8 Design Ideas to Make Your Kitchen Not Boring

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in a home. Often described as the "heart" of the home, it's probably one of the areas that you'll spend most of your time in. So, if you're going to spend so much time in a room, you want to love it, right? You want to feel good every time you walk in.

Kitchens also feel like one of the rooms where so many of the design trends focus on, and they usually are in and out of fashion pretty quick. All white kitchens, peninsulas vs islands, top cabinets or open shelves, stone vs wood countertops, the list goes on and on. And while all of these design trends have their place and can look beautiful, we want to focus on some design trends that we believe are a little more timeless and will keep you falling in love with your kitchen every time you walk in.

So without further ado, let's dive into these 8 design ideas that will finally make your kitchen NOT boring.

Please note, we may earn a small amount of money if you click on any of the links below or buy any mentioned products.

Unique Hardware for Cabinets

While not necessarily the biggest thing in your kitchen, the hardware on your cabinets and drawers do tend to catch people's eyes, and they are a great place to start spicing up your kitchen design without having to spend too much money or putting in a ton of work. There are a TON of different designs and finishes that you can choose for your hardware, so really the only limit is your imagination! Most modern kitchens are opting for matte black hardware, and while this is a beautiful option, especially with white cabinets, we encourage everyone to take a look at some of the other options and see if something more unique catches your eye!

If you are going with dark blue cabinets for example, take a look at some brass or gold options. If you have dark brown cabinets, that matte black may be the best color, but you can always get a little creative with the design and shape of the hardware!

Heck, there are even leather handle pulls, like the ones in the first picture of this article, that look amazing and will definitely catch your eye whenever you're in your kitchen.

Opt For a Nook

If you have a small corner in your kitchen that you aren't quite sure what to do with, try adding in a breakfast nook! Not only will this give your kitchen a cozier feel and add more seating, it will add more style to your room and is a great value-add.

If you have a little extra room, you can add in a built-in bench or seating like the above picture, but it's definitely not necessary! If you want to just try out the idea, you can just buy a small table (round usually works better for a small corner) and a few chairs.

Bold Cabinet Color

We don't want this to sound like we are against white cabinets or even dark/light brown cabinets. We think these more mainstream choices look great in so many kitchens, but if you want to shake things up a bit, a major way you can do that is by switching up the cabinet color to something a bit more bold, such as green or blue.

Now, this is definitely more of an investment and more of a permanent choice (unless you want to be repainting all the cabinets a week later), so definitely think on this one a bit more than some of the other choices in this list.

But, if you have the vision and the right accessories to compliment the bold color, we say go for it!

One of our favorite combinations is dark blue cabinets, gold or brushed brass hardware, and predominately white granite or marble countertops.

You could also go dark green, brass hardware, and a lighter countertop. One important thing to note here; we would generally recommend a lighter countertop if you are going with darker cabinets. Contrast is always a good thing!

A Portable Island Table

Most kitchens in homes these days have an island. They've been a big in-demand design piece for a while now, and there's a clear reason for that. They provide a central gathering spot for the whole family in the kitchen. People can sit at the island and interact with whoever is cooking, they can be a spot to do homework, share a meal, and so much more. Practically speaking, they provide extra counter space and sometimes extra storage!

We are definitely lovers of the island, but if you are looking for a bit of a unique take on the traditional kitchen island, think about instead using a table! Using a normal table in the center of your kitchen versus the traditional solid island will give your room a cozier feel, almost like the kitchen of an old English cottage out in the countryside.

While islands are beautiful, they usually are pretty limited in the design aspect. They usually match the rest of your kitchen (some have contrasting cabinet colors) and can sometimes make your kitchen feel cramped if they are too big. A table on the other hand allows you so much more freedom in the design and look.

Along with the extra design freedom, tables can sitll provide a great space for gathering and usually some storage on the lower levels!

Add Some Green to Your Kitchen

A simple and budget friendly design idea for making your kitchen a little more exciting is to add some greenery to the room! Plants just seem to look at home in a kitchen, whether it is a house plant, or maybe some herbs or flowers, whatever plants you like the most will most likely look great in your kitchen.

If you don't have a ton of direct sunlight in your kitchen, there are a bunch of house plants that will thrive in indirect sun conditions. Or, you can buy a stylish grow house that provides it's own light and grow some flowers or herbs right on your kitchen counter!

Add a Unique Floor Design

Of course, a lot of our attention when we are in our house is on pieces that are eye level or above. While focusing on cabinets and backsplash and these kind of pieces is very important, we can't forget about the floors!

Your kitchen is the perfect place to get creative with your flooring. Whether you want to put in a unique and personal tile design (like the picture above) or you want to be more traditional with a herringbone wood floor design, you definitely have some options here to add to your kitchen's aesthetics and create a WOW factor!

Use Lighting to Create a Statement Piece

Lighting is such an important aspect of creating a vibe and decor style in your home, and your kitchen lighting is no different!

Depending on the size of your kitchen, you'll most likely want to go with a few pendant lights or one larger chandelier. We think both of these options look amazing, it just really depends on your personal preference and how much room you have in your kitchen!

Need some ideas for the perfect lighting piece? Check out the links below!

Modern Farmhouse Inspired Kitchen Chandelier

Cute Lantern Style Kitchen Pendant Light at Wayfair

Make sure to let your creativity flow when picking out a lighting piece. Pendant lights or a chandelier are meant to stand out, so get a little quirky and go out on a limb when selecting one for your kitchen!

Install a Unique Faucet

Sinks usually tend to act as the center of the kitchen. Whether you are doing dishes, washing your hands, prepping food, you are probably spending quite a bit of time in front of or near the sink. If you spend so much time looking at your sink, shouldn't your faucet look good? Faucets shouldn't just be thought of as a practical tool that are required in a kitchen. They should be seen as a piece that can be beautiful and serve both a practical and aesthetic purpose.

Want some ideas for beautiful faucets? Check the links below!

Beautiful Matte Black Pull Down Faucet at Wayfair

Minimalist and Simple Gold Faucet at Wayfair

We hope you enjoyed these design ideas and we hope that they gave you some inspiration or food for thought on how to transform your kitchen into a more exciting space and placing your own stamp of creativity on the room!