticism is quite possible. As well as practical, unassuming Scandi. Sometimes it is possible to inexpensively create elements in the loft style. For example, if the house has real brickwork. Or you can leave the concrete ceiling unfinished. Modern-style kitchen design can also be inexpensive, examples are in the photo in the gallery.