#Simple ways to improve the kitchen

Simple, budget-friendly ways to improve the kitchen - the most important room in the house.

My pronouncements about taste, kitchen worktops, indoor swings and the like have inspired many readers to respond with descriptions of their own kitchens. Barbara Elsmore has sent me pictures of her beautiful Hampshire home, which has benefited from her expertise in upholstery, mosaic and clever junk-shop scouring. She estimates she has saved up to £5,000 by painting her own kitchen furniture.

Kitchens soak up money like no other room. It seems that they have no ceiling when it comes to budget. If you want to install a new kitchen, or refresh your existing one without spending a fortune, it is important to remember a few key points.

First, decide whether you want fitted or free-standing furniture. If you go for free-standing, then you can save a lot of money, as you can design your dream kitchen exactly to your needs. Barbara picked up an old wooden table from a junk shop, a bookcase left behind when the local post office closed and an old chest of drawers given to her by a friend. Painted in Farrow Ball and wax-polished, they now have an attractive vintage look.

Buying dressers from auctions, garden furniture or chests of drawers from car-boot sales and a bit of imagination, you can furnish your kitchen for next to nothing. Remember to take a tape measure, however, because a jumble of varying heights might result in a bit of a giddying effect, particularly if you don t have much space.

If all that traipsing around sounds a bit much, but you still want the free-standing look, I recommend the new Sonoma Light collection of separate pieces from M S, which is made mostly from solid American oak. You can get a three-drawer base unit for £449, a two-door one for £499 and an extending table for £199.