8/16/2010

Apartment Kitchen Decorating Tips

Decorating an apartment kitchen can be tough. But you can make your apartment kitchen your own — no matter how small the space. Here are some of our top apartment kitchen decorating tips.

Declutter
The key to decorating any room likely starts with decluttering the area. Too much stuff will take away from any space, particularly in an apartment kitchen that likely has very little in the way of countertops. If you can, clear the counters of anything you don’t use on a daily basis. That can mean stashing the blender, canisters and anything else not used every day in a closet or behind closed doors.
This is especially important if the kitchen is small. A kitchen looks even smaller when it’s crammed with stuff. However, if you have a large kitchen with lots of countertops, feel free to put some of those items back on display — but only if they’re eye-catching and, more importantly, clean. A dirty toaster oven sitting next to the fridge is always an eyesore.

Hang it up
One way to add some visual elements to your apartment kitchen is to hang up colorful and vibrant items you frequently use anyway — such as funky oven mitts or cooking utensils. If they’re an eye-catching color, even better. They’ll add color and style to a likely dismal-looking space.

Many retailers sell hooks you can easily attach with screws to the wall, or even magnetized ones that will attach to surfaces like your fridge. Find creative ways to hang up items to add some visual interest to your kitchen decorations. Got some interesting coffee mugs? Don’t hide them behind cabinet doors — buy a cool-looking mug tree and display them on the counter. Or install accordion mug hooks on a bare space of wall for both kitchen decoration and functionality.

Don’t forget artwork. The kitchen may seem like a strange place to add art, but if you’ve got the wall space, use it. If you’ve got a color scheme or theme going in the kitchen, hang art that complements what you’re already doing.

Add color
Before you paint, ask your apartment community manager if you’re allowed. If you are, then consider the space you’ll be painting before buying the paint. A general rule of thumb is that dark colors make small rooms look smaller and darker, whereas lighter colors can brighten a room and make them appear bigger. Take the cabinets into consideration as well — you’ll want the colors to coordinate.
You don’t have to go to the trouble of painting to add color, however. You can leave the walls alone and instead add some flair by displaying vibrant pieces in other places instead: put brightly colored canisters on the counter, skip the traditional white appliances and buy one in a funky color instead, put a cool border on the walls and throw a vibrant throw rug in front of your sink. Hang pretty plates on the wall to draw interest to a bare spot. Just make sure all the elements complement each other.

Don’t be afraid to use the space under your cabinets for storage and kitchen decoration — hang up stemware for easy reach and style, for instance.

Spice up surfaces
If you’re lucky, you have some interesting colored appliances in your kitchen to spice up the space. More than likely, however, your appliances are white, and your cabinets are the same color or a generic brown. You may not have permission or the desire to change them, but you can make them stand out a bit more.
Add some flair to your refrigerator with funky magnets. Place colorful baskets on top for color and handy storage. Place a strip of colorful contact paper you like across the top for some visual focus and a handy place to write notes with a dry erase marker, which is erasable from contact paper.

Contact paper isn’t the only removable and versatile element you can add to your fridge and cabinets. Many retailers sell decals that stick to cabinets that won’t permanently damage the surface. It’s a good way to dress them up