How to Cheaply Design an Italian Kitchen
While "Tuscan" and "Rustic Italian" are all the rage in kitchen design these days, it can cost a hefty sum to achieve the look of a designer Italian-style kitchen. Many homeowners love this Old World, family-centered, warm and inviting look so much, they're willing to pay a pretty penny for it. If you'd like your kitchen to exude an Italian ambiance but don't have the thousands of dollars it takes for a complete kitchen remodel, there are some relatively inexpensive steps you can take to give your kitchen Italian flair without the expense of extensive remodeling. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Interior wall paint
- Tile and tiling supplies
- Kitchen textiles
- Italian kitchen accessories
- Distressed kitchen furniture
Instructions
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Paint your kitchen's walls a color that says "Italy." According to the Decor Medlley website, traditional Italian colors are natural, warm and earthy, such as cream, gold, red and olive green. Another paint option is to faux finish your walls to look like rustic, aged plaster or stone. While faux finishing is more involved than single-color painting, a handy do-it-yourselfer can learn and apply the technique fairly easily.
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Tile the back splash. Because the square footage of a back splash is usually quite small, it's an affordable project. Look for natural slate, marble or granite tiles, or hand-made and hand-painted ceramic tiles with slight imperfections. A number of tile choices imported from Italy are available as well. If your budget allows you to tile your floors as well, by all means do so.
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Purchase new textiles, such as tablecloths, place mats, dish towels and oven mitts. Choose an Italian-themed print, such as olive branches or bottles of wine. If you'd rather stick to solid colors, select a warm, earthy color that complements your new wall paint.
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Switch out your furniture. Luckily, distressed is the look to achieve when you're creating an Italian kitchen. This means you can use hand-me-downs or shop for bargains at tag sales or thrift shops. Look for wooden tables, chairs, china cabinets, islands and servers with traditional country styling such as turned legs and painted finishes. Bakers racks help achieve an Old World feeling as well. If the furniture looks as though it has been handed down from generation to generation, you're on the right track.
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Accessorize your kitchen with Italian flair. Some accessories that speak Italian are wine bottles and wine racks, olive oil in a decorative decanter, baskets, candles on wall sconces, ceramic pitchers and canisters, colorful Italian ceramic plates grouped on a wall and jars of dried pasta.
Remember to add natural elements such as fresh flowers, a beautiful ceramic bowl full of fruit or colorful vegetables on a wooden tray. A pot rack suspended from the ceiling also has old world charm, as does an apron hanging on a hook.
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Sweep the room of any modern elements. For example, remove mini blinds and replace them with rustic linen or cotton curtains. Take a hard look at your counter tops, and if possible, remove items such as blenders, toasters, electric grills and food processors. Not only do their modern styling conflict with the rustic image you're trying to create, their presence simply adds clutter. Store them in a cabinet or pantry instead.
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References
Resources
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