INTERIOR DESIGN IDEAS…  HOW DO YOU LIVE IN YOUR KITCHEN?

By Cynthia Aiken

Kitchens of today have become the most important room in our homes. It’s the space where we spend a lot of time. The kitchen has become an important spot for entertaining our guests as well as sitting down with the kids to do homework. It’s where we spend time together as a family and entertain our friends, where everyone ends up at a party. So as we design our new kitchens or renovate our existing ones, we need to take a good look at our lifestyle. Whether you like a modern look or a more traditional style, function and the way the room lives is very important.

 As an Atlanta Interior Designer, I think it is important for us to live in every room of our home. I asked several of my design clients: “How do you live in your kitchen?” Here are some of the answers I got. A young couple living in the city said: Comfortably! I want my kitchen to be used without concern of spilling something on the floor or scratching the countertop, so my guest can enjoy the place without any worries. A young family with school age kids said: It’s where we spend time together as a family and entertain. We eat dinner here with our two boys almost every night, and we sit down for breakfast every day-even if only for 10 minutes. It’s a place where the boys can do their homework and I can prepare dinner and we’re together.

When modern is mixed with traditional a timeless kitchen is created appealing to the minimalist, it also feels at home in a historic neighborhood: The homeowner does almost everything in the kitchen – pay bills, read the newspaper, chat with friends, listen to music while cooking, sit with a cup of tea or glass of wine. It’s the most-used room in the house – the center of our home she said. Another client said she wanted a kitchen that’s functional yet elegant and family friendly for her three kids and a dog so we selected honed black granite countertops which never show smudges or fingerprints like a polished surface does. The homeowner said it’s the center or our household – meals, homework, art projects, and, of course, it’s where everyone ends up at a party! 

A young professional couple wanted to create a French Country Kitchen that opens to the garden. Large corbels were used below a concealed range hood accented with crown molding making a grand statement. Creating a gathering spot in the Country French Kitchen, a 14 foot Cottage Style farm table provides plenty of space for daily activities or entertaining friends. Antique terra-cotta pavers add patina and a sense of age, wears well and stays cool in the summer. An oversized outdoor lantern style light fixture hangs over the Cottage Style farm table creating a focal point and helps the kitchen seem like an extension of the outside patio. This couple likes to read, check e-mail, and catch up while preparing dinner. There’s always music playing, and occasionally friends stop by for a glass of wine. When we entertain, everyone is in the room preparing food. She says. The FrenchCountry Kitchen doors are open to the patio and the entire area becomes an indoor/outdoor entertainment space.      

 Because kitchens are often visible from the front door, it’s important to create a Country French Kitchen that looks less utilitarian.  A wall of cabinet’s floor to ceiling with glass doors accented with carved corbels will accent any wall adding a look of a custom piece of Country French Furniture bringing in a sophisticated style. We’re seeing kitchens with two to three different finishes. Mix a stained finish with a painted finish showing varied heights for wall cabinets. If you live in a 1920’s cottage, knocking down a wall will open up the kitchen to the Cottage Style living and dining areas and will help three separate spaces function as one making a tiny cottage live large.

There are so many countertop materials to choose from for French Country Decorating, polished granite is a popular style and now we are mixing honed granite with a chiseled edge creating interest. Countertops of CeasarStone quartz are available in a range of colors and are extremely low maintenance and never need resealing. They are stain, crack, scratch and heat-resistant. Poured concrete countertops can be a less expensive way to go. For base cabinets, use decorative legs rather than a standard toe-kick, making your cabinets look more like freestanding pieces of furniture. Use a large leggy table for a center island; drill a hole through the center of the leg to hide any wiring for a clean polished look. This island style keeps a French Country Kitchen very open.

Mix textures for a cozy look. You’ll never want to hang basic drywall overhead again when you’ve lived with the patina and texture of a wood ceiling. Whether you use wide grooved planks or thin strips of beaded board, the wood adds a Cottage Style architectural element and feels authentic and not brand-new. For a sophisticated look, use less wall cabinets and hang framed paintings on the wall, accent windows with treatments not usually found in a kitchen, such as full-length curtains creating a lived-in, living room feel. A must for any kitchen being designed today are wall cabinets with lots of glass doors with finished interiors, possibly accented with beaded board.  We’re seeing lots of aged copper, adding a touch of old world patina. A farmhouse sink is a popular accent either in soapstone, or copper. When designing a new kitchen, you can mix styles and finishes and even cabinet companies for varying styles and interest.

As you can see, our French Country Kitchens have taken on a whole new style of living. It’s the heart of every home. Working with an interior designer with the knowledge of Country French Kitchen design can give you the details and style you are looking for to create a kitchen you’ll love to live in for many years to come. So, before you start any decorating project, think of your lifestyle and how you will live in the room.

Email me at caiken1@alltel.net if you would like to discuss a decorating idea or dilemma.  This is another in my series of home INTERIOR DESIGN IDEASfrom your Atlanta Interior Designer; I hope that you use them to help you create a kitchen you can live in.