The (Sort of) Quick Fix
“Appliances are the hardest things to deal with,” Heidi Karpa, ASID, NKBA member, and a host on HGTVKitchenDesign.com, says.

If you’re brave, pull out the paintbrush. Giving your fridge a new coat will add a large swath of color to your room. “But it scratches really easy,” Nicole Sassaman, ASID, says. And the prep work—roughing up the surface, slapping on the primer—might make your stomach churn. This is an expensive appliance you’re beating up, after all.

Sassaman suggests that, if you’re truly dedicated to getting your makeover from a can, you use chalkboard paint. “It’s one of the few things that will actually work,” she says. “Plus, it’s fun and looks great."

A Trade Secret
Buy new panels for your appliances, Sassaman says. “Most people don’t realize that, like on your dishwasher, you can just switch the panel out,” she says. Numerous companies offer kits, both premade and custom fit, that can morph your beater dishwasher into a stainless-steel dream, turn your trash compactor into a color blast, or even make your refrigerator into an ode to Jeff Gordon.

The refrigerator, above right, is a newer model designed to accept decorative panels, such as this photographic enlargement protected by plexiglass.

An Unexpected Look
Add fabric to your appliances for a custom look, Karpa says. Recently she covered an old refrigerator with easy-clean imitation leather. “I was shocked at how great it looked,” she says. She cut panels of fabric, leaving a bit extra for a finished edge. Iron-on adhesive meant no seams to stitch. To put the fabric on the fridge itself, Karpa used spray adhesive, carefully smoothing as she went.