Fun Kitchen Ideas

Kitchen Color Scheme

• One of the best ways to set the kitchen apart from your neighbor's is to infuse color into the kitchen in unexpected ways. For example, the designers at Country Living showcase a kitchen finished in a soft, sage green and cream color scheme, brightened by lemon yellow accents. The yellow bar stools, cookware and baskets brighten the traditional color scheme, infusing energy into the space. Another unexpected idea is to display blue and white dishware in open or glass-front cabinets. Echo the bright, cobalt blue with a kitchen tablecloth, draperies and a blue and white checked backsplash behind the stove. Other dynamic colors to infuse with neutral kitchen finishes include red, chocolate brown, orange, green or pink.

Unusual Pantry

• Another idea for creating a fun style in the kitchen involves creating an unusual pantry styled with old-fashioned glassware. For an existing pantry, cover the doors with beadboard paneling to create an old-fashioned feeling. Clean out the common boxes and food containers. Replace the containers with clear, apothecary jars and mason jars to create a pantry that echos a candy counter. For a kitchen without a pantry, retrofit an armoire with floor-to-ceiling shelving and set it in the corner to contain pantry items.

Wall Mural

• Create an impact with a painted wall mural using dishware as inspiration, suggests the editors at House Beautiful. Take the pattern and colors from a favorite set of dishware or heirloom china, and use a projector to project the patterns onto the wall. Trace out with pencils before covering with paint.

Chalkboard Cabinets

• For another interesting paint tactic, cover the lower cabinets or a panel of the kitchen walls with chalkboard paint. This paint can be written on with chalk and chalk markers and easily wiped clean. For a family with young children, lower chalkboard cabinets give the children a place to play and create while parents are cooking. Include baby locks on cabinets containing potentially dangerous items.

Kitchen Offices

• Another recent trend in kitchen design involves carving out a portion of the kitchen to house an office. This design especially suits busy families, providing a place to pay bills, check email, finish up work projects or do homework without missing out on the daily catchup of a family dinner. For an office, the experts at This Old House suggest turning a portion of the countertop into a desk. Add open bookshelves above instead of a cabinet. Finish with a long, shallow drawer for a laptop and deeper drawers to store files. Pull up a counter-height bar stool and get to work.