Kitchen decor tricks for a stunning kitchen

We spend so much time in the kitchen, both cooking and entertaining family and friends. It only makes sense that you want your kitchen to be attractive and functional, a place where people enjoy spending time. Yet, too often the cook focuses on the functional aspect and neglects the fashionisto tricks of kitchen decor. Here are some easy ways to dress up your kitchen decor and make this workhorse room a thing of beauty as well.

No matter how small or large your kitchen may be, it's important to develop a decorating theme. Some people decorate their kitchen at random, today buying a modern style of kitchen clock they find attractive, followed by a purchase of a set of antique canisters next month.

While such a combination can work, if you mix your styles too often, you end up with a chaotic look more suited to a flea market display table. There's no cohesive look. So give some thought to the overall mood you'd like to reflect in your kitchen decor. The end result will be far more pleasing to the eye. Coordinated pieces create an illusion of spaciousness, simply by eliminating a cluttered look.

Color is as important as style. If you like a monochromatic color scheme, emphasize this in major pieces. While your toaster, coffepot and blender may be black, matching your appliances, look for a few accent pieces to add interest. For example, an ornate flowered ceramic vase adds some sparkle. Your modernistic kitchen decor benefits from a bit of contrast.

If you favor a traditional look, flea markets, vintage shops and antique stores can produce some choice finds. In this kitchen decor scheme, you need to be careful with both color and style. Let's say blue is your favorite color and you'd like to have blue shades predominate. You may have a set of enameled blue pots and pans hanging from a rack over the stove. Look for a set of patterned canisters with different shades of blue, rather than trying to find an exact match for your cookware. An accent piece, such as a flower vase in a burnt orange shade will give a rich look to complement your blue scheme.

Window treatments are an important component of your kitchen decor. Here's an opportunity to tie all of the elements and styles together. For example, the blue kitchen scheme can look terrific with fabric curtains with a patterned design of shades of blue and a white or beige background. An all blue curtain would tend towards a heavy, dark look, while the same colors, lightened with the white background produce a bright, cheerful effect.

You can see that developing your theme, before you start buying pieces willy-nilly, can make your kitchen decor perfectly lovely!