Innovative Kitchen Decorating Ideas

Decorating any room can seem like an overwhelming task, especially a kitchen. With all the choices of appliances, styles and trends of today, decorating your kitchen can seem like something only a professional can do. The key to decorating is to remember that it is a reflection of your own personal style. What makes you feel good about the room, what do you like?

Now you might consider an entire remodel or renovation of your kitchen, or you may simply want it to feel more homey. Either way, there are many things you can do, even on a limited budget which can spruce up your kitchen and make meal time more enjoyable. What you must remember is that the kitchen serves many functions at once. Not only is it a place to prepare your meals, but in many homes it is a center of social activity. A place to enjoy informal meals, coffee with friends and loved ones and a place to share dishes you enjoy with others. A very formal, yet functional kitchen can seem drab and in cumbersome, making even the most seasoned cooks dread time in the kitchen. On the other hand, over decorating to the point that ornaments exceed the functionality of the kitchen is also a no win situation. What you want to do is find a balance between functionality and personality. Sounds simple? Well it may not be very simple but it can be fun. Some people prefer some kind of theme to their kitchen to reflect their personality. While this isn't necessary, it can be quite gratifying. When picking a "theme" you should go with something that is simple to start with and can be built on. For instance, if you are a Coke product fan, instead of starting with an entire Coke theme, start with the colors you are going to use, probably red and white as the main theme. That way when you find a cute strawberry decorated cookie jar, you can incorporate it in the kitchen without having to change the entire kitchen into strawberry shortcake designs.
Here are some easy projects that are fun to do and light on the budget as well.

Consider hanging plants in the kitchen, not a hanging garden, but perhaps a few small ferns or window plants that you can put in the corners or near the dinning table to brighten things up. A great idea is to use an old teapot for a plant holder. You can grow just about anything in these from ferns to small herbs. And you can find inexpensive ceramic, bronze or other ornamental tea pots just about anywhere from a thrift store to a yard sale.

Designer cabinets. How expensive would these be? They don't have to be. You can use popular prints and even laminate them, then glue them to the cabinet doors and even place inexpensive trim around them to highlight them. The perk to this is you can change the theme anytime you want. I used a cherub theme for the holidays and found many beautiful print designs online. I used picture paper to print them out and used the above technique to transform the cabinets into a work of art fit for any Christmas gathering.

Who needs wallpaper? Why not paint? I suggest light colors that can be easily painted over instead of having to be stripped. This can be accented with sponges and cutout to bring out the flavor of the walls and again, can be changed at anytime for minimal cost. Stencils can also be used to create interesting designs, and can even be used on bland metal and plastic appliances if you feel like it. I once had a fairy tale forest theme where I did the entire kitchen in light green and painted ivy on the refrigerator and stove doors using stencils. Make sure to use the right kind of paint for each material of course. If you really must have border, go with the kind that you press on and comes off with water, that way it is as easy to change as the paint. Home Depot has a great many of designs, styles and colors for this type of thing.

Lighting. Great lighting can really set the mood at any meal. Try installing a dimmer switch in the kitchen dining area for intimate romantic meals or to highlight the birthday cake when the candles are being blown out. The type of lights can be expressive as well. I have found that track lighting over the work area does wonders for cooking, is relatively inexpensive to install and gives the kitchen a modern look while not diminishing the other decor.

Kitchen space is always a dilemma in any household. Everyone always has too much stuff and not enough room, especially when it comes to things you rarely use, but when you want to use them you have to dig them out of the back of the cabinet. This problem can easily be eliminated while enhancing your kitchens overall style. A rack above a kitchen island works well for pots and pans and other blunt cooking objects. If you don't have a kitchen island, don't worry, this can easily be installed over the kitchen sink. You can also make use of the tiny space of wall between the upper cabinets and the countertop by installing hanging racks for often used utensils to match. These come in any number of colors and wood styles and are very handy. Another nice idea for space saving and space improving at the same time is to remove a few of the cabinet doors, especially if you have small cabinets which you don't really use anyway and create an open area space for colorful glass wear or bottles of wine you would like to display. The cabinet over the stove that is present in many semi modern kitchens should be eliminated all together. It makes the room seem spacier, and is not very useful anyway other than a place to hide the stove pipe.
If you have a large amount of window space, use this to your advantage. I would suggest highlighting the windows with light, colorful curtains, add your own style with crystals, prisms or other window hanging decorations. Let the light in to brighten up the room.

If you have the money to buy new appliances to match your new desired look then do it. But remember, when buying new appliances, try to get a monotone color that goes well with just about anything. That way when you decide to redo the room, again, you won't have to spend all that money on new appliances. Stainless steel seems popular for modern kitchen, and goes well with just about any color, as does black and white. You can also buy some inexpensive appliance spray paint to refurbish older appliances, covering those dents and scratches that come from use over time, or to completely change the look with a new and fresh color to match wall paint and countertops.

Music in the kitchen is also enjoyable at meal time. You can install a relatively inexpensive surround sound system for about 150 bucks. This can be wired to a cd player in another room to create musical harmony throughout the house.

Don't need that extra cabinet in the corner, no problem. Cut out the cabinet and leave the counter top, add a bar stool or two and presto, you've got a breakfast nook. Add a splash of light to the counter area and your set for your morning coffee or oj and a bagel.

Don't want to install a cabinet under the sink? Don't worry. You can add a curtain ruffle here to hide that unseemly space and add a bit of accent to the kitchen.
Want a kitchen island but can't afford one. What about a movable island? That's right. A large microwave cart can be turned into a temporary work space and can easily be rolled away and stored when not needed. (you can hide it under the sink behind the curtain) You can buy any color cutting board to match the area of the top of the stand and of course, you can decorate it with stencils, paint it or even put that sticky cabinet cover on it to make it match whatever theme you go with. The best part, they only cost about 20 bucks at Wal-mart. You can also store less often used appliances on the inside shelves to make them easily accessible but still out of the way for everyday use.

Department stores often have a line of "antique" gadgets that can add an interesting look to your kitchen. These are items that are made to look like antiques but work for the modern kitchen and are definitely less expensive than the real thing. You can accent your kitchen with old timey looking utensils and appliances and give it an overall unique look, while still being able to actually use the items everyday.

Decorating can be a great way to exercise your imagination and explore your artistic talents. You don't have to be a professional to turn your kitchen into a space you both use and enjoy on a daily basis.