Kitchens are where families gather to prepare dinner or discuss the day’s events over a cup of coffee, and with thoughtful interior design can become welcoming spaces that bring people together.
Margaret Kirkland created an elegant kitchen featuring natural wood hues to set an uplifting atmosphere in this classic kitchen design. Bark brown cabinet stain and driftwood gray trim serve as a soothing background against which green soapstone countertops and tole fronts stand out as decorative features.
Focal Points
A great kitchen features an eye-catching focal point – something that draws the eye in from all directions. This feature can include anything from windows and furnishings to countertops and backsplashes.
Focal points play an essential role in creating an atmosphere of calm and order in any space, while an unbalanced room may feel disorienting or chaotic.
Focal points should attract and draw the eye. Examples of focal points could be anything from colorful wallpaper patterns or textures, woven rattan stools or La Cornue ranges.
Filling your kitchen with lots of eye-catching focal points may seem tempting, but this can quickly become visually chaotic and overcrowded. By selecting just a few strategically-placed focal points instead, they can add great visual impact without overwhelming its space. Working with a kitchen designer can help you identify where best to place each focal point.
Natural Light
Natural lighting does more than make a room seem larger – it can help increase productivity, elevate mood, keep home healthier and reduce mildew and mold while simultaneously cutting energy costs. Yet adding more sun into a kitchen may prove challenging as this often requires structural modifications as well as sacrificed privacy – however there are ways you can brighten it without impacting design or size of space.
Begin your kitchen transformation by choosing lighter colors and reflective surfaces, such as marble countertops with bright quartz hues or light-colored flooring and woodwork that reflects natural sunlight back into the room for an effect that makes the space seem larger and brighter. Light shelves or clerestory windows are other clever additions that can increase natural lighting without impacting privacy; finally consider skylights, sun tunnels or both as ways of providing even more illumination in a room.
Wood
Wood is an iconic material that adds warmth and style to any kitchen, pairing perfectly with different colors and styles. Even just a small amount can have an immense effect; consider how a dark wood island could contrast beautifully against white cabinets and countertops for example.
Wood can add a dynamic touch to a kitchen by being combined with other materials in innovative ways, creating both modern and timeless looks. For instance, mixing wood floor boards with marble counter tops, wooden upper cabinets and white ceiling tiles could produce stunning results.
When selecting the ideal wood for your kitchen, take into account durability and cost. Pine can be easily managed, yet susceptible to denting more easily than other harder choices like maple or oak. Cedar on the other hand provides durable protection that resists damage from heavy foot traffic and stands up well against everyday use.
Vintage Tones
Kitchen accessories that evoke vintage can give a room an old-world charm without becoming overly traditional. Tarnished patinas and tag-sale finds are ideal for creating a shabby chic aesthetic; while industrial relics like chrome pendant lights make ideal additions in retro work spaces. In this delightful kitchen design by interior architect William L. Doleman Jr, simple paneled cabinets and subway tile backsplash balance out bold color in an island crafted from an old bakery fixture dating back 50 years.
As part of a general trend toward homey spaces, earthier cabinet colors have recently seen a resurgence in new kitchens. Combining rich ebony and warm wood tones creates an inviting, classic vibe in this kitchen design.
Are You Wanting Vintage Charm in Your Kitchen? Make the Space Feel Warm & Cozy by Selecting Bold Paint Colors & Deliberate Accessories To Achie an Elegant, Lived-in Aesthetic By Displaying Antique Glassware on Open Shelving Or Decanting Dry Goods into Kilner Jars makes this space feel historic & lived-in These homeowners hired Decorilla designers to transform their outdated kitchen with modern vintage design. First they completed a Kitchen Style Questionnaire before selecting two designers to review ideas & provide a proposal.
