Feng Shui Kitchen Talk #7
How to add character to a basic builder kitchen
When upcycling my poorly manufactured kitchen, I decided to add a few architectural elements to add visual interest and make the kitchen feel high-end. As you can see in the second photo the original espresso stained finish was not applied properly and was chipping and peeling on every door and drawer. Although chippy paint and the distressed look is a design style, it only applies to the farm house, shabby chic and French Country, not a sleek modern concept kitchen that this kitchen was originally modelled after. At only four years old, the original cabinets looked horrible and no, the shape of them was not due to poor care from the previous owners nor ourselves but to poor craftsmanship from the manufacturer.
Kitchen cabinet feet
So when I found these .99 cent wooden decorative feet at The Salvation Army last winter, I thought they’d be awesome repurposed as feet along the kick plate for the bathroom and kitchen refresh. I purchased 12 in total, using 1 on each end of each individual cabinet unit. This small detail makes each section feel more like a unique piece of furniture and less like a boxed unit.
Wood appliques and decorative trim
High-end kitchens and bathrooms will often highlight design elements over the stove with a stunning range hood or over the microwave with decorative doors or accent colours.
The cabinet under the sink is often designed to match the range hood or microwave cabinet to create balance and a cohesive look and feel.
I was able to accomplish this effect by adding inexpensive wood appliques and decorative trim to the flat panel Shaker doors of the microwave and sink cabinets. These little details are subtle but make a significant impact in breaking up the otherwise flat expanse of cabinet doors.
Thriftes newel posts
The kitchen island lacked character, it was basically a dark wood box with no design details at all. It felt heavy making the back of the house feel out of balance.
A trip to Habitat for Humanity and a couple of old stair rail newel posts had me inspired. At $25.00 each, they are perfect for capping the hard edge of the island and creating the visual interest I craved.
New, newel posts run $250.00 each!
Repurposed Home Sense Relief Panel
I painted and hung the wooden relief panel that I had hanging vertically on the wall in the living room at our old house on the front side of our island to break-up the expansive flat surface. Not only does it create visual interest, but it also prevents the bar stools from damaging the surface.
I love the pretty and the practical.
Our kitchen falls in the Love, Marriage and Relationship gua of the first story of our home. This gua is the epitome of femininity and nurturing energy. They do say the kitchen is the heart of the home. ?
