This post is part of a larger series on home design. Be sure to look out for our other blogs on perfecting your bathroom, your living room, and your bedroom! In this blog, all photos were taken by Matthew Garsky (@matthewgarsky).
Think about the ideal kitchen. What’s in it? Certainly, you have granite countertops, top-rated appliances, a great color scheme, as much counter space as you could ever use, and, of course, a breakfast nook. Maybe you came up with something a little different. Maybe your ideal has elements of technology built into the fridge, or maybe there’s plenty of cabinetry, marvelous woodwork, and plenty of space for wine, coffee, and La Croix.
Now, remember the most sentimental kitchen. For me, I remember my grandmother’s kitchen. There was barely any counter space, the appliances were old, and there were even carpeted floors! However, that kitchen sticks out to me as one of the best. Why?
Kitchens are weird. You wouldn’t expect them to be meaningful places, but they tend to carry emotional weight behind them. For some reason, people like to hangout in them. Within them, food is made and shared. Kitchens, maybe more than any other room, are the social engines of a home, the place where memories are made, and, maybe most importantly, incredibly important and practical.
If you’re reading this, you could be trying to put together your own kitchen that you’ll now host people out of. How do you incorporate style, quality, and practically into a place that you want to be welcoming, warm, and memorable? In the following, we’ll cover what we believe are keys to the best kitchen.
The “Don’ts”
There’s so much room for creativity and there are so many options in crafting a great kitchen that it might be better to just cross a few options off the list.
- Don’t lack personality. Your kitchen should incorporate something that makes it unique. You’re not creating a “sample” kitchen. Be creative.
- Don’t overdo it. Making every little thing perfect can make your kitchen uninviting, impractical, and, ironically, bad-looking.
- Don’t be cold. Too much stainless steel and neutral coloring will make your kitchen seem like the inside of a James Bond villain’s lair.
So what should you do? Read on.
Showcase
You don’t have to own expensive art, but the kitchen offers you a chance to highlight something you’re proud to own. For instance, one of our favorite kitchens in the Wonder Bread Lofts features a refurbished piece of wood used to hold wine bottles. Placed on the wall of the kitchen, the rich woodgrain of wine holder gave personality to the room while adding a practical touch. Handmade by the tenants, this showcased item told a story. Check it out in the left corner of the room below.
Simplify
Often, people become so zealous about kitchens that they end up over-decorating their own. As a result, countertops disappear under fruit baskets, bouquets, antiques, and appliances. It’s easy to get caught up in decorating because we want to make our kitchens unique, like we talked about, but the danger is that we become afraid to make sacrifice for the greater good of the space.
Here are a few questions we consider when deciding what to keep and what to ditch in decorating:
- Does the color make sense with the rest of the room?
- Does this take away from the kitchen’s utility? Would I have a better practical kitchen if this was gone (think counter space)?
- Is my kitchen made with materials that can speak for themselves? If so, consider going for a minimalist look that announces the kitchen’s wood flooring, granite countertops, and fine cabinetry.
Vary Your Materials
Before buying stuff to decorate your kitchen, you need to think about what kind of kitchen you’re working with. If you have white cabinets and a ton of stainless steel cabinetry, don’t throw on more and more neutrality. Too much stainless steel will leave your kitchen bland and uninviting. Instead, like we talk about in our bathroom blog, add color in creative ways. For instance, colorful barstools, kitchen rags, plants, and plates, can all enhance your kitchen’s warmth without you needing to rebuild it from the ground up.
Get Started!
You can transform your kitchen in an afternoon. While some cases call for an overhaul, most kitchens can be saved by the tricks we talked about. Go. Make the memorable kitchen you’ve imagined.
This post is part of a larger series on home design. Be sure to look out for our other blogs on perfecting your bathroom, your living room, and your bedroom! In this blog, all photos were taken by Matthew Garsky (@matthewgarsky).
