Shabby chic kitchen ideas are usually fairly inexpensive. However, at times they can seem a little bit dated or too frilly and fussy, especially when this is going to be one of the more functional rooms in your home. Here is how to streamline this design style.
Shabby chic painting is going to be difficult to pick the perfect color palette for your kitchen design. You probably will want to go with a slightly more feminine tone. There can be a little bit of a tendency to go towards pinks and purples in this design style. However, since this is a room that the whole family uses instead, you may just want to focus on a vintage feeling. We are seeing a big trend in gray kitchen cabinets even in farmhouse kitchens or shabby chic kitchens as well. Go for a white or gray that isn’t too masculine.
One way that you can makeover your traditional shabby chic cabinets is just to find totally new ways to use them that are still going to be durable enough for kitchen use. For instance, lace is a staple in this design style. It can be a little bit too fussy for kitchen window treatments. Instead, look for a lace etched window film. Of course, you could use this on your windows. However, you could also stick with plantation shutters or white blinds that will be a lot easier to open and close. You could use this on the insets of glass cabinet doors.
You can also really consider using the idea of floral prints. Handpainted furniture options for this can be a subtle touch to a kitchen island. However, instead of white create it with a brown, or black background to it. This is going to balance it out. Stay away from lots of pinks. Instead go for more of a Tuscan inspired feeling like you would see on a lot of designer pieces.
The other area where you can bring in floral prints is going to be slightly more modern. Any kind of floral is usually going to be in keeping with this design style. You can really modernize this by going with a peony. You could stencil this all over your walls. Just stay with the outline and it may bring in neutral colors such as taupe. This will keep it sophisticated.
You want to stay away from clichés like a typical porcelain handpainted drawer pull. Usually it has a simple rose painted on it. You can counteract this by going with the same porcelain version then it might actually be sculpted in the shape of a rose. You can also go with more of that vintage effect with glass or even mercury glass. Oftentimes this antique or reproduction glass will have a slight green tint to it so it does still bring in a few of those pastel colors without being too noticeable.
One of the hallmarks of this design style is going to be homemade accessories. If you are a crafter then this is probably one of the best design styles for you. This is one of the few design aesthetics that still uses a lot of chairpads and seat covers, although you can also make these for your kitchen island barstools. This adds comfort as well as a feminine softness to your room.
You can also go with vintage styles of artwork using decoupaging medium. Lately at stores like Pottery Barn we are seeing a lot of utensil artwork. You want to make sure that the print that you choose has a lot of intricate scrollwork on them.
Sometimes going with a faux a distressed finish on all of your cabinetry can be a little bit too bold in your room even though distressed kitchen cabinets are so trendy. Instead, you might just want to stick with this on your kitchen dining set or just your kitchen island. In this kind of design style really the more distressed pieces the better, although you still need to make sure that it is food safe. If you’re lucky enough to find a true vintage piece it often has this glazing distressed effect to but you need to check it for lead paint. Otherwise, you can really just sand down almost any color of paint finish so the natural wood shows through. Again, you will probably need to check with your local paint store to see what sealer you may need to keep it safe for use around food.
Learn MoreCottage kitchens are going to be an easier to live with version compared to the rustic design style. This can be slightly more feminine than the country design style but a little bit less feminine than the shabby chic design style. Since it does just focus on a lot of neutral materials it makes it perfect for a family kind of space. There are a few ways that you can still really drive home this theme.
One thing that you may want to consider doing is just going with a plain white cabinet. Usually wood cabinets are going to be more expensive. They are also going to be a lot more of a rustic style. The cottage design style really relies quite heavily on any kind painted finish. This is going to be one of the more difficult design projects that you’ll come across. It will take several weekends. However, it can completely transform a kitchen for just a few hundred dollars.
It’s also really important to mix and match painted finishes in cottage style kitchens. Usually this will mean that you might have a different color island or kitchen table. You could even do this quite simply on your barstools. In this case, you could just take the basic wood bar stools that are the least expensive and sand them down, prime them, and paint them. Add a country touch to the top with a monogram. Usually this would just be your family monogram but you could also try going with different color for each child. Another option would be to bring the entire cottage color palette together just on your barstools. If you already have a white kitchen in this case it’s going to use a lot of different tones. You could take the same basic barstool and paint it in a sage green, robin eggs blue, and cream.
You will run into a little bit of difficulty when you try to design the surfaces of your counters because these usually just seem too traditional or modern. This is especially true of the backsplash but just go for cleaner cottage kitchen ideas. You could take it into a patchwork kind of effect. This is going to be more of a country kind of effect. Using these standard sizes of tiles and finishes as well will save you a lot of money. However, if you’re just using a white tile then you need to add in accent tile. This can really be an embossed kind of finish.
You also have several options for the pattern on your island. This is really vital if you don’t have bead board. This can be the central focal point of your entire room. In this case, you could just try to create a lace effect. This is going to allow you to bring in an accent color. In addition to your more traditional cabinet color this also gives a vintage air which is especially important for the cottage kind of design style.
Your flooring is going to be another big design dilemma. If you are wanting a purely designer feel then wood floors are going to be the best option for you. We really see a lot of painted versions in designer magazines. This can be anything from a white and aqua to even a checkerboard pattern. However, it usually isn’t the most practical in a room with a lot of water so talk to a flooring professional first. Otherwise you’re probably going to want to stick with some version of natural stone or just a very convincing looking ceramic.
Learn MoreA farmhouse kitchen can really be reminiscent of a bygone era. Of course it still has all of the modern appliances that you’re going to need to cook a family dinner. This can give a very substantial feeling that is easy to live with. It’s different from the modern design style even though it does use a few of the same materials and colors. This is also different from the country design style. It’s very simplistic but still has a lot of warmth to it.
In a white farmhouse kitchen, everything is going to be very soothing and calm with different marbles and wood surfaces that are really going to add a lot of interest. You will need to go with more understated lighting in this kind of space. You really don’t want anything to stand out. It is also a way to save tons of money. You can just go with plain glass or ceramic fixtures which are really going to just add small shapes to the room without overtaking the space.
An easy way to accomplish this is with a farmhouse kitchen sink. This is usually made of some kind of stone so it’s bold departure from typical porcelain or ceramic sinks. This is oversized. It really can be the focal point of your entire room just because it comes up right out of your countertop instead of being set on top of it. This can be quite expensive, but it’s way to add a more casual air to almost any design in a kitchen. You need to make sure that you can work with one of these pieces because oftentimes they are divided so you still need to be sure that it is functional for your dishwashing needs.
Farmhouse kitchens use a lot of white designs
You can also just use one of these items as a furniture piece such as a farmhouse kitchen table. This could be made of oak, pine, or painted wood. It is a very common and inexpensive kind of design style but it can also be very durable at the same time. It adds in a rich wood tone which is so important. In fact, no kitchen of this type should really be without a wood tone. If you already have painted cabinetry or a ceramic kitchen this is really a way to make things more organic feeling.
You really can’t go wrong with wood in this kind of space. You can have it on ceiling beams, cabinetry, and even use it on bowls. You can even bring in a laminate or a wood floor, just make sure that it meets with all of the specifications that you will need for this kind of space just because you will be dealing with water.
However there is also a lot of charm by bringing in painted furniture. Sure you do need wood in the space but it needs to be the right wood. It needs to be worn with minimal grain to it. This will give it more of a casual and effortless flow which is so important. You might need to paint out your cabinets in a softer muted tone.
The color palette for this kind of theme is really very muted. It’s going to use a lot of soft grays, greens, blues, tans, and ivories. Nothing really stands out. However, this allows you to create very unique color palettes just because everything is going to relate to each other but still have a beautiful sense of flow. This is a room that is very organic in feeling and it can even feel very Zen like.
Another thing that is very important is the use of open shelves. If you’re lucky enough to have glass kitchen doors then you can really show the soft light by displaying your favorite ceramicware. In this kind of theme it’s very popular to just collect all white ceramics and then display them. This can also be a lot of fun for you to eat off of because then your food seems to pop against a white background and it serves as the color on the dinner table.
Another option is to just take off your upper cabinet doors completely to add in kind of that bright feeling. You could take down and put up large shelves. However, you will have to be very organized and have high-quality dishes to get away with this look but it can keep things looking a lot lighter and brighter.
A farm house kitchen is going to be one of the most popular which usually equates to the most expensive. You can still get the look of a small cottage just by using beadboard. This blends in with any white table and chairs or island that you might already own. You can add this in your breakfast nook for a country touch to your house. However, this can also be a more traditional architectural detail if your design style changes later on. There’s even wallpaper that mimics beadboard and this will be much less expensive then bringing in marble countertops or making other big changes to work with the theme.
Another halllmark of the old style is going to be chrome. If you want luxury then metallics are the way to go but fitting it in a rustic country house can be confusing. Look for drawer knobs and pulls with crystal or vintage touches to them. Otherwise this will seem modern and definitely any kind of brushed steel will be much too contemporary. The other option for your faucets will be an oil rubbed bronze or an iron.
There can be a tendency at times for this to look a little bit french country. This is going to use less ironwork and fewer ornate details. It still has a lot of stone and glazed cabinetry, but the overall style is just much more simplistic. If you can’t afford your dream kitchen or custom cabinets, then this is a better design direction to go in; especially for small spaces. Just adding in a beautiful island with a butcherblock counter will give it the more casual feeling it needs for this style. In the french country look you’re going to see a lot more formal elements and darker wood tones. Farmhouse kitchens use lighter wood options.
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