I think the kitchen and the bathroom are the two most difficult rooms in the house to decorate. They are very practical rooms that don't have the extra space for non-essential furniture or decorative accents. And since they are the hardest to work with, they were the last rooms in my apartment that I tackled decorating (and I am still tackling the bathroom)! But just because kitchens and bathrooms are first and foremost functional spaces, doesn't mean they can't be stylish too.
Unless you are renovating the entire space, decorating (or redecorating) your kitchen means you have to work with what you have - counter tops, cabinets, tiles, fixtures, etc. And if you are in a rental space, these items definitely can't be changed. I was lucky that my kitchen's permanent fixtures were relatively neutral, which gave me the freedom to focus on decorative accents. Of course, I kept with
my pink and navy color scheme!
I think the best (and easiest) way to decorate a smaller, more utilitarian space is framed prints, which can sit behind items on the counter top or be hung out of the way on the wall, and shelving that can easily maximize smaller more vertical spaces that would typically go unused.
I installed these simple Ikea shelves a couple weeks ago (by myself might I add). The shelves were relatively easy to install, the hardest part was spacing and leveling them. The best part, they were very inexpensive and, with a quick coat of my go-to gold spray paint on the
brackets, look very chic. Shelves create a space that can be both functional and decorative. You can display your "prettier" kitchen items (like cook books, vases, mixing bowls, mokka pots, etc.) along with some decorative accents. I paired these fun kitchen prints (
available here) with this adorable
hot pink cake stand and pink and blue
cachepot (which I later decided to use as a utensil holder).
I also used my favorite
coffee mugs and french press to create a cute little coffee nook. Again Ikea to the rescue with their fabulous and inexpensive white
Ribba frames and
glass canisters. To keep with my color scheme, I added a beautiful blue tray from
One King's Lane and a vase of faux hydrangeas (also from OKL, they have a great selection of faux floral arrangements).
I love the finished product. Maybe this will inspire to use my kitchen more. Or the opposite might happen, it's so pretty I don't want to mess it up. Yep that's the excuse I will go with!
What are your secrets for decorating functional spaces?
PS - If you want to see my more of my apartment tours, here is the
living room/office,
bedroom, and
closet.
Labels: Apartment therapy, decorating, lifestyle