Transforming a Dated Kitchen into a Retro Kitchen

In an ideal world we would probably all love a brand new kitchen – how many of us have moved house to a home with a dated kitchen full of potential but never quite had the budget to transform the kitchen to its full potential? So we just live with the old-fashioned units, the dated wall tiles and the cracked vinyl floor – sometimes for years. But it really doesn't have to be like that; in fact, there are many advantages to having a tired old kitchen because it offers the opportunity to experiment with colour ina way you wouldn't if the kitchen was worth keeping or if your were spending tens of thousands on a new kitchen. So don't view your dated kitchen with despair – you can transform it on a small budget with some hard work and an eye for design.

Trends in kitchen styles change relatively quickly so it is difficult to make a kitchen that is simply old into one that looks new so it is best not to try – instead look at retro styles from the 50's and 60's or even earlier and see if your kitchen could be rejuvenated into ones of these styles.

With all the technologically advanced paints on the market now it is easy to paint over cabinet doors of any type, including MDF, with minimal preparation. Or if doors are damaged try the old 50's trick of simply using fabric hung on a curtain wire to hide the contents of your cupboard. Although beware that this look only works for one or two cupboards not a whole kitchen.

Another alternative is to have new, unpainted MDF doors made to measure – there are plenty of inexpensive companies online that will do this for you. Then paint them yourself and hang them using the old hinges if they are still serviceable, to keep a tight cap on your budget. Before you know it you will not be dreaming of a sleek, gloss white kitchen but experimenting with colour and creating a unique look and style that no one else will have.

Take, for instance, a 30-year-old kitchen with oak-effect doors (with real oak trim) with a cream, oak-trimmed worktop and brown carpet tiles on the floor and beige/brown patterned wall tiles. Lifting the carpet tiles revealed damaged art deco black and white tiles but even with the considerable damage simply having a monochrome floor instead of brown was the inspiration to create an art deco kitchen.

First the old wall tiles were removed and the surface sanded and repaired where necessary in readiness for painting and a new glass splashback.

Next the doors were painted in a flat grey-green matt emulsion ("Cupboard Green" from Little Greene) both inside and out and the old oak handles replaced with porcelain knobs.

The worktops in this particular kitchen were, remarkably, in good condition so the oak trim was simply painted to match the cupboards.

Finally, the carpet tiles were replaced with new porcelain black and white tile flooring.

These simple changes have transformed an extremely old-fashioned kitchen into an art-deco inspired space on a very small budget. The porcelain floor tiles were sourced from a range of discontinued tiles so even the largest expense was well within budget.

The author has written and published articles on a wide range of topics including Small Business Advice, Tax and Accounting, Interior Design, House Renovation and Project Management.