This article was provided by Ryan Hirst, Ryan is the marketing and media assistant at Eurofit Direct, an office and kitchen furniture manufacturer in the UK. He's given us some great ideas for kitchen improvements

The New Year is finally upon us; now it is time to do what we have all been talking about in the build-up, our dreaded New Year's resolutions. Every year I am frustrated by how many people make unrealistic resolutions. Stopping drinking, getting into the gym, achieving world peace, blah blah blah. Instead of thinking about how you are going to delete certain aspects of your life why not think about improving what you already have, or in this case own. Many homeowners will say that they would love to update their home but simply cannot afford too, or cannot be bothered with the hassle. Well, why not make your new year's resolution to make the most of your skills and money and make some simple kitchen improvements that will add style and also value on to your property? The kitchen has become one of the most used rooms in the home, if not the most used. It has adopted an open plan feel and has also become a make-shift living room and dining area. The self-confessed heart of the home has taken over the UK and many areas of the world and if you haven't already you need to jump in! Take it upon yourself in 2014 to make the most of your home and your kitchen and follow some of these easy improvements to do so. Kitchen improvements; 5 of the best Replacing your worn out kitchen worktops; Your kitchen worktops are probably one of the most expensive things within your kitchen. Now there are thousands of products and options on the market to choose from but first of all, you need to think about what material you will choose. There many different options depending on what you are looking for: - Laminate worktops; You can purchase these in literally every colour and style you can think of along with it being a fairly affordable option at as little as £20/m. - Composites and acrylics; There is large appeal to UK homeowners for a stone looking composite worktop, and due to it being cheaper than the real thing many homeowners are buying. It is fantastically durable and has brilliant heat resistance options. - Stainless Steel; Stainless steel is probably the most durable and also hygienic design for a worktop. Stains are easily removed and also it looks sleek and modern. However one downfall is the fact that overtime scratches will appear. - Stone; Natural stone is by far my favourite option for a kitchen worktop, especially granite. The stone will give a classy yet highly permanent option for your kitchen with its heat resistance and also many different colours available. Replacing and renovating kitchen cabinets; Kitchen cabinets are one of the most important elements within your kitchen, the colours and they style to set the tone for the rest. Renovating and replacing your kitchen cabinets can provide you with literally a new look kitchen, it is also the perfect DIY job. If you are thinking about revamping them rather than replacing you simply need to unscrew the hinges that connect the door to the carcass. After doing so you can both strip the varnish off and leave them with a traditional wooden look or if you are looking to completely revamp you can repaint afterward.   Replacing kitchen fittings; Kitchen fittings are the unsung heroes within the kitchen, they are the wheels on the bus that never get noticed until one of them stops working. You can make your kitchen more child and user friendly by replacing some kitchen fittings. Why not upgrade to soft close options? You can purchase soft close hinges, drawer dampers and more that all help make your kitchen safer. Soft-close options stop cabinets and drawers being slammed shut protecting your kitchen in the long term as long as your little ones' fingers! Purchasing some new kitchen accessories; Kitchen accessories are the perfect way to add the final touches to any kitchen, while changing one or two can't make a huge difference changing a whole set can bring new found love and design into your home. Some colour code changing can be the perfect way to brighten the place up; here are some of the things you could change: - Pots and Pans; Purchasing a new colour coded set of pots and pans that you can display in your kitchen works a treat. - Cutlery; Your cutlery isn't going to affect the colour of your kitchen however new shiny cutlery does give your kitchen a nice, newer feel around the place. - Place mats; Place mats can be all different colours and you can purchase ones that will fit the colour of your pots, pans and any other accessories. - Photographs and art; Why not buy a couple of nice photo frames and add some family memories for a cheap and cute way to improve the homeliness of your kitchen. You may want to shop around and even invest in some art to improve. - Chalkboard; Although this sounds relatively old fashioned you can actually find many DIY chalkboard designs on the web that will improve the look of your kitchen without spending a great deal. Kitchen sink improvements/repairs; Kitchen sink improvements and repairs are one of the first things you should look to do when renovating your kitchen. There is nothing more annoying than a leaky tap, or sink/pipe problem. Not only will you be improving your homes energy efficiency you will also be saving on your water bills, there can't be many better home improvements can there? In addition to this installing a kitchen hot tap which dispenses instant boiling water can be a blessing when looking to save time and money. These great new kitchen appliances take away the need to boil the kettle for tasks like making tea, coffee, pasta or even sterilising baby bottles! I am a big fan personally of the InSinkErator Brushed Steel Effect Hot & Cold Tap. At water boilers direct their kitchen hot taps can dispense filtered hot water up to 98°C and perfectly clear cold water, instantly.