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Go natural
If your kitchen is fairly small, neutral/natural colours can really open up the space. Painting in natural colours also allows you to have an array of kitchen accessories out on surfaces without them clashing. From off whites to subtle greys, you still have a lot of colours to play with and never have the opinion that neutrals are boring!
You can also spruce up your flooring with some paint if you have engineered wood flooring. Interior designer Katie Scott told Elle Décor that she envisions 'bleached out, reclaimed, herringbone wood floors combined with kitchen cabinets painted in Plummet by Farrow & Ball'. The Plummet colour is a gritty, industrial and natural grey paint that will instantly give your kitchen that country chic edge.
Throw in something rustic
Even if you don’t have that much space in your kitchen, find somewhere for a farmhouse sink if you want that classic country feel. Not only do farmhouse sinks look stylish, they’re hard workers and extremely practical, too. Instead of having to keep up with water stains on your current metal sink you will find that the ceramic materials stay cleaner for longer.
Consider your furniture
A kitchen is never going to feel country chic if you’ve got a plastic table and chairs in there. You want something wooden and rustic; benches work really well instead of chairs or you can mix it up with a bench one side and chairs on the other.
Mismatched chairs can also be really effective; you could paint them in different pastel shades to lighten things up. Now, depending on your budget you may want to start thinking about saving for an old fashioned stove instead of an oven and hobs. Aga have really upped their game lately and the colours available are incredible, similarly Smeg and Rangemaster are creating more authentic looking cookers than the black glossy ranges that have previously been on the market. It’s a huge investment though and you’ll probably want to take it with you if you move house!
Accessorise your kitchen
Without making any drastic changes, a simple but very effective change you can make is upgrading the knobs and handles on your cabinets. Bronzes and coppers can transform a room or there are some lovely alternative rustic hand-painted knobs and hooks available. Similarly with lights, most people will stick to the same ceiling lights in their kitchen for their entire life. Switch things up. Pendant lights are a must have for kitchens and you could even find some copper shades to match your new nobs. It’s less pricey than you might think to call the electrician out to make the changes, especially considering the sense of satisfaction you’ll get when you see how pretty your kitchen can be!