The market is improving and many home owners are ready to start updating the homes they've been stuck in for the past few years. Since the most return on investment normally comes with updating kitchen's and bath's, plus the fact that the kitchen is such a highly-used space, the kitchen often becomes the construction zone as home owners want it right. If you're in the process of a kitchen renovation or maybe you're building your own home, be sure to have them builder add some of the following finishing touches so that your kitchen looks complete. The ones that you decide to go with may be dictated by the style of your home, so don't plan to incorporate every single one. But definitely review the list and determine which details are right for your kitchen space.

Depending on your kitchen layout and the cabinet materials, matching ends is a very important finishing touch. The side panels on cabinets can be eyesores and in the middle of a beautiful kitchen, you don't want this simple little detail to haunt you. Matching ends are easy to make and install, it's basically just another cabinet door made to the size of the exposed side of the cabinet and applied. It sort of makes the cabinet look like there's a side door but there's no handle. It's nice. And it makes a big difference. So go for the matching ends!

Crown molding is always a nice finishing touch in kitchens as well. Now, again, this goes back to the style of kitchen that you have, but if you have something a little more traditional or even transitional this would be perfect. Not only does it bring height to your cabinets, it actually adds depth & dimensions. It can make your cabinets feel like an architectural detail which steps up the whole look of the kitchen. There are a variety of sizes and styles of crown molding too, so if you prefer something a little more simple with clean lines because you're trying avoid an overly-orate or traditional kitchen, you can still have molding without going that route.

Adding a pop of color is a sure fire way to make your kitchen feel custom and unique to you. This could be in the form of painted cabinets or maybe just a painted island or even colorful appliances. If the painted look isn't something you like, you may be able to do colorful hardware or a fun backsplash. Color really spices things up!

One of our favorite designer details in a kitchen is glass front cabinets. It's not something to go overboard with but it can be done in a variety of ways to really make a kitchen look finished. The nice thing about glass front doors is that they come in so many different styles--single-paned, frosted, multi-paned, etched...you can get it with wood mullions or metal...just really so versatile. We like using them in small bits, like over the range or in smaller doors to add variety without the hassle. Remember, the cabinets that have glass front doors need to be kept nicer than the others since everyone can see in.

This are some of the main items that we feel could be over-looked details that, if added to a kitchen, make for a really big overall impact. If you have to spend so much time in this space, it might as well be exactly how you want it, right?! We think so!

Finishing Touches | Kitchen Edition