The kitchen is a canvas for your personal style.
Many new homeowners find their new kitchens to be generic, with white and beige walls and boring cabinets. But creating a new look for the kitchen does not require hiring a professional decorator, or breaking the bank. Choose a theme, and build upon it by adding color and a few well-selected accents. Some of the best themes come from the cultures of the world that offer their own culinary masterpieces.
Dinner for La Familia
For small kitchens, an Italian-themed kitchen brings the light, charm and grace of Tuscany and Capri together. Paint walls a light cream, and then use shades of tan, brown, and mauve and colorwash the walls to give the appearance of old, Venetian buildings. Or find a border with grapevines or wine bottles. Wooden cabinets can keep their wood tones, or be painted dark olive or brown. Add accessories like bottles of olive oil, old Italian signs or posters and traditional Italian wall-hangings of roosters. Save money by buying old glass jars and filling them with different kinds of pasta noodles.
Scheherazade's Haram
For large kitchens that can afford to shrink a little from dark colors, choose the exoticism of the Middle East and India. Paint walls a deep purple or teal, and add colorful accents in corners like ornate ceramics and metalwork. Replace the faucet or cabinet fixtures with ones of a golden hue. Buy or sew cushions for chairs or stools out of luxurious fabrics, tying together the gold metal of fixtures with golden threads in the fabric, and bring the whole room together with curtains that match.
Geisha's Delight
Travel to the far east for your Asian-themed kitchen. Paint the walls a maroon or deep red, and paint cabinets black for contrast. Place small bamboo plants in corners, and use bamboo mats on tables or as curtains. Find framed calligraphy for the walls, or even traditional Chinese or Japanese prints, online or in antique stores, or even create your own from online images. Focus on using simple, clean lines when choosing accessories. A bonsai tree is the ultimate final touch.
Tags: Paint walls, fixtures with