Tips for Creating a Cottage Style Kitchen

The kitchen is the traditional gathering place for many families. It still serves as a melting pot for laughter and exchanging wild daily stories while preparing meals together. What better way to enjoy daily bonding than in a kitchen design which invokes a feeling of warmth and comfort? This can easily be achieved with a cottage style kitchen.

The main appeal of a cottage kitchen its simplistic, uncomplicated design. These styles are known for the unabashed use of white, creating a sense of cleanliness and purity in the cooking area. Sinks are bright and pristine. Counters are light and smooth. Even the smallest of cooking spaces seem open and inviting. How do you create this sense of kitchen comfort in your own home?

I adapted my own kitchen several years ago. The first thing my husband and I did was to remove the doors from the cabinets, creating open spaces where we could easily grab hold of plates, glasses and bowls. By removing the doors and repainting the cabinets, the area around the sink automatically opened up and regardless of seeing what clutter might lay in the cabinets on my more lazy days, it feels more organized and accessible.

Next, we painted the walls a light, neutral color, ridding ourselves of the "eighties" country wall paper (ducks, hearts, you know the type). This provided the area with a sense of stable warmth. Adding wine bottles and a few photos gave it a very Tuscan feel. We freed up working space by ditching many of the knick-knacks and appliances stacked on the counters. A small plant in the window over the sink does wonders. Pots and pans were pulled from the bottom cabinets and hung from the wall on an iron rack. A light valance in the window over the sink keeps out the morning sun while providing plenty of light. We pulled the heavy fluorescent lighting from the ceiling in favor of a single dome light with a brass border and a soft-light bulb. The overall effect changed this walk-through kitchen from a heavy, over-patterned place to a room that was open and airy, where we would willing lean against the counters and talk to one another.

Other options include choosing old cans to keep your sugar and flour in (make sure they seal properly). Fill a small basket with cut flowers to set on a table, or place an old steel bucket of long stemmed flowers in the corner. Used distressed frames to enclose your favorite recipes, and hang them on the wall. Purchase vintage coca-cola signs to hang over the doorway. Hang a chalk board to advertise the night's dinner plans. The ideas are limitless, just make sure the effect is light, but warm and soothing, with minimal upkeep.

If you desire a complete overhaul, there are many websites to assist with choosing furniture and counter designs to compliment your personal version of the cottage style.

www.hgtv.com
www.bhg.com