15 Ways to Wake Up Your Kitchen With Accessories

With spring arriving soon, it feels like a good time to give the kitchen a little wake-up call. Even if you don’t want to repaint and have no plans for a remodel, swapping out a few accessories is a satisfying (and wallet-friendly) way to revive your kitchen. Check out these 15 creative, colorful accent ideas, from window coverings and lighting to hardware and art.

1. Fill a narrow wall with art. Why stop at just one fun print when you can hang artwork all the way to the floor? Look for art prints you love that also work with the color palette of your kitchen, and keep the frames simple for a modern look.

2. Hang a cool clock. Choose a clock with personality to add punch to your kitchen, like the modern cuckoo clock in white shown here. Whether it’s an old-fashioned schoolhouse version or a bright, oversize one, pick a clock that speaks to you.



3. Get creative with knobs and pulls. Changing your cabinet hardware is a quick and easy way to inject your kitchen with personality. From colorful vintage-style handles like the ones shown here to cool leather pulls, there is hardware to suit every style.

4. Swap out your range hood for something fancy. Looking for a bigger change? Instead of going with a plain old range hood, choose one in a custom color or with a fancy scalloped edge, like the one shown here.


5. Hang patterned shades. Instead of going with a solid neutral, pick out a colorful printed fabric to use for your Roman shades or roller blinds. Match it to your cabinets or use the shades as the major pop of color in an otherwise neutral space.


6. Get a stool in every color. Why choose just one when you can take one of each? Candy-colored stools lined up at the island are peppy and fun. Use the colors of your kitchen chairs or stools as the palette for the rest of the room, pulling it together with artwork, dish towels and tabletop accessories in similar hues.


7. String up a row of rice paper lanterns. You can find string-light versions of these as well as individual lanterns (either with a light or just decorative) in plain white, colors and patterns. Hang a row in the kitchen window, over the breakfast bar or above the island for a cheery touch.


8. Hang real art. Vintage oil paintings and original drawings add so much character to the kitchen. It’s true that grease from the stove can damage artwork, so hang paintings on a wall farther from the stove and keep your most treasured or priciest pieces in another room.


9. Sew a colorful sink skirt. Bright magenta fabric fashioned into a skirt is a fabulous way to dress up the sink or cover lower cabinets without doors. Choose any fabric you like, and either make the skirt yourself or bring the fabric to a local dressmaker.


10. Spray paint wire baskets. You may be able to find colored wire baskets, but if not, it’s easy enough to make your own. Pick up a can of spray paint meant for metal (such as Rust-Oleum) in a color you love, take the wire item outdoors, place it on a tarp and spray it with several light coats of paint. Spray-painted items should not be used for food, but they are great for display.






11. Collect colorful kitchen tools. Instead of always going for the basics, choose colorful enamelware tools, bright oven mitts and cheery teakettles. Repurposing items is also a great way to inject color into the kitchen — use a pretty pitcher as a utensil jar, put flowers in a chipped teacup and plant herbs in an old tin with a pretty label.

12. Roll out a bright rug. Multicolored stripes, big polka dots or an oversize floral print can bring a kitchen to life. If you are worried about spills and stains, choose an indoor-outdoor rug that can be hosed clean.


13. Hang a wild-card light fixture. A giant paper lantern, a hot pink chandelier, a cluster of softly glowing Edison bulbs — any statement-making light fixture that catches the eye can work in the kitchen, all the more so because it will be unexpected there.

14. Bring in supersize branches. If your kitchen has tall ceilings, play them up by placing one or two tall glass containers on the table or island and fill them with generously sized cuttings of spring blossoms. Ceilings not so high? Place a single vessel filled with spring branches on the floor in an unused corner of the room instead.


15. Tuck decorative elements in where they are least expected. Here a tiny teacup planter filled with blooms is placed atop a stack of cookbooks in a wire storage shelf to charming effect. Look around your own kitchen for nooks and crannies begging for a bit of decorative love, and fill them with your own tiny treasures — try flowers, seashells, pretty stones or decorative boxes and tins.

Tell us: Are you craving a creative, colorful change in the kitchen? Which ideas here strike your fancy?

Browse cabinet pulls and knobs in the Houzz Products section

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