If you are decorating or refurbishing your property in a beautiful traditional style, the kitchen is a vital room to get right. Décor and fittings can be used to great effect to give a strong sense of place and time (or timelessness), and nowhere is this more relevant than in the room that is often considered the centre of the home.
Everything from furnishings and decorations to appliances can be harnessed to perfect a gorgeous homey look that ties into the rest of your interior design as if it is looked that way forever. So, how can you best achieve this?
The team at Kitchen Warehouse have been serving lovers of traditional kitchens for almost fifteen years, so we have got a few tricks up our sleeve when it comes to creating a look that you, your family and your guests will love! Take a look below for some of the easiest ways to give your kitchen that beautiful, classic look that will last forever.
Embrace Solid Wooden Kitchen Units & Doors
For generations, wood has been the preferred material from which to create kitchen fittings that are both sturdy and beautiful. The great thing about wood as a medium is that it can be shaped, carved, finished and treated however you prefer in order to achieve designs of all kinds – whether you want something heavy or delicate, light or dark. Kitchen units and replacement kitchen doors from Shaker kitchens are always particularly in keeping with traditional design preferences.
We always recommend solid wood kitchen units and doors rather than wooden cladding or panelling, as the quality is usually much higher, and the resulting products are therefore far more hard wearing, meaning you can use them year after year with minimal upkeep and repair.
It is easy to make wood look as good as new too – much of the time, dullness and scratches can be treated with careful sanding, buffing and polishing. While natural wood colours tend to work best when aiming for traditional design, it is also possible to make a dramatic change to the material without spending too much money. Varnish can be stripped and surfaces easily painted to totally update the look of the room to great effect.
Indulge in Traditional Accessories
Heavy woven curtains always look fantastic in traditional kitchens and will help the room to stay warm and cosy. You can also opt for kitchen accessories pots, pans and a kettle in rustic colours, copper or wrought iron for real attention to detail, and quaint old-fashioned rugs and rustic wooden tables and chairs both work beautifully too. You could even consider hanging a mirror on one of the walls to add interest and a greater sense of space to the room, or installing a wood burning stove or old kitchen range for a touch of real domestic bliss that will also provide a romantic focal point and impress visitors.
Exposed floorboards or flagstones provide a superb backdrop to add to the sense of timelessness you are creating, as does muted paint or wallpaper on the walls – cream, sand colours, leaf greens or soft burgundies always set off wood finishes perfectly.
Paint Your Walls
If you would like to add a splash of colour to the room, matte paints are always the best choice. Natural or soft colours are best, and it is a good idea to avoid too much varnish, polish or high gloss as this will clash with the old-timey style you’re cultivating.
As you probably already know, paler colours are likely to make the room seem a little larger and more “airy”, while heavier, darker colours will give a cosier impression. There is nothing to say you cannot combine the two, of course – painting just one or two walls darker can create a snug corner while keeping the rest of the room light.
Use Traditional Style Handles
It is the little things that make all the difference, especially if you prefer a classic look. Wrought iron or burnished steel, copper or bronze will look spot on – avoid sharp shapes and overly shiny metals or plastic if you can possibly help it, as these items will start to drag your design kicking and screaming into the realms of the modern or contemporary and, in the worst case, will clash unpleasantly with other fixtures.
Of course, your design choices do not have to hold back the actual functionality of the room and its contents. There is always the potential to opt for kitchens that feature old fashioned finishes with delicate up to date final touches and detailing such as hidden handles, soft-closing drawers and clever storage mechanisms. On the flipside, too, any mod-cons can be disguised to fit into a much more traditional arrangement than one might expect. Fridges, dishwashers and dustbins can be hidden behind solid wood doors, while rotating spice racks and tray slots can provide a pleasant and practical element of surprise in what might otherwise be considered an unfussy, “old-school” room.
There are also occasions where the old fashioned and the ultra modern sit happily side by side. Heavy, rustic, wooden tables look great when juxtaposed against sharp black minimal dining chairs and delicate silver lighting fixtures, for example. Experimenting is great fun, and, while the contemporary elements of your room may age and need to be replaced after a few years, you can rest assured that the classic items you have chosen will be there to stay for however long you might wish to keep them.
If you would like to take a look at some of the more traditional kitchen design solutions available from Kitchen Warehouse LTD, you are more than welcome to visit our showroom any time between 9am and 6pm from Monday to Friday, or from 10am until 3.30pm on Saturdays. If you would like any assistance with your kitchen design or if you are simply exploring ideas, you can contact us on 01765 640 000 or email us via contact@kitchenwarehouseltd.com, and we will be more than happy to offer you any help or advice you may need.
