Basic Kitchen Decorating Ideas

Kitchen Decorating Community for sharing pictures, ideas, and inspirations.

There are basically three ways in which you can change the look and ambience of your kitchen.


1. Decorate it. This is the easiest and least expensive method, and it allows you to change the room around whenever you have a whim. Projects can include adding decorative touches to walls, windows, and even cielings, refinishing existing structures, wall papering, and many other simple and easy tasks. It can even be as easy as just buying new matching flatware to spread throughout the space.

2. Re-Furnish it. This involves purchasing new furnishings and accessories for the space as a way of redefining the feel of the room. Objects which you can replace include refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, tables, islands, and shelving. Be sure to make very accurate measurements when going this route, as your new accessories will either have to fit in the same space as the old ones, or you will need to get some contracting done.

3. Remodel it. This involves tearing out existing structures, moving them, replacing them, and adding or changing plumbing and electrical lines. This is the most expensive and imposing method, but it also has the most dramatic effects.


Kitchen Decorating

Lighting

Illumination is extremely important in the kitchen. You need to be able to have plenty of light so that you can work effectively, and be able to discern between different ingredients, measurements, and healthy versus molding food. You also want to create a bright and exhilirating atmosphere, where people will feel happy, invigorated, and ready to work.

The most common choice for lighting in a kitchen are overhead fixtures. These provide an even spread of light throughout the room, without glare or shadow. Most common are flush and semi flush mounts which are butted up close to the cieling, to maximize head space and make the room look larger. If you can sacrifice the space, some people also use chandeliers in the kitchen, but most people will reserve these for their dining room and other more formal areas.





Color

The colors you use in the space can have a profound effect on the ambience you create throughout the room. While different people will have different reactions to colors, there are some common reactions that are shared by most members of our society. It is important to balance this knowledge, with your own tastes and reflections, in order to create the perfect harmony.


Dark colors will tend to feel warmer, and will radiate heat, so many people will stay away from them in the kitchen. Black is especially difficult as it can make a room feel smaller and closed in. However using dark colors as accents with the main theme of the room being light or pastel, can make the space more interesting, and even warm up a sterile locale.


Red and orange colors will speed up the metabolism of people in their vicinity. This makes them hungry, and also makes them burn calories faster. Used strategically this can be a powerful tool in the kitchen.

However you should be careful of these colors as their overuse can lead to over snacking and over tasting while c ooking. They also tend to make people more aggressive, so using them sparingly is a good idea.

Decorations

In the kitchen you want to be inspired. You want your creativity to flow as you toil over the culinary art that you are crafting for your family and friends. This is why it is important to personalize your kitchen. Fill it with items which mean something to you, and which get you to think and feel.


In the kitchen your floor and counter space may be limited. However your walls are usually your own, allowing you to hang art, clocks, and other decorative pieces. You can also hang shelves, allowing you to place free standing items as display pieces.


This desire to beautifuy your kitchen should be tempered however in order to protect the oitems you are displaying. If you have a piece which can be ruinbed by stains, dont hang it over the stove. If you have art that may curl in high heat areas, be certain to leave that out of the kitchen. Glass plating often helps protect items which are delicate. Just use some common sense, and you shouldn;t have a problem.


One way to get double duty out of your decorations is to use dishes, utensils, serving items, and cookware, as displays throughout the space. These should be your fanciest special occassion utensils, so that you will only have to take them down and put them back in place every once in a while. Heirloom and antique items are especially good for this, as they can create a connection to your families history, and help to develop a sense of community in the space.


There are also many custom and theme dishes and utensils which you can buy in matched set to use as accents throughout the space. Aside from dishes, cutting boards, trivets, and drink coasters are especially useful for this purpose.



Kitchen Re-Furnishing

Many of the items found in your kitchen are semi permanent structures. Expensive, complex, and utterly necessary, these are the living components of the space, which make it functional and give it purpose.


Items in this category include refrigerators, ovens, microwaves, dishwashers, shelving, tables and islands. While some of these objects are easier to replace than others, a change in the look of any of them can drastically alter the ambience of the space.


When changing any one inherent furnishing in the kitchen you should be careful that you dont alter the color and style so drastically that it starts to stick out. If it does, you may want to consider waiting, and saving up so that you can migrate a few of the rooms structures over. In an ultra modern white tile kitchen, having an antique style black iron stove can make the room feel unbalanced and unfinished.


You also have to be certain to take careful measurements of any items that you are going to be replacing. Things such as stoves and refrigerators are often sized to fit in the space between counters, or around windows. If you purchase a replacement which is too lareg or too small, it might not fit, or you could end up with unsightly gaps. The only way to remedy this will then be to get construction done to teh rooms internal components.

Kitchen Remodelling

There are many different ways to remodel your kitchen. Some projects can be undertaken by yourself, while others will require a professional. The time the project will last can vary considerably. Remember, the more complex and lengthy the construction you are undertaking, the more time you will be without a kitchen. This can mean that you will be foirced to eat out a lot, or purchase fast food and snacks while you are without a cooking space.


When undertaking a construction project yourself, be certain to check more than one book or website for instructions. Even if both sources tell you to do it in the same way, hearing it in two different wordings may help you to understand the true meaning of what they are saying better.


One simple do it yourself project in the kitchen is refinishing your own cabinets. This can be done by stripping the wood on existing boxes, and then painting or restaining it to give it a new look. When undertaking this task be sure to remove all nobs and cover over hinges and joints with tape so that you get a sleek, finished, proffessional look.