Four Ways To Cozy Up Your Kitchen

Hello friends!

The last few times I have published posts, I've told myself I will take a break from blogging for a few days. I really tried to do that this time, but I began to miss all of you, and I have so many ideas I want to share and topics I want to talk about, that I am glad to be here once again!

Today I want to share four ways to cozy up your kitchen.

The reason why I think this is important is because today's kitchen's can tend to feel sterile. The style these days is modern and sleek, and kitchen's can easily feel utilitarian if no effort is made to warm them up.

Visual comfort is a very big deal to me!!! It's important to me to have an atmosphere that embraces me and my family with a warmth that says, You are home.

Also, as the woman of my home, I spend most of my time in my kitchen. I simply just want it to feel comfortable and inviting!

The four things I'll be sharing in this post are easy things that can be done quickly and inexpensively. They're not unrealistic ideas like, "Rip out tile flooring and install hardwood." Most people aren't in a position to do something like that. These ideas are small things, but in my opinion make a big difference.

1. Lamp Lighting

 

              

I recently counted and I have ten lights in my kitchen. Even with ten different light sources, my kitchen is not glaringly bright. I purposely choose low wattage bulbs, and scatter the light throughout the room. Two of the lights are shaded lamps. This makes such a huge difference! One is over by the table where we eat most of the time, and the other one is on the counter.

The shade on this one is an amber color and gives this little corner a warm glow. I personally think just lamps alone have the potential to give a kitchen more of a living room feel than anything else. Lighting is a powerful tool that can change the whole feel of a room. 

(I always know when Micah has changed an overhead light bulb to something brighter than 40watts. When I walk into the kitchen I'm struck with how different the room feels! I always promptly change it back to a lower wattage. For me, 40watts in overhead lights and 25watts in lamp lights feels perfect!)

I turn my kitchen lamps on first thing in the morning while I'm getting my coffee. I only turn them off at night before bed or if I'm leaving the house to go somewhere. To the right of the sink I have this little wax warmer. It's not technically a lamp, but I wanted to include it because I think it accomplishes a cozy feel in its own right.

The last thing I will say about lighting is that I love to have control over a full range of light, so I had Micah install a dimmer switch on the overhead light above our table. The natural light coming into the room through the window changes constantly throughout the day so to only have the option of lights off or lights on doesn't make sense to me. I'm always using the dimmer to adjust the light. By using the lamp and the dimmer, I always have control over the lighting and can always get it just right.

      2. Books

I love what a stack or row of books looks like. I think it adds a homey feel to any room. In a kitchen, it's appropriate to display cookbooks, and it looks wonderful! I don't have any cookbooks hidden behind closed cupboard doors! In my kitchen I display cookbooks as well as vintage storybooks and family devotionals.

I like to put my favorite ones in front so I can enjoy their beautiful covers:

Even just one cute vintage cookbook looks nice propped up with a couple more items against the wall:

Placing books that we use on a regular basis on a few shelves around the kitchen not only is practical but it infuses the kitchen with personality. Books have a way of making a space feel cozy.

             

We keep our bibles on this shelf, along with some devotional books. It's handy for early morning quiet times, family devotions at dinner, and for grabbing them on our way out the door to church. This picture is also a great introduction to my third point...

            

      3. Plants

           

I've had this plant for a couple of years, which is remarkable because I usually kill plants. (Micah has said that our home is where plants come to die. ;) This is a Jade plant. It's from the cactus family so it's a succulent. That's probably why it has survived for so long. Succulents are extremely hearty.

I have another succulent on the windowsill above the sink:

          

I planted it in a hand-painted creamer. Next to it is an African Violet. I planted this one also in a hand-painted, footed bowl. I really love hand-painted dishes. They don't match each other on purpose because I think an uncontrived look is quite charming. 

            

Plants in the kitchen bring life and vitality. They're good for freshening the air, and in my opinion add a warm feeling of home, just like lamps and books. 

For about a year I had a fern to the left of the sink that I recently had to replace. Ferns really like humidity so I kept it on the counter right above the dishwasher. Every time I would open the dishwasher after a cycle, a burst of steam would shoot up, and I would slide the plant into the steam. Aside from regular watering, I managed to keep it alive for longer than my usual run by doing this. 

It did eventually die, however, and I bought a new fern to replace it. It looked like this from the store:

             

I rescued it from all the tacky plastic and gave it a noble purpose in an ironstone planter. It stands proud now:

             

I currently have five plants in my kitchen. The final one is a small rose bush on the island:

            

I think a very easy way to remove the utilitarian feeling from a kitchen is to bring in a few plants. Of the different kinds that I have showed you, the heartiest ones, in my experience, are succulents and African Violets. So, if you're a plant killer like me, these are a safe option. You can buy a small succulent for around $3.00, and a small African Violet for around $4.00 or $5.00.

The last idea that I have to cozy up a kitchen is...

      4. Art

          

Art in the kitchen is such a treat!!! I don't have a ton of original artwork in my home, but this is one. My heart goes pitter-pat just thinking about an original oil on canvas in my home!!! I feel sooooo lucky to have this piece:

         

The few other pieces of art that I have hanging in my kitchen aren't originals, but I love them just the same. This oval picture hung in my childhood bedroom:

         

It hangs next to my pantry now. It's a print from an antique children's book. My grandparents had it matted and framed and gave it to me years ago. The back looks like this:

          

(To Courtney from Grandma and Grandpa Desremaux 1996)

This little Dutch print hangs beneath my cabinets on the backsplash:

I really love art hung in unexpected places!

I know I've shown my birds on this blog before, but if I'm talking about art in the kitchen then they're worth repeating!

          

Whenever I see pictures hung on the inside of a cabinet above a kitchen sink, it reminds me of something a 1930's or a 1940's homemaker would do. It has a nostalgic look to it. 

         

I don't necessarily try to decorate my home from that era, but I really love this look!

So, if you happen to be short on wall space in your kitchen, why not consider hanging something small on your backsplash or the inside of your cupboard above your sink? It will absolutely cozy up your kitchen!

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So, there you have it! Four ways to cozy up your kitchen!

Lamps, Books, Plants, and Art!

If only these four things were done to a blank canvas kitchen, I believe the room would be transformed into a warm and inviting place for you and your family!

Please let me know in the comments if you try any of these things! I would love to hear from you!

~Courtney