Kitchens–Easy Ways to UpStyle Your Kitchen

February 23, 2016

EASY WAYS TO UP-STYLE YOUR KITCHEN

Given the amount of time we all spend in the kitchen, it’s one of the rooms in your home that you should love. Loving your kitchen is more that liking how it functions for you and your family, it also involves how it looks and feels. After years of use, a kitchen can sometimes become dull and lifeless and before you know it the space has lost the style it once had.

When it comes to the investment you have in your home, kitchen remodel are one of the best investments you can make but they can be expensive. So what are you to do when you want to add the life and energy back into your kitchen but want to do that on a budget? You employ one or more of these design tricks.

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Paint Something

Paint is definitely the easiest way to change the look and feel of any room in your home and there are several ways paint can transform a kitchen. Your kitchen island is a prime candidate for paint and painting it give you a great opportunity to infuse a color accent into the space. If you want to go one step further, consider painting your cabinets. You don’t have to paint all of them, paint just the uppers or lowers which will add a dramatic design contrast. And a final and easy paint option is to paint the walls.

Better Homes and Gardens

House and Home

This Old House

Open Up The Shelving

The trend of open shelving is still a hot one and for good reason. Open shelving creates visual depth and can make your space feel larger while providing visual impact and interest. Open shelving can be achieved by taking the doors off of cabinets, replacing solid doors with glass front doors or installing floating shelving in place of traditional cabinets. The only downside of open shelving is that you have to keep the shelves looking neat and tidy.

Better Homes and Gardens

Re-Accessorize Your Countertops

I know kitchen counters can become a drop zone of all types of things and that combined with small appliances, your kitchen can easily become a hot mess. The easiest way to keep your counters neat and organized is by creating groupings of items at key spots along the countertop instead of allowing every inch of counter space to be filled. Store what appliances you can behind closed doors and then use baskets and tray to corral tems out on display. As you go about re-accessorizing your counters, think about the types of accessories you use. Use items that create a style or color theme which will add style to your space.

Simple Details

Shabby French Cottage

Better Homes and Gardens

Accent With A Rug

Don’t limit your rug shopping to traditional kitchen rugs. Look at fashion rugs as an option for your kitchen. Rugs are a great way to infuse pattern and color, and they can add energy and style to your kitchen. And don’t skimp on the size of rug you use–where the space allows, go big or use multiple rugs to anchor and define different zones within the kitchen.

Emily Henderson

Coastal Living

My Domaine

Up-Style With Lighting

Lighting is one area where you can really have fun when decorating your kitchen. Go big and bold, hang a unique fixture and consider a countertop lamp to add accent lighting. If your space can accommodate a larger light fixture, look at outdoor lighting as an option since many outdoor lantern styles have the heft and scale that can work in a larger space.

Brooke Berry

Style Estate

Home Bunch

When is the last time you gave your kitchen a facelift?

Style & Organization For Your Kitchen Counters

August 5, 2014

I’ve been in the kitchen a lot lately, which is so not my normal routine, but I’m trying to cook more and I’ve even tried my hand a baking .

All the time in the kitchen got me thinking about better ways to style and organize my kitchen counters. Both style and organization can be challenging if you have more stuff than counter space. If you’re facing the same dilemma, I’ve rounded up some ideas that just might help both of us out.

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Butcher Block Counters–So Many Reasons to Love Them!

June 10, 2014

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve poured over images of kitchens with butcher block counters. I’m working on a design proposal for a client and hope to persuade them in to moving away from granite and going with wood. I for one love the look of butcher block counters but I understand that not everyone is on the same page as me. Selling my client on this look may be difficult but once I share with them the benefits of butcher block I think I can win them over. Here’s what I’m going to tell them…

** Butcher block counters are extremely affordable.

** Butcher block counters can be used in traditional, modern, french country or farm style kitchens–their look is versatile.

** You can paint your cabinets ANY color when using butcher block cabinets–there is no coordinating with a stone or granite color.

** Butcher block counters add natural warmth and beauty to a kitchen.

** Unlike some granite patterns, butcher block counters never go out of style.

** If wear and tear happens over the years, butcher block counters can be sanded down and refinished–other materials would have to be replaced.

** Butcher block counters can be environmentally friendly is you use reclaimed wood.

** They are a fairly easy DIY project which will save even more $$$$.

And they are just darn pretty!

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While it was once the king of countertops, over the last few years I’ve seen more and more people move away from granite. People are recognizing that surfaces like butcher block , quartz, marble, stainless steel and concrete can give a kitchen just as much style as granite can.

Do you like the look of wood counters or are you faithful to granite? I’d love to know.