by Pamela Cole Harris
A beautiful kitchen is the heart of any home (even for those of
us who spend most of our cooking time around the microwave!) Time spent together
in the kitchen can bring a family closer together and make wonderful memories
(although my own memories of doing dishes as a teenager are less than pleasant -
something about dishwater being "disgusting!") Turning your plain kitchen into
something special isn't as hard as you might think. Here are a few simple ideas
which can make your kitchen a designer showcase.
1. To give your cabinets a special flair, use three different
stains. Use one lighter stain on the upper cabinets, one slightly darker on the
drawers and an even darker one on the bottom cabinets. Add a little pigment in a
primary color (red, blue or yellow) to add an additional dimension and a little
"pop."
2. To add a little flair, take out a few drawers and insert low
baskets in their place. You will probably have to remove the middle drawer slide
or side slides, but that is easily done with a screwdriver.
3. Want to update your backsplash? Use beadboard! Have your
local home improvement store cut it to length and attach with nails or adhesive.
4. Tired cabinet doors? Cut out the middle of the doors, leaving
a two inch edge all around. Staple fabric panels to the back of the doors. Cover
the staples with fabric trim glued with a hot glue gun. You can use any fabric
from elegant to country, stripes to plaid, or gingham to quilted.
5. Update your cabinets with special memories. Attach frames
painted or stained to match the cabinets to the front of each door. Fill the
frames with family photos or your children's artwork. Or highlight a special
collection such as vintage handkerchiefs or postcards.
Try one of these ideas or use them to jumpstart your own
creative imagination. Remember, there is a designer in each of you! It's just
very well hidden in some - VERY well hidden!
Pamela Cole Harris has been a writer for over 35 years (Yikes! Has it been that
long? Her fun, tongue-in-cheek approach to decorating has made
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com one of the most popular décor sites on
the net. She brings the same spirit of fun to cooking at
http://www.thewellfedtraveler.com and running a home business at
http://www.pajamabusinesses.com.