Easily Enhance Your Cabin Kitchen

Fall in love with your kitchen again with a few easy upgrades.

Knobs & Pulls

I like to call cabinet hardware the jewelry of your kitchen. To upgrade your cabinet knobs and drawer pulls, you can paint what you have or replace them with new ones.

Painting

This option works if you already like the shape of the hardware, or you cannot find the right size replacement. Select a good quality spray paint; I like the Rust-Oleum spray paint for metal that comes in many color and texture options. Remove the hardware from the cabinets, clean and dry it completely, and then paint. Follow the paint manufacturer’s directions for applying correctly and for drying time.

Replacing

Another option is to replace the cabinet hardware with a new upgrade. Make sure you measure the exact center dimension of the screws from the inside of your cabinet doors or drawers. I find this to be easiest while the hardware is still installed. This is the size you will need to purchase unless you are refinishing your cabinets and can fill the existing holes. Resources These are some of my favorite resources for cabinet hardware: • Top Knobs, www.topknobs.com • Colonial Bronze, www.colonialbronze.com • Schaub and Company, www.schaubandcompany.com • Liberty Hardware, www.libertyhardware.com • Amerock Cabinet Hardware, www.amerock.com • Berenson Decorative Hardware, www.berensonhardware.com • Jeffrey Alexander Hardware, www.hardwareresources.com

Add a Kitchen Island

You may be one of the lucky ones and your kitchen is big enough to hold an island. There are many sizes of islands on the market today. If these two islands seem too pricey for your taste, there are many price options out there. Tip! An island on wheels can be tucked away when you’re not using it.

Baker’s Cart Base in Hammered Steel

This baker's cart is a great mobile island with storage. It has an eastern maple butcher block top, two hammered steel grid shelves and heavy-duty casters. Enclume, model BCB1, $1,330.

Traditional Butcher Block

John Boos Le Bloc features a 10-inch-high end-grain block of cherry on black legs. Casters can be added for a movable chopping block. Five size options are available for many different kitchen configurations. John Boos, model RN-LB2418, $849. RESOURCES • Enclume, www.enclume.com • John Boos, www.johnboos.com Carol M. Johnson is an experienced kitchen and bath designer, www.abandk.com.