How to Decorate a Spanish Kitchen

A stone wall gives a Spanish kitchen a rustic look.

Whether your own a Spanish colonial-style home or just want to decorate with Spanish decor, the kitchen is the ideal space to add artisan details to functional elements. Rustic vintage items, antique reproductions and handcrafted pieces lend your Spanish kitchen signature style. Personalize Spanish kitchen decor by dedicating a floating shelf to a collection of hand-painted plates or a simple line of jugs or jars holding flowers from your garden.

Things You'll Need

• Architectural elements
• Paint
• Finishes
• Furniture
• Accessories

Instructions

1. Invest in a full Spanish kitchen redesign with architectural elements. Exposed ceiling beams, wall posts and stucco walls have the look of a crumbling Spanish hacienda. Wide-plank wooden floors or terracotta tile warm up the interior. Arches and columns rather than dividing walls keep a Spanish kitchen feeling open and breezy.

2. Use paints and finishes that keep the look earthy and natural. If you have elements such as a stone wall or wooden fireplace mantel, leave them unpainted and even distressed for a rustic aesthetic. A clear or lightly tinted varnish on furniture frames, cabinetry and exposed beams protects wood without hiding its color and texture. If you wish to subtly brighten the room, paint surfaces with a light coat of antique whitewash or milk paint. For a bit of drama, include an accent wall with a faux antique finish, mural or fresco.

3. Furnish your Spanish kitchen with solid wooden pieces featuring artisan details. A simple shelf, sideboard or cabinet may have wrought-iron supports, chunky oxidized metal hardware or several layers of paint in Mediterranean blues, greens, yellow, red and black. A long wooden table with benches for seats welcomes large gatherings while, in a tighter spaces, a bistro table with folding chairs does the trick.

4. Accessorize your kitchen with Spanish-style pieces. Hand-painted tile may cover a kitchen back splash, island or counter top. A terracotta pottery bowl may hold a vivid assortment of lemons and limes, while a wooden shelf displays bottles of wine and olive oil.

5. Celebrate nature and nature's bounty with your Spanish kitchen decor. Frame windowsills and doors with trailing ivy and window boxes of herbs and wildflowers. Paint or stencil a trim of leaves, flowers or vines around the bases of your walls or along a furniture frame.

Tips & Warnings

• Illuminate your Spanish-style kitchen with tin lanterns featuring panels cut with designs.

References

• HGTV: Old World Spanish Kitchen
• The Kitchn: Kitchen Tour