If you’re searching for a great new theme for your kitchen, what about black-and-white retro? Yes, this is a retro theme from way back when, but this style has become a classic. If you’re considering a retro theme for your kitchen, then here are some tips to get you started.

Use Red as an Accent Color in the Kitchen
Use red as an accent color along with the black and white to make your retro kitchen look more authentic. By adding touches of red, you can bring some interest and color to the room while still maintaining the retro feeling. Have you ever seen a black-and-white diner or kitchen from years ago? They almost always incorporate red into the design. However much red you use in the kitchen is entirely up to you. Either save it for smaller items such as placemats and window treatments, or use it more broadly, such as for a backsplash or the color of a wall.

Flooring Options for a Retro Kitchen
If you’re designing a retro kitchen, one of your best flooring options is a black-and-white tiled floor. You can definitely enhance that retro look by creating an alternating pattern of black and white tiles, which will give the room that old-diner feel. If you’re working with a limited budget, look for laminate flooring with a black-and-white checkered pattern. If you can, try to avoid wood flooring in a black-and-white retro kitchen, but if you really want to go with wood floors, then go with a darker-colored wood. You can always add at least one area rug with black, white, or red in it to complement the retro look.

Cabinets for a Retro Kitchen
As with the flooring, it’s best to stay away from wooden cabinets. A better option is to paint the cabinets white. Or, if you feel daring, paint them black. Just be sure it fits with your wall color. Use silver retro pull handles to add accents to the cabinets. A great way to get really creative is to make your own one-of-a-kind cabinet pulls, hand painting them with a checkered or geometric design.

Choosing Appliances for a Retro Kitchen
White was the standard for refrigerators back in the day, and thus most kitchens, in turn, had white appliances. These days there are so many different options for appliances that you can play around with the different choices. Stainless steel appliances, for instance, would look great with a retro kitchen style. If you haven’t used that much black in the rest of the room, you might also go with black appliances. Don’t strictly limit yourself to retro options, as you can easily add a modern twist to your black-and-white retro kitchen.

If you’re looking to give your kitchen a unique style, a black-and-white retro theme can be a great way to decorate your kitchen. Just be sure to keep the room comfortable and inviting as well as stylish, as your family will be spending a lot of time in there.

Most families seem to end up spending a great deal of their time in the kitchen, so you might want to make it more interesting and add some color. Even if you don’t want your kitchen to be drab and dreary, it’s not always easy to know quite how to add the right touch. Here are some easy ways to add color to your kitchen so you can change your décor from boring to fabulous.

Add Color by Dressing Up Your Table
Dress up your kitchen table as an easy way to add color to your kitchen. Some colorful dishware can really spruce things up, as well as a colorful tablecloth or placemat set. Another great way to dress up your table is to add a centerpiece such as flowers in a vase or basket, which will instantaneously add some color to the room. Try to find colors that will add some interest but also complement your kitchen’s décor.

Add Color with a Backsplash
You don’t have to have a boring kitchen backsplash. Some people keep it simple, using a neutral-colored tile or laminate, but you can always venture out a bit a choose a colorful look instead. Tiles and laminates come in all different colors. Another unique approach is to arrange broken-up colored glass in a random pattern on the wall. Not only will you create a personalized, one-of-a-kind backsplash, but you’ll be able to get a some different colors worked into the décor.

Paint an Accent Wall a Different Color
You can always add color by creating an accent wall in a kitchen that’s otherwise painted a neutral color. Choose the wall that’s the least covered with cabinets or appliances. Be sure to pick an accent color that will work well with the rest of your kitchen’s décor. For a more subtle look, go with a matching color. But if you want the wall to really stand out, pick a color that’s complementary.

Take the Doors Off the Cabinets
Showcase your colorful dishes and other tableware by taking the doors off your kitchen cabinets. If you have neutral dishes, add some pop by painting the insides of the cabinets a contrasting color. This doesn’t necessarily entail removing every cabinet door, but you can pick a few cabinets to be colorful, preferably those more prominent cabinets above the countertops.

Use Window Treatments to Add Interest
Another great option is to utilize the window area in your kitchen to add color. Whether you go with a valance or drapes, choose a window treatment in a color that will stand out. A black-and-white kitchen, for instance, would benefit greatly from some red or purple window treatments.

Adding color to your kitchen doesn’t mean you have to change the entire décor. Rather, build upon what you already have to add your own colorful touches here and there.

There are many different kitchen islands that a homeowner can choose from. Not every kitchen island is going to be decorated and used in the same manner. Some islands are better for simply storing items underneath, whereas others need more style added to them, perhaps some strategically placed décor items. Following are some great decorating tips to consider for your kitchen island.

Turn the Kitchen Island into a Sitting Area
A kitchen island makes a great sitting area for the family—depending, of course, on its size. All you need do is clean off the top of it and add a few stools. Then the family can sit around it and enjoy meals together. This is a great option, especially if you don’t have a table in the kitchen and are limited to your formal dining room table. This is a way to utilize this convenient space in the best way possible. Consider setting the island with placemats in order to add even more style to the room.

Add an Appliance to the Kitchen Island
It may not seem much like decorating to place an appliance on your kitchen island, but this serves as both a functional and decorative way to store a great appliance that you may already own. You can’t just put any old appliance on the counter area. You want to choose something like your nice fancy stainless steel toaster or blender that will add to the décor. Just remember that if you’re going to decorate with an appliance, you need to be sure that the island has outlets or that there is one accessible from where the island is located in the kitchen.

Decorate the Kitchen Island with Kitchen Utensils and Products
Decorating your island with kitchen utensils or other products is another great option, along the same lines as the appliances. As with the appliances, you don’t want to put any old kitchen products on display. Eye-catching items like decorative containers and baskets or a spice rack are great additions to a kitchen island. Other items that look fantastic are napkin or paper towel holders and canisters of dried goods such as sugar and flour. You just want to be sure that the space doesn’t end up being a catch-all. Remember, you still want to keep it neatly organized.

Decorate the Kitchen Island with Flowers
If you can’t figure out what to do with your kitchen island, consider adding a nice vase or basket of flowers. Although fresh flowers are more appealing than fake ones, remember that they’ll need to be replaced every few days. Another option is to place a nice houseplant there.

When decorating, you need to attend to the kitchen island just like any other area in the room. When you leave an island completely empty on top, it tend to be boring and may even bring down the look of the kitchen. If you utilize the space you have, you will create a look for your kitchen that’s much more appealing.

Galley kitchens tend to be smaller and thus need to be decorated, not only in terms of style, but so that you’re utilizing all the available space in the area. There are many decorating techniques you can use to make your galley kitchen, not only appear larger, but also be more functional for you. Read on to discover some great tips for decorating your galley kitchen to make it work best for you.

Maximize Your Vertical Space
When creating a galley kitchen that’s both stylish and functional, you need to be sure that you’re utilizing all the available space—and this includes any vertical space you might have. A major waste of space in a galley kitchen is cabinets that don’t extend all the way to the ceiling.

If you have cabinets that don’t extend all the way up, then reclaim that space by using those cabinets as a shelf and placing items on top of them. Baskets and bins added to the top of your cabinets make a great place to store those kitchen items you may not use very often. If you don’t need all that storage space, then add a plant or display some beautiful dishes there to add some style to the room.

Add Plenty of Light
The majority of galley kitchens dead-end into a wall and therefore tend to be dark. Thus, it’s really important to make sure that you have plenty of light in the kitchen. If you do have a window, choose treatments that will allow the maximum amount of light to filter into the room. A great idea for a galley kitchen is overhead lighting. Track lighting is even better, as it will allow you to aim the light wherever you want it in the kitchen.

Make Kitchen Supplies Work Double Duty
Use your kitchen supplies rather than bringing in décor items to hang on the walls of your galley kitchen. This is a great way to save space, as you already need the kitchen supplies anyway, so why not put them on display?

You might choose to display your nice dishes on a shelf in the kitchen. You can hang decorative or monogrammed kitchen towels on the stove or from a peg on the wall—acting as both a towel and a décor item. By getting creative in how you display your kitchen supplies, you’ll be able to save both space and money.

Choose Lighter Colors for the Kitchen’s Décor
You want to stay away from dark colors when painting the walls of your kitchen and choosing the main color scheme, as most galley kitchens tend to be on the small side. An important rule of thumb to remember is that dark colors painted on the walls make a room look much smaller, whereas lighter colors can make the room look bigger.

When you go to paint the walls of your kitchen, choose a neutral color such as cream or white. It’s also advisable to stay away from dark cabinets and countertops. A black granite countertop, for instance, is not going to be the best choice for a galley kitchen. You might also want to stay away from any black or darker appliances and instead go with lighter colors such as white or even stainless steel.

Small galley kitchens can present a challenge when you go to decorate them. However, if you keep these tips in mind and also incorporate your own personal style, you’ll end up with an attractive kitchen that will be much more functional as well.

Do you feel your kitchen is lacking something or is just totally out-of-date? There are several inexpensive ways to update the look of your kitchen while still being able to afford groceries for the month. You might be stuck with your floor plan, unless you have thousands of dollars to completely redo the entire kitchen. But there are ways to accentuate the positive and spruce up the kitchen you have.

Add New Cabinet Hardware
Adding new hardware might sound really simple, but it can really affect the scheme of your kitchen. By taking off old hardware (if you even have any) and adding new handles and pulls, you can turn an ordinary cabinet into something decidedly more stylish. For a more contemporary look, go with silver or brushed nickel handles. Cabinet pulls and handles vary in price, anywhere from $0.50 a pull to upward of $20. So be sure to set a budget ahead of time and account for all the hardware you’ll need.

Apply a Fresh Coat of Paint
Paint is inexpensive but can instantly change the look of a room. The low cost will be especially true if you have a small kitchen or not much exposed wall area. For those who have wallpaper, painting can give a kitchen an instant facelift. Be aware, however, that the project will be more time consuming than if you didn’t have the wallpaper to tear down. Choose a color that’s updated and fresh, but be sure it will still go well with the look and color of your cabinets. If you’re not happy with your cabinets, this may be a good time to stain or repaint them as well. If your ceiling is sporting those ugly yellow grease marks, consider repainting it as well.

Freshen Up Your Kitchen by Adding Some Green
The simple addition of a plant or flower arrangement to your kitchen can bring an element of freshness to the space. Be sure not to clutter the plants or flowers. One on top of a cabinet or one in the corner of the room will be enough to change the look of your space. If you go with a real plant or flowers, be sure to take care of them or you’ll be wasting your money.

Add a New Light Fixture
You can really spruce up your kitchen with a new light. Light fixtures vary in price, but you should be able to find a great light for your kitchen for under $100. If your kitchen currently contains recessed fluorescent lighting, that is definitely something to update. Consider something totally different such as a chandelier in the middle of the kitchen. Track lighting is another great option, as it gives you light in the areas of the kitchen, such as the stove, where you need it the most. A new light fixture is not only functional, in that it adds new light to the space, but it also can bring a sense of style to the room.

Put Your China on Display
Do you have beautiful china that’s hidden away in your cabinets or hutch? Why not put it to good use and display it? An easy option is to take one of your cabinet doors off the hinge and replace it with a glass cabinet door. Then you can arrange the china in the cabinet to show it off, and voilà, you have an instant attention-getter. Another great display idea is to put up a shelf on one of the walls and display your china there. Just be sure to fasten the china to the wall so it doesn’t fall.

It doesn’t take a lot of money to update your kitchen. By using your creativity and the resources you have, you can add instant style to any kitchen. Now that you’ve tackled the kitchen you should consider working on your dining room. In a a future post we’ll be be talking about getting beautiful dining sets and oak dining room tables to help enhance the look of your home and compliment your kitchen makeover.