Ask Jane: How do you fix a boring kitchen?

Merryn asks: “I’d like to breathe some life into my kitchen. It’s actually not too bad looking already; just a bit boring! Any ideas?”

Jane says: I can see that your kitchen could do with a bit of X-factor to give it some life beyond the “developer disaster” that so many houses around newer areas suffer from. This is when developers or builders do the bare minimum they can get away with, and end up with a very unremarkable looking space (no offence intended).

It’s surprising what you can do to a space (a kitchen or otherwise) when the bones are good. There is nothing wrong with your kitchen, but it does need more light and more texture.

Firstly, to maximise the light reflectance in the space, I recommend a new benchtop at the very least. I like white, but you could go for any light colour. Depending on your budget, stone is always a great option. I like thick-edged tops (about 40 millimetres) instead of a thinner style. A smaller kitchen can look OK with thinner bench tops, but the size of your kitchen warrants a thicker top. It’s all about scale.

With a lighter coloured bench, the natural light coming in through the windows and the artificial light hitting the surface from overhead will really be maximised. The light will bounce off the benchtop rather than be absorbed, which is what happens on darker surfaces.

The other main thing your kitchen lacks is texture. You can add real interest and personality with texture. I love using interesting pendant light shades for this reason. How about some cool wooden or wicker “birdcage” style shades? You have plenty of room to play with, so don’t be afraid to go large. Have a look at interiors magazines and online and you’ll see that the skinny pendant fitting styles are nowhere to be found (thank goodness).

Your handles and cabinetry look fine, so just have a think about whether you want to replace your tap and sink as these are hard to see in your photo.

Your main focus is to get some visual interest and depth going on, to help eliminate the “flatness” in your kitchen.

Use texture and light to do this – whether by following my advice above or introducing other ways such as a new splash-back to get such a result. You can use this method on any flat or dull spaces throughout your entire house, using permanent fixtures or loose items of furniture and accessories.