DO YOU want to jazz up your good old traditional kitchen and give it a modern look a la modular kitchen? If you thought you need to remove all the existing appliances and civil work and the structures, we are catching you on the wrong foot. A few modifications are enough to achieve it.

Standard size
A modular kitchen, if you buy as one unit, costs you Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 10 lakhs depending on the size and luxury you choose.

They come in standard sizes (a minimum of 10 running feet is required for the kitchen cabinet), they have deep units to accommodate electrical appliances and gas trolleys, and a wide choice of accessories in the form of wire baskets, carousels, adjustable shelves and pullout units.

But if you are not a die-hard fan of modular kitchens and are willing to settle for a look that resembles one, you could save even up to 40 per cent. Here is how:

Consider chimney. Your existing outlet can be used. Just bring in the modern chimney and have it fixed there. You are not spending unnecessarily on creating a fresh outlet for smoke to go out.

Best bargain
Yes, the traditional huge-looking gas stove can make way for the slim hub. You have to use the old one to get the best bargain by exchanging it with the companies offering you kitchen solutions.

The existing overhead storage counters can have glass shutters to give them the modern look. Go in for pole glass flange and bottle flange, used for placing glasses and bottles for party-use. Use pole triangular flange and round flange for keeping fruits.

Space
Some of the space below the overhead counters can be used for placing accessories such as towel rod, ladle cradle (for hanging spoons, ladle and churner), kitchen keeper for keeping essential boxes containing tamarind, mustard seeds, turmeric and salt. These items can also be placed in pull-out cabinets, which come in different sizes. The cabinets can be placed below the cooking platform. These cabinets, with medium density wood fibre doors, can be designed in a way that they enclose the old stone slab, if any, below the kitchen platform. Various sizes of baskets are used in the cabinet to accommodate boxes of grains such as rice and dal, for storing plates and utensils, and for keeping chopping boards, pressure cooker and other cooking materials.

Magic corner units
The corner spaces, which otherwise cannot be made use of, can be utilised by installing magic corner units — the cost ranging between Rs. 12,000 and Rs. 13,000. A vertical pull-out cabinet can be placed for accommodating the domestic gas cylinder.

Such a functional kitchen can be prepared with the help of a carpenter, says C. Deepa, an e-marketing person. "I can always look at catalogues and ask my carpenter to make the same. I am sure this will be more economical," she says. Some companies such as Faber Panorama and Cookscape also design the kitchen for the individuals who can get their own carpenter to execute the work.