Enormous amounts of time and money are spent on fitted kitchens, but why not create a shabby chic or vintage style kitchen that reflects your own personality, and has so much more charm than modern day mass produced chipboard and plastic? An old-fashioned kitchen will become the center of family life, inspiring even the most reluctant cooks to don their aprons and set to work with a will.
Many kitchen utensils are attractive enough to be decorative as well as functional, whether they be genuine vintage or modern retro-style reproductions. Why not consider making a feature of them and allowing them to be seen in all their splendour? Shabby chic means looking around for rough wicker baskets, simple vintage pottery bowls, humble wooden spoons gathered together in an earthenware pitcher, a bowl of fruit waiting to be used - all these have the potential for creating beautiful 1C84still-lifes in the corners of your kitchen. Establish your basic year-round display, then add other elements as the seasons change, perhaps bowls of spring bulbs in April, or a row of pumpkins waiting to be carved as Halloween comes around. Remember too that displays like this don't mean an untidy and inefficient kitchen with lots of clutter, but that having the items you use regularly easily to hand makes the cook's life much easier. Every item should have it's own place and purpose in your vintage style kitchen.
Don't automatically assume that fitted cabinets are the only answer when planning your kitchen. Think about installing an old-fashioned kitchen dresser - a great solution to your storage problems. You can keep rarely used objects hidden away in the bottom half, cutlery and all those odds and ends that you need handy in the drawers, and display your everyday china and utensils on the shelves. If your budget won't run to a dresser, then even inexpensive ready made shelves can be customised to meet your shabby chic desires. You can attach small hooks to the edge or underside of the shelves to hold cups and mugs, and edge the shelves with a pretty fabric or paper border to match the rest of your decor - this is a great way to add colour and interest to a plain surface.
It's worth mentioning colour too - this is a very personal choice, but I think that some colours do work better in a vintage style kitchen than others. As you're trying to emphasise natural, home-grown and home-made produce, then natural colours like greens and browns work well as do soft whites, creams and yellows. Strong, modern colours will look completely out of place in a vintage decorating scheme.
Large expanses of wall painted in a neutral colour do need to be broken up. Soft watercolour paintings can look great on such walls. If you don't feel up to, or don't want to paint your own, then there are plenty of lovely images out there. Postcards can also be mounted and framed in groups for a great display at very little expense. Don't overdo it though, a little goes a long way and quality in this instance is definitely worth more than quality. You could always commission a personalised print from DevonBear Designs, sure to be a talking point in any kitchen scheme.
Helen Dickson is the owner of DevonBear Designs. She designs and makes a small range of really practical - and pretty - textile items and stationery all inspired by the wonderful coast and countryside of South Devon, England. Helen is a talented watercolour artist and all DevonBear Designs products feature one of her images. Visit her site at http://www.devonbeardesigns.com
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