Tips for a Beautiful Kitchen
Your kitchen may be a functional room where you prepare your meals, do your dishes and casually dine - but it can also be a beautiful place for you to cook, relax and enjoy food. Cooking does not have to be an arduous chore. In a beautiful kitchen space you can truly appreciate the sights, sounds and smell involved with making your own food. Even the tedious chore of doing dishes can be made a little better if you are doing them in a beautiful space. Creating a beautiful kitchen does not require a huge, expensive remodel. With some inexpensive accessories and a few design tips, you can turn your functional kitchen into a beautiful space you cannot wait to use.
Kitchen Colors
Choosing the right colors for your kitchen can help you create a beautiful kitchen space. Color directly affects your mood. By simply adding a new coat of paint to your walls or changing the colors of your hand towels, you can dramatically transform the mood of your kitchen space. When choosing you kitchen colors, it helps to choose three colors and distribute them in a 60-30-10 split in your kitchen. Your dominant color should take up 60% of your kitchen space. Keep in mind your dominant color will usually be the color of your cabinets, counters and appliances.
Unless you want to do a major renovation, it’s best to leave your dominant color in place and find two colors to compliment the dominant color in your space. Your secondary color will take up 30% of your kitchen space. Your walls, floors and rugs will be your secondary color. When choosing your secondary color, keep in mind you want to give your kitchen a clean and open look. Neutral colors, whites and yellows will help to open up your space and give your kitchen a warm feel. Finally, your accent color will take up 10% of your kitchen space. Dishes, towels and artwork are great places to use your accent color. For your accent color you will want to use a bold color that is in contrast to your more neutral tones. Red, bright yellow and blue all work well as accent colors.
Lighting
Lighting is the most underestimated design element in the kitchen. Lighting sets the mood, and it properly lights your cooking area for ease of use. Simply changing a light fixture or bulb wattage can have a dramatic effect on creating a beautiful kitchen space. You will want soft lighting with high wattage in your kitchen space. It helps to layer the lighting in your kitchen with bright, diffused ceiling lights and under cabinet lighting.
Installing under the cabinet lighting is a great way to illuminate your counter tops and create a modern and beautiful look in your kitchen. Inexpensive under the cabinet lighting can be purchased at your local hardware store and can be installed with some professional tips and instructions. Layering your lights adds depth, illumination and beauty to your kitchen.
