Combining Form & Function In Your Kitchen

by Scarlett
(Houston, Texas)

In most homes these days, families tend to gather in the kitchen even outside of mealtimes. Kitchens, especially ones with open space for family members to stand or sit, can sometimes even end up being used more frequently than the living room. With family members constantly coming in and out of the room, it is natural that one would want to design their kitchen for both comfort and functionality.

Often, counters and sideboards tend to serve as a landing spot for permission slips, homework, mail and other household articles. To give your kitchen a more streamlined appearance, consider designating a place out of the general view of your kitchen for all papers and similar items to be placed in. Not only will this help clear your counters and sideboards of unsightly messes, but it will also give you additional spaces to display decorative items such as fine china or other mementos. If you have children or teenagers in your home, it may take time to train them to place their items in a designated area instead of just tossing them on the counter when they walk into the room, but the time will be well spent once you see the order this one small change can bring to your living space.

Another way to combine design and functionality in a kitchen is to consider using fresh fruit and vegetables. Both of these types of items, which can be easily displayed in bowls or vases throughout the kitchen, allow family members to grab an easy snack when hungry while still offering a bit of color in the room. Be sure to choose fruits and vegetables that do not require refrigeration and have longer shelf lives. Also, make sure you place the bowl or vase of fruit and vegetables in an area where your family members can reach it but it is still out of reach of younger family members who could possibly injure themselves.

When considering the best ways to decorate a kitchen, many people overlook one of the largest areas of the room: the floor. Most people shy away from the idea of adding shaped rugs in their kitchen out of concern that they will be unable to keep them clean. Now that there are such a variety of rugs available for purchase, that needn’t be a concern any longer. While you would understandably be reluctant to use lighter colors, such as cream rugs in the kitchen, you can still use propylene area rugs or even bamboo area rugs to bring an extra design element into the room. By positioning one near common spill areas such as in front of a sink, you can ensure that your family members will not slip on water splashed from the kitchen sink!

Likewise, common everyday items – such as platters or bowls – that might usually be stored away can be incorporated into your kitchen design as an inexpensive way to add additional decorating elements. Before purchasing additional décor items, be sure to look through your cabinets and cupboards to see if there are any items you have already purchased that you can use to decorate your kitchen. Even simple crockery displayed can bring life to an otherwise bland area of your kitchen!

Senior staff writer Scarlett willingly shares her wealth of creative tips on home decorating in the kitchen. She consults for www.HouseOfAreaRugs.com, a unique online rug store offering a variety of flokati rugs and other natural area rugs.