The Cure for Houzz Envy: Kitchen Touches Anyone Can Do
“Those people are rich, and my home will never look like that." I see this comment a lot, and I can hear your defeated sighs as I read them. As someone who is on Houzz looking at beautiful homes for at least eight hours a day, I feel your pain. The condition is something I've diagnosed as Acute Houzz Envy. I'm here to prescribe a treatment program.
Homeowner Jillian Woods' words always stick with me. When I interviewed her about her home, she said, "If I can't have my dream house, I'll make my dreams fit into my house."
You can turn your Houzz envy into something positive, with little to no dollars required. No matter how expensive the project, I always pick up something I can use to make my own home better. While I am terrible at DIY, I love to rearrange, rotate things in and out, and try new ideas. My house is constantly in flux. In this series I'm going to go room by room and show you a few little touches inspired by Acute Houzz Envy that you can do for little to no money in very little time. This week we'll cover the kitchen.
Pull out a favorite pot and keep it on the stove. I will never have an oven as extravagant as this one, but I spruced up my stovetop with my favorite big, red Dansk pot.
Do you have a favorite copper pot, teakettle or vintage casserole you admire whenever you pull it out of the cabinet? Leave it out and enjoy it.
Put the tablecloth on the table and leave it there. You don't need to stash it when it's not in use. As long as it's clean, it can give your table a new look.
Place a small lamp on the kitchen counter. If your kitchen lighting is dependent on can lights, a cheerful lamp on the countertop can add more intimate, cozier lighting. I also like to place mine on a timer to come on at night; if I'm having a dimly lit movie night, I don't want to have to flip on all those bright lights at once for a quick trip to make popcorn or grab some water. Plus it's great for security, and my cat, Bubby, likes a light when she's getting a midnight snack.
Switch out your kitchen chairs. I have a bit of a chair fetish and tend to pick them up from thrift shops, yard sales and, yes, even the curb.
It's amazing what a good cleaning and a fresh coat of paint can do. This means I have a few chairs I can switch between the dressing table, the dining table, the screened-in porch and the kitchen. There's no need for them to match — mixing them up is half the fun.
Display your apron. Hang a hook on the back of the door or the side of a cabinet so that you can show off that cute apron you love so much.
Similarly, pick a dishtowel you're proud of. Unless you have a hidden towel rack, these are always out, whether in use or while drying. Use the ones that make you smile and relegate the ones that don't to the rag pile.
Decorate with fresh flowers. I spend $3.99 per week at Trader Joe's on a luxury — fresh flowers for my kitchen island. It feels naked without them. A potted herb you use for cooking or a fruit bowl can have the same effect.
Pull out the cookbooks. You may not have a custom-built island with designated cookbook space, but that doesn't mean you can't display cookbooks. There could be room on an open shelf, on top of the refrigerator or even on the counter.
Use your plates as art. I have a bunch of mismatched plates from my ancestors and my thrifting adventures, and I like to play with mixing and matching them. My main piece of advice is to experiment with different compositions on the floor so that you won't make extraneous holes in the wall.
Learn the secret to hanging a plate collection
Similarly, baskets look great on the wall, especially round handmade African baskets.
Get creative with chalkboard paint. This medium's popularity has exploded in the past few years; I see chalkboard most often in the kitchen. Refrigerators, islands, menu boards, cabinetry ... you name it, and someone has chalkboard-painted it and then chalked a grocery list, schedule or favorite quotation on it.
Get more ideas about using chalkboard paint
What are you doing to make your dreams fit into your house? Please share in the Comments section.
