Creating Calming Solid Oak Kitchens
In the hectic whirlwind that we call life, sometimes all we want is a little slice of tranquillity. With families now spending more time in the kitchen than any other room in the house, it is important that your culinary space also allows you to breathe… and relax.
Whilst the concept of relaxing in your kitchen may seem a little foreign, we assure you it can be done!
Organisation is key. Sorting through clutter trying to find something is one of life’s small and unnecessary stresses. Whether you are rummaging through cupboards or mounds of stuff on your countertop, hunting down stray items is both a frustrating and – happily – avoidable practice.
For a harmonious home, we recommend keeping your worktop as clear as possible, stowing items away to give an impression of order. The organisation should continue beneath this calm exterior, with food items being grouped by category and stacked neatly, making everything easy to find and accessible. Furthermore, we suggest taking a moment to consider how you use each space in your solid oak kitchen, and storing equipment accordingly. Where do you usually chop and prepare food? It is a wise decision to keep kitchen knives and chopping boards stored nearby, so you do not need to trek across the room each time you prepare a meal.
Other devices you can use to make your kitchen more organised and functional include wirework inside cupboards, to make the most of the storage space available, as well as solid wood cutlery drawer inserts, which ensure that abundances of cutlery and utensils are far more manageable. If your drawers and cupboards are still overflowing, it is probably time for a good old-fashioned cull.
Calming colours: a sight for sore eyes! After a hectic day at work, it is great to come home to a colour palette that makes as few demands as possible. For a serene space, an ideal colour palette would include gentle neutral tones and soft shades of blue or green. We propose Farrow & Ball’s versatile off-white shade ‘Clunch’ paired with ‘Matchstick’, which, as the name may suggest, emulates the warm light of a glowing candle. Alternatively, for a soothing splash of colour, ‘Mizzle’ is a great choice (and one of our best-sellers), or pale blue ‘Borrowed Light’. Vibrant colours such as red, orange and bright yellow are far more attention-seeking and best avoided. Hot red and oranges have even been shown to elevate blood pressure – better steer clear!
It’s all in the detail. Whilst ditching clutter is fantastic, it’s a good idea to add a few accessories to your calming oak kitchen to avoid the aesthetic becoming too sparse. For instance, flowers and candles are both visually soothing and fragrant, creating a pleasant ambience for you to cook in. If your kitchen has plenty of floor space, rugs are brilliant at absorbing sound and softening the floor, stopping larger rooms from echoing and feeling cold. To bring peace to all your senses, having a CD player or iPod dock on hand is a smart choice, allowing you to play relaxing music and escape the stresses of your busy day.
Shine a little light. Whilst brighter lights are better for your food preparation areas, if you have a table in your kitchen you may prefer to install softer wall lighting here, with dimmer switches, for an easy-going atmosphere appropriate for dining. Under-cupboard lighting is fabulous too, as it sheds light on practical work space without putting any glare in your eye line – low-key lighting is great, but you do not want to compromise visibility. Finally, keeping window surrounds clear lets in as much natural light as possible – which is actually good for your health – and also minimises fuss and frills.
Remember the old saying, ‘Tidy house, tidy mind’? Well, a tidy mind is also a calm mind, and we hope we have helped you on your quest for kitchen calm. If you have any photographs of your clean and serene kitchen, don’t hesitate to share them with us via Facebook and Twitter; or feel free to enter our case study competition and your kitchen will be featured in our gallery!
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