"You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties,” Jona Lewie’s 1980s hit ear-worms its ways into my head as I sit down to write about kitchens. How do you feel about your kitchen? And why, apart from obvious reasons like the proximity of food, is the kitchen so important in our collective psyche? Well lets put the kettle on, pull up an Andrew Martin velvet covered kitchen bar stool and have a chat.
I’ll start this kitchen journey with an old favourite - Terrance Conran’s 1994 The Essential House Book to see what this modernist has to say. Conran writes: By the 1930s servants had all but disappeared and the kitchen became a ‘woman’s place’. This did not mean that overnight the kitchen became a haven of beauty and comfort but that at this point in time the priority was to turn it into a labour saving room - the germ of the ‘dream kitchen’ was born. This was not just a matter of practicality. It was about dissociating woman from servant and that clever machines would liberate women from housework. The reverse became true and 1950s women found themselves cooking and cleaning more than ever in splendid isolation in the kitchen. No amount of electric sieves made women lives less work. The pursuit of the ‘dream kitchen’ has been replaced by an emotional relationship with this room. The kitchen stopped being a prison and, liberated from its negative associations, became the centre of the home. This space is now, in practice, an informal living room. In many ways it probably plays the role of the eighteenth and nineteenth century ‘morning-room’ where visitors were received in the day time, making style and comfort as important as function and fit-out.
Are you looking at your kitchen now and thinking, “Oh dear, what can I do?”
There are several ways to brighten up a tired kitchen without a complete re-fit.
Flooring: if you are changing the flooring start here and this will lead the rest of the room.
Roman blinds and wallpaper: This is an easy win. If your kitchen is well ventilated it can easily take a luxury wallpaper. If you are worried about moisture in a very active kitchen, wallpaper can be sealed with a clear sealant.
Paint: Cabinet doors and ceilings. The photos pictured here are from recent projects by Drew Decor. We recommend the professional finish that an expert decorator achieves. Consider painting the ceiling and wall the same colour to accentuate the height of the room. Use a luxury paint like Sanderson, Zoffany, or Morris & Co because luxury paints have more pigment and less carrier so they catch the light in magical ways.
Lighting: Think about the amount and direction of ambient and feature lighting. Lighting will really make or break a space. Again, we can help.
Moodboards and visualizations: If you are struggling for ideas let the team at Drew Decor Store help you put the look together so that you can get the feel of the space before you plunge in.
Inspiration generally: We have been enjoying Sophie Robinson’s Dream Home Makeovers on channel five catch up. She really pushes the envelope on how far you can go with colour and pattern, and I really mean pushes. Its definitely worth a watch, if only for the big smiles or to shout at the tv!
If you enjoyed this blog please hit reply and tell us!
If there is a topic you would like us to cover tell us that too!
Top Tip:
Wallpaper, paint and roman blinds are a stress free way to revamp the room by adding colour and style. Use colour with confidence (or ask our team to help) to really lift the space. Use a luxury paint like Sanderson, Zoffany, or Morris & Co as they contain much more pigment than regular paints so they really catch the light beautifully at different times of day.
Want to find out more?
Make an appointment with one of our designers to come into the store at 910 Ecclesall Road, Sheffield S11 8TR for a free discovery session and to see our great collection of top brand wallpapers, paints, and fabrics. We would love to show you all the ways we can help make your interior even more beautiful.