Decorating Tips For the Kitchen – Don’t Make These Mistakes
A kitchen should be a place of beauty, not a place of drudgery. I completely agree. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of kitchen decorating tips for you. If you’re starting from scratch, this list should help you avoid the most common mistakes people make when designing their kitchen. If you’ve already made some of these mistakes, you can use this list to help you fix them. Let’s look at some more common design errors to avoid and how to decorate your kitchen anyway.
Mistake #1 Not taking time to plan
Make sure you know exactly how the kitchen will be used. Does the cook mainly prepare simple meals, or are they the gourmet type who’s constantly trying new gourmet recipes? Will someone just use the kitchen to take a quick break from the table, or will it be a family area for family dinners? Decide what you’ll be doing before you start adding any decoration.
The kitchen should be child-proof – Children should be able to get to the kitchen freely, yet not destroy anything.
Mistake #2 Choosing the Wrong Colors
It’s almost a given that you’re going to love the color of the walls in your new kitchen, but a new kitchen is a big space with many angles and rooms to cover. With all these shapes and colors, it’s easy to get lost in the mix and end up with a mishmash of colors that just don’t work together.
A neutral kitchen can be a tricky color to pull off. Mixing taupe, beige, and gray can look elegant, but it’s difficult to keep the rooms from becoming drab. You want your new kitchen design to convey your own personal style, so it’s important that you avoid dull, boring colors like dark gray, sage green, and white.
You can’t have a light kitchen and dark furniture. You can’t have a medium kitchen and light furniture. In the end, you need to choose a kitchen design that works well with the rest of the room.
Mistake #3 Focusing Too Much On the Countertops
The moment a kitchen designer takes a look at your space, they will focus on all the major countertops. It’s only natural, especially since they are the most expensive part of the space. But if you spend all your time picking out the perfect countertops, you will miss out on all the other very important design elements of your kitchen.
While your kitchen will look completely different if you choose a long granite countertop with a sleek apron, a multi-colored splash of color or an etched marble countertop, these are definitely not the key elements of a kitchen design.
For example, you can still have a very unique kitchen design, if you choose a subway tile countertop, one with a silhouette pattern, or even a wood countertop with flecks of color.
Mistake #4 Forgetting the Ceiling
Your kitchen should be a reflection of your personal style. That means your cabinets, appliances, and floor should all help create a relaxing and inviting environment. And when you realize your kitchen is lacking personality, try painting the ceiling in a color that will brighten up your kitchen.
Get fresh inspiration by searching Pinterest for “decorating your kitchen ceiling.” You’ll find a variety of styles that have been transformed by a few simple coats of paint. If your ceiling is a pale color, choose a light, crisp white for a clean, elegant look that will not only add a punch of color, but also reflect light perfectly.
And when the space is still bare, consider a combination of white and blue in your ceiling. What are some of your best decorating tips for the kitchen?
Mistake #5 Not Considering Your Flooring
I don’t understand how more and more people avoid this kitchen decorating mistake! As I’ve said before, your kitchen flooring can be one of the most important aspects of your design, and a very costly mistake to make. My one piece of advice?
Mix and match kitchen flooring. Why not try one of these gorgeous flooring tiles? If your kitchen flooring wasn’t bad enough, why not try to add more, and do it up all at once? You’re going to need a lot of different surfaces to keep a clean line between each, but if you focus on one design motif or idea, it’ll make creating the illusion of a “tall” kitchen easier.
Mistake #6 Neglecting the Appliances
Even if your kitchen is still in the planning stages, you’re already spending a ton of money. You might be tempted to spend on other items, like buying the best pots and pans, but those can easily be updated when you start to put your new kitchen design together.
Making sure your appliances are up to par is just as important as having the kitchen designed to fit your lifestyle. It’s time to research them! Use these top 10 appliance decorating tips to get your kitchen looking fab.
Mistake of not investing in an actual serving tray – An awesome serving tray can really change the way your kitchen looks. In the same way that serving platters are crucial in a dining room, they’re essential for your kitchen.
Mistake #7 Not Choosing the Right Door Style
Today’s look for doors is very different from say, 100 years ago. You don’t want dark wood or redwood. I find that in today’s kitchens, most kitchens are white, pale granite, white metal. And yes, stainless steel is coming back!
So if you love the “wood look” and want to stick with a “family theme,” go with white or a color so natural, that it feels like a no-brainer.
However, if you love the look of wood and like to incorporate it into your decorating, then you may want to look at a door with a wider base and a lower profile. With our busy schedules and high demands on our time, we sometimes underestimate the time and effort it takes to care for these things.
Mistake #8 Forgetting the Light Fixtures
Adding or updating the lighting is the first step to adding your own style. It’s an area where many homeowners go wrong. One simple change can turn your kitchen into a designer’s dream. At the very least, it will provide a space to put the finishing touches on your decorating ideas.
Mistake of Ignoring the Cabinets – When building a new kitchen, it’s tempting to choose more expensive, custom cabinetry rather than traditional oak or walnut cabinets. Don’t! You want your kitchen cabinetry to last a lifetime, especially if your family lives in the home for years.
The choice is yours, but I suggest sticking with a quality material like oak, walnut, or hickory. These cabinets will only cost a few hundred dollars more over the course of time, but they will last much longer.
Conclusion
We’ve put together a list of some of the worst decorating mistakes I have seen in home decorating magazines. Take a look and let us know what you think. Do these mistakes concern you? Share your thoughts below.
