Our kitchen was the first project we tackled when we moved into our home several years ago. At the time, it felt like the space I had always dreamed of and it served our needs well. But a lot has changed since then, especially with the growing of our family so it was time to make some small kitchen upgrades.
We spend so much of our days at home in the kitchen. Between weekly grocery hauls, snacks for the kids, endless leftovers, family meals and those middle-of-the-night trips downstairs to make a bottle, our kitchen has become one of the hardest-working rooms in our home.
Instead of taking on a major kitchen remodel, we partnered with Lowe’s to focus on a few small kitchen upgrades that made a huge difference in both the look and functionality of the space. The centerpiece of the project was a new smart refrigerator and then we added a few simple details to compliment the space like new cabinet hardware, smart ambient lighting, and a few safety features. These carried the smarter, more functional feeling throughout the entire room and I truly love how it turned out.
*Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Lowe’s Home Improvement & it does contain affiliate links which I may receive a commission for if used at no additional cost to you. Read more about my advertising policy here.
Before & After: Our Smart Kitchen Refresh
In looking at these comparisons side by side, it’s obvious that we didn’t make any huge alterations to the space. What it really boils down to are the smaller details when you look up close and little changes we made to make the room more functional. And at the heart of the kitchen now sits a smart refrigerator, which is really where the idea for this project began. Let’s dive into all of the small kitchen upgrades we implemented that all ended up making a huge difference in the way we use our kitchen space.
Our Smart Refrigerator: The Heart of the Room
When brainstorming our small remodel for our kitchen, we knew that we wanted there to be a focal point around the refrigerator. After all, the fridge is what keeps the entire kitchen spinning so it was important that we chose one that would fit our needs and hopefully last for years to come as we weave in and out of all different seasons of life with our kids.
The refrigerator also takes up a lot of visual space in the kitchen, so upgrading it can instantly change the look and feel of the room. But we didn’t just want something that looked smarter, we wanted something that would actually make our everyday kitchen routine easier.
After a good amount of research, we decided on the Samsung Bespoke AI Refrigerator from Lowe’s. It has a standard-depth, zero clearance fit with french doors and fingerprint resistant stainless steel. We chose the option that has an inside water dispenser only instead of a dual, exterior door ice maker and I love that this keeps the appliance looking extra sleek. It truly is beautiful and fits our space so well, giving us more space for weekly groceries, endless snacks and leftovers. The extra storage space has been a huge game changer for keeping a fully stocked kitchen that keeps up with our busy routine! This is one of those small kitchen upgrades that really goes a long way in making the heart of the home a lot more functional and the rest of the room kind of flows around it.
And because it’s a smart appliance, it adds functionality beyond simply keeping our cold food. We can monitor the refrigerator from our phone which means we can check on it without having to physically be in the kitchen. This gives me peace of mind knowing our food is staying fresh even when we aren’t home to check on it. And its ENERGY STAR certification is the cherry on top, saving us energy and money in the long run!
Lowe’s delivered and installed the new fridge for us and they also hauled away our old one. This eliminated so much of the hassle involved in making a huge appliance switch and I am so glad we went this route.
Shop the Samsung Bespoke AI Refrigerator here
Smart Kitchen Lighting for Everyday Convenience
Once we chose the refrigerator that best fit our space, it was time to bring that same idea of smarter functionality to the rest of the kitchen and lighting is one of the best places to start with small kitchen upgrades that have a big impact.
We added smart light bulbs in the parts of the kitchen where hands-free convenience makes sense in our everyday routine. When my hands are full carrying groceries and holding my baby, or trying to get something done in the kitchen, having lights I can control without reaching for a switch is a small luxury that has quickly become something I don’t know how I ever lived without. I can control them from my phone to turn them on in advance and even set default brightness, color hues and more all in my connected smart home app. This has been huge for making all of the little moments in the kitchen more functional.
It’s also especially helpful at night when middle-of-the-night feeds put me in the kitchen making bottles when the whole house is dark and quiet. Instead of having to turn on all of the bright kitchen lights, I can take advantage of ambient lighting with smart setting features that give me just enough light to see what I am doing without waking everyone up.
Lowe’s has so many great smart lighting options to choose from at a great price and I’ve linked all of the ones we used in our setup here.
Shop our smart kitchen lighting here
Updated Cabinet Hardware for an Easy Style Refresh
Another incredibly easy kitchen upgrade is to change out your cabinet hardware so I was really excited to add this step to our project. It ended up being one of my favorite parts of this kitchen project and it totally transformed the look and vibe of our kitchen space. We went with these gorgeous Allen + Roth handles in a Champagne bronze finish from Lowe’s and I love how they look against the white cabinets in our space.
Our cabinets themselves were still in pretty good shape, so replacing them wasn’t necessary but I wanted to swap out the hardware to take it from Farmhouse to a traditional, classic style that would seamlessly integrate into the design of the rest of our home.
Our cabinet hinges had been previously spray-painted black so I had to strip them to get them back to their natural brass finish which ended up matching the handles pretty well. You can either use 100% acetone to achieve this or an affordable paint stripper like this one from Lowe’s here.
New cabinet hardware is a great option if you are looking for kitchen makeover ideas without a full renovation. You can completely update the style of the room with just a small, yet impactful switch and I truly think it made all the difference in elevating our space!
And because we’re in a stage of life where our kids are becoming increasingly curious and able to reach everything, we added cabinet door sensors into our smarter-kitchen setup. This gives me peace of mind knowing that I’ll get an alert anytime they try to get to those products under the kitchen sink, or into a cluttered cabinet that I don’t want them reaching.
Shop our new cabinet hardware & smart upgrades
How We Used Statement Lighting to Transform our Kitchen
One of the visions I had for really elevating our home with a few small kitchen upgrades was to bring in more traditional, timeless accents. I knew that one of the biggest changes for achieving this would be in replacing the pendant lights above our kitchen island. These Jonathan brand Ojai Iron Classic Rubbed Bronze Lantern hanging pendant lights from Lowe’s were the perfect find and they are absolutely beautiful. There are a few different finish options to choose from and I personally loved this variety that features both black and brass accents.
To complete the space, we added LED strip lights to the toe-kick of our cabinets to add warmth and ambient dimension to the space. The under-cabinet lighting is especially helpful for everyday tasks like prepping food and cleaning up after dinner but I especially love them for those middle of the night trips to the kitchen or on gloomy days when the space doesn’t get enough natural light. It really gives the whole kitchen a completely different atmosphere, and I love that we can control them from our phone, too!
Don’t forget to add a diffuser channel over your LED strip lights to avoid those harsh individual light dots that reflect off the lights. These ones from Lowe’s help achieve that smooth, even line of light while also protecting the strip and managing heat.
Small Kitchen Upgrades that Work Better for This Stage of Life
Our space didn’t need to become completely different to make it work better for the stage of life we’re in now. It just needed a few small kitchen upgrades that will carry us into the next several years of life as we raise our kids and maintain a bustling lifestyle.
The Samsung Bespoke AI Refrigerator is definitely the hero of the kitchen, but it’s a combination of all the smaller details that makes the space feel complete. It’s smarter, more functional and honestly just feels a little more like us.
When you’re raising a family, the best home upgrades aren’t necessarily the big DIY projects that completely renovate a space. They’re the ones that make the everyday little things like putting away groceries, making dinner, grabbing a quick snack or making a midnight bottle just a little bit easier.
And that’s exactly what we achieved with this kitchen refresh project. Thankfully, Lowe’s made it incredibly easy to find everything in one place at a great price and I can always count on them to have what I need in stock when I’m in a pinch and have to make a hardware store run in the middle of a project!
Shop all of the tools, hardware, appliances and accent pieces in our kitchen space rounded up here on my Lowe’s storefront!
I hope you enjoyed this look at the practical ways we made our kitchen more functional without a full renovation. Have any questions? Leave a comment below and I would be happy to help! Happy DIY-ing!
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