Kitchens: Decor, Organization & Augmenting Space

The kitchen is said to be the heart and the soul of a home. It is also the busiest room in a house because it is typically where families spend the most time. If you are lucky and have a decently sized kitchen then there are some decorating ideas that you can incorporate since you have the space to do it, without limitation. However, some of us have a small kitchen and it can seem like you are constantly battling how to create more space. This article will discuss some interesting decorating ideas for both the big and small kitchen. Then it will focus on some organizational ideas that you can use for a small kitchen and what you can do to give the illusion that your kitchen is bigger than it actually is.

Since the kitchen is the most popular room in the house, then you want it to be the room that is decorated and organized the way that you want it. It needs to be functional since the room itself is a very "functional" room. In the following article by HGTV, they talk about some great ideas of kitchen decor:

Your first decision when considering a theme for your kitchen design will be how extensively you want the theme to integrate with your overall design. If your theme is color-based — for example, black and white — you'll need to decide if you want the theme to be reflected in a few elements of your design, in a slightly larger selection, or in almost the entirety of the design elements in the space.

Kitchen themes can also reflect the interests and lifestyle of homeowners, help to create a warm and welcoming space for guests and family members alike, and reflect an overall aesthetic or cultural interior design.

Whether your kitchen design is a subtle hue that runs throughout the space or bolder thematic elements that reflect a cultural or historical period, adding a distinct theme to your kitchen design can be an efficient, economical and attractive way to enliven the cooking and eating space in your home.

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Choosing a theme for your kitchen can be fun and there are many options available to you. A theme can be color-based, interest-based, but the whole point is that the kitchen needs to be warm and welcoming.

If you have a smaller kitchen, then you might wonder if it is even possible to have a "dream" kitchen. The first place to start is by organizing your kitchen properly. In the following article by HGTV, they discuss some of this in further detail:

Small Kitchen Organization Solutions and Ideas.

Expanding the space in your kitchen without changing the floor plan is absolutely possible. First, reconfigure your cabinetry, whether that means a customized project or a no-construction-necessary addition. In the first category, consider building out kitchen cabinets to ceiling height.

Secondly, introduce order to cabinets by rethinking the interior space.

When space is tight, corralling all of our things is key, so swap chaos for organization inside drawers, along walls and on open shelves. Line kitchen drawers with removable dividers to give everything from eating utensils to measuring cups a proper place to belong.

Half of the battle when you have a small kitchen is by making use of the proper tools that are out there to make sure that everything in your kitchen has its place. Also, make sure that you utilize dividers and all of the vertical space. You can afford to lose horizontal space.

Not only do you need to set your kitchen up in a way that is extremely organized, but you also need to utilize decorating tools that make your kitchen feel bigger. In the following article by Apartment Therapy, they talk about some ideas that you can incorporate into your own kitchen:

Low Contrast Color: Keep everything in the same color family, with minor variation. Light colors, or all white helps too.

Elongated Patterns: Choose geometric and striped walls and floors that draw the eye lengthwise or vertically and make the room appear longer or taller than it actually is.

Light Furnishings & Decor: Certain elements — like backless barstools, wire kitchen islands, or glass pendant lights for example — leave sight lines open and don't trip up your eye as you move around the room.

Little Visual Clutter: This isn't just keeping things tidy and tucked away (although it's that too). It's about maintaining clean lines, without tons of overly decorative details.

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If you have a small kitchen, then you can, by all means, make it look bigger by following the above steps. Furthermore, you can also organize your kitchen in a way that helps utilize the space that you have. The first step to all kitchen decor is picking out a theme.