Feel Good Home: Bright Ideas to Up the Mood in Your Kitchen
A sprinkle of tasty design ideas and a pinch of imagination are all it takes to give your kitchen a positive flavour
Does the heart of your home need a little TLC? It’s easy to focus on the functionality of a kitchen, but a few mood-boosting additions can make an enormous difference to its look and feel. Be inspired by these stylish schemes to enliven your cooking zone and give you a lift every day.
Introduce cheery textiles
Roman blinds are a good choice for kitchens, and the ideal opportunity to boost a simple scheme with zingy pattern and lively colour. As a relatively small piece of fabric is needed, choose something a bit special that will bring a smile to your face every time you’re waiting for the kettle to boil.
Roman blinds are a good choice for kitchens, and the ideal opportunity to boost a simple scheme with zingy pattern and lively colour. As a relatively small piece of fabric is needed, choose something a bit special that will bring a smile to your face every time you’re waiting for the kettle to boil.
Hang zingy artwork
This orange letter brings extra cheer to the blue and white dining zone, creating a sunny, inviting little spot. Vintage signs are a great way to add a bold hit like this. Look out for strong form and colour, and if you can find a letter that means something special in your house (rather than resorting to the popular command to ‘eat’), so much the better.
Find ideas for incorporating typography into your home
This orange letter brings extra cheer to the blue and white dining zone, creating a sunny, inviting little spot. Vintage signs are a great way to add a bold hit like this. Look out for strong form and colour, and if you can find a letter that means something special in your house (rather than resorting to the popular command to ‘eat’), so much the better.
Find ideas for incorporating typography into your home
Grow your own
There’s nothing like the scent of fresh herbs to give your culinary creativity a boost. Grow them from seed or simply re-pot supermarket plants in a more pleasing vessel.
Browse tips on growing an indoor herb garden in your kitchen
There’s nothing like the scent of fresh herbs to give your culinary creativity a boost. Grow them from seed or simply re-pot supermarket plants in a more pleasing vessel.
Browse tips on growing an indoor herb garden in your kitchen
Energise with spirit-lifting colour
A brightly coloured splashback is a great way to revitalise your kitchen and pep up your mood from breakfast to suppertime. Use coloured acrylic, or back-painted glass or Perspex, and fit downlighters under the wall units to really bring it alive.
A brightly coloured splashback is a great way to revitalise your kitchen and pep up your mood from breakfast to suppertime. Use coloured acrylic, or back-painted glass or Perspex, and fit downlighters under the wall units to really bring it alive.
Give your kitchen a lived-in vibe
A kitchen is for life, not just for meal times… Embrace that idea by furnishing it with everything from books and pictures to rugs and sofas for a relaxed, welcoming space. Save open shelving for your best china and banish kitchen clutter behind closed doors.
A kitchen is for life, not just for meal times… Embrace that idea by furnishing it with everything from books and pictures to rugs and sofas for a relaxed, welcoming space. Save open shelving for your best china and banish kitchen clutter behind closed doors.
Make your kitchen a gathering place
Squeezing a table into your kitchen creates a place where friends can gather for a glass of wine while you cook – so much more fun than banishing them to the living room. This drop-leaf design allows for buzzy gatherings and quiet solo coffees alike.
Squeezing a table into your kitchen creates a place where friends can gather for a glass of wine while you cook – so much more fun than banishing them to the living room. This drop-leaf design allows for buzzy gatherings and quiet solo coffees alike.
Hang a meaningful gallery
A wall of favourite artworks will boost the mood and provide a talking point, especially in a sociable room such as this kitchen-diner. Include everything from your offspring’s creations to evocative illustrations, photos and paintings to trigger lovely memories every day.
A wall of favourite artworks will boost the mood and provide a talking point, especially in a sociable room such as this kitchen-diner. Include everything from your offspring’s creations to evocative illustrations, photos and paintings to trigger lovely memories every day.
Wake up and smell the flowers
If you don’t have time to sit in the garden as often as you’d like, grab your secateurs and bring some of your prettiest blooms inside to add delicious colour and scent to your kitchen.
If you don’t have time to sit in the garden as often as you’d like, grab your secateurs and bring some of your prettiest blooms inside to add delicious colour and scent to your kitchen.
Create an inviting dining spot
Make it a breeze to host friends and family with a relaxed, dedicated dining area. This spot has a big table, plenty of comfortable chairs and a row of pendant lights for an inviting, flattering glow.
What do you like to do to brighten up your kitchen? Let us know in the comments.
Make it a breeze to host friends and family with a relaxed, dedicated dining area. This spot has a big table, plenty of comfortable chairs and a row of pendant lights for an inviting, flattering glow.
What do you like to do to brighten up your kitchen? Let us know in the comments.
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I do prefer a darker worktop (because I am currently enduring a badly stained white one!) and floor (again enduring a mostly white floor that wants thrice-daily moppings to feel hygienic!), and I'm frankly pushing for soft grey lower cabinets, but these punches of colour are very inspiring. Love the photo of the flowers in the all white kitchen (second to last).