It’s a painful moment for any short-term rental owner: the realization that the kitchen needs an update.
In truth, my rental needed an update the moment we closed on the house. The cabinets and countertops were new, but it was also very brown and just not my taste. But a remodel wasn’t in the budget then, so we made due.
But now, over a decade later, it’s time. Unfortunately, kitchen renovations are more expensive than ever. I know it well; I’ve helped clients renovate and refresh many kitchens in the last few years.
Luckily, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve for making the most of a kitchen without spending more than necessary. Here are some of my favorite tricks for getting the most bang for the buck in a budget kitchen update.
Update your color scheme
Choosing a color scheme for a kitchen can be a tricky thing. After all, trends come and go. The important thing is to make a plan that works for your rental. That means working with the things that are staying, the style of the property, and even how much natural light comes in.
With that said, don’t entirely ignore trends. Remember that your choices need to look great in listing photos, and like it or not, your guests will respond well to what looks stylish now.
My advice? Look at lots of inspiration photos of current designs, whether on social media or in magazines, with an eye towards what might accomplish the changes you want to make in your vacation rental kitchen.
My rental kitchen, for example, needs to be brighter and more colorful because its brown-on-brown color scheme makes it look dated.
To counteract this, I plan to paint the cabinets a pretty blue-green and add hardware in a warm tone. I’ll use natural quartzite with dramatic veining on the kitchen island and the backsplash and save money by using less expensive man-made quartz for the surround countertops.
These changes will add color, contrast, and pattern to the kitchen, which is now mostly medium-toned and brown.
Decide what stays, and choose a style that works with it.
Whether it’s the floors, cabinets, countertops, or, well, everything, refreshing a kitchen on a budget means keeping some things in place and working around them.
The key to making this work is not to fight the style of what’s staying. In my rental, it’s the cabinets. They’ve gotten slightly banged up, but they’re well-made and in good condition, so painting them is a great option.
They’re also traditional in style, so attempting to turn the kitchen entirely modern would be a flop. Instead, I’ll update colors and textures and go for something modern traditional.
There is one other non-negotiable in my vacation rental kitchen: the porcelain tile floor. That’s because it covers the entire open plan area encompassing the entry, living and dining areas, and kitchen. It’s a neutral color, medium brown, so it’s important to add some color to the kitchen for contrast.
Choose a focal wall
Most dramatic kitchen transformations involve an eye-catching feature. Sometimes, it’s a big custom range hood and a contrasting backsplash; sometimes, it’s a window wall with clever floating shelves and a gleaming faucet. I call this the focal wall.
A focal wall’s defining characteristic is that it makes for a great photo, That’s why it’s particularly important for vacation rentals.
In my kitchen, I’m turning the window wall, where the sink is, into my focal wall. I’ll do this by replacing some upper cabinets with open shelves, replacing the faucet, and using a slab or large-format tile with dramatic, natural stone veining for the backsplash.
When you’re thinking about how to create a focal wall, think about contrast, color, and lighting. How can you add or improve all three?
Having a hard time envisioning improvements in your vacation rental kitchen? A strategy call may be just the thing you need. In this focused, 90-minute meeting, I’ll review photos of your current kitchen, help you decide what stays and what goes, and make actionable suggestions for the changes that will make maximum impact.
Lighting is a quick fix
Decorative lighting is a relatively inexpensive way to bring a kitchen into the current decade. Pendant lights over islands, peninsulas, and sinks draw the eye and add instant style.
Wall sconces and undercabinet lights are other great ways to update your kitchen on a budget.
If your kitchen isn’t wired for the type of decorative lighting you’re considering, it’s worth consulting an electrician. I don’t have junction boxes for pendant lights over the kitchen island in my rental, but I know they’re a worthwhile addition, so I’m willing to invest in a little wiring and drywall repair.
Replace hardware for an instant win
Got builder-grade knobs and pulls, or no hardware at all? Replacing these is an easy update.
Think again about contrast here. Satin brass and polished nickel look particularly pretty against dark cabinet fronts. Matte black looks striking and modern on white cabinets.
Don’t worry about matching metals if you have stainless steel appliances. Your hardware should, however, match or coordinate with your plumbing fixtures.
Since I’m planning on a dark color for the lower cabinets, I’ll be looking at either satin brass or polished nickel knobs and pulls for contrast. The current hardware is brushed nickel and looks a little cheap (because it was.)
Don’t forget the furniture
And by furniture, I mean seating. If there’s room for bar or counter stools around your island, make them count. Choose furniture that contrasts the finish they’re facing with interesting backs. Add an eye-catching pendant light above them, and you’re already halfway to an updated kitchen on a budget.
If you have other furniture, like banquette seating, tables, and chairs in your rental kitchen, they, too, can be updated for instant style.
When I replace the counter stools in my rental, I’ll choose new ones with interesting backs. Those tend to be bigger than what’s there now, so I’ll remove a little-used cabinet on the back of the island so that the new stools will fit.
Conventional wisdom says the more storage in a kitchen, the better, but sometimes, in a vacation rental, appearance matters more. After all, how many people scan Airbnb listings looking for adequate kitchen storage?
Things you can get away with in vacation rentals
Unless you’re planning to sell your vacation rental soon, you don’t have to stick with neutral choices, and in fact, you shouldn’t. Instead, choose colors and patterns that look amazing in your listing photos.
The best vacation rentals have everything you need in the kitchen and nothing you don’t. You know exactly how much storage space you need if you’ve already equipped your rental. That means if you need to remove an upper cabinet or two for better symmetry or to replace cabinets with open shelves, go for it.
I’ve seen a slowdown in the mania for open shelving in kitchen remodels, possibly because homeowners are realizing that keeping them clean and styled is a bit of a pain?
Unlike private homes, vacation rentals are cleaned thoroughly frequently, and our dishes (usually) match. So, if you know that your team will keep the open shelves styled the way you want them, they can be an attractive addition to your budget kitchen remodel.
Open storage can extend beyond shelves, too. One host I know uses colorfully painted pegboards in her rental, a la Julia Child’s kitchen so that her guests can see where everything is at a glance. Not only can open storage work in a rental kitchen, but it can also benefit your guests.
So those are my plans for updating my vacation rental kitchen on a budget. I won’t be taking action for another year – this year, it’s bedroom updates – but I’ll be sharing specifics along the way, as well as plans for the other three(!) kitchens on my schedule.
How about you? Do you have any kitchen update success stories? Are you dreading a kitchen remodel or refresh? Do you have big ideas? We’d love to hear them!
