Country French Kitchen Decor

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January's Expert - K. Stone of Adore Your Décor™

K. Stone, one of LoveToKnow's own interior design writers, continues as our expert this month. She's an experienced interior decorator, even running her own design business for the past three years, and is definitely up to any design challenge you can send her! Check out her website http://www.adoreyourdecor.com

Question of the Month

My kitchen has really dark wood and not much light, and it doesn't really fit in with the Country French style of the rest of my house. I want to re-decorate it so fits in better, but I can't afford to replace the appliances (which are black). Any ideas?

Vive la Kitchen

• Work with your current color palette – In addition to using the warm yellows and terracotta reds characteristic of a French Country room, try bringing in other rich hues like deep blue or dark green to balance the dark wood. Wrought iron is also part of this rustic style, so displaying a decorative iron pieces or light fixutres will complement the black appliances. Try a wrought iron curtain rod above a window or add cabinet hardware like black fleur-de-lis or scroll knobs. Also, there are stylish fabrics on the market which feature reds, yellows, and blacks together in classic French Country motifs – picture sunflowers, roosters, black olives, and floral patterns. Highlight dark tones with natural materials like slate, brick, stone, and granite for flooring or backsplash areas.

• Refinish cabinetry – To lighten up the kitchen, consider painting or refinishing your kitchen cabinets. For a dramatic look, use a black undercoat with a red or yellow crackle finish on top. The wood tone of the cabinets could also be changed to a lighter, golden color. It’s always a good idea to do a test board before starting a major refinishing project like this, or you may want to bring in a decorative painter.

• Refinish appliances – Consider changing the color of your appliances with paint or new appliance fronts. Krylon Appliance Epoxy Paints are one product that is made specifically for appliance painting projects. There are also replacement fronts and panels available for appliances, and this would noticeably change the feel of your kitchen. BrylaneHome offers SoftMetal Self-Adhesive Film which can be easily applied to appliances for a clean stainless steel look.

• Brighten things up – If you want to bring in more light to the kitchen area, try adding recessed can lights or track lighting. To increase your sources of natural light, consider installing a reasonably priced tubular skylight such as the Solatube.

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