• Paint the walls This task is both low-tech and high-impact. Clean the walls with warm water and a degreaser first, then use a good latex or oil-base semigloss enamel. Prime first if you’re covering a dark or extra-bright color. • Quick click Install a new laminate floor. This is a prime do-it-yourself project. Most systems now click together without glue or fasteners, and the result is a durable and easy-to-clean surface. Choose from designs that mimic the natural appeal of wood or stone, or check out patterns and colors straight from a designer’s palette. • Vertical view Who says a kitchen has to be all business? Build a shallow wall niche to display fine art, photos, or collectibles. Target an open wall area and see what you can fit between the studs; if you have the carpentry skills, you can modify the stud wall slightly to make a wider niche. With the wallboard removed and some trim added, you’ll have an instant display space. • Open spaces Remove ceiling-mounted cabinets. This suspended cabinetry, often installed above peninsula countertops, was a feature in a lot of 1970s kitchens. But it blocks the view to adjacent rooms and creates prime head-bumping opportunities. Even if you can’t make up all the storage elsewhere, removing the cabinet will make your kitchen feel much more open and friendly. It’s quick to do; most of the required time involves patching and repainting the ceiling. • Surface treatment Refinish a hardwood floor. Sometimes it isn’t practical to bring out the heavy equipment (drum or belt sanders) in the confined spaces of a kitchen, but lighter-duty finishing floor sanders will remove just the old finish or stain and some light scratches below them. Allow a day to mask off the base cabinets, sand, vacuum, and apply new stain (or the first thinned coat of clear finish). Apply second and third coats of finish the next day. Water-base stains and finishes dry faster and don’t emit heavy fumes, but they raise the wood grain enough to require additional sanding. • Office space Add a desk cabinet for a homework or organizing station in a remote corner too inconvenient for food prep. Many cabinet manufacturers offer desk units that match their kitchen lines, so there’s no need for an expensive custom installation. Be sure to provide an electrical outlet, phone line, and cable outlet for convenience and computer use.