How to Decorate Your Kitchen

All About Personality

When decorating the kitchen, its all about personality and style. First thing in deciding how to decorate your kitchen is what type of style that you would like to consider; modern, contemporary, traditional. What is the current theme of your home and of course your budget.  Are you looking to do a complete redo, or just changing things up a little bit?

Complete Makeover

If you are considering a complete kitchen makeover,  budget planning should be the first on the list.  Second, ask some friends or neighbors if they know or have some contractors that they may have used in the past.  If not, its best to start from scratch from reliable sources or local contractors in your area for estimates.  Make sure when you decide, contractors are licensed in their field. Ask to see portfolios of their work.  Ask for references, and most importantly, make sure the terms of the contract are clear between both parties.  Once you have your budget and your contractor,  It time to pick supplies and materials. 

For the traditional kitchen makeover spruce up with new cabinetry; oak, cherry, or off white.  Decide between Italian, or European style cabinets for a more traditional look.   Pair the cabinets with a granite countertop, a mid-grade selection, depending on the style you choose.  Granite comes in different grades, the higher the grade the more costly it becomes. Make sure you stay within budget.  If you choose cherry cabinets, it is best to go with a dark granite for a cleaner look.  If you choose an oak or off white cabinet its best to choose a lighter granite. No matter what style of kitchen is chosen, it is best to stay within the same color scheme so the kitchen appearance flows well, and space looks maximize. 

For Modern Kitchen makeovers, don’t be scared to use some color and get away with it. If you want reds or blues, bring in the color in cabinetry or with appliances.  But careful, don’t do both.  The room will slowly begin to cave in on you.  Keep things light and airy, and add pops of color in the materials. Walls should be kept bright or white.  Granite may not be a good idea in a modern kitchen.  Modern kitchen counters tend to house concrete countertops, or stainless steel countertops, sometimes white works also (depending on the budget).

Freshen Up

If your kitchen already has all the bells and whistles of today’s designs, and you are looking to just freshen up the look, then a fresh coat of paint, and some new inexpensive backsplash can do the trick.  It’s cheap and can easily fit into a budget of a $1,000.  You can also add some new lighting fixes for cheap.  Kitchen light fixtures can be as low $25 if you find a great sale, or hit the warehouses.  

Appliances

Stainless steel is still the "In thing," whether the style of kitchen is Traditional, or Modern.  Black, upgraded appliances are making a comeback, and can fit well in most dark kitchen designs (Cherry Wood). It is easy to keep clean and serve as part of functional kitchen design that is sure to not go out of style within a few years.

How to Decorate

Whether you are looking for a complete kitchen design or looking to keep things fresh, remember to start by deciding your style.  Not sure what your style is, get a few magazines with different styles and circle which ones you like best.  Begin to narrow it down from their.  Once you decide style, start figuring out a budget. Once you have that budget, begin the hiring process for a contractor.  Once you have the contractor get to work on design, style and watch how your project goes from make under to makeover.