Thursday 23 February 2017

Back In Time: Installing A Vintage Kitchen


I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking up a storm. It’s the place the kids can’t go, due to the safety gate on the door, so it makes for a little haven for me. The thing is with kitchens, is that often they don’t reflect you. There’s only so much that you can do with appliances and putting the stamp of personality into a room you cook and hide cleaning products in isn’t the easiest task. But don’t let it stop you from making your dream into a reality in your home.
Mrs Bishop's Vintage Kitchen
Mrs Bishop's Vintage Kitchen 
There’s something about a modern kitchen that makes most people’s hearts sing. Clean lines, perfect edges and marble counter tops to rival any working kitchen are the dream of some. It’s all about design and if you want something homely and warm, you cannot go wrong with a vintage kitchen design. Creating a space with character and nostalgic touches means going back in time a little. You don’t have to necessarily put in an outhouse in the garden and a compost heap, but there are several design ideas around that can make your kitchen into the vintage haven you’ve always dreamed about.
Mrs B's Vintage inspired kitchen
Mrs B's Vintage inspired kitchen - open shelving & hooks
Style unites all kitchens and evoking the right atmosphere takes making the right changes. You want to reflect a touch of nostalgia, of looking back into simpler times. Going back in time with the kitchen can remind you of childhood spent baking at your mothers’ side. Copper pots and pans hanging from ceiling racks, bold appliances and pastel colours are all vintage kitchenware that you should have on display. Scour your parents are grandparents houses for vintage cookery books, mixing bowls, cake tins, butter dishes, flour dredgers and jelly moulds. They are all things they might have lying around, no longer being used. If you find no luck there then charity shops, car boot sales, antique shops and flea markets are great places to find the perfect vintage accessories.

Glass fronted cabinets were all the rage once so consider having some open shelves displaying your plates and mismatched china, it will transport you back to a simpler time. I also use some vintage inspired hooks to display my large apron collection, making it an aesthetic display rather than just storing them away in a drawer/cupboard.

If you want to go really vintage, why not purchase an Aga to potter around in front of and warm the family stew in. You can also go online to find kitchen sinks to complete any kitchen, including those with a more rustic feel to them.
My Vintage Kitchen/Diner
My Vintage Kitchen/Diner 
A lot of people favour the pristine look of a new, chrome-heavy kitchen. A vintage-style kitchen should not look perfect. A large, scrubbed wooden table with slightly mismatched chairs can give the whole kitchen that country look you might be going for. Shabby-chic upholstery on your chair cushions and solid wood cabinets painted in pastel shades can inject a little colour and life into the room. Your window treatments should be well textured in floral patterns to look pretty. I fill my kitchen/diner with lots of vintage-inspired bits and pieces such as china, bakeware, biscuit tins and little signs/plaques. I always try to have a jug of fresh flowers on the table - and add a Cath Kidston table cloth, napkins and dinnerware when I'm entertaining.

If you have a vision for your kitchen, it helps to put together a mood board to allow you to visualise everything you want for your kitchen. Don’t go back in time with your integrated oven or dishwasher, but definitely give the overall look of your kitchen a new lease of life. Going back to a simpler time doesn’t mean simple accessories but it does mean decorating in a way that is quirky and will leave its vintage mark.

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