Typical room décor that works brilliantly in other rooms doesn’t necessarily work in the kitchen. This is because the kitchen is a place that’s bustling with activity. You can’t just put up a huge sculpture on one corner or transform your countertop into an artsy but non-functional surface. You have to consider other factors such as surface heat resistance, your mobility, and usable space for preparing different dishes. And since your kitchen is a place where you’re most likely to make a mess, you also have to consider how easily you can clean your décor.
Decorating the kitchen, however, doesn’t have to require a lot of hard work. You can opt for simple change-ups in your containers or your small DIY projects to save up on cash. But if you’re really intent on giving your kitchen a top-to-bottom makeover, here are some decorating suggestions:
De-Clutter and Organise
The first step to decorating your kitchen (or any room, for that matter) is getting rid of all the things you don’t need in there. You may find a couple of out of place objects in your kitchen like a wayward lamp, some toys or even gardening tools!
Make sure your kitchen is reserved only for food preparation and eating. Next to remove the unnecessary items is placing everything where they should be. Pots and pans go to one side; flatware and utensils go to another. If you’ve got unsightly but necessary items in your kitchen like cleaning sprays and ugly dishcloths, stash them in the cupboard or in a drawer.
Add a Fresh Coat of Paint
Kitchens usually aren’t the first place people think of when they’re trying to come up with a colour scheme. But the thing is, adding a particular colour scheme to your kitchen will definitely make it look very put together.
If you’ve got a lot of wooden furniture in the kitchen, the general rule is to pick a colour that’s slightly brighter and bolder than the shade of the wood. Light yellows, pale greys and powder blues are common in kitchen colour schemes. But you can also try something more eye-catching greens or even dramatic purples! And you don’t even have to settle for just solid colours. With a nice stencil or painter’s tape and some patience, you can add lovely patterns to your walls or cabinets, too.
Change Your Lighting
Lighting is so important in the kitchen (as these lights are going to be what saves you from nasty nighttime mishaps). But your light fixtures don’t have to be plain old fluorescent light bulbs. You can turn it in for energy saving bulbs with a softer but still bright glow.
If you’ve got a high enough ceiling, low-hanging lights with an interesting shade pattern or even a full-on chandelier give the entire room a more dramatic flair. You can also put the lights on walls or even under cupboards.
Create a New Backsplash
Your backsplash protects your painted walls from being splattered with boiling oil or food. They’re functional, but they’re also versatile in terms of the design you want to use.
A backsplash can be made of glass, tile, or even wood, so the possibilities are almost endless for this one. If your kitchen is looking a little pale and bland, choose a backsplash pattern that’s bright and eye-catching to give your kitchen a backsplash of colour.
Include some Functional Decor
Functional décor gives you an excuse to hang up your fancy mugs and colourful pots to make your kitchen look homier.
Just place hooks or a galvanised pipe anywhere in your kitchen and you can hang up almost anything there.You can also use kitchen utensils like spatulas in varying shades, salad servers, and a set of chopping boards or even your cookie cutters.
If you’ve got a lot of spices, a spice rack with lots of colourful spices can also spruce up your kitchen’s look.
Add Mouldings, Cornices and Handles
Mouldings and cornices always make a room look more polished. You can add them almost anywhere like cabinets, cupboards, the sides of backsplashes or even near the doorframe.
Handles are another story. You can replace old handles with something more modern or elegant. If you’re tired of the rustic look, get rid of your baroque-inspired handles and replace them with more modern, minimalist handles. These are a subtle way to make your drawers look unique without breaking the budget.
Create a Decor Colour Scheme
Earlier you read about a new paint job, but for this décor idea, you can use almost anything in the kitchen. For instance, you can match the colour scheme of your tea towels, pot holders, oven mitts and your tablecloth. You can also add a little mat that matches your chosen colour scheme.
The best part about this décor tip is that it’s relatively low-commitment in that you can change them whenever you like. For instance, you can use pastel colors in the spring, shades of brown during autumn, blues and whites during winter, and lots of yellow during the summer!
Add Some Vegetation
This doesn’t mean displaying your head of cabbage out in the open! Put some potted plants in the empty spaces in your kitchen.
If you’re into creating your own herb garden, you can add a few pots of your favourite spices by the kitchen window.
For those who live in more tropical areas and are constantly plagued by mosquitoes, place a citronella plant in the kitchen to ward them off. If you’re looking to match your kitchen plants to your colour scheme, place potted flowers around the kitchen – just make sure you water them!
Revamp the floor
The floor is often forgotten when it comes to kitchen décor since it’s often colour neutral. However, a darker or lighter shade can really make a huge difference in your kitchen’s appearance.
Consider changing your wooden floors into tiles for easier cleaning, or you can do the opposite and change tiles to wood for that rustic look. If you’d prefer vinyl, you have seemingly endless pattern options to choose from.
Summary
Making your kitchen a nicer place to be is not impossible. In fact, it can be pretty easy. Knowing and finding the right kind of décor to add to your kitchen can be just the thing to brighten up your day.
Decorating your kitchen will definitely give it a bit of pizzazz and may just give you that little extra inspiration that you have been searching for. Feel free to contact us at Select Kitchens for any advice on kitchen decorating or renovations.
