Kitchens are the lifeblood of the home—where we break bread, celebrate (or commiserate) the day’s events, congregate during a party, and show off our love of food. Sometimes, we’re just showing off our stunning space. But if our kitchen is outdated and not ready for show-and-tell, it might be time to spice things up a bit.

Having a full renovation completed, like some of the ones seen in this article, isn’t the only way to reinvent your cookhouse. Changing handles and pulls, updating lighting, refinishing cabinetry, even adding a rug, can transform dull to dreamy and outdated to outstanding. Take a look at these Atlanta kitchens for ways to wow and read top tips from the design teams that added some flavor to the space!

Kitchen Remodel — Hart & Lock Design

Ceiling: This unexpected feature was created with a custom gray stain, washed over a blue stain that was on the beams and v-groove.

Lighting: The look of the kitchen is eclectic yet timeless, which was achieved with the help of oversize seeded globe pendants from Hart & Lock Design. HartAndLock.com

Backsplash: Taking the backsplash up the whole wall makes a more impactful, finished look, says Katie DeRario. She created a geometric pattern with Legno Diamante Travertine wall tiles. TileShop.com

Faucets: The kitchen features a ROHL pullout kitchen faucet, while the bar shows off the ROHL single-hole bar faucet. ROHLHome.com

Vent hood: This one-of-a-kind vent hood was custom made from oxidized steel and white oak.

Refrigerator: The homeowner had the old fridge replaced with this Sub-Zero number.  SubZero-Wolf.com

Countertops: Katie upped the wow factor with Aria Stone Gallery Audacia Honed Quartzite countertops in a white hue to create an interesting and practical impact. AriaStoneGallery.com

Designer Tip

“Do your research on products! Spend time flipping through magazines and hang the pages of images you like in your current kitchen to see how you like the look of them. Mix styles and get creative.”

—Katie DeRario, owner/designer of Hart & Lock Design

Kitchen Renovation — Alair Homes Decatur

Cabinets: To create a modern layout and color scheme, the designer mixed white cabinets with stained wood ones—combining contemporary neutrals with warm undertones. “This feature simultaneously allows the homeowner to add any color with accessories, as trends and styles change,” says Heather Shuster. AlairHomes.com 

Faucet: The Solna faucet by Brizo^® is sleek with a hidden pull-down function. Brizo.com

Countertops: The counters are LG Viatera quartz, a product that resists stains, fading, burns, and etching. “Quartz countertops have become our clients’ preference for their durability, fantastic colors, and patterns,” Shuster says. LGViateraUSA.com

Backsplash: The modern backsplash was created with Ann Sacks’ Savoy collection in cottonwood, as a herringbone install. AnnSacks.com

Pullout shelves: Shelves can look sleek from the outside and sharp on the inside. Storing knives in an in-drawer organizer will keep your countertops clean, provide a safer spot for storage, and potentially keep the blades on point.

Designer Tip

“Using two cabinet colors in a kitchen creates a great opportunity for contrast and visual interest.”
—Heather Shuster, senior project developer at Alair Homes Decatur

Kitchen Remodel — Mark Williams Design Associates

Painted cabinets: The custom cabinetry was created to reflect the light, happy feel of the kitchen. They were painted in a color similar to Sherwin-Williams Aqueduct SW 6758. Sherwin-Williams.com

Lighting: The clients already owned the lighting, which helped keep the budget on target.

Backsplash: Traditions in Tile and Stone provided the glass mosaic tiles, which helped pick up the light from an adjacent window. TraditionsInTile.com

Flooring: Don’t let the flooring fool you—it’s painted! The design team wanted to create an airy kitchen so they painted the floor a lighter color and used white countertops to capitalize on streaming sunshine from the breakfast area. MarkWilliams-Design.com

Countertops: “An easy way to update a kitchen, without a full-blown renovation, is new countertops,” says Niki Papadopoulos. In this case, Caesarstone, a quartz composite product known for its durability, was chosen. CaesarstoneUS.com

Refrigerator: This stainless steel KitchenAid fridge lets the teal hue be the star. KitchenAid.com

Designer Details

“We relocated this Virginia-Highland bungalow’s kitchen from the rear of the house to a central portion of the residence. We were able to get them a larger and more functional kitchen, and convert the previously used space to a
laundry/mudroom.”
—Niki Papadopoulos, lead interior designer and partner at Mark Williams Design Associates

Kitchen Design — Gina Sims Designs

Lighting: The kitchen was transformed into a masculine, sleek space with these dramatic geometric pendants from Circa Lighting, as well as directional lighting over the open shelves from Rejuvenation. CircaLighting.com, Rejuvenation.com

Vent hood: The centerpiece of the kitchen is the custom range hood, designed with modern lines and created with materials that offer a cool patina, from Saint Udio metal shop in Athens, Georgia. SaintUdio.us

Cabinets: Modern textured melamine slab cabinets from Dove Studio Kitchen & Bath with black matte tab pulls. DoveStudio.com

Shelving: Fred Martin Welding Co., Inc. created the kitchen’s custom raw iron shelves, as well as bar shelves and a wine rack that Gina designed. FredMartinWelding.Webs.com

Countertops: The Caesarstone Statuario Maximus™quartz on the countertops and slab backsplash create a fresh look and is easy to maintain. CaesarstoneUS.com

Refrigerator: The client is very tall and therefore needed an extra-tall Viking refrigerator. VikingRange.com

Windows: “We repainted the house white, took out the country beadboard, replaced it with modern shiplap and painted the window sashes black to mimic the look of steel and keep the feel modern industrial,” says Gina Sims. GinaSimsDesigns.com

Designer Tip

“I loved that this client was interested in unique finishes and the artistry of local craftspeople. He pulled inspiration from places he loved around town. Unique materials and thoughtful design pulled the look together.”
—Gina Sims, owner and principal designer of Gina Sims Designs

Kitchen Makeover — Kat Nelson Designs

Backsplash: The eye-catching feature of this kitchen is the tiled backsplash from the Duquesa collection, creating an expensive vintage look that pops. TraditionsInTile.com

Cabinets: In order to stay with the light motif, Kat Nelson painted the existing cabinets a soft white hue and added long hardware to make them more dramatic. The neutral vibe allows the surrounding tile to be the star of the show. KatNelsonDesigns.com

Vent hood: The design team removed the “cold” stainless steel hood and replaced it with a custom wood version. KeystoneMillworks.com

Lighting: “We upgraded the framing of the windows to make them more present and topped them with sconces with white glass, for a classic touch,” Kat says. VisualComfort.com

Designer Tip

“The detailed tile set the tone for the entire open floor plan. We wanted to see a wow in the kitchen. This brilliant blue created a fresh, fun and inviting space for this busy young family.”
—Kat Nelson, owner and principal designer of Kat Nelson Designs

Cabinet Transformation Kit from Rust-Oleum

Cabinets: This was a do-it-yourself project, as the homeowner used Rust-Oleum’s Cabinet Transformation Kits, both in Pure White and Gray. Note: the kits come with a glaze but the homeowner chose not to apply it for this project. RustOleum.com

Chalkboard: A clever feature for any busy family’s kitchen is a chalkboard to keep track of messages, menus, and more. This one was created with Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Brush-On Paint. 

Cabinet hardware: Refreshing a kitchen can be achieved with a simple design update like switching out the doorknobs and handles. This kitchen used brushed satin, nickel dual-mount cup pulls for all the drawers. HomeDepot.com

Designer Tip

“Painting wood cabinets a light color instantly brightens up the space. I love two-tone cabinets—when going with two tones, paint the lower cabinets darker, which helps hide any scratches or dings, and the upper cabinets lighter, which helps make the room appear larger than it is.”
—Stefanie Kastner, brand manager/interior wood care at Rust-Oleum

Kitchen Organization by ShelfGenie

Organization can be beautiful and pullout shelving and pantries can offer that “beauty” throughout any kitchen. This focus on accessible storage can be vital for smaller kitchens or those with big families who are using the kitchen all the time.

ShelfGenie, the company that created these pullout shelves, customizes their work depending on the needs of clients. For example, if stored items are tall (like cooking oil bottles or cereal boxes), the pullout shelves need to have enough height to prevent them from falling over. The company can also put in adjustable dividers to organize the items within the shelf.

“Another popular storage solution is our premium custom spice racks, which clients love,” says Julie VanLeuven,  owner of ShelfGenie of Atlanta. ShelfGenie.com/Atlanta

Under Cabinet Lighting from Blacker+Decker

Under-cabinet lighting is a great way to make a kitchen more functional and beautiful, all at once. This kitchen utilized premium bar lighting that can be installed by anyone, without any required tools or electrical work, through the BLACK+DECKER PureOptics LED Tool-Free Under Cabinet Lighting.

“Lighting, specifically under-cabinet lighting, changes the look of a space by providing a ‘finishing touch’ to complete the room. It instantly provides warmth and ambiance, and it makes any countertop or backsplash look brilliant,” says Kalen Buchanio, marketing manager at Amax Incorporated, PureOptics LED by BLACK+DECKER. PureOpticsLED.com