How to Choose an Expensive-looking Kitchen Without Breaking the Bank: Expert Tips

A kitchen is one of the most important spaces in an apartment for most people. Even if you hardly cook, this area always wants to be well-planned, convenient, and stylish. However, many believe that at the design stage, they inevitably have to choose between an impressive and expensive kitchen or a simple option that won't hit the wallet.

We're happy to tell you: you can set up a kitchen that looks luxurious and not spend extra. Together with designers from ArtMonopolia Studio and Leroy Merlin expert, we tell how to design a kitchen that looks expensive and stylish while not breaking the bank and not compromising on quality.

Kitchen 'Resh Blue + Resh White', Leroy Merlin

ArtMonopolia Design Studio

Thoughtful Material Selection

A kitchen is a space with increased humidity and temperature. If you choose an inappropriate material that quickly loses its appearance, the space will definitely not look stylish. It's not necessary to prefer premium materials for creating an impressive kitchen: you can choose facades with interesting textures—stone or metal finishes.

Film, plastic, or particle board with original imitation also look impressive. In addition to textures and materials, a kitchen can become more expensive due to relief surfaces—perforation or beautiful vertical decorative elements.

Kitchen 'Santiago', Leroy Merlin Round Kitchen Table Delinia Versailles, 2 persons, d 90 cm, white color
Drawer Handle for Delinia Collection 'Asha'
Door for Delinia ID Cabinet 'Asha' 60x77 cm, Particle Board, white color

If speaking about wood, avoid choosing open knotty and striped textures. They significantly cheapen the external appearance. Pay attention to complex, almost monochromatic dark chocolate shades. From light ones, you can take unsaturated beech or oak textures without yellow tones.

Leroy Merlin Expert Tip: all materials used for making kitchens by Leroy Merlin are natural wood, MDF with film coating, particle board with plastic—have resistance to high humidity and have undergone appropriate tests. When designing a kitchen, you only need to choose the style and color palette that will make the kitchen impressive: thanks to the quality of materials, the space will not lose its original look and will look expensive even after a long time.

Choosing Kitchen Style

To make the kitchen design meet all current trends, it's important to develop visual awareness and be inspired by harmonious examples. Prefer interiors that evoke a response, but don't forget about functionality—the space should be not only beautiful but also practical.

Kitchen 'Nordic + Asha Red', Leroy Merlin Concrete countertop, 240x3.8x60 cm, particle board, dark gray color
Drawer Delinia ID 56.8x18.4x48.3 cm, metal
Oven Cabinet Electrolux OEEB4330W 59.4x58.9x56.1 cm, white color

Leroy Merlin Expert Tip: today there are no strict boundaries in following one or another style—originality, uniqueness, and personalization are in fashion. From our facades, you can create a unique interior: collections are balanced by style and price. The ideal option is easy to find for lovers of completely different directions—you can design a classic kitchen or modern interior, prefer natural decoration, or plan an unconventional designer space—the range includes facades meeting any user needs.

Tip from INMYROOM: thanks to Leroy Merlin, realize any stylistic solution—from brutal loft to cozy Scandinavian. At the same time, you won't sacrifice quality or spend extra.

The company cares about its customers and stays up-to-date with time: recently, Leroy Merlin introduced an updated line of Delinia ID kitchens. The unique kitchen can adapt to the consumer and their needs: create a space that suits you exactly.

You can choose facades from a wide range, find harmonious materials, install cabinets of ideal size and built-in appliances, plan the color and shape of handles, number of sliding drawers, and even organize a child's module—the Delinia ID kitchens give you the opportunity to realize any idea and achieve a luxury effect with small means.

Working with Color

The main rule when choosing a palette: simple open colors often cheapen the kitchen. Be cautious with accents—they can be used partially—in decorative elements, as a border, or thin line. Complex shades do not lose relevance: they add a unique touch to the interior. For kitchen decoration, you can choose an unsaturated dark blue shade or a complex dark green, emerald color, and beige and gray shades blend especially well with wood texture.

Kitchen 'Asha White + Asha Beige', Leroy Merlin Floor Frame Delinia ID 60x76.8x56 cm, particle board, white color
Installed Dishwasher Electrolux EKA12111L, 45x90 cm, depth 55 cm

Leroy Merlin Expert Tip: in 2021, there was a rise in the relevance of eco-friendly elements and a stronger desire to be closer to nature. In trends, leading positions were taken by calm natural color palettes and natural materials: gray, beige, and deep green shades. For more vivid experiments, you can choose a deep blue, gray, green, or red.

With a limited budget, it's better to prefer harmonious combinations that will remain relevant for many years: white, gray, or beige shades. Remember that a calm base interior can always be supplemented with bright accents, changing them depending on your mood or following the latest trends.

Also, don't forget that white color is considered one of the most successful shades for kitchen decoration: it visually expands space and increases room lighting.

By the way, Leroy Merlin has a wide range of color solutions, thanks to which you can choose the most suitable shade for your interior and create a beautiful kitchen that won't lose its relevance.

Planning the Layout

Proper placement of furniture and other items on the kitchen is one of the most important points in space decoration. Mistakes and blunders not only cheapen the appearance but mostly make the kitchen inconvenient to use. If you don't provide enough storage space, create an inconvenient working triangle, or passages prove too narrow, the space will become maximally impractical—for a kitchen, this is unacceptable.

Leroy Merlin Expert Tip: before starting the design, you must measure the room. The initial measurement can be done yourself: measure walls, width and height, door and window openings, mark the location of power supply (outlets), water supply and drainage, and if present—mark gas pipes, air ducts, ventilation.

Kitchen 'Newport White', Leroy Merlin Chair Base Delinia 'Marseilles' 43×90 cm, white color
Chair Seat Delinia 'Marseilles' 43.5×40.5 cm, white color
Countertop 'Vereska', 240x3.8x60 cm, particle board, beige color

To plan a convenient kitchen and create a beautiful design project, it's not necessary to spend large sums on services of famous designers. You can turn to specialists at Leroy Merlin who will completely free help you design your kitchen.

Only the desire to create a harmonious space is required from the client: you don't even have to make measurements—measurers can be called to your home. In other aspects, experts at Leroy Merlin will help. The renovation will become a real pleasure: just register on the website for free design, and an experienced professional will help create your dream kitchen and process the order.

To order everything necessary, you won't have to leave your home—the kitchen items can easily be purchased online. If you're worried something might go wrong, Leroy Merlin has project support feature: in the messenger, you can clarify questions with a manager.

A beautiful kitchen will be manufactured and delivered in short time: the delivery of the kitchen happens already the next day, and assembly—within a week from the order.

Attention to Furniture and Accessories

The contents of your kitchen directly depend on your habits: how often you cook, eat at home, and host guests. If you cook a lot, in addition to convenient drawer sets, pay attention to the sink and tap: the sink should be deep, of a comfortable size with a wide base, and the tap—tall with a retractable spout. A range hood is recommended to choose powerful so that no odors fill the apartment room.

Speaking about standalone furniture, everything is determined by your habits. Do you like hosting guests? Then think carefully about the dining group. Let the table be foldable (if space allows), and the chairs—comfortable.

Do you not cook or eat at home? Perhaps a bar counter will be enough for you. In this case, pay attention to the height of the counter and chairs. If your apartment's area is small and you sometimes work at a table on the kitchen, choose a comfortable half-chair: it's unlikely you will be comfortable working at a stool or hard chair.

In the range of Leroy Merlin, you will find furniture meeting any needs—the kitchen tables fit perfectly into the interior and make your kitchen cozy and stylish.

Kitchen 'Oxford', Leroy Merlin Induction Cooktop Electrolux IPE6440WI, 4 burners, 59x49 cm, white color
Handle-Rail 128 mm, CAM, steel
Installed Microwave Electrolux LMS2173EMW, white color

Accessories can make the space unique or ruin all attempts to make the kitchen stylish and expensive. Carefully select handles: in modern interiors, it's trendy to make round handle-buttons—they blend perfectly with facades of complex shades.

It's important to pay attention to countertop accessories—holders, dispensers, racks, and rails. An abundance of small items and objects on the kitchen surface will kill all design. If the kitchen is overloaded with details or has a bright unusual apron, everything should be cleared off the work surface—the kitchen without small items looks much cleaner and more elegant.

Open storage of cutlery, spatulas, and tableware is suitable for interiors in loft and Scandinavian styles. In any other case, we recommend storing all these items in kitchen cabinet drawers.

Kitchen 'Tomari', Leroy Merlin

Leroy Merlin Expert Tip: modern hardware will be a decoration on any kitchen. Pay special attention to handles—they can transform the look of even budget furniture. Also, make a separate emphasis on using lifting mechanisms—this solution allows you to easily open cabinet doors and not be restricted in movement when the drawer is open.

Among accessories, suspended rail systems in most popular colors—universal chrome and matte black—are in demand, which always look expensive.

Don't Forget: It's Also Important What's Inside

Many mistakenly believe that the main element on a kitchen is facades, and what's hidden inside can be saved on. From this belief, it's better to move away: quality content of the kitchen plays a huge role. For example, if you save on rail systems or sliding baskets, space in the cabinets may run out, and things will start appearing on surfaces, overloading the space. It's precisely internal cabinet filling that makes the furniture functional.

Trash containers, organizers, and cleaning accessories—all this needs to be thought out carefully. Without proper content, a stylish design will soon become disharmonious, and the kitchen won't be comfortable to use. Each item should have its place, and the items themselves shouldn't spoil the interior: if behind a beautiful facade are colorful cheap plastic containers, all aesthetics will go to waste.

Kitchen: Leroy Merlin Oval Kitchen Table Delinia Toulouse, 4 persons, 119x75 cm, glass
Door for Delinia ID Cabinet 'Asha Grey' 77×40 cm, particle board, light gray color

Leroy Merlin Expert Tip: in any kitchen, the content plays a big role besides the external appearance. For example, each cabinet has its purpose and can be filled. Near or under the sink, you can organize a dish rack. Having a hygiene tray under the sink extends the lifespan of the furniture and protects it from moisture—this solution is an investment in quality of your kitchen.

It's convenient when there is a tray for tableware in sliding drawers—it simplifies storage organization. Sliding systems (buckets) for sorting waste and a shredder will help store and process waste properly: you'll forget about unpleasant odors and protect yourself and the environment from harmful toxins.

It's also important to choose quality household appliances—stovetops, ovens, refrigerators, and microwave ovens. Buying a dishwasher will free up personal time and save resources.

Kitchen 'Nordic + Asha White', Leroy Merlin

By the way, in Leroy Merlin you can find a wide range of household appliances and buy everything necessary in one place. It's important that all devices are built into the furniture, have wide functionality, don't require large expenses, and complement any interior well—they are a real find for consumers. You can order household appliances with delivery, and also use the services of an installer.

Featured image: Kitchen 'Berlin', Leroy Merlin