Decorative and functional accessories for your kitchen

Kitchen Knife 02 Stainless steel Tablespoon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We've come a long way....

Kitchen design isn't just about having the right counter tops and cabinets pulls. The accessories you use are also an important element in not only having a functional kitchen but beautiful as well. Finding items that are both beautiful, functional, and can easily adapt to many design themes is smart accessorizing at it's best. Check out the suggestions listed below.

• Large glass kitchen canisters- Not only are these extremely useful for storing the items you use every day, but they are decorative and can enhance the beauty in the space. You control what goes in them so you can control what colors they add to your kitchen. These jars are a great investment because they will go with any kitchen design.

• Stainless steel magnetic back splash- Stainless steel is all the rage right now in appliances, but it also is a great eye catching back splash. You can inexpensively add stainless steel panels and sheets to your kitchens back splash for a fraction of what you'll pay for tile. Using magnetic stainless steel opens up a lot of possibilities, including a magnetic utensil strip for your cutlery, or a great way to display your magnetic spices. 

• Stainless steel spice decanters- Now you know why I told you about the stainless steel back splash, so I could tell you about the stainless steel spice jars. These jars can go right up and onto your back splash and bet ready to ready for when you need them. Pretty, modern and functional this idea is great for a cook that doesn't like having to look for everything they need.

• Bamboo cutting boards with storage- Cutting boards typically are an item that you use, wash and put away. Fortunately for homeowners today, cutting boards have come a long way. Many now are attractive enough to leave out on the counter and the added bonus is many of them now have storage. Some store cutlery, some even store additional cutting mats. Either way, they're beautiful, and functional and a great addition to any kitchen. If you have limited counter space, you'll love the beauty and versatility of an over the sink /stove cutting board.

• Hanging pot racks- These timeless items never go out of style and provide a lovely focal point and function. There are an endless assortment today to fit any design theme you have. Look for ones that provide a beautiful focal point, plenty of storage, and are lighted. The hanging pot rack is a great way to use vertical space in your home and not clutter limited cabinet space.

Using metal accessories in decor

Metals have been used since the iron age in our everyday lives. Initially metals were used strictly for functional purposes in life. Today, metals play a key role in our home décor, and many are decorative and functional. This list will detail different metals used in décor.

Copper- Copper is one of the oldest metals used often during the roman era. Copper is commonly seen as a decorative element in kitchens. However, copper also have properties that make it resistant to bacterial issues as well. This beautiful soft metal looks particularly well as an accessory when paired with other warm hued natural elements like terracotta , honey pine, and cherry woods.

Stainless Steel- This metal is highly resistant to corrosion and thus an invaluable metal in society for a number of reasons. It is a mainstay of cutlery, flatware, and cookware. It is presently the most preferred request of finished on appliances in home décor and renovations. Stainless steel is a cool toned neutral metal, stainless steel naturally compliments contemporary and modern aesthetics. It can pair with brushed or satin nickle finishes, pewter and chrome. Easy to care for and a handsome partner to black granite, stainless steel also goes well with light oak and maple finishes or dark cherry finishes.

Pewter- a soft metal that has been around since the middle ages, pewter was once used as often as we currently use aluminum today. Its soft malleable ability make it a great decorative element today for accessories, cabinet hardware, and finishes. It is also a neural metal and can go well with all forms of metals in a design scheme. Items made of pewter are collected widely and they are often incorporated into design schemes around kitchens. It will remain a popular collectible and accessory for some time to come because of its ability to meld well with current trends and fads around silver colored metals used today.

Brass- Because if its similarity in look to gold, brass has been valued and used throughout history in many ways. In the last decade, brass finishes and brass plated decorative accessories were seen in many homes. Brass finishes were seen in hardware, lighting fixtures, faucets, etc. today, it's popularity has slowly been in decline as home owners gravitate towards the neutral cool appeal of stainless steel, and metals in the same color family. Because it was so popular in the last decade it is often a sign of a dated look today and is usually changed out for the newer trends. Because it is a warm hued metal, it pairs only with warm hued finishes in wood, granite and stone accents. This limits its ability to transition with décor and thus it will probably stay out of design schemes for some time to come.

When Wallpapering is a must...

I'm sure many of you know the drudgery of wallpapering, all of us that follow design shows on TV see wallpapering coming off the walls not going on. However, wall paper is making a subtle yet significant comeback and can be a great solution.

Textured, paint-able, and stylish many wall papers offer a greater range of versatility over their cheesy hard to remove predecessors. Consider badly damaged walls that have scars, imperfections, and patch jobs, textured paint-able wall paper can be a God send. A trip to your local hardware store, I went to Lowe's for mine, will open your eyes to new possibilities with wall paper. If you take the necessary precaution of painting your sheet rock/drywall in advance with a semi gloss paint, most wall paper can be removed at a future date easily.

What made it so difficult in the past was some builders, home owners in the past were adhering the paper directly to un-primed, unprepared drywall. In this case, you are in for a nightmare. Sometimes it is better to just paper over a drywall disaster than to keep patching and sanding.