Showing posts with label old world kitchen. Show all posts

Thursday, 27 October 2011

French Country Kitchen Tables

French Country Kitchen Tables: The Centerpiece of Your Room

A Hallinan

In the center of the French Country kitchen stands the sturdy farm table, a symbol of the resilience and steadiness of the life of French Country peasant farmers over the centuries. The French Country dining table can be synonymous with the the kitchen table. Of course, the layout of your home will ultimately determine this, but historically they've been one and the same.

French Country dining tables are made of solid wood, the choice of which is the consumers. This is a piece you want to consider as an investment. It is where your children and, hopefully their children, will sit down to eat meals,and mark various events in the seasons and throughout the years. In addition, it is often where children will complete daily homework, where families will discuss important matters, and where family vacations will be both planned and remembered. As Albert Einstein once asked, A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?"

The selections available today are truly unlimited. Thanks to the custom nature of furniture design now available to consumers, any table you can imagine can be created. There are a few principles to keep in mind when choosing a table that will fit with the French Country theme.

Top: The top of the table must be able to handle daily use and abuse. This includes the ability to be stain resistant or have stains removed easily, the toughness to stand up to nicks and cuts, and yet retain the warmth so that the room remains inviting. This is another reason why French country is such a a great style for families. It truly invites living. Rather than worry about a scratch or dent in the table, the French Country look actually benefits from a time worn appearance. This is not to say that the table will look shoddy. No, the bulk and density of the woods used in a piece like this prevent real damage from being done.

Cherry and antique pine are two of the most sought after finishes. Many want their tables to appear older and opt for a distressed look to accomplish this goal. Tables can be finished with a whitewashed look as well. Liming, which is a centuries old process originally designed to prevent termites and other insects from attacking furniture, is often an option for the base of the table, whether pedestal or legs, but is not recommended for the table top due its frequent contact with liquids.

Base: A round French Country table is often accompanied by a large center pedestal base. The advantage of this is that no one person will need to be seated near a table leg. The round table is usually smaller, with a maximum seating for eight. More traditionally the rectangular base will be sturdy legs, whether straight and spindled or cabriole, and may have the option of self-storing leaves. Seating can be expanded through the use of leaves.
Seating: One can't forget the seating when discussing French Country tables. Seating, too, offers many options. If a more casual look is desired, an eclectic collection of farmhouse chairs, perhaps with some handmade seat cushions in various farmhouse designs is a great look. If you desire a matching set of chairs, be sure to look for a traditional pattern such as ladder backs or schoolhouse chairs. You can even find chairs with a farmhouse motif such as roosters. Caned seats are a great choice as well.

When choosing a table for your French Country kitchen, be sure to view it is an investment decision that you will have for a lifetime. With the quality of furniture available in today's market, this is a real probability.

Monday, 24 October 2011

Farmhouse Kitchen Ideas

Decorating a Farmhouse Kitchen Beautifully - Lazaro Hester

Farmhouse kitchen style will be perfect idea if you want to have family gathering in your kitchen during meal time. There are a lot of ideas in decorating this certain kitchen beautifully and attractively. Besides, kitchen in this certain style also will not make you spend a lot of money because most of the accessories are offered in affordable price. Here are some best ideas in decorating your farmhouse kitchen attractively.

Color will be a great idea to select the theme of your kitchen. The most common colors used in decorating kitchen in this certain style is red, blue, apple green, honey gold, beige, and white. You can use of those colors or make a combination of two match colors.

To tie the theme, you can use country theme border in your kitchen. You can find a lot of popular wall borders in the market with several attractive designs. The most popular designs are including fruits such as apples, berries, floral baskets or country plates. Some designs such as stars and hearts are also quite popular as well. Or, you can choose a wall border with farm animal theme. Cows, horses, pigs, sheep or ducks will be perfect border design for your farmhouse kitchen.

In decorating the wall, you can simply hang weathered wooden signs in various sizes and colors. You can also hang vintage kitchen utensils or a wall pot rack complete with its hanging old pots and pans. Painting with rural or country scenes is also appropriate to be placed in this certain kitchen.

For the furniture, you can choose table and chairs that are made of solid wood such as oak or pine. It will add the touch of traditional rural life in your kitchen. Surely, you can choose furniture in distinct splash of color such as red or blue.

To add more beauty, you can put some rustic containers in your kitchen. You can put tin bowls, old tea pot, or small wooden buckets as vases. You can stick twigs into your container too add more authentic feeling.
You can simply apply those hints in order to get a beautiful farmhouse kitchen in your home. You can get those supplies or accessories to decor your kitchen easily in any stores or suppliers near your home.

Creating the Ideal Farmhouse Kitchen

Creating the Ideal Farmhouse Kitchen - R Davenport

Farmhouse kitchens have become timeless classics that are now replicated not only within spacious country properties, but have also become a popular choice amongst city dwellers, looking to bring some of this relaxed country style to their properties' interiors. Depending on your point of view, this style has never been completely 'on-trend' or has never been out of vogue so you can be safe in the knowledge that a farmhouse kitchen is a shrewd investment.

Classic farmhouse kitchens tend to combine a good mix of natural materials, earthy granites, oversized thick timber tops and chunky end-grain butchers blocks. The cabinetry tends to be in-framed but simple, perhaps with a chamfer or small cock-bead detail around the frame, often hand painted in buttery cream tones. This may also be complemented with the occasional oak piece. However, the detailing tends to be kept simple with the focus being on natural products.

When it comes to handles, pewter drop perhaps with porcelain inserts and pewter knobs are a popular choice given their practicality. Timber knobs can also be used to complement the laid back look of the kitchen and tie in with any areas of timber worktops. An increasingly common introduction to the farmhouse kitchen is granite worktops, which are often used with timber in high use areas around a Range or Aga and often teamed with a chunky end grain chopping board.

Often a period style mantle shelf will be the main focal point above an Aga or Range, as this helps to frame the main cooking area as well as being a practical feature by providing extra shelf space to house pots and ornaments.
Another key feature of the farmhouse kitchen is a large/double Belfast-style ceramic sink, with a bridge tap over to make maximum use of a practical sink area.

Most farmhouse kitchens also have a separate free-standing welsh style dresser, often with a timber top, which may present the opportunity for further shelving space. This reinforces the main concept of the farmhouse kitchen, that most kitchen items are in sight rather than stored away.

The overall farmhouse look is gained by a large number of cabinets with a generous area of worktop, often with decorative features such as bookshelves and plate racks as this helps to give the kitchen a real lived in feel without requiring much effort.

Introducing a few farmhouse elements into the home can make a potentially unwelcoming modern kitchen seem more homely and appealing. However, the complete farmhouse kitchen is set to remain a popular style, especially amongst families and those with large eat-in kitchens as it is an easy to live with practical choice. The style also suits most types of house, from the modern house through to period properties and barn conversions.

Old World Kitchen Design

Old World Kitchen Design - Wayne Hemrick

Many homeowners build new homes, but then realize that there can be a starkness to some of the modern home styles currently in vogue. In order to bring some age and patina into the home, an old world kitchen design may be in order. Going back to a time before computers and digital electronics swept the country, and giving a nod to European traditions and design sensibilities is at the heart of achieving a lovely old world kitchens design aesthetic in your own home.

You can start to think about an old world kitchen look by visiting a home decor store or even an antique store. You want to focus on items that have a vintage and timeworn look to them. This can translate into the types of flooring, counter and cabinet surfaces as well as the paint techniques and wallpapers that you might select. Items that have an heirloom feel to them are always appropriate in an old world kitchen.

Another idea is to give your kitchen an European feel through the use of color and textiles. French country style is still very hot right now, and it focuses on the bright colors found in nature in the south of sunny France. Think of bright reds, blues and yellows harmonizing in kitchen curtains, towels, table cloths, napkins, lamp covers, as well as surfaces that can be painted in those rich colors so beloved in France. Dishes, serving bowls and other food preparation items can be purchased with a European aesthetic in mind. Fiestaware plates, bowls and cups in bright colors can be perfect in this type of old world setting as well.

The types of fabrics and finishes you select also will play a part in how the room comes across to you. Vintage furnishings can give a cozy and comfortable look to a room, while more traditional desks, cabinetry finishes and hardware, as well as tile flooring can give a prestigious country style that is elegant.

Garden influences can work wonders to create an old world setting, since potagers, or kitchen gardens, were and remain common in Europe. Fruit and vegetable motifs might decorate backsplash tiles and fabrics used in the kitchen, for example. If you have several collections, you can layer them to give the room the appearance of fullness. A bowl used in the kitchen might be reinvented to hold a grouping of candles, for example, or an outdoor garden bench might be brought into the kitchen seating area for added appeal.

By working closely with a kitchen designer, you can plan now so that your kitchen will have that old world design that you want, and you will not overlook any crucial areas needed to bring this design idea to fruition.

Tuscan Kitchen Design Ideas

Tuscan Kitchen Design Ideas - Candi Randolph

If your dream kitchen includes a large gathering table and chairs or benches to seat the entire family, warm sunshine streaming in through the windows with bold, warm, earthy colors throughout the space, natural elements including wood, tile and stone, you'll be thrilled with Tuscan kitchen design!

Tuscany style kitchens are strong yet welcoming, bold yet serene. How is this balance achieved? First, by selecting Tuscan kitchen colors, which include those found in nature: reds, burgundys, oranges,yellows, olive green, ivory, turquoise, deep purple,brown and black.

How you use these bold colors depends on your own decorating style and comfort. But know that you can comfortably place just about any of the colors (except black) described above on your walls and remain true to Tuscan kitchen colors and design. Suggestion: select shade of deep gold for the walls. It will always present a warm, sunny tone and will provide a beautiful backdrop for your darker wood cabinetry.

The bold colors will be balanced by the natural elements used such as tile, plaster, wood beams, stone and wood furniture, usually oak or pine. Cabinetry should be of a medium to dark wood grain, or a deep, dark wood tone (almost black) for those of you who are more adventurous in their Tuscan Kitchen decor. Your cabinets and furniture will be accented by the warm, beautiful color on the walls of the Tuscany style kitchen. Cabinet pulls should be iron, pewter or wood.

Floors should be tile, stone or wood to most closely follow the Tuscan kitchen design (think of that old Italian kitchen in the country - you know, the one with the chickens strutting around the room and Grandma at the stove preparing the pasta!)

Natural lighting will influence your wall color, although you will want to make sure that you have numerous sources of lighting in your Tuscan kitchen design. Examples include an iron chandelier, undercounter lighting, lighting above the cabinetry, brushed pewter lights,etc.

If your kitchen is large enough for an island, a Tuscan influence in this area may include pots hanging above, and counter tops of tile or stone. If faux stone is in your budget, there are many choices that are realistic in look and will give the same result for your Tuscan style kitchen decor.

Accessories continue the colorful and bold theme of Tuscan design, and many times include pottery, pewter and copper pieces. Whether you have collected, inherited, antiqued or spent some time at the discount store, your Tuscan kitchen design will include these pieces. Themes and patterns will often include fruit, grapes in particular. Beautifully colored tiles, whether used as a back splash or decoratively, are also found in Tuscan style kitchen decor.

Consider bold area rugs, greens (natural or faux), natural finish fixtures in dark brown or black, stainless appliances and touches of fruit, grapevines and/or sunflowers.

Remember as you design and decorate your Tuscan style kitchen to keep to these strategies: bold, earthy colors, natural elements and large scale proportions. Use a healthy dose of accessories keeping a watchful eye out for knowing when enough is enough (you don't want to create a flea market effect!). Above all, create a warm and inviting environment for the entire family to enjoy together, and you will have accomplished your Tuscan style kitchen design goal.

Tuscan Kitchen Remodel

6 Ways to Achieve Tuscan Kitchen Design - L Donaldson

Tuscany is well know for its beautiful landscapes, delicious wines and fabulous fresh foods. Many who have traveled to Italy yearn to have a Tuscan style kitchen in which they too can prepare delicious gourmet meals in a charming old world setting. Even those that have not traveled to Italy yearn for a kitchen that possesses all the magnetic charisma that a Tuscan style kitchen beholds. There's something sweet and grandmotherly yet boldly noble about Tuscan kitchen design that makes it one of the most popular design styles for kitchens today.
If you are planning a kitchen remodel or designing a kitchen from scratch, incorporate the following items and you will have the Tuscan kitchen of your dreams.

#1 - Granite or Marble Countertops
Old World Tuscan style kitchens often have natural stone kitchen countertops. Marble countertops are ideal for kneading dough for fresh baked bread. Granite countertops are the most durable of all and will last forever if cared for properly. Granite is ideal for chopping fresh vegetables and no cutting board is required. Granite is the strongest of stones, second only to the diamond. It doesn't matter what color of stone you choose because natural stone colors blend well with the Tuscan color palate.

#2 - Tuscan Colors
The Tuscan color palate is one that is reflective of the natural surrounding outdoors. Rich shades of ochre and sunflower gold, poppy red, burnt sienna and aged copper, almond and walnut brown and shades of green from olive to rich cedar are all very popular. Rich colors infuse a Tuscan style kitchen. You will rarely find a Tuscan style kitchen that is a clear white or dove gray. Colors are rustic, deep, bold and earthy.

#3 - Kitchen Island
In Old World Tuscan kitchens the center table was a place to not only dine but to also prepare food. Peeling and chopping was often done at the table, then the table would be cleared for eating after the meal was prepared. Now we desire kitchen islands that make meal preparation even easier and normally offers bar stools or counter seats for those that want to eat there in the kitchen center.

#4 - Iron Accessories
Old World Tuscan style kitchens are known for their substantial iron chandeliers, candelabras and candlesticks. To achieve a modern-day version of this look, there are many iron light fixtures, candle holders, wall sconces and simple iron wall decorations that when added create the look of Tuscan kitchen design.

#5 - Natural Stone Backsplash
Old World Tuscan kitchens often incorporated real stone into the walls. The homes were often made of stone and so many times the inside of the home went unfinished and the stone was beautifully exposed. Especially around the hearth there would be natural stone due to its' natural fireproof properties. Today a natural stone backsplash in the kitchen gives that old world Tuscan appearance. Behind the cooktop, natural stone is especially effective in use and appearance.

#6 - Natural Stone Flooring
Old World Tuscan kitchens normally had floors made of natural stone. The stone is durable and easier to keep clean than other materials. Today natural stone floors are more popular than ever since they will last forever and don't harbor dust, bacteria and odors like carpet and wood. Natural stone tiles such as travertine, slate, granite and marble are easy to install and maintain.