If you’re nostalgic at heart or just want your kitchen to feel modern but aren’t quite ready to make the move to stainless steel, you should consider updating your kitchen with older classic architectural elements. Decorating your kitchen by combining your modern appliances with a rustic style will transform your kitchen overnight and create an instantly comfortable and welcoming environment for any home.
The Must-Have Vintage Essentials
No matter what style of kitchen you have, adding some old-fashioned cabinets or accent pieces will give any home a warm, old-fashioned feel. The essentials for creating an antique look revolve around attention to detail. Old world styles, whether Greek, Roman, or Old English, focus on craftsmanship.
Most traditional kitchens feature elaborately designed millwork and cabinets with equally intricate cabinet knobs. Joinery styles include raised panel doors, beaded inlaid panels, distressed wood, hand-hammered drawer pulls, and even copper, peg, and tin drawer pulls.
Choose your style
Depending on your tastes, you may want to investigate the possibilities of vintage styles to determine what would best suit your home. Traditional Greek and Mediterranean kitchens incorporate earth tones and materials such as clay and ceramic. To incorporate this look into your home, consider adding accent tiles or tile pieces to your otherwise plain walls. A perfect area to test your Grecian flair is your stove’s backsplash.
Roman-style kitchens focus on the fireplace. Most modern houses no longer have fireplaces; instead, ovens and stoves do all the baking and cooking. However, it is still possible to incorporate the Roman theme into even the most contemporary kitchens. The Romans used clay cooking and baking utensils. Why not apply the Roman theme to your home? Choosing a few decorative clay pieces to hang above the countertop, island, or stove immediately adds an authentic touch to your otherwise ordinary kitchen style.
Other traditional style cooking comes from Old English. English cabinets feature open display shelves, so you can display your china dishes. For a modern touch, install a backlight behind the cabinet to enhance the spotlight. Other cabinet options include wood trim with dark finishes like bronzes and oils.
Finally, French country kitchens focus on the natural. It’s not uncommon for French-style kitchens to feature bare materials, especially on the walls and ceilings. So if you have ceiling beams, show them off! By coating your existing materials with a dark finish, you can instantly create a rich accent in your kitchen. Make sure your French country cabinet knobs match the finish on your ceilings or complement your wall palate. Also, French kitchens focus on colors. Typically, most kitchens incorporated light shades of off-white, ivory, taupe, and beige to complement the natural woodwork and tile.
Combine the accessories
Once you’ve chosen the style you like, be sure to coordinate all aspects of your kitchen with this theme. For example, a Greek-influenced kitchen won’t go with bright yellow paint. Items to consider are cabinet hardware, backsplashes, wood features, and even bar stools or seating areas. Pair the wood and cabinet finishes with complementary drawer pulls to create a consistent look.
Switch it on
Once you’ve completed the hard work of redesigning your kitchen into a classically decorated dining room, the right lighting will highlight your efforts. Most commonly, track lighting is used to highlight accent pieces like ceramics, hanging cookware, or ceramic tile. Other options include teardrop or pendant lamps that cast dramatic shadows on your old cabinets.
try the kitchen
With all the hard work behind you, now is the time to introduce the debut of your new kitchen! Gather friends and family to show off your traditional kitchen design. Whether your kitchen is Greek, Roman, English or French, to really show off your efforts, cook authentic cuisine to match your design.