Venice, Italy
Have you ever wanted your small kitchen to feel like a Tuscan retreat? There are a few tips you can follow to achieve this look yourself with little trauma to your wallet. Creating a traditional, Old World Italian style in your small-sized kitchen is easy with simple painting techniques, ceramic tiles and recycled furniture.
Paint
Creating a faux stucco, multihued wall is a great way to create Mediterranean flair in your kitchen. Most people would gravitate to heavy, deep oranges and burgundies when they think of Italian kitchen design. However, these dark colors can make an already small space look even tinier because darker colors absorb, not reflect, light. Try going for a lighter color palette with warm tones.
To create a multihued stucco look, you will need joint compound and a mixture of warm colors. HGTV designer Ann Sundet recommends a color palette that includes sage green, red, light tan and cream. You will also need a paint tray, paint roller and an inexpensive large paintbrush with the bristles cut down to 1 inch for easy pouncing. Begin by placing 2 cups of joint compound in the paint tray. Using a spoon, drizzle each of the four colors over the joint compound, then roll the paint roller over the mixture to blend. Don't try to combine all the colors into one; for a rustic Old World look, you will want to have multiple hues. Use your paintbrush to dab the paint and joint compound combination all over your walls.
Cabinets
Your cabinets will need to match your newly warmed-up walls. If you have traditional wooden cabinets, an easy way to do this is to sand them and stain them a deep reddish-brown. If you have MDF or particleboard cabinetry, don't fret; you don't have to spend thousands of dollars on new cabinets. You can simply paint them a deep brick-red to complement the colors on your walls.
Another good way to create a Mediterranean look is by changing out the handles on your drawers and cabinets. Brass handles will work well in an Italian kitchen and give it a rustic feel. When choosing the handles, you can go with an ornate design for a traditional feel, or you can choose a simpler design for a more modern appearance.
Furniture and Accessories
Before you go furniture shopping, you might want to stop and take a look at what you already have. You can easily convert a plain wooden dining table into an Italian treat. Start by staining the table a deep, warm brown. An easy technique recommended by Sundet is taping off a square in the center of your table and painting that area the same cream you used on your walls. Then, you can use an ornate stencil to decorate the corners of the square with . To give your dining chairs a Mediterranean feel, try reupholstering them with a gold fabric.
Buffets are also a lovely feature in an Italian kitchen. Sundet created a beautiful buffet by painting an old shelving unit sage green, then attaching two large, warm tiles to the top to hide any wear.
Lighting accessories can make or break a kitchen. Try shopping in antique or thrift stores to find a brass chandelier. If you can't find brass lighting, you can easily paint the frame of the chandelier using gold spray paint. Then, use a bristle brush to stipple dark brown over the gold to give it an aged look.
Tags: joint compound, Italian kitchen, sage green, your walls, color palette, create Mediterranean, find brass