Kitchen Essential

Kitchen styles fall into two main groups: streamlined and high-tech, to emphasize the room’s status as a work centre; or softer and traditional, which makes it feel less functional and more lived-in.

The sleek, modern look provides simple lines and easy-to-clean surfaces, with no awkward corners. Kitchens in this style are good for small areas where too much decoration would feel cluttered and fussy; small kitchens really can’t take a rustic, unfitted effect without looking a mess.

The more traditional styles tend to have wooden cabinets — you can go for anything from elegant mahogany-finish panelling to much plainer, planked-wood cupboard fronts for a more contemporary look. Styles like these are perfect for a larger room, especially if it’s one you’re going to spend a lot of time in. It’s a softer, more furnished look that will create a comfortable background for meals round a kitchen table.

It’s best to avoid the darker woods in a small kitchen, as they can seem rather gloomy and oppressive. Kitchens really benefit from light, practical colours that are refreshing to work in — which is why white units are so popular. If you want dark wood, try to include a couple of units with glass-fronted doors to lighten the effect, and open-shelf end units that will soften the corners.

However, there’s so much variety in kitchen furniture nowadays that you can choose almost any style you like in any colour or finish. So if you’re looking for a neat, white design, you’re not limited to a clinical-finish melamine: you can just Is easily find white-painted wood for a prettier, slightly country-style effect. Similarly, if you want the traditional lines of wood panelling, you can opt for a pretty painted colour (or paint it yourself) rather than sticking to the natural wood-grain surface.

Kitchen Colours

Walls and ceilings should be kept light (there may not be much wall left to decorate if you’ve got a fitted kitchen). You can add pattern by using tiles for splashback areas immediately above sink and hob.

As mentioned on Colour and Pattern, certain colours are traditionally associated with kitchen decoration. Blue and white are classic colours that have a distinctly country feel but are neat enough to work well in high- tech kitchens too. If you find blue too cold on its own, blue and yellow make a sunnier, summery combination.

Red and white will be cheerful and reassuringly practical, creating an instant feel of pushbutton simplicity. Subtler tones can be introduced by terracotta bread crocks or red quarry tiles on the floor to change the effect from functional city apartment to Mediterranean or farmhouse style.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Rich Kitchen Colour and Style

• TABLEWARE
• Silver Cutlery and Cut Glass with fine china; Stainless Steel and simple Glassware with Stoneware or Pottery
• Conquering Clutter
• Ultra-Modern Kitchen Style Decoration Tips
• DIY KITCHEN UPDATE
• Kitchen Colour and Decor Contrast Tips
• Plate Racks, great inventions in Kitchenware
• Kitchen Storage and preparation
• Bohemian
• Kitchen Paint and Pattern

Trackback URI | Comments RSS