Kitchens – the hub of the household

Today the kitchen is often an extension of the sitting room – a place for informal entertaining – so it has again become the “true heart of the home”, as it was many years ago. But, unlike the past, there is now a wonderful selection of styles, colours and designs to choose from.

Colour schemes

There is no reason why kitchen colours should not create just the mood you want or suggest a specific period style or design theme such as Shaker, Swedish, Mediterranean or contemporary.

Most importantly, the style should echo the overall architectural character of the property, and suit the function of the area, so select suitable surface treatments, and pay particular attention to safety, ease of cleaning and practicability.

Consider the way the kitchen faces, the amount of natural daylight it receives (and the evening light), its size and shape, the existing atmosphere and the mood you want to create.

Kitchens are often hot rooms for obvious reasons, but can also be cold and clinical, so choose a decorating scheme to suit your home and you. Pale lavender will look warm with maize gold and cream, or for a really sunny effect, use warm ochre with sky blue, teamed with white and touches of rich green or combine herb greens with corn golds and paler sorbet yellows.

A neutral scheme is ideal for a spacious kitchen where books, bottles, spices and accessories can be displayed at their best, without looking cluttered. Make sure curtains and upholstery in a dining area are easy to clean or launder.

Remember red is an appetite-inducing colour but that it can also make meat look undercooked if used to near the cooker.

Kitchens often have cold, shiny surfaces ceramic tiles, gloss paint, laminates and metal. Soften and diffuse these by filtering light through slatted blinds and adding plants for colour and texture.

Textural contrast is a vital aspect of good design. You can also soften the often hard lines of a kitchen with tablecloths, cushions and shelf trims. You can get a similar effect with trellis or pierced hardboard, painted to contrast with the shelf for a permanent decorative edging.

Shiny chrome or stainless steel brighten the look of a more modern kitchen, giving highlights to even the most monochromatic of decorative schemes. If this is not possible, add light with a vinyl silk emulsion on the walls and gloss paint for the woodwork, skirting and window and doorframes.

If you have poorly plastered walls, enhance the effect with an impasto finish and colourwash over the top for a "cottagey" look.

Alternatively, if you want to cover an existing wall finish, use tongue and groove panelling (easy to fix with battens and using a system called "secret nailing"), and woodwash or stain it, finally sealing it with a matt or semi-matt varnish.

Tile potential

Apart from coloured grouting to brighten up old tiling, you can also tile over old tiles, as long as they are firmly stuck on. Use the special "Universal" type of tile, which is self-spacing and has several glazed chamfered edges.

Hang tiles in a more original way than squarely perhaps in diamond shapes or with a patterned one here and there. Or use border tiles to define a panel or tiled splashback, and then echo the motif as a stencil along the bottom edge of your table linen or roller blinds.

Fitted kitchens

If you cannot afford to replace your existing fitted units, sand, prime and paint them then use any of a multitude of paint effects such as graining, dragging or stencilling to decorate them this is also a good way of integrating new pieces into an existing scheme.

If you have a small budget to work with you could always buy standard doors and drawer fronts from a DIY supplier. Make sure the hinges and frames are strong enough to take the new fronts. Or try self-adhesive "panels" to stick to doors and drawers for a new look.

Give work-surfaces a new look with special worktop tiles, or have a new laminated top cut to size. Other options are a scrubbable hardwood, granite or even marble, but remember the latter are very heavy, so check the strength of the frames before you order new worktops.

Safety first

When planning your kitchen, think safety. Choose non-slip floors, easy-clean, hygienic work surfaces and practical, directable lighting, and avoid fussy window treatments. You don't want curtains flapping over the sink or cooker or festoon blinds that collect dirt.

Never position cookers behind doors or opposite the sink, and avoid sharp corners or low lamps where they knock hips or heads. Bear all this in mind and your kitchen will be the place to cook, eat and socialize.