Cook up a dcor storm

There used to be a time when the kitchen was the most used room in the home, yet there was no attention paid to the décor of this room. This has all changed in the last decade or two.

Now, not only do we eat out more often, we also don’t entertain guests much at home, thereby eliminating the need to spend hours in the kitchen. Does this mean we can continue to ignore kitchen décor? Of course not! The kitchen is an important part of any home.

Decisions, decisions! Should your dream kitchen be modern, glossy or have cutting-edge lines? Or should it convey a classic or traditional style? There are choices to be made in so many areas – floors, walls, cupboards, countertops. You need to be able to make a choice that you can live with.

Whilst decision-making is important in any room, caution needs to be exercised in the kitchen as any mistake can be difficult to change since each of the décor components is so expensive. You cannot change cabinetry like you could change, say, a sofa. So what is it that we are looking for in kitchen décor?

Most of us want an aesthetically-pleasing environment without having to spend a fortune. This is great if doable; but unfortunately, everyone wants this and you don’t want your kitchen looking like everybody else’s kitchen, do you?

If you shop around too much, you may get the feeling everything looks decidedly like everything else – Ah! the result of the great homogenisation of products. All is not lost since we can easily remedy this problem. One common trick that designers employ is to merge different colours; for example cream and chocolate doors. Just changing the handle styles on cupboard doors can make two similar cupboards look different. Or, try installing funky-coloured lights under the cabinets for them to look unique. Also, it will liven up any drab décor.

Be you Other common areas where you can strive for originality are tiles and backsplashes. Installing cabinets at eye-level can offer a degree of personalisation. Whether you are working at renovating a kitchen or designing a new kitchen, paint is a wonderful tool. For instance, if you have a grey theme in the rest of the house, you can spread this colour to your kitchen as well.

This can be done by getting grey cabinets which are not expensive. If you find they are expensive, you may notice that white or off-white cabinets, which cost much less can be painted grey. If you are adventurous, this can be a great DIY project for everyone in the household.

Your cabinets are, like the rest of the kitchen, essentially playing an important role - that of storing your goods. While they need to look good, they also have to hold everything you have. Keep in mind what you are going to store in cabinets and
design the cupboards accordingly. It may make sense to measure important items and draw up a scale plan before putting up adjustable shelves. Also, you could have some of your cabinets open or with glass doors to display expensive crockery.

The floor

There are so many choices for floors these days that you will be able to find something that will fit your style and budget. If this is a renovating project and you are tired of your floor, you can consider adding linoleum, tiles, or even hardwood with waterproofing for your kitchen floor.

New designing gives you these and other options, too. Countertops used to come in bland black kadappa stone once upon a time. Now you can have granite or quartz at a reasonable cost. These are not only aesthetically pleasing, but
functionally desirable too.

Appliances are very much a part of your décor scheme and need to blend with what you have designed. There is also the little matter of style. So, do consider investing in new appliances if your existing ones stick out like sore thumbs. Whether you enjoy cooking or not, your kitchen has to be a welcoming place. And with a little thoughtful decorating, it can be just that.