Kitchen Tips and Trends
Seems like I have been working on a lot of kitchen designs lately and wanted to share some of my tips when it comes to designing a kitchen and also what I am loving right now! There is a lot to think about when you are re-modeling a kitchen, unlike many other spaces in the home kitchens and bathrooms are usually spaces that need to do a lot of jobs as well as withstand the test of time because they typically end up staying put for a bit! Case in point the 1970’s kitchen that I am currently working on! It hasn’t been touched in a couple of decades so its finally time for a facelift!
Top Tips
Be practical! Think about all the functions for your kitchen- how do you use it? Are you a super cook? Do you love to entertain? Do you want to just make your kitchen disappear? These are all important things to consider when starting on your project. Although you love the look of carrera marble, its tough to maintain and if your countertops take a beating a quartz or other manmade material might be a better option for your lifestyle.
Steer Clear of the Trends! You want your kitchen to withstand the test of time. In kitchen’s and bath’s I tend to recommend that my clients go with neutrals on things like the cabinets. Although a lime green cabinet looks amazing in a magazine this wont necessarily translate for many years and if you are planning to live with your new kitchen for awhile I recommend staying with the basics on the major pieces.
Treat your tile and hardware like jewelry! These are the places you can have a bit of fun with. Be more adventurous with your tile choices and know that nickel, chrome, rose gold.. you can change up your hardware easily over the years.
Brighten it up! I love me some lighting! In all spaces! Lighting in a kitchen is especially important. Here you have to consider decorative lighting as well as task lighting. A vintage pendant can make any space interesting and again this is an area that can be changed out of you keep your kitchen for 30 years!
Trends that are not Trendy!
I’m loving a lot of whites, natural stone and light woods. There are so many amazing materials out there to choose from and dont even get me started on tiles! But truly I am really drawn to the direction of the kitchen being a space that takes its inspiration from nature, it should be a beautiful backdrop to create delicious meals for family and friends to enjoy.
I love thick natural wood open shelving.
Hints of brass or gold mixed with a surprising rich color.
I have been seeing a lot of islands that are different material than the rest of cabinets and that is a trend I am really loving.
Bench seating is always a hit with me! Anywhere you can lounge to drink your coffee is a plus!
Ok I am going to go back to pinning incessant inspiration pictures. Follow along with me here! And in the meantime I hope you are inspired to create your own perfect kitchen oasis.