When you’re remodeling your kitchen, you can keep costs low by using stock items in your design. You can take a stock kitchen cabinet and give it a really unique look with just a few modifications. Here are a couple of things you can do to start with in-stock items and end up with a custom look.

Go to your local home improvement store and take a little trip through their kitchen model displays. You can find some great decorating ideas that can help you add your flair to a stock item and personalize it.

A really dynamic way to use stock cabinets and make them look custom is to use two contrasting finishes in the same cabinet style in your kitchen. For example, you can choose a light oak finish on your kitchen cabinets and showcase the area around your stove using the same cabinet with a cherry wood finish. By mixing the two cabinet colors, you have created a beautiful focal point in your kitchen.

Another option is to pull several of the upper cabinets forward just a few inches. Adding two or three inches makes a big visual difference. By screwing a 2 ‘X 4’ or 2 ‘X 6’ to the wall, you can secure your cabinets to the braces. Then you can add a side door and use this narrow space to store pans or baking sheets.

Another little trick you can use to get a custom look for your stock cabinets is to stagger the cabinet heights. You can design the line of cabinets in your kitchen so that all other cabinets appear, or the middle cabinet on each wall can be taller. You can stagger the heights by simply mounting the cabinets at different heights or you can install different size cabinets side by side. You can also stack cabinets in unexpected ways to add interesting configurations to the doors. For example, you can add a column of short cabinets that you would normally see above the refrigerator to make what looks like a single multi-door cabinet, thereby adding visual interest to the faces of your cabinet.

You can also take this look a step further and set up two short cabinets with a shelf in the middle. This makes a great display rack to break up the symmetry of a cabinet wall.

By using trim to finish the tops of your cabinets, you can make them look like custom built-in cabinets. You can also add trim to the edge of the shelves you install to give them a polished look.

Upgrade your cabinet hardware and you will complete the custom look. By finding unique drawer pulls and fun cabinet knobs, you can give your cabinets a high-end custom look. You can find knobs anywhere like eBay, an antique store, a flea market, or a thrift store. You may also want to check out a salvage yard or store that recycles building materials.