How to Decorate Your Kitchen in a Western Theme

Decorating your kitchen in a Western theme is a creative and fun project that the whole family can do together. The kitchen is usually the central hub of the home and a Western theme is perfect for family members of any age. Depending on how you feel about theme kitchens you may want to try some or all of these nifty ideas on how to turn you everyday kitchen into a Western themed bonanza.

One of the first things you can do to install a Western theme in your kitchen is change out your traditional light fixtures for fixtures that have a Western theme. Heavy iron material will always work well. Try looking for those light bulbs that look like flickering candles.

Secondly, you might try hanging bead board on appropriate walls in your kitchen. Bead board is durable and makes a nice addition to the lower portions of your wall. Add a chair rail on top to finish it off neatly. Painted bead board can work well in A Western kitchen theme, but I highly recommend staining your natural bead board in a beautiful wood stain. Stains can dry quickly and you can purchase water based stained that do not smell as toxic as their oil based counter parts. Bead board also looks great as a back splash. Be sure to seal the stain properly with several coats of varnish so that it will with stand the test of time.

If you are really a do it your selfer try hanging some wooden beams on your ceiling. Nothing screams Western like some heavy wooden beams. You can find fake wooden beams out there, but the difference will be noticeable and possibly give your room a slightly seventies look.

You can make your walls look like a Western log cabin simply using paint, painter's tape, and a little faux finishing technique. Start by painting your entire wall a putty white color that looks like the area in between the logs. Take long pieces of the painter's tape and rip is along the length of the tape. Youwant this long natural line so that your logs are not perfectly straight. Next start taping off equally portioned lateral lines on the walls you wish to look like logs. Place the jagged edged of the ripped tape in so that it makes the outer line of the log. Generally a log should be about one foot tall and as long as the length of your wall. In the spaces that are logs paint a base coat of brown. Let that dry over night. The next day mix equal parts glaze medium to equal parts darker brown paint. Roll this glaze mixture on with a foam roller brush. Only do one log at a time. Use a rubber wood grain tool to drag along over the glaze. This will reveal your lighter brown paint beneath and give the appearance of a log. This rubber tool can be found in the paint and faux finish area of any Lowe's or Home Depot type store.

To create a unique and Western style dining table take a weekend or two to scour local flea markets, yard sales, and thrift stores for a vintage looking wagon wheel. Attach the wheel to a base and lay a piece of heavy beveled glass on top. Instant western charm! You can also sew slipcovers out of fabric that looks like cattle hide, faded denim, or red and white checks for your chairs.

Don't let the decorating stop there. Chunky pottery plates, mugs, and bowls also make great additions. Red handkerchiefs are great Western napkins! Outdoor stores also have a large variety of colors and styles of outdoor lanterns that can provide great mood lighting in your Western kitchen. You can also decorate the walls with lassos, horse gear, ironwork, and anything that has a Western feel. Don't over look the small details like door pulls on your kitchen cabinet. Try to find something that is chunky, heavy, and iron. Use old cowboy boots for lamp bases or plant pot covers. Most of all be creative and think outside of the box. You may be surprised at how easily some of your existing pieces incorporate themselves easily into your new Western themed kitchen.