Quick and Easy Kitchen Accessories
by Kathy Wilson
The kitchen is the hub of most homes, and I think we would all like
to bring a little more charm into this utilitarian space. Here are a
few easy ways to add some style to your kitchen while saving some
cash.
Paint your walls! For years people believed utilitarian spaces should
remain white for cleanliness issues, but we no longer live in the
dark ages. (Cleansers work just as well on colored walls!) Use color
to add richness and depth to your walls, cabinets, and even your
counters and floors. Paint can be used on those surfaces be first
prepping with a specialty primer, then sealing with 4-6 coats of
Polycrylic or any water based polyurethane product.
Bring in a pretty floral or striped fabric. Nothing
screams "freshness" like florals and stripes, and its easy to stitch
up a simple curtain, valance, or placemats to add pattern and color
to the room.
Decorate with plates. You may already have a collection of pretty
plates you'd like to display, or you can visit your local discount
store for some great finds. Hang them on the backsplash, group them
on tops of cabinets, or use plate hangers and make a wall grouping
over a doorway or breakfast area. Pick plates that share your rooms
chosen color scheme. Texture, interest, and color, and you might
already have them right in your cupboard!
Remove some cabinet doors to break up the space and add interest. You
can either paint the inside of the cabinet and use it as a display
for pretty service pieces, or you can use an inexpensive tension
curtain rod and some of that pretty floral or striped fabric to make
a charming cabinet door cover.
Finally, bring in some personality. Set some pretty frames from the
dollar shop on the counter with those smiling faces you love, or
paint a sign on a weathered piece of wood with an inspirational word.
Frame seed packets in dollar shop frames for a lovely spring touch,
or use your mothers milk glass pitcher as a utensil holder. Make
things in the space you use the most meaningful, memorable, and
beautiful to you and yours.
Kathy Wilson is an author, columnist, and editor of several popular
home and garden websites. For hundreds of free home and garden ideas,
please visit her now at
http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com and
http://www.TheGardenGlove.com .
Also visit her at http://www.Women-on-
the-Net.com for information on how ANY woman can learn to make money
on the `Net!