Styling up your new kitchen

I love these bar stools and drop down lampshades (image)

The kitchen is an expensive room. From the jazzy appliances to the little extra bits and bobs you can’t quite live without, this will always mean the cost ends up skyrocketing. It can also be a tad too clean cut for my liking and can often do with an injection of personality.

If you have everything in place in your new kitchen, but there happens to be something missing (that “je nais se quoi”) then what can you do?

Go bold!

Don’t be afraid to insert even more of an impact. Kitchens often adopt neutral colours and delicate patterns, and there is a reason for it. Dark, dingy kitchens are not going to inspire the culinary goddess within you but this doesn’t mean your kitchen should fade into the background, just becoming another room.

Going bold with lettering can be really fun 

Why not try something striking for that boring back wall? For something a little different, massive lettering makes a simple and dominant feature. It’s contemporary and homely at the same time! The holy grail of home decoration.

The easiest way to get your hands on some brilliant lettering is Jonny’s Sister. Each letter costs from £6.95 and the best thing about this is it can be completely unique to your kitchen. Maybe an inside joke, lyric, poem or word that truly epitomises your home and those of you in it.”


Adopt tricks of the trade

There are certain little tips, straight from the designers, that you can opt for. They often cost very little or nothing as well:

One or two bursts of colour; instead of investing in many appliances of the same or similar hue, just pick three maximum dotted around your kitchen. They make a much bolder statement. Just remember, this works best if the rest of your kitchen is in a neutral tone.

Adding bursts of colour can transform any kitchen (image)

The rules of accessorising; go as follows, odd numbers! For some reason, grouping your accessories in odd number (three in particular) is aesthetically pleasing. Things do come in threes…

Think about the positioning; items of varying heights and sizes are much more pleasing as well as stacking and positioning at a gauntly edge.

Focus on lighting; lighting is important in any room of your home but none more so than your kitchen. With many nooks and crannies, you can get experimental. Try placing within cabinets, underneath worktops or spotlights in each corner to give the illusion of more space

I love this cute colander light (image)

Bring the outdoors in

In a room where you spend most of your time, it makes sense to transform it into something completely and utterly unique. With a family, you can pick up mementos here, there and everywhere; shells from the beach, postcards from abroad, shrubbery from a woodland walk. You can incorporate these into your kitchen.

For starters, potted plants for the empty corners and an herb garden on the shelf add life and colour. You can decorate them individually for a personal touch too.

Wall hangings that include the bits and bobs you’ve picked up on your travels are also a completely distinctive and sentimental ways to insert that all-important personality.

If all else fails, fresh flowers make a huge difference. 

Everyone knows I love having fresh flowers in the home

Nifty Storage Options

Lots of clutter needs lots of storage. The good news for you is there are plenty of options when it comes to the kitchen.

Kitchens have a notorious amount of ‘stuff’ so you need to get clever. Your storage doesn’t need to be solely storage but an extension on your theme. Classic cool kitchen styles would look perfect with wicker elements, especially boxes that can be neatly kept on the top of your cabinets or stacked in the corner. If wicker is a little traditional for your modern look kitchen, personalised tin canisters, pots and buckets will give you the finishing touches.