Tag Archives: kitchen

How to Decorate a French Country Kitchen

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One of the most fashionable ways to decorate a kitchen is in the French Country style. This is a very rustic look that is reminiscent of the charm found in homes in the South of France.

To accomplish this look you will have to decorate with toile. Toile is a fabric that has pictures of the countryside of France on it. It might depict landscapes, bottles of wine, cheese and the produce of France on it as well. These motifs are a great choice for the curtains, tablecloth, chair seats and dining ware in your kitchen.

Ladder back chairs are also characteristic of this look. Make sure the table is large and rustic and that the chairs have seats made out of rush (twined water reeds.)

The colors of the French Countryside are rusts, greens, blues and golds. Keep the walls, ceiling and floors in earthy brown, creams and red colors. If you have beams running across your ceiling you are lucky because it means you would have accomplished the look. If you don’t have beams in your ceiling you can also install them.

A stone floor also compliments this look. You can get faux tile in stone like colors that can help achieve this affect. Another charachteristic of this kitchen style is roughly plastered walls. Cast iron wall sconces also look nice on a plastered wall.

Yet another characteristic of rustic French kitchens is rusted metal. Rusted metal could be found in kitchen cabinet hardware, lighting fixtures and baker racks.

French motifs in the form of scultprues, clocks and other items can be roosters, olives, sunflowers and lavender. Decorate with handmade pottery to bring the element of the French countryside to your kitchen.

It is also characteristic to hang baskets in a kitchen. These woven baskets should be large and natural looking. You can put fruit and vegetables in these baskets and use them to store cooking implements.

Copper pots and iron pots also look gorgeous in this type of kitchen. Be sure to hang them from the ceiling and on the walls to augment the look.

When planning your space, remember that the French Country is a very warm, relaxed, and informal decorating style. Stay away from anything too fussy or formal.

How to Decorate A Used Kitchen Chair

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Have you found a great kitchen chair at a garage sale or vintage store and do you want to try and make it into a fashionable piece of furniture? Recovering a used kitchen chair is easier than you think!

Begin by disassembling the chair. Your first task is to remove the chair seat. If you turn the chair upside down, you should easily find the screws that hold the chair pad in place. Unscrew these screws and the chair seat should just come pop off the chair frame.

Take the “naked” chair frame outside and spray paint, giving it one or two coats, depending on the colour you’ve chosen. Make sure you’ve removed any loose paint and dirt before you do this or the effect will be very disappointing and unprofessional looking. A light sand helps the paint stick better, but is not necessary if the chair is slightly “beat-up”. If the chair is bent out of shape in anyway you can slos hammer it back into shape.

Then turn your attention to the chair seat. Using a flat screwdriver or small crowbar, remove the stables holding the fabric onto the chair seat. If the padding is in good shape, you’re ready to move onto the next step. If it needs a little work add a layer of batting or a thin layer of foam (available at craft and fabric stores) before you staple on the finished fabric. This, of course, will help provide the actual seat for the chair.

Lay the chair seat on the fabric, back side up. It’s helpful to mark the front of the chair so you know which way to run the fabric. Also, if your fabric has a pattern, make sure the pattern is centered on the seat before you cut it out. Don’t choose thick fabric that is hard to fold or the chair seat won’t look quite right.

Now the fun begins. Using a stapler or electric staple gun, begin by stapling the fabric to the top and bottom of the seat, then the sides. Then work your way around the seat, making small folds as you go if you are upholstering a round chair.Trim excess fabric and screw the seat back onto the chair. You are done and have a brand new fashionable addition for you r home.

Looking for old kitchen chairs for absolutely free? Try looking for gems in your neighbourhood on garbage day. There are usually lots of them sitting on the side of the street waiting to be collected and rehabbed by somebody.