Jul 12

Inexpensive Accents to Add Flair After Remodeling Your Kitchen

design | home | kitchen | painting 1 Comments »

Decorating after remodeling your kitchen may seem like a daunting task. The money may not be there but you can still get stellar decorating results on a budget!
Color! Color! Color!


Hanging your coffee mugs under a cabinet may seem old hat to some, but being able to buy individual pieces in most stores now can make it a colorful, unique, and inexpensive solution to a naked backsplash wall problem. Bold colors and designs are just the thing for small space. Keeping things from cluttering your counter top is always a good idea and hanging your coffee mugs can solve that problem while adding that extra flair!

Individual mugs can be bought for as little as $1.00 to $2.00 a piece. A large serving platter in the same design hung under the light behind your sink can tie it all together. Dishtowels in a color to match and you've Gotter-Done for as little as $25.00 to $30.00 total.

I suggest using a mug hanger with several hooks on it as opposed to individual hooks. This will create fewer holes in your cabinets. Be careful to space your mugs so that they hang comfortably next to each other. Careful planning in this area will definitely help in making fewer holes.

Don't be afraid to be bold and daring in your selection of coffee mugs. If your kitchen is simple, you may want to choose some fun designs on your mugs. If your kitchen is already a hodgepodge of colors, you may want to stay with more solid colors. The idea is to accent what you already have, to make it stand out and look fresh and new again!


Decorate Your Shelves With Something Other Than Dust!


Are you not sure what to put on your shelves? Try taking some of those clear, corked bottles and filling them with colored water. Inexpensive, yet wonderful when the light from your window or kitchen light reflects off of them. They will shine like jewels. Simple food coloring and water will get the job done. Experiment with color combinations. Combining colors can get you just about any shade you need. Doing a gradual light to dark can also be dramatic.

Be sure to fill the jar with water to the cork mark. Also take your colored water over to the spot you intend to display it in. See how the light reflects on it. This will help you determine if you need to lighted or darken the color for the effect you want. Less may be better in your greens and blues. They can often get too dense to let the light pass through. If you're not happy with the color you've got, simply dump the water and try again. Add a candle next to the bottle and watch the colors glow.


When the budget is tight, try one or both of these simple accents to add additional color and flair to your kitchen!

 

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May 27

Kitchen Design-Getting Started

design | home | kitchen | painting 1 Comments »

Start With a Clean Slate.
Empty your room completely. Take everything off of tables, counters, walls, and windows leaving no evidence of your kitchen's past life whatsoever.

Choose Your Main Accent Color.
You will want to choose a neutral color, and two accent colors. Your main accent color is going to be the one you want to see the most of, after your neutral color.

Pick Your "Color Spaces".
An example of a "color space" would be a backsplash wall and the soffit above your cabinets. Make sure you carry the color to another area of the room. Don't overdo by jumping all over with it. Two or three spaces, depending on the size of the room, are better than a lot of small areas. Think out of the box. A hutch in a corner can serve as your other area. It doesn't need to be a wall. Keeping your room as clutter-free as possible will help you to stay focused on keeping the colors balanced in the room. Keep your third accent color for your "eye popping" accents.

Put The Rest of Your Budget Into Your Decor.
Concentrate on a few really different pieces that will catch your eye and draw you to your focal points. Your window could be one, also a corner that really has no other function. Be careful not to spread things out all along the counter. This will defeat the purpose of having a clean, sharp look in the room. You want people to see the hard work you've done.

Be Creative With Your Window Treatments.
Window treatments have gone away from the little hanging window valance. Again, use your imagination. Three cloth placemats hung in half on a small spring rod can also be carried to your table in a matching runner. It's amazing the variety and options you have in placemats. You can economically change them with seasons or your every whim for as little as $2.00 a piece. Bamboo mats can be hot glued to the back of the rod and give a great natural look. Shutters are an option that no longer has to be hung on the window. Spray paint each shutter in your third accent color and hinge them together. Stand them on your sill if it's deep enough for privacy when you want it and take them away when you want the sun to shine . I like this look with shutters that go up the window only about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way up the window, leaving the perfect space for your placemat valance. Narrow glass shelves are another idea if you like to have a little green growing. Herbs in colorful containers such as canning jars can give you a wonderful warm feeling even in the winter months.

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