The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in your home, so if you want to give your home a fresh look and renovate it, the kitchen is a good place to start. If you plan to make major changes, bring in a renovation contractor so they can help you come up with a new floor plan and choose the upgrades that fit your budget. 

You'll need blueprints to give all the subcontractors and the codes office to get a permit. The contractor may also make a virtual kitchen to show you how your new kitchen will look. This allows you to finalize your plans with confidence.

Here are five ideas for your kitchen renovation.

1. Consider Shades Of Green, Blue, Or Gray

Dark cabinets with granite countertops have been popular for years and now new colors are getting to be trendy. White cabinets with marble countertops are popular, and so are certain shades of blue, green, and gray. Gray cabinets with marble countertops that have rich gray or black veins are a new, fresh look you might enjoy.

2. Install A Skylight Or Solar Tube

You can't have too much illumination in your kitchen. If your kitchen seems dreary, consider adding a skylight or solar tube to the room. You can even add a solar tube if there's a second floor above your kitchen. These flood your kitchen with bright natural lighting.

3. Create A Breakfast Nook

If you'd like a table in the kitchen, but you don't want it to take up a lot of room, you might consider installing a breakfast nook against a wall. If you put the nook under a window, you might even want to replace the window with a bay window that adds extra space to your kitchen nook area and provides a nice view of the outside while you're eating breakfast.

4. Get All New Appliances

New luxury appliances are an excellent upgrade for your kitchen renovation. You'll enjoy cooking with the most modern oven and cooktop. Plus, a new refrigerator will have the latest technology and design. If your appliances now are outdated or mismatched, getting matching stainless steel, white, or black appliances could make a big difference in how your kitchen looks and functions.

5. Build A Pantry

A pantry gives you a place where you can store all of your food and excess cooking equipment so your kitchen is less cluttered. Plus, things are easier to reach on a pantry shelf than they are in a top cabinet. When you have a pantry, you could even have fewer cabinets. You might want shelves instead so you could show off decorative dishware or glass jars with dried food.