Give your kitchen a budget makeover

Paint the surfaces
A fresh lick of paint in a trendy colour scheme will instantly update your kitchen. Smarten up a grimy interior by creating a feature wall in a bright accent colour, choosing a flamboyant wallpaper print or using stencils or wall stickers to showcase your personality.

Brighten up cupboard doors
Keep the skeleton of the cabinets intact and simply repaint the doors. If they are made of a material that can't be painted, replace them with a wood that can, like MDF.

If you're feeling adventurous, you could also try some decoupage. Cut out designs from wallpaper, magazines or illustrations and glue them onto the cupboard door surfaces, then seal with varnish.

Replace handles
This is a quick and easy way of instantly changing the mood of your kitchen. Swap old cupboard door handles for more contemporary designs or, depending on your taste, select traditional doorknobs for a country-classic feel.

Create a splashback
A tiled splashback behind your hob is another great way of personalising your kitchen. If you are not using pattern elsewhere in the room, you could make the splashback the focal point by creating a mosaic design. Another option is to choose a length of trendy wallpaper and cover it with a sheet of Perspex. Then simply screw tightly to the wall.

Sort out the floor
Flooring is expensive to replace, but if it clashes with your new room design, it will ruin your scheme. You can now buy good quality floor paints from any of the leading brands which are hard wearing and should not chip. Make sure you follow the instructions carefully though, leaving plenty of drying time between coats, and check the suitability of your floor material.

Furnish and accessorise
Replacing your soft furnishings with fabrics that match will help give your kitchen a more unified look. Buy a new tablecloth and blind, and repaint your chairs to match the scheme. You could even use the same fabric to make cushions for the chairs.

If your appliances look worn out, a toaster, breadbin and kettle set in chrome or a bright colour makes a brilliant instant kitchen perk. If you can afford it, treat yourself to an iconic product by a famous designer to complete your look with flair.