Your kitchen is the centre of your home, it’s where you cook, eat, entertain and spend time with family and friends. Your kitchen should reflect your personality, look great and function brilliantly. Here are seven decor tips to help you transform your kitchen into a stylish and practical space.
1. Explore kitchen decor ideas and get inspired
Use inspirational platforms, such as Pinterest and Instagram, to discover a multitude of kitchen design styles – from minimalist to rustic, industrial to Scandi. These platforms are teeming with ideas that will spark your imagination and help you decide which theme best reflects your style.
Browse home decor magazines and websites and particularly the Decoration section of VELUX Magazine, for inspiring images and expert advice on how to best combine styles, textures and colours.
Take inspiration from all around you – whether that’s your friend’s kitchen, a charming cafe or a favourite film. Make a note or take a photo of the items that catch your eye and consider how they can be incorporated into the design of your new kitchen.
2. Identify your functional requirements
Consider how you use your kitchen. Do you need a large worktop for preparing meals, a central island for serving and casual dining? Think about your culinary habits and how much space you realistically need for cooking.
Don’t forget about storage. To make your kitchen function at its best, it must be well organised. Innovative storage solutions include hidden drawers, adjustable shelving and cupboards that soft close automatically. Integrate materials, such as wood or metal, into your kitchen for a modern, durable look and think about adding a practical and attractive splashback.
Consider the functional aspects of your kitchen to make it as ergonomic as possible. Think about your optimum worktop height and how you want to position your appliances for ease of use. The ‘kitchen triangle’ – the traditional positioning of the refrigerator, sink and hob – should be designed to provide optimal freedom of movement.
Read also: Transforming a family kitchen with a stunning extension
Organise your kitchen to suit how you cook, eat and entertain.
3. Create your own mood boards.
Consolidate your ideas on digital or physical inspirational mood boards. These will help you visualise your kitchen decor project.
Identify recurring themes that you like, such as colours, materials and styles of furnishings. Whether you’re a minimalist, with a preference for hidden storage, or want more of a ‘country chic’ look, with open shelves for vintage tableware, these elements will become the pillars of your kitchen design.
4. Learn to combine colours and optimise lighting
Choose colour combinations that take into account the size of your kitchen and the amount of natural light flowing into it. Light colours will make your space appear larger, while darker tones will draw the walls in.
Artificial lighting, combined with the natural light coming in through well placed windows, helps to create a harmonious space that enhances the aesthetics and functionality of your kitchen.
Learn more: How to create a “wow” kitchen with natural light
5. Integrate windows into your kitchen
The design and position of windows plays a pivotal role in creating a bright and well-ventilated kitchen.
When you maximise the natural light coming into your kitchen, you improve its overall ambience and make the space feel more open and welcoming.
Well positioned windows can also offer great views, making your kitchen a place you love spending time in.
Read also: Bring more natural light into your kitchen with VELUX roof windows
Adding a roof window can transform your kitchen into a bright and airy space.
6. Choose furniture and units suited to the shape of your kitchen
To create an efficient, comfortable cooking, dining and entertaining space, the kitchen units and furniture you choose should suit your kitchen’s layout.
- For a U-shaped kitchen: opt for furnishings that maximise the available storage space and allow ease of movement. Look to integrate deep drawers and a pull-out larder.
- For an L-shaped kitchen: optimise the space on the two adjoining walls with tall cabinets. An island or peninsular unit can work well as an additional preparation and serving area and can double as a space to spend time with family and friends.
Learn more: The kitchen is the heart of the home
Clever tips for tiny kitchens
If you have a large family, love to cook and entertain regularly, a small kitchen can be a challenge, but this can be overcome with careful planning and good design.
Keep worktops uncluttered
Worktop space is always at a premium in a small kitchen. Do everything you can to keep worktops clear.
Where possible, mount appliances, such as microwaves, within your kitchen wall units. Make the wall space work hard too by fixing hooks for utensils and a magnetic knife holder for cutlery.
By incorporating a large chopping board into your worktop, you can also use your worktop for chopping fruit and vegetables and rolling out pastries and, if it’s heatproof, you can place hot items directly on it, avoiding the clutter of chopping boards and trivets.
Make items multi-task
Whenever possible, select items that can do multiple jobs, an oven that doubles up as a microwave, for example, or a stand mixer with attachments for juicing and chopping.
Select seating with hidden storage, such as a storage bench. Extendable dining tables work well in small kitchens too; when you’re not entertaining you can fold away the additional leaves and keep the table at its smallest.
Store things outside the kitchen if possible
Serious cooks often have quite a collection of gadgets and serving pieces that can overwhelm a small kitchen. If you can, store lesser-used items outside of your kitchen until needed. Try to only keep things in your small kitchen that are regularly used.
Large plastic boxes with lids are great for keeping kitchen accessories clean and safe when not in use, perhaps in the bottom of a coat cupboard or a garage.
7. Adopt innovative storage solutions
For a well-organised and functional kitchen, utilise every inch of space with innovative storage solutions, such as under-plinth drawers, pull out additional worktops and pop-up plugs.
Kitchen islands can also provide crucial additional storage. If you have the floor space, opt for designs featuring integrated shelves, drawers and cupboards.
Learn more: Transform your kitchen with these kitchen design tips
Bonus 1. Kitchen accessories and textiles
As well as being decorative, kitchen accessories can make your kitchen more functional too.
Spice jars, wooden chopping boards, a well-presented set of knives or an assortment of cushions on a bench are just a few examples of accessories that combine aesthetics and practicality.
Textiles, such as curtains, tablecloths, oven gloves and tea-towels can add colour, pattern, texture and comfort to your scheme, while open shelves and hooks can be used to show off vintage tableware and cute mugs.
Personalise your kitchen with accessories that are aesthetic and functional.
Bonus 2: Opt for sustainable decor
By choosing renewable or recycled materials for your worktops and flooring and opting for energy-efficient appliances, you can create a visually appealing kitchen that is also environmentally friendly.
Integrating elements that are recycled or upcycled into your kitchen decor will also add character to your room, while helping to reduce waste.
Kitchen Decor FAQ
What colour trends should be considered for kitchen units and furniture?
The colour scheme of your kitchen can really impact how it looks and feels. Opt for neutrals and greys for a classic scheme that won’t date or be bolder with brighter on-trend pastels for added wow factor.
What works well as wall decoration in a kitchen?
For an industrial and ultra-modern look, go for a metallic splashback, which is practical and hard-wearing. This will also help to reflect the light around your room and make it appear larger and brighter.
Open wooden shelving can provide additional homely storage and lets you show off decorative elements, such as pretty servingware and spice jars.
What kind of artwork suits a kitchen?
Bright and cheerful artworks can become talking points at family mealtimes.
Large-scale photographs can also add visual interest without overwhelming the space.
Artworks made from natural elements, such as wood or clay, can also go well with the materials used in kitchen furnishings.
How about decorating the kitchen walls?
You can tile your walls with decorative tiles in a variety of patterns and colours that tie in with the rest of your kitchen decor. Paint and wallpaper can also work well, but make sure that whatever you choose is designed to cope with what can sometimes be a hot and steamy room.
To decorate your kitchen walls, consider adding accessories, such as a retro clock, a blackboard that you can use for writing menus or inspiring quotes and framed pieces of your children’s artwork.
How can you choose the ideal splashback for your kitchen?
To choose the perfect splashback, first consider which material you’d like to use, depending on your decor style and practical needs.
Popular choices include ceramic tiles, glass or metal.
Choose surfaces that are smooth and non-porous, so that they are easy to clean, and ensure that the colour and design of the splashback complements your kitchen’s overall style, whether that’s contemporary or traditional.
If you’re unsure, consult a professional kitchen designer for advice tailored to your room, style and budget.
How can you choose the perfect flooring for your kitchen?
To choose the ideal flooring for your kitchen, look for a style that compliments your kitchen decor and consider factors such as durability and ease of cleaning, as well as comfort and style.
Opt for materials that are moisture-resistant and easy to maintain, such as ceramic, vinyl or treated wood. Your flooring should be durable, hard-wearing and resistant to splashes.
Certain materials are more costly to buy and install, so pay attention to your budget. A professional decorator can help you make choices that combine aesthetics and functionality in line with your budget.