Asked on Feb 20, 2015

Eat in kitchen decorating help

Mary
by Mary
I have not painted yet but I have decided on a paint color, SW Softer tan, for my galley kitchen. Now I need some decorating suggestions on the eat in kitchen part. I would like to change out everything except the light fixture. Maybe a rug. What colors and kind of art? Any good websites for wall and table décor and rugs? Any inspiration pics?
  28 answers
  • LJ Elliott LJ Elliott on Feb 20, 2015
    open your blinds, so we can see room with light...lot of great ideas coming your way !!
  • Swan Road Designs Swan Road Designs on Feb 20, 2015
    The space seems almost claustrophobic and I would suggest that on the wall opposite your blinds you add some form of reflective interest. The first thing that comes to my mind is to take two narrowish window frames with small panes, perhaps, 2 panes wide by 6 panes high and replace the glass with mirrors. Hang the "windows" side-by-side on the wall with some small space between them. The frames could be rustic or panted a complimentary color to the color you finally choose for the walls. The end result would be to, pardon the use of the word, mirror the light coming from your slider/window opposite. It illusion of the room being wider would help to make it seem less closed-in. I'll have to think a little more, but this is what I immediately thought of.
  • Maria Maria on Feb 20, 2015
    Just a few suggestions, and for heavens sake, do something with those blinds!
  • Marion Nesbitt Marion Nesbitt on Feb 20, 2015
    I would hang a large mirror on the end wall to open up the space visually. Maybe add a tall, skinny plant (real or artificial) to the side in one of the corners. Think you need some colour. Since the dining set looks country, I'd get a Navaho rug with blue/red etc. horizontal stripes to make the room look wider. Then I'd add a landscape with perspective on the wall facing the window.
  • Hope53 Hope53 on Feb 20, 2015
    My kitchen is very similar and I am redoing it. I am considering doing a white board and batten on the bottom and a color on the top. Possibly a light yellow. I agree with Swan that a reflective interest would be a good idea. Maybe a mirror on one of the walls. Here is a link to a DIY. http://momsbyheart.net/tutorial-of-the-day-39/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/krGS+%28Moms+By+Heart%29
  • Vickie Miles Vickie Miles on Feb 20, 2015
    One word...Zulily!! This site offers anything and everything at unbelievable prices, and they have new things everyday to see! Definitely replace vertical blinds with a pretty pattern curtain of grey and tan? Round rug would be perfect with your table. Replace place mats with a pretty runner, maybe burlap and lace? Your wall color would look awesome with a gray and black theme, so I would decorate with those colors. Maybe matching corner shelves and then you could place pretty vases, frames etc. Good luck!
  • Country Design Home Country Design Home on Feb 20, 2015
    Presently, this entire room is shades of brown. You need to add some contrast and light. A large mirror, as mentioned above, is a good start. If you cold lose the vertical blinds, you could replace them with long panel drapes hung on rods with rings at the top for opening and closing easily. Since this is the view from the kitchen, I would continue the kitchen wall paint right through the dining area to unify the spaces. A great rug source is www.Rugsusa.com, good quality and prices. A large painting or poster on that far wall will draw your eye there and create a focal point. Www.posters.com or www.art.com will have lots of options. Whatever colors are in the picture you can use as accent colors throughout the kitchen and dining space. Of course, if there is a HomeGoods near you, you can pretty much find what you will need for table ware, etc. Good luck!
  • Cra836385 Cra836385 on Feb 21, 2015
    You have a great 'palette' to work with here. I would add a rug for sure, as it is warmth to look at. There are many things you can do with the back wall. With the rug, you could add a over sized picture or add interest with salvaged old wood windows. Another idea if you want something different, is create a painting on one of those windows or two. I do this type of art-and it gets great compliments.
  • Marsha Schwarz Marsha Schwarz on Feb 21, 2015
    I would start with a rug. Go to a big home store or carpet store, even if you don’t purchase immediately, take some pictures, you can get some inspiration. Then use that design/color of the rug to pick colors and decor for the walls and table accessories etc. I’m an artist and I need to start with some inspiration somewhere... then the rest just flows. Can you pick a rug you really love? If the rug isn’t the main focus, then maybe do some wainscoting, or split the wall for that type of design without the expense of the wood, then pick a couple of your favorite wall colors. Then you may want to just use a neutral rug and pull color accents in with your tabletop decor and wall art. It’s a blank canvass. The important thing to remember... it’s only paint... if it doesn’t work, you can always start over. Happy designing.
  • Liliana Wells Liliana Wells on Feb 21, 2015
    If you have to keep the blinds, softenthe effect with at least a valance. Choose your color inspirationfrom a rug or a picture. Please loose the black place mats. Onceagain, choose your color from a rug or a picture. The colors don'tall have to match, but in the same family. If, on the other end, youcan remove the blinds, use colorful curtains. They will add warmthto the room. Don't rush into anything. Collect your ideas fromHometalk, magazines, online stores and so on. Good luck.
  • Colleen Colleen on Feb 21, 2015
    The room appears narrow and deep, with a lot going on to emphasize that...drawing the eye 'up' and making it feel closed in, starting with the vertical blinds. You mention you would like to switch out everything but the light fixture. In that case, if new window coverings are an option (is that a sliding door behind there?) think about replacing the verticals. There are a lot of options that are more up to date and will work for whatever type of window it is you have there. Have someone come in to show you new options. A rectangular mirror with an interesting frame would reflect more light into the space and create a focal point that widens the space which will make it appear more open. You can place a floating shelf beneath it and add some items for interest. Consider adding board & batten to break up the 'visual' height of the walls (can be done yourself with ease & thrift - do a search for the many tutorials on here). Then paint the walls the same color you've chosen for the kitchen. I love this post for the basics on decorating a space and making it work: http://www.hometalk.com/diy/decorate/rooms/3-easy-ways-to-decorate-with-dimension-6597511.
  • Marion Nesbitt Marion Nesbitt on Feb 21, 2015
    Must be blind but I don't see the vertical blinds.
  • Mary Mary on Feb 21, 2015
    I appreciate all the suggestions and comments. Lots of great ideas! What do you think of this rug???
    • Colleen Colleen on Feb 21, 2015
      @Mary, that is a pretty rug if you have your heart set on one. The space is pretty close for a rug and to my mind it would be awkward, plus tough to keep clean with the inevitable food spills. If you're going for color and interest with the rug idea, how about a table runner and centerpiece, instead?
  • Sherry Fram Sherry Fram on Feb 21, 2015
    Take down the blinds and maybe add some matchstick blinds in a color that matches your dinette set. I would add some wrought iron decorative pieces to the wall and maybe a mirror with wrought iron scones on the back wall.
  • Elizabeth Elizabeth on Feb 21, 2015
    This is a very small room....I would make built in seating and a table to save space. Paint the walls a very light color as to make the room appear larger. Don't overcrowd the room with things on the wall....maybe two or three things on the wall you see first. An area rug on the floor is a good idea.
  • Kc Nordquist Kc Nordquist on Feb 21, 2015
    I'm not sure why people are recommending rugs for a dining room....I would definitely add color of some sort, art on the walls, and a mirror to reflect light from the window. I can't see the blinds people are talking about.....
  • Cra836385 Cra836385 on Feb 22, 2015
    The rug needs to be something with the finer muted reds in like the Persians. From there you can work with a palette of the colors in the rug. very nice room overall.
  • Mary Mary on Feb 22, 2015
    Here are some different views of the whole room.
    • Gail Salminen Gail Salminen on Feb 23, 2015
      @Mary thanks for these pics, totally changes the perspective. Room looks so different from these angles. Love how it opens up into the sunroom. I think I would probably change the blinds to rod curtains or shears with pull backs - the room looks much larger with the blinds open, curtains would maintain that open feeling and define it more as an opening outside. I think the idea of something reflective is good to add space - can be something metallic as well. I would go for a larger scale piece. Could also paint the walls a different colour - a pale yellow might be nice to further reflect light.
  • Shari Shari on Feb 22, 2015
    You've got a whole lot of gray, black and brown wood going on here. If this were my space, I would first start with either a colorful piece of art, or a pretty rug, probably 5 x 7. The rug you posted above is okay but frankly, it is too safe and a bit boring, in my humble opinion. Most of all, since it is the same colors you have in the space now, it doesn't give you any options for using other colors. I would pick an *inspiration piece* (artwork, fabric or rug) with several colors so you can have some choices other than brown/beige, black/gray. If you are concerned about food or beverage spills on a rug under the dining room table, go with an indoor/outdoor rug. Lots of sites carry them including Ballard Designs, Pottery Barn, Amazon, Home Decorators, the Target and Walmart websites etc. Indoor/outdoor rugs are very affordable, they wear like iron, they vacuum easily and if they get dirty, you just take them outside and hose them off! I have a total of 8 of them I use throughout my house and on my porch. Ironically, the only *real* rug I have is under the breakfast room table! I don't know what the rest of your house looks like but I see some pretty, bright and cheerful shades of green on your porch, so what about pulling some of those colors, or blues and greens into your dining room and kitchen? A light sage green on your walls would look really pretty with your wood floors and cabinets. Personally, I don't think you need the iron piece (or anything) hanging on that sliver of wall to the left of the sliding glass doors. I would check someplace like HomeGoods for a large art print for one of the walls and a mirror to reflect more light (as others mentioned) for the other wall. Again, besides a rug, a piece of artwork could be the inspiration for the wall color or accent pieces (like a centerpiece, place mats etc.).
  • KathyBH KathyBH on Feb 22, 2015
    I think "wainscoting" would look fabulous, in white, lower wall only. Check Pinterest or Lowe's, to see what I am talking about. On the window use white shutters. On the walls paint your "kitchen color" a lighter or darker color of the same hue as your kitchen color. On the back wall a large poster of something "foodish, Smaller pics on side walls of food items, or some old kitchen utensils in separate frames. You could also frame your favorite restaurant menus. Not knowing what style your house is it's difficult to make suggestions. Hope my comment will inspire you to look for some interesting for your kitchen eating area! Good luck.....would love to see your space when you have it completed!!!! Kathy BH
  • Maureen Blair Maureen Blair on Feb 23, 2015
    i think banquette seating down the left side and across the bottom. With wainscoting all in white. This will take up less room and make the space look wider.
  • Maureen Blair Maureen Blair on Feb 23, 2015
    After looking at the other photos I thinks you should also paint your kitchen cupboards white as it will lighten the whole room. I think you should paint a really light colour maybe a very light Aqua or pale grey
  • Mary Mary on Feb 23, 2015
    I am thinking of maybe changing the chairs to something not as country looking. Any ideas or inspirations??
  • Mary Mary on Feb 23, 2015
    What do you think of this for main wall behind table?
    • Shari Shari on Feb 23, 2015
      @Mary NOW you're talkin'! The colors in this are gorgeous and it gives you multiple options to use for wall color, rug (if you want one), and accessories. Personally, I would steer clear of using yellow (especially on your walls) as yellow is not the best color choice with your wood tones. A LOT of people with wood toned cabinets do use yellow but color consultants, home stagers and decorators say yellow is not the most complimentary; it just accentuates and clashes with the yellow and orange tones in oak Blues and greens are a much better choice. http://www.hometalk.com/diy/kitchen-dining/kitchen-dining-furniture/5-top-wall-colors-for-kitchens-with-oak-cabinets-2389914 . Changing the chairs would be a great update. As long as the scale of the chairs is not too big or too small for your table, pretty much anything goes, although since this art piece tends to be on the modern side, I would try to use chairs that are more modern rather than say farm house style, or French country, for example. Parsons style chairs would be just one option. They come in all fabric types, or can be slip-covered, and they are available for purchase in all price points. I often see them for sale on my local Craigslist too. Pinterest is a really good place to browse for decorating inspiration.
  • Mary Mary on Feb 24, 2015
    Unfortunately the wine bottle canvas I posted only comes in 52x30. Way to large for my space. I found it on the Kirklands website. Has anyone seen it anywhere else in smaller sizes?
    • Shari Shari on Feb 24, 2015
      @Mary Most people buy art too small for their walls. While 52 x 30 is large and may seem too large, I'm not convinced it is too large for your wall. How wide is the wall where you want to hang it? It would definitely make a statement..like a blingy piece of jewelry....which would not necessarily be a bad thing. Assuming you have a local Kirkland's near you, have you checked to see if they have it in the store? If they did, you could bring it home and try it, and return it if you didn't like it. Otherwise, I would recommend checking Art.com or Posters.com. They have literally thousands of art prints and you can have them frame the piece, if you choose. I think their framing prices are better than Michael's or Joann's, even with a discount coupon. They also have a tool on the websites where you can play around with different frames and mats so you can see what your print will look like framed and matted. I've ordered several pieces of framed art from them in the past. I was 100% pleased so I am getting ready to start looking for a couple new companion prints for my dining room.
  • Mary Mary on Feb 24, 2015
    Shari as you can see from my first post pic the area is narrow. The back wall is about 78 inches. Unfortunately it would be to big. Thanks
  • Sue Peet Sue Peet on Feb 27, 2015
    Very nice looking kitchen. IKEA has a lot of really nice decor for any room especially the kitchen area. What are your interests? Do you like plants? Do you collect anything? Are you interested in a certain theme in the rest of your house? Ask yourself what do you want to look up at while you're eating?
  • Kayo Frazier Kayo Frazier on Nov 02, 2015
    Here's my 2 cents...Instead of a traditional table & chairs...How about making bench seating w/ storage for seasonal decorations on the longer wall to the left opposite the sliding glass door. You can add a tufted back rest on the wall above it & add some decorative pillows. Then add a smaller, thinner rectangular table w/ comfy chairs in front of it. Hope this helps