THERE'S no doubt that having a new fitted kitchen can give you a great deal of pleasure. After the pain, that is, of the seemingly endless weeks of eating out of tins and doing the dishes in the bathroom sink while it's being installed. If you decide you do want to change the look of your kitchen - either because you're selling your house or maybe you just can't face that dreary olive green for one more day - there is now a short-cut to bypass most of the inevitable mess and inconvenience.

In a matter of days you can have a kitchen you will barely recognise without having to move a single unit or even think about redecorating. Consult a refurbishment company and they can fit replacement doors on all the units, cover the panels with a thick layer of vinyl and then replace the worktops to complete the new look.

One thing to bear in mind is that the cost will depend mostly on the type of new door you choose. Obviously solid wood will be more expensive than a laminate, so you can control the cost. Since most of the cost of kitchen units is in the doors, you're not saving much on materials by keeping the old framework in place.

Where you will reap the benefit is in the fact that you don't have to pay for expensive manpower to remove the old units and fit the new ones. Another option which may work out slightly cheaper is to have the cupboards and worktops resurfaced.

Using materials imported from America, where the technique was developed, your kitchen can be given an entirely new look within a couple of days. Even tiles can be treated successfully.

One benefit of this option is that it preserves the structure of the original units, so if you're lucky enough to have quality fitments with strong doors and sturdy supports, all that you're actually altering is the appearance.You will still enjoy the benefit of the kitchen's durability and you won't have to throw away sound doors. Again there's no decorator's bill at the end of the day because everything stays exactly where it is and there should be only minimal mess.

Once you've got your kitchen looking exactly as you want it, the next task on the agenda will be sourcing and acquiring all those delightful extras which will give it your own special stamp. One very popular and very practical piece of kitchen furniture is the dresser, and modern versions of traditional designs add character as well as providing a useful storage space. Some are even ''distressed'' by having minor marks added to show that they're meant for everyday use, and these cleverly complement the marks which you'll doubtless add yourself. Of course the most used items of kitchen furniture are the table and chairs, and the style you choose will be governed largely by the appearance of the rest of the fittings. If you have a country or Shaker style kitchen, you can't go wrong with a pine table and chairs, or even benches, with a large jug of dried flowers to add that finishing touch.

With a modern white or coloured laminate finish, you have a choice of metalwork furniture as well as the more traditional wood.

In the decorative scale of things, kitchens are probably as important as living rooms. You spend just as much time there so it's worthwhile getting it to look as comfortable and stylish as you want. That's what homemaking's all about.