The heart of the villa resides in its tiny kitchen, full of life, liquor, and linguine. Italy and food go hand-in-hand, so of course they must make the most out of a small kitchen, equipped with ...

Even replacing old kitchen cabinets with new cabinets starts at about $4,000 for a typical 10-by-12-foot kitchen, according to ­HouseLogic, an ­online resource for homeowners.

2.Replace the doors only. This is called “refacing.” You pick out new doors and drawer fronts to replace the ones you have, and you keep the existing cabinet boxes.

I like the kitchen in my 1956 home well enough, but sometimes I daydream about ripping everything out and starting completely from scratch: new cabinets, new countertops, new fixtures, new everything.