How to Decorate a Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of any home. It’s where we all meet up first thing in the morning, it’s the space where you can have a coffee and a chat with a friend, and it’s where those wonderful culinary experiments (some good, some not so good!) happen. A kitchen has to have real personality, charm, and warmth, but it needs to be a practical space too. 

So how do you achieve that balance? Kitchen décor is just as important as your living room or bedroom décor, so here are a few tips on how to decorate a kitchen to bring out the best in any space, large or small.

Practicalities – heat and humidity

The kitchen environment is very different from the rest of your home, so your kitchen décor ideas need to take into account the higher heat and humidity you’ll find in a kitchen, especially if you have limited ventilation. Choose paint that’s easy to wipe down, and combine it with tiles for oven splash guards and around sinks. Look for specially-designed kitchen paint that can withstand the more demanding conditions you’ll find in a kitchen, including the usual knocks and scrapes that happen if you’ve got kids and pets too!

Decorating small kitchen spaces

If you’re clever, you can make even the smallest kitchen look and feel bigger.  The key to decorating small kitchen spaces is to keep surfaces clear and clutter to an absolute minimum. Hooks and hangers can turn premium quality pans into ornaments when they’re not in use (think that wonderful ‘rustic kitchen’ look with gleaming copper pans hanging on the wall).

If you’re really tight on space, create the illusion of a larger area by using reflective surfaces such as mirrored cupboard doors. Keep the colour palette light, with pops of bold, primary colours to really have an impact.

Modernist or traditional?

There are several different themes when it comes to home décor ideas in the kitchen, but they fall into two main camps – modernist and traditional. Modernist kitchen décor relies on neutral tones such as white, cream, and grey, offset with metal trim, chrome, and stainless steel. Modernist kitchen design usually alternates between minimalist and industrial. Minimalist is exactly as it sounds – clean, fuss-free décor with a zero-tolerance attitude when it comes to the usual kitchen clutter. Industrial has a more solid, practical feel to it and can incorporate design flourishes such as wire racks and industrial style hooks. Furniture is clean, simple, and functional, with the emphasis on chrome and nickel.

Rustic or traditional kitchens are more homely, often a little eclectic and quirky, and feature things such as charming glass storage jars, copper pans, and even bunches of drying herbs hanging from central ceiling hooks. Top it off with rustic style wood furniture and an authentic range and you have the basis of the perfect traditional farmhouse kitchen.

Kitchen décor on a budget

If you’ve just moved into your first home and are looking for inexpensive kitchen wall decorating ideas and creating your first family kitchen on a budget, then don’t worry, there are lots of wallet-friendly ways to create a showstopping look without spending too much cash. Collections of glass jars make great features for storing pulses, rice, and dried pasta, or why not add a wire fruit basket to your tabletop – you’re actually using the food itself as a décor feature! 

If you want to revive your kitchen but don’t want to spend a fortune then rather than ripping out all those perfectly serviceable units, simply replace the drawer fronts and cupboard doors. If you’re tight on money then just investing in a new set of door and drawer handles can make all the difference to your kitchen décor.

Wall decorating ideas can include stick-on tiles, stencilling, or simply choose a wipe-clean silk paint to give your walls that bright, fresh look without spending a fortune. Décor for kitchens is all about capturing your personality and combining it with practicality and functionality to create a fun family space that everyone can enjoy.