• A kitchen overlooking a dining room or breakfast nook feels larger.modern kitchen image by Melking from Fotolia.com
  
  A do-it-yourself (DIY) kitchen project saves you the cost of a home contractor. Materials cost enough without labor costs. Each kitchen idea should fulfill your long-term needs for space utilization. It will be much easier and cheaper to change wallpaper, paint or window treatments than it will be to remodel a kitchen with new cabinets, appliances and floors.
  
  

Add Color

• If you have wood cabinetry that you hate, a perfect way to change the kitchen is to apply a new finish to the cabinets the DIY way. For example, if you have dreary cabinets made of wood, you can paint them a solid white or cream or resurface them with a new wood finish. The wood finish may look outdated and a makeover of the exterior saves the cost of new cabinets and cabinet installation. Before you choose a new finish or paint color, take pictures of your cabinets and get suggestions for the right materials from a cabinet salesperson at the home improvement store.
  
  

Stencils

• Adding color to the kitchen constitutes a simple way to make the room feel bright and cheery. If you are happy with the cabinets and walls, another DIY option is to stencil the walls. Choose a bright color like fuchsia to make over plain white walls, say HGTV experts Jennifer and Kitty O'Neill. Stenciling may take one day or it may take longer if you want to repeat the pattern every so many inches on the kitchen walls.
  
  

Kitchen Island

• Update a one-wall kitchen that does not provide enough workspace with a new kitchen island. The fastest way is to buy a movable kitchen island. A DIY project involves making your own island or installing a custom island from a cabinetry/countertop designer. In order to accommodate the principles of universal design, there should be at least 38 inches of space on all sides of the island. If you don't have enough floor space, a movable island might work better because you can move it off to the side.
  
  

Crown Molding

• Another easy DIY project involves adding crown molding in the kitchen. This project idea provides an instant upgrade to a kitchen without requiring changes to walls or cabinets. Using a drill, for example, install plain wood crown molding (from the hardware store) and paint over it. Using white or cream paint provides a kitchen with trim. In some kitchens, it looks nice to add matching trim along the middle of the walls, such as along the upper edge of the lower cabinets or on the empty walls.