5 Designer Tips to Accessorize Your Kitchen Without Sacrificing Function or Style
Julia DeDecker Interiors
The Kitchen is one of the most used rooms in our homes and often one of the most lived in. It is where family and friends gather and share conversations, laughs and a meal. In the midst of all that function and daily use, a kitchen can become cluttered. With multiple small appliances, mismatched cookware and bright jugs of dish soap you can lose your design vision through its function. The good news is that it is never too late to simplify and properly accessorize a room, so there is hope for us all to continually improve our rooms and update these finishing touches over time as design preferences, functional needs and trends change. Here are my tips for accessorizing your kitchen without sacrificing function or style.
1.Know your Design Story: I think of a home’s colour palette, wood tones and finishes as a “design story”. You want that story to be cohesive between rooms and that includes your kitchen. Know your design story and keep those same elements throughout your kitchen. When searching for kitchen supplies you will find a lot of options, but they will not all work with your home’s design story. For example if you found a very cute retro looking turquoise toaster on sale but your palette doesn’t include turquoise and your design is very traditional, it’s unlikely this toaster will help tell your design story. It is easy to see great items (especially on sale) and want to purchase those for your home, which is why it’s important to know what you are looking for and adhere to your guidelines to direct your search or filter your purchases. This first tip applies to designing or styling any room. It seems obvious, but it can take practice to apply that filter when you are out shopping.
2. Clean up the soap situation: Purchase some very nice dish or hand soaps in pretty containers or purchase your own container and fill with your soaps of choice. As for the dish scrubber, keep it out of sight. If you need assistance with that look for an opaque container, like a shallow non-porous dish or this ceramic berry pint from Zehrs (Presidents Choice) to hold your dish scrubbers. these simple changes keeps the countertop around the sink highly functional but do not disrupt our design efforts with bright plastic bottles or unsightly scrubbers.
3. Simplify your countertop appliances: If you are taking on a renovation, consider during your layout phase where you are going to store your appliances. If you can find an alternate to a countertop microwave or can incorporate an appliance garage (have you seen this ultimate appliance garage over at ChrislovesJulia?) this can go a long way in simplifying your counter space. However there are are more ways to cut appliance clutter without a renovation:
Store away occasional appliances: Do you only use the coffee maker that makes a pot of coffee when company comes? Do you only use your Kitchen Aid mixer 4 times a year for cakes and shortbread? These types of appliances can be stored away. If you do not have cupboard space in the kitchen, look for another option elsewhere in the house. If only used a few times a year the effort to get them our of storage can be worthwhile.
Curate the bare necessities: The appliances you use daily need to be kept accessible, and when on display should fit with your design story or at the very least, not distract. If you want to hide your appliance away, but you use it too often to consider that strategy, buy a more design forward replacement, something that will work with your palette and finishes. There are so many great options out there (SMEG, Haden, Create and Barrel).
TIP: Be mindful of using too much stainless steel in a kitchen as it can look sterile or industrial. If your larger appliances are in stainless you may want to consider a second finish for your small appliances.
4. Edit the rest: In this step I am talking about the items that we use throughout the day. Each item on its own may seem small and insignificant but when many of these small elements stray from the design story the kitchen can appear erratic and cluttered. Try these tips:
Transfer your cooking oil to a cruet or cermic bottle and your salt and pepper in wood or brass mills or shakers that fit your style.
For utensils, stick to one or two colours/finishes that are cohesive with the esthetic of your kitchen.
Keep likes with likes- by that I mean store your utensils together in a crock or hanging in a group. Keep your condiments corralled on a nice, washable tray to trick the eye that it is one item instead of three or four separates.
Dish towels, oven-mitts, trivets should also be considered accessories as these will be out often while preparing, serving and cleaning up meals.
Have something you need but the colour or material is all wrong? Store strategically so it is not displayed prominently, maybe storing in a nearby shelf or drawer when not in use.
5.Add life to your kitchen: Kitchens tend to be made of hard, shiny and functional items, yet we do so much living in this space. Tiles, countertops, appliances and cookware need to strong, durable, functional and easy to clean, but if we only include these elements in our design than the kitchen can fall flat. Here are some ways accessories can breathe life into your kitchen and create a welcoming place where you want to spend time.
Wood can warm up a kitchen. If your cabinets are not already wood, consider bringing in serving boards or wood trays or utensils into the space to warm it up.
Fresh produce in a statement bowl can act as an island focal point and add colour to your kitchen. Produce is a great way to style seasonally while still being functional for the space.
If you spend a lot of time in your kitchen, or want friends and family to spend more time with you in your kitchen, consider it part of your living and entertainment space. Accessories such as framed photos, greenery/florals, lamps, area rugs and art sculptures can be brought into the kitchen to create that lived-in feel. If these items make you and others want to spend time in your kitchen than I think these items can be categorized as functional items! Same rules apply - these items need to be consistent with your design goals.
A design firm that perfectly executes this last tip is Studio Mcgee. The design of this kitchen is beautiful, but the accessories and styling brings the kitchen to life and makes me want to spend all day in there. Treating your kitchen as another living space and consciously editing and curating your accessories to tell your design story can achieve this same effect in your own homes.
Give it a try and I’d love to know if you apply any of the above tips in your own kitchens. Tell me in the comments or comment on Instagram! Later this week I will show you my round of up of kitchen accessories I’ve curated for my kitchen and share links to all available items.
