Every kitchen could use a pick-me-up now and then, which is why we’ve rounded up a handful of kitchen DIY ideas just in time for the holidays.

Whether you have five days, five hours, or five minutes, take some time and freshen up the heart of your home. Even if you’re not a savvy DIY-er, many of these projects take very little creativity or technical skills to accomplish.

1. Chic Shelf Paper

Shelf liner, wallpaper, and even leftover wrapping paper are great ways to freshen up your cabinets. First, it’s perfect for covering up less than savory looking shelf bottoms on older cabinets and inside drawers. It will add a pop of color, or a fun geometric pattern. And finally, it can bring life to open shelving areas, spots where you may have removed your upper cabinet doors altogether, and glass front cabinets, including the china hutch that desperately needs a makeover, like this “after” beauty over at HGTV.

Choose a patterned option for something fun and unexpected, especially if you plan on having your in-laws over for the holidays. You never know when they might be trying to snoop, I mean, find the plates so they can set the table, silly! Another option for a more eco-friendly touch is choosing cork liner. This earthy tone and texture would look great with cabinets that are white, gray, black, or dark brown for a nice color contrast.

2. Savvy Storage

Don’t settle for looking at a boring sack of flour or bag of sugar, if you’re doing any cooking in your kitchen this season, make it easier on the eyes and more efficient by swapping out bulky baggies for cool canisters. Whether you opt for Momtastic blog’s mason jar hack, complete with chalkboard lids for easy labeling, or prefer a modern geometric look to your containers, make it happen before the guests start pouring in.

Branch out from only organizing the ingredients – your tools are just as important. Pick up a few natural baskets or revamped thrift store trays that you can display on your kitchen counters, and fill or stack these with your important tools, like the rolling pin, your cookbook, small cutting board, your favorite seasonings, a paring knife, and other go-to items that you can tote around the space as you cook.

3. Peg Board

If your oven also doubles as the storage space for your pots and pans, then it’s time to find a solution before you end up playing musical chairs with your cooking vessels. Peg board is a great way to make room for these items without the need for extra cabinet or counter space. Simply hang a sheet, paint it, grab your hooks, and start organizing. And don’t limit this kitchen DIY to only pots and pans – cooking utensils, cheese graters, colanders, and pretty much anything with a handle or a hole that doesn’t weigh a ton can be hung here, too. Check out the simple how-to from Inspired by Charm.

4. Seating Solutions

Don’t be tempted to turn your shindig into a B.Y.O.C. event. Instead, create more seating from thrift store finds, or add a little personality to the barstools and chairs you already own. One great solution is to pick up some secondhand seating, even if they don’t match, and create continuity by painting them all the same color, or variations of the same, like they did over at A Beautiful Mess. And still going strong is the popular look of adding just a splash of color by dip dying the legs of chairs and barstools. Either way, these are top notch for a stylish eat-in kitchen.

5. Open Shelving

Open shelving is a great way to display your favorite kitchen possessions, allowing for more storage space in other areas. You can accomplish this by going the traditional thick wood shelf and bracket route, which is always a winner, or by trying something less conventional. Hanging metal baskets are perfect for storing produce, and wall-mounted crates are great rustic ways to display and store kitchen goods. The DIY from 11 Magnolia Lane turned out great!

6. Bar Cart

A cool bar cart, whether revamped from a small dresser, large nightstand, or just a really outdated original, is a great little piece to include in your kitchen. Putting it on casters, if it isn’t already, makes it mobile so you can trek it all around the house. When the holidays roll around, one handy way to make use of your bar cart is to set up a self-serve area with a signature cocktail or hot chocolate station that guests can interact with. This bar cart re-do from Design Sponge is the perfect inspiration piece.

7. Freshen Up

Fresh fruits and veggies are instant kitchen brighteners. Help them stand out by grouping in a large bowl on your counter, or in a trio of glass jars. The vibrant color from a big vessel filled with lemons or green apples is always a nice touch. Another option is stand alone produce, like a gathering of pumpkins, whether decorated or as-is, displayed on your counter. Fresh cut flowers also provide an instant kitchen pick-me-up. A vase, jar, or pitcher filled with a bunch of budding botanicals adds the perfect for a splash of color. Grab some on the morning of your gathering from the local farmer’s market. Yummy Mummy Kitchen has great flower arranging tips.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our simple, yet effective, kitchen DIY ideas! Let us know your favorites on the EcoSalon Facebook page!

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The post 7 Simple Kitchen DIY Ideas You Can Actually Accomplish Before the Holidays appeared first on EcoSalon.

Looking for kitchen ideas to make the center of your home the best it can be?

When it comes to the kitchen, it’s not just the food you choose to buy that counts; the kitchen itself can carry a heavy carbon footprint, from the appliances you use to the materials of which the kitchen is made. Check out these simple kitchen ideas that can revamp your kitchen with low-impact style and sensibility.

1. Non-Toxic Cookware

Non-stick cookware poses potential health risks, so be sure to replace any Teflon-coated cookware with ceramic-coated cookware. Ceramic coating prevents food from sticking to the plans and can stay stable at high temperatures, which means it will not smoke or fume to transfer toxins to your food.

Cuisinart’s Green Gourmet Cookware uses ceramic-based non-stick technology and is designed to conduct heat better. It is also made from 70 percent recycled materials and is backed by a lifetime warranty. Other worthy brands are Bialetti Aeternum, whose cookware is made of titanium and micro-particles of suspended silicate (main ingredient in glass); Original GreenPan, which features Thermolon non-stick technology that can withstand temperatures as high as 850 degrees Fahrenheit without emitting toxic fumes; Ozeri Green Earth Smooth Ceramic Cookware, made of German-engineered Greblon ceramic that is free of PTFE and PFOA; and ScanPan Professional Pans, which features a Green Tek non-stick surface and ceramic titanium coating that’s free of PFOA and PFOS.

2. Bamboo or Acacia Utensils

Bamboo or acacia kitchen utensils are becoming increasingly more popular in the kitchen. Wooden utensils are overall economical and lasting. They are delicate and less abrasive than plastic or metal utensils and offer a more home-like feel to the kitchen environment. Bamboo and acacia are highly-renewable. They grow and regenerate themselves quickly and can be harvested every 3-7 years as opposed to soft-woods, which take up to 20 years. They are also far more durable than other woods. Check out bamboo and acacia kitchen utensils and make the switch.

3. Countertops

There are a variety of options for eco-friendly kitchen countertops – it all depends on your taste. IceStone is the most popular recycled kitchen surface and is made of three core ingredients: 100 percent recycled glass, Portland cement, and pigment. It is safe and durable as well as comes in a variety of colors. Eco by Cosentino is 75 percent postindustrial or post-consumer materials. It has a nonporous surface and requires no sealant. Caesarstone offers a lifetime warranty to its residential customers. It is a nonporous surface and has a Greenguard certification. Teragren produces bamboo surfaces, which is a highly-renewable option and something that will stand the test of time. PaperStone Products makes a 100 percent post-consumer paper surface that is fused with petroleum-free resin extracted from cashew liquids. Coverings Etc. offers a 100 percent recycled glass surface material. Each shade signifies a single waste stream. What started as a graduate school project on sustainable design led to  Tiger Mountain Innovations and its Squak Mountain Stone, hand-cast slabs made from recycled paper and glass bound with low-carbon element.

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Photo Credit: nosha

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