Kitchen Makeover Ideas

Deciding a colour palette for your kitchen lays the guiding base for any other designing or accessorizing. Explore not just in terms of the colours on walls but also cabinets, counter tops fixtures and even kitchen equipment and crockery. Experiment with the various number of materials and finishes available in the market. Instead of using standard colour combinations that perhaps some kitchen design guide might have told you about, try to incorporate a palette that resonates with the personality of the primary user group and their perception of a kitchen.

Much like cooking at the stove, there are more than just a few other activities in the kitchen that involve staring at walls or sometimes, at nothing in particular. Hanging up photographs, paintings or other wall art not only enhances the character of your kitchen, but also of the mindset of the kitchen user. 

Art has scientifically been proven to improve and stimulate brain function, which proves to be beneficial in the kitchen- a centre of productive and creative developments. Unlike showpieces, wall mountings neither use up work area nor act as an obstruction. Moreover, no one ever said that the living room and bedroom were the only places in your house you could display art in. For kitchens with limited space where most of the area is used up for functional needs, you could try having an accent wall or an accent panel on a particular wall/walls.

Not only would a comfortable seating spot be a good idea for those 2-minute breaks in between kitchen chores but would also significantly introduce/amplify the inviting nature of the kitchen. Provided with space constraints in a lot of city houses, especially in kitchens, seating may seem like a far-fetched option. However, the addition of as less as just a single and simple seat increases the potential of the space and scope for a range of other activities that could be carried out in the kitchen like reading, notetaking, and contemplation. It wouldn’t be surprising if this spot turned out to be a favourite amongst all other seating.

Here is a way to bring some post-modernism into your kitchens. Leave the most frequently used kitchen items not behind cabinets, but at a more exposed place. These objects are then easy to access and to be placed back, thus saving time- the trickiest resource in the kitchen. Crockery stored behind cabinets with glass panels is another way to make for a kitchen that takes pride in its components. Moreover, we all have some fancy china whose primary job is not to serve food but to sit somewhere sophisticatedly and act fancy. Where better for these than behind some glass on a lofty cabinet which thereby adds a semi-deconstructivist touch to the rest of the space?  

The flooring of your kitchen can make a huge difference on the overall composition of the space. From its appearance to texture to temperature, floors can also have an effect on the people looking at it/ in contact with it. The right kind of flooring will also be easier to clean and keep clean. One can also use light-coloured flooring to make the kitchen look larger. There is a plethora of kitchen flooring tiles available that combine with wall tiles and lighting to dynamize the environment of the kitchen. 

It is important to carefully choose what materials, colours, and designs go on the walls and backsplash of your kitchen. While doing so, keep in mind the function of these materials (handling grease and heat for instance) and also their role as objects that we subconsciously find ourselves staring at while stirring a curry or while waiting for the milk to boil. Choose from a number of these Dado options ranging from stone cladding to ceramic tiles, vinyl or wallpaper to give your kitchen the appropriate backdrop.

Using the right kind of lighting can work wonders on any ordinary kitchen. Here too, follow the client’s view of the ideal kitchen and the mood one would want whilst carrying out activities in the kitchen. Using smart lighting along with recessed or flushed lighting on walls and under cabinets brings in an interactive quotient and increases efficiency. Along with artificial lighting, make the most of the natural light that your kitchen receives. Provide bigger windows and arrange the interiors of your kitchen such that they interact with this natural light, thereby saving energy and cost.

It is not necessarily just the people of a house that carry the responsibility of being prepared for the changing whims and fancies of ‘change’ itself. A good house must always have room for adjustment. In a similar manner- planners, designers and decorators must design in a fashion such that the space is equipped to handle the many needs and moods of a kitchen. Like any other space in the house, the kitchen needs to be an impactful setting and therefore, developing the character of a kitchen can be a thought-provoking and time-consuming activity which rightfully must be so. 

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Text provided by Elsa Dominic-

“Architecture is one of the most fundamental yet complex forms of expressed art. Many of us find it hard to perceive the beauty around us which is much more than just bricks and blocks and buildings. Our daily lives can turn out to be much more wholesome and interactive if we start appreciating the art that is architecture and the architecture that is art.”

Elsa is an architecture student and intends to be a medium that tries to explain the thoughts behind years of space-development which has culminated into what we see around us today, their nitty gritty and the impact it has on us every day of our lives. As she has come to believe, words have acted not only as her best pals but also as the simplest vessels that connect people with spaces.