Seven things you can do to remodel your kitchen without breaking the budget.

So you want a new kitchen, yet you don’t have the time or the money to completely redo everything? Don’t despair. Decorating professionals offer tips to help you renew the old kitchen with an updated, freshened face that leaves enough money to fill the pantry.

1. First and foremost, reduce clutter. A tidy look in the kitchen will go a long way in improving its look. It may take a little time to reorganize, but it costs virtually nothing and pays off in a big way. Stow away food items—bags of chips, bread, and other items that never seem to make it to the cupboard. Small appliances should be stored in a cabinet and brought out only when in use. While pots and pans can look decorative when hanging artfully over a cook top, they never look appealing just sitting on countertops.

2. Consider replacing cabinet door and drawer hardware. The styles and colors available today are astonishing. Choose a theme and search online—you’re likely to find everything from polished brass handles sculpted to resemble leaves or flowers to avant-garde geometric shapes. Just about anything you can envision will have representation in knobs and pulls. Prices are all over the board—everywhere from less than a dollar apiece to over ten dollars apiece depending on the style and material used.

3. Make the most of accent colors. Most likely, the predominant colors in your kitchen are neutrals—white or black appliances, wood-toned cabinets, neutral walls. To brighten and enliven the space, add some splashy colors: a bright red area rug, patterned window coverings in a lively shade, a tablecloth in a deeply saturated purple or green. Coordinate the colors, but don’t overthink the need to have everything match perfectly—it will give the space a contrived look.

4. If cabinetry is old and tired, give some thought to redoing the fronts. This will require a little more work, but is an inexpensive way to change the entire look of your kitchen. For a natural wood look, simply sand and restain the fronts, perhaps with a different color stain. For a kickier look, try a color or color wash for brightness. Remember to seal after painting or staining with a waterproof coating to repel spills and splashes.

5. Get dramatic with wall color. There’s no need to repaint the entire kitchen—sometimes, just adding a dynamic color to one wall, or a portion of a wall will add an impressive touch. Recall some of the elegant restaurants you have visited and remember what colors they used in their dining rooms. Dark colors are not out of the question. Because you are only painting a limited area, the overall look will not be dreary. Deep mauves, dark blues, and deep orangey yellows can all be used to interesting effect.

6. Add a little green—by way of plants. If you have a kitchen with adequate light, use live plants in pots—maybe an herb garden that will prove delightfully useful in cooking. If your kitchen will not support live plants easily (or you hate the chore of caring for them), choose artificial plants. Many are so lifelike that it is difficult to distinguish them from the real thing, even close up.

7. Brighten the floors. Consider adding a natural sisal rug or bamboo area rug.

8. Choose one decorative item as a focal point for the kitchen. It might be a big bowl of colorful fruit (which will also encourage healthier snacks), or a large ceramic vase of fresh flowers. Perhaps you have a favorite tureen that was handed down from your grandmother, or an antique cookie jar that you have always loved. Place it on the kitchen table or a center island for best advantage to draw attention away from the more utilitarian areas of your kitchen.