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4 Ways to Style Your Kitchen

4 Ways to Style Your Kitchen
By Alice Turnbull 2 years ago 2045 Views No comments

As we move away from the warm summer months of sitting and relaxing outside to colder days and darker nights, we are turning our attention to our indoor spaces which can double as social spaces.

Before heading down to Wren’s Kitchens to replace your entire kitchen, you need to think about what you want from your kitchen or how will it be used. Is it purely to separate functionality and entertainment or are you combining to create a versatile space?

Within older homes, the kitchen was a standalone room, literally known as ‘the heart of the home’, shut off from the rest of the party who sat seated in the dining room. The 1980s saw the transition of cooking from a necessity to one of social activity and as such open planned kitchens were born. Nowadays, new builds or home renovations use open plan spaces to create a functional yet inviting sociable area. The cook is no longer shut away from the rest of the group!Now the most desirable room in the entire house, followed closely by bathrooms, the kitchen is and can be a deciding factor when purchasing a house. With attitudes changing on how we socialise and eat with friends, dining spaces are more relaxed but with many of us getting into cooking and willing to experiment with new foods and flavours, we want to combine a space which encompasses everything.

But how do we keep the kitchen social without being overcrowded? Here are our four tips on updating your kitchen to be a more sociable area.


Turn your kitchen island into a centrepiece- literally!

Kitchen islands aren’t a new thing but over recent years have become extremely popular thanks to open planned living. The kitchen is now a multi-functional space, whereby you can gossip with friends, teach maths to your children or turn into your office space, all whilst being able to whip up a quick snack or three course meal with ease.

Kitchen islands transform both modern and traditional homes. By integrating an island into your kitchen, you can transform the entire space, moving away from a kitchen space which is just used for cooking to one that now extends into a casual living space. Versatile in their appearance and use, kitchen islands can stand alone in the centre of the kitchen or protrude from other cabinetry. Some kitchen islands can also double as additional space for kitchen appliances, integrating hobs and wine coolers! Perfect for keeping the essentials in easy reach.



Sit down and relax!

For many, the appeal of a kitchen island means a breakfast bar, perfect for quick bites, gatherings and casual dinners. Pairing seating is therefore a crucial and critical part of sociable kitchen styling, whereby you want it to be functional yet comfortable.

However, when choose kitchen seating, you want one that showcases your interior style, achieves a look that is more than social living but less than a catering kitchen and one that fits in with your kitchen island. Choose the wrong bulky chairs and everyone will be shuffling and getting out their seat to let someone sit down. As a result, bar stools are the perfect solution but when choosing how many seats to add to your kitchen island, ensure each person has at least 24inches of space.

If you are wanting to keep that traditional ‘zone’ aspect in your open planned kitchen, try a corner table and bench set. Having a built in bench seating can also double as storage solutions- win, win in our eyes!

Shop the Products:

Products (pictured left to right clockwise): 'The Alford' Genuine Brown Leather & Iron Bar Stool, Contemporary Square Chrome Bar Stool,'The Arncliffe' Iron & Full Brown Leather Dining Chair, 'Milkwood Farm' Cast Iron Stool with Wooden Seat.

Let there be light:

Just like a healthy breakfast or meal, your kitchen space also requires the right balance of lighting to ensure you can safely work in all situations. Who wants to be eating or preparing food in the dark or equally in Blackpool illuminations? In kitchens, it is best to start with ambient lighting, then add in task and accent lighting where needed. But what does that mean?

Ambient: Your main source of light. Whether this is to replace the lack of light from windows or in addition too, you want to have enough light casting down from your ceiling. This can include pendant lights, recessed lights or flush mounted lights.

Task: While ambient lighting allows you to navigate and see around the kitchen, task lighting does exactly what it says on the tin, it illuminates task areas which require focus. From workspaces to above stove hobs, it allows one to easily prepare meals, read recipes and find the correct spices.

Accent: Consider these the cherry on the top of the cake. Not always needed but a nice to have lighting fixture. These lighting fixtures elevate your kitchen space to one that is sophisticated and well designed. Lights like this would include toe kick lights and cabinet lights or lights you want to draw attention to.

Whatever lighting you choose, make sure it continues to showcase your style. When creating a social space, make sure your lighting doesn’t sit too low so that it blocks the visual eyeline or too high, for example only using spotlights as it does not zone in on a single social spot or provide ambience.

Shop the Products:

Products (pictured left to right clockwise): Antique Bronze Steel Trio Domed Cone Hanging Lights by Garden Trading, Oak & Satin Nickel Hanging Wall Light by Garden Trading, Buxton Black Hanging Barn Light by Garden Trading, Vintage Industrial Caged Wall Light


Don’t forget the fun!

Create a more inviting feel to your kitchen space with decorative accents. From wall art to quirky ornaments, make sure you use them wisely! Much like the space it occupies, you won’t want kitchen sides to become overcrowded. Think about where each chair or stool is positioned and where guest eyelines are and cater for that using colour and texture. Greenery will also add colour but will complement every style of kitchen and dining room.

For those who believe in utilising space whilst also creating decorative accents, hanging pan racks are a must. Stylish yet functional kitchen accessories, you will no longer be wasting valuable time rummaging around deep cupboards finding a particular saucepan.

If accessories aren’t your thing how about creating a focal point within your kitchen design? Patterned backsplash tiles, fancy flooring or bright kitchen cabinets are great ways to draw the eye to one area.

Shop the Products:

Products (pictured left to right clockwise): Traditional Glasgow Station Wall Clock with Second Hand, Gold 'Napa Valley' 27 Bottle Wine Rack, Acrylic 'Cocktails' Neon Light, 'Ellesmere' Hanging Saucepan Rack.

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