Choosing your kitchen design from the multitude of kitchen decorating
ideas that abound can be an incredible experience into the insight of
kitchen manufacturers. It is totally amazing exactly how many kitchen
designs are sold on the retail market and even more of a surprise which
ones are the most popular. Spend an afternoon in one of the many retail
outlets that sell kitchens and listen in on the various conversations
around you. People home in on the ultra-modern kitchens like flies round
a honey pot but, as the conversation progresses, you hear them admit to
not being able to live with such a design on a daily basis, eventually
plumping for a more modest middle-of-the-road design, or even one of the
many rustic designs. Kitchen decorating ideas naturally need to take
into account the kind of kitchen furnishings you have installed - you
couldn't imagine a Belfast sink in one of those modern glass and
stainless steel kitchens anymore than you could imagine a high-tech sink
in a totally rustic setting.
Pick the right kitchen decorating ideas in accordance with your fitments
which, when decorating generally, would already have been installed and
are generally expensive enough to remain in situ each time you feel the
need to re-decorate your kitchen. Another factor that needs to be
considered, when thinking through your kitchen decorating ideas, is the
size of your kitchen. Size and function do tend to go hand-in-hand. If
you have a spacious kitchen you are more likely to use it as a centre
for the family to congregate than if you your kitchen is one of the
tiny, galley styles. Size does need to be taken into account: the
kitchen may have the reputation of being the heart of the home but that
was generally in the days when kitchens were large enough to accommodate
the heart of the home, with a central table for the family to spend
time around.
Modern homes are often much too small for kitchens of this size unless,
of course, it is a kitchen diner - in which case, the decor of your
kitchen decorating ideas need to take that into account. There is often a
lot of actual wasted space in a large kitchen, requiring the person who
uses the kitchen on a daily basis to cover a considerable distance
between cooker, sink and work surfaces. This is often not particularly
conducive to the most efficient use of a person's time. Reducing this
'working triangle', as it is called, is one of the more fundamental
aspects of good kitchen planning and something that also needs to be
factored into any kitchen decorating ideas. This has led to the
innovative kitchen island which sits in the centre of the kitchen and
often houses the sink, work surfaces and usually the hob.
Appliances that tend to be used frequently are then free to stand on the
surrounding work surfaces, brought onto the central island when they
need to be used. Not everybody, however, is blessed with a kitchen large
enough to accommodate a kitchen island. In smaller houses the galley
kitchen is the norm and, again, the 'working triangle' needs to be taken
into account when implementing suitable kitchen decorating ideas. In
most galley kitchens the hob is along one wall with the sink directly
opposite and work surfaces either side of both hob and sink. This means
the main working area is the triangle within the centre of the kitchen.
In Western kitchens, regardless of the level of cooking skills the
kitchen user has, each kitchen houses very similar appliances. There are
certain items that are found in all kitchens, such as washing machine,
fridge, cooker - either fitted or free-standing - sink unit and fitted
cupboards with work surfaces built-in.
Most kitchens, regardless of size, find room for a dishwasher, even if
it is only a table-top size. Juicers, slow cookers, deep fat fryers and
pressure cookers are the norm in most homes - as are food processors,
coffee grinders and coffee machines of one sort or another. Breadmakers
and microwaves are also common acquisitions. The problem arises in where
to house these movable appliances and sufficient cupboard space needs
to be given over to store these items. This has led to the majority of
Western kitchens now being fully fitted with wall cupboards as well as
base units, inevitably reducing the need for too many alterations in the
way of kitchen decorating ideas - especially as the gap between the
wall units and the base units are usually tiled. This leaves the
opportunities for kitchen decorating ideas rather limited unless you are
starting from scratch completely. However, for those of you who are
putting together a brand new kitchen, you need to be extremely careful
about choosing your kitchen decorating ideas as the outcome is likely to
remain with you for many years to come.