Let’s face it. That brown, 20-year-old Westinghouse refrigerator just doesn’t liven up the room like it used to. The display on the range is broken, and the dishwasher, whose color can only be described as “ashy beige,” has a hard food disposer that makes a dissonant crunching sound every time it’s in use. Not to mention you’ve wanted to replace cabinets, tiling and counter tops practically for a while now.

Believe it or not, it’s time to update your kitchen!

Miele Independence Series KF1911SFSS

Refreshing your kitchen can be expensive, yes, but you don’t have to do it all at once. Whether you’re replacing everything because of wear and tear, or because you want to increase your home resale value, you’re better off replacing your home appliances first before you gut the entire kitchen. Keep in mind that even buying all high-end appliances is cheaper than the average total cost of granite counter tops and oak cabinets, and upgrading the look of your kitchen is a lot easier than removing everything and starting from scratch. If you want to start updating your kitchen, but don’t want to break the bank, your best bet is to scope out replacements for your refrigerator and cooking appliances.

Since you’re updating and not doing a complete overhaul (no sledgehammers necessary), you’re going to want to find appliances that fit into the spaces of your soon-to-be “junk.” For built-in products, such as wall ovens, cooktops and refrigerators, you will need models that fit the spaces provided. If you have freestanding appliances and want to replace them with newer freestanding appliances, you can play with the dimensions a bit, but only if you want a slightly smaller appliance (in terms of width, capacity, etc.).

With new appliances also come new functions that were introduced since you last made changes to your kitchen. A friend of mine recently removed a black built-in refrigerator discontinued in 1991 in favor of a Miele Independence Series KF1911SFSS, which not only made his kitchen shine with its all-stainless steel glory, but came with a slew of amazing bells and whistles. The brilliant proprietary lighting inside startled me, since I’m used to the lone, dim light at the front of a refrigerator. The idea that a refrigerator can send out messages over Wi-Fi for service issues is a feature I still talk about here in the office.

Even if the new fridge functioned the same as the old one, the look of it brought a breath of fresh air into the kitchen. My friend didn’t replace his cabinets or anything else yet, but the one refrigerator made a huge difference in the overall appeal of the kitchen. Adding a different color or style to your kitchen, from replacing only the refrigerator to replacing all kitchen appliances, can make a great impact and lasting impression on both the look and value of your kitchen.