2014 Tips for Open Living Spaces Decorating Ideas

Dreaming of a casual room that blends cooking, dining, and living? A kitchen living room combo starts with a basic idea: Love your layout. These all encompassing spaces fuse style and function for fabulous rooms that flow together seamlessly.You'll love these ideas to try in 2014! I hope you find these ideas useful and inspiring to you .... Enjoy it !!!!

This living area's signature style was born out of a desire for an all encompassing space. A nature-inspired color scheme helps the sitting, dining, and cooking areas blend seamlessly. Area rugs and furniture are arranged to create task-oriented zones within the open room. Here, the sofa separates the kitchen and living area.

Family, friends, food, and fun are the main ingredients in a casual dining-living room combo. A cooktop in the island opens the floor for conversation with guests or family members while meals are being prepared, whether they're seated at the counter or in the adjacent living or dining areas.

Serving Up Efficiency : Designed to accommodate a busy lifestyle, the kitchen area is packed with function. The L-shape layout of the kitchen creates distinct prep and cleanup spaces. The large farmhouse-style sink and dishwasher are positioned on the far wall, which keeps the cleanup space from crowding out the prep area. An expansive island includes additional prep and storage space. A blend of traditional and open cabinets corrals dishware and serving pieces.

A Place to Gather : A dining table and an artful chandelier mark the transition between the cooking and living areas. Because the eating area is more distanced from the other zones, it works equally well for casual gatherings and quiet dinners for two. A high ceiling with exposed-wood beams makes the area seem more spacious.

In Good Company : Good looks and practicality are equal partners in the space's decor. Furniture is arranged to facilitate conversation and togetherness. Modern comforts such as slipcovered furniture and swiveling armchairs contribute to the overall warmth of the room and are ideal for lounging around or watching TV.

Island Time : With its generous size and prep sink, the kitchen island is suited for multitasking. The space can also double as an extension of the dining area or a place to do homework. A wall of windows coaxes plenty of light into the cooking area.

Casual Dining : Sophisticated style mingles with kid-friendly ideas for an open living space that suits the whole family. A freestanding dining set paired with the window seat makes this breakfast nook highly functional. A vintage-style bench features a modern mix of fabrics and storage drawers for seldom-used linens and extra cookware.

Entertainment Central : The real fun begins when the family gathers in its favorite hangout spot. A big coffee table for parking laptops, floor pillows for comfy seating, and a TV make the living room a well loved entertainment hub.

Easing Traffic Flow : Every space counts in an open living area, and a smart layout is essential to keep everything running smoothly. The main sink, oven, and range are within a few steps of each other, easing the work flow from prepping to serving in the kitchen.

Living Large : Ushering natural light into the kitchen, a glass panel door provides deck access and visually expands the room. Tall overhead cabinetry and light fixtures emphasize the kitchen's height. Cherrywood knobs and leg detailing give the white cabinets a warm, traditional look.

Rethink Existing Space : An area rug defines an intimate living space within the open room. Practical, pretty furnishings are used to ensure a smooth transition from the kitchen to the living room. Fun accents in bright colors relax the space and bring in a welcoming, casual vibe.

Transitional Aesthetics : The homeowners wanted handsome surroundings but needed them to be family oriented. Unusual pieces, such as colorful upholstery and a fun accent table, give the family room the personality it deserves. A cozy furniture arrangement yields a flexible family room ideal for relaxing, and the TV can be viewed while prepping in the kitchen.

Use Like Materials : Clever storage and a streamlined style look right at home in this kitchen. The homeowners kept the room's original cabinets, which feature a professionally applied aniline dye on the upper set and a few glass inserts. The modern, clean lined design used in the cabinetry and wood floors repeats in all the major living spaces to create a unified look.

Double Duty : New windows and built in cabinetry turn this dining area into an airy work space for the family. Outside of meal times, the table is a place to color and craft. Bench seating beneath the window is piled with pillows for a comfy spot to read.

Clean Living : Slivers of space were put to work to make the most of each living zone. By thinking vertically, the family maximized its storage potential in the kitchen. Matching units on both sides of the dining room window serve as dynamic display areas. A long window seat includes pullout drawer storage that makes cleanup easy for kids.

Smooth Transition : The entire wall between the dining room and living room was removed and rebuilt to define the function of each space. A two sided fireplace was installed, providing a visual link between the dining room and living room. A beverage center tucked into the new fireplace wall incorporates cabinets, freeing up storage space in the kitchen.

Flexibly Furnished : Large openings and the two sided fireplace connect the dining area with the living room, where comfy furniture and durable fabrics welcome family game nights. The new fireplace features a slab of bluestone for cozy fireside seating. Portable furniture, such as large stools, can be moved around to accommodate day-to-day activities. Built-in shelves in the living room provide display areas.

2014 Easy Tips for Small Kitchen Decorating Ideas

Use these tips and ideas to create a small kitchen with big style. You'll love these ideas to try in 2014! I hope you find these ideas useful and inspiring to you .... Enjoy it !!!!

By : Kelly Eagle

Showstopping Backsplash : This otherwise-subdued kitchen goes glam with stainless steel tile behind the range. In a small space, even a tiny portion of showstopping backsplash tile adds drama and personality.

Display Collections : Make use of the space between cabinets in front of a window by adding simple shelves and displaying a collection. Plus, the light coming in the window will make any collection look beautiful.

Add Accessories : Like any good outfit, a kitchen needs accessories. The wall at the end of this galley kitchen mixes hanging art with leaning frames and pretty dishware. Below, a bright red stool adds a fun pop of color.

Showcase Color : In a one wall kitchen, open upper cabinets help the room feel spacious and allow space for displaying colorful dishware, potted herbs, and accessories. Closed cabinets below are perfect for storing items you don't want on display.

Cover Walls with Color : Give walls in a basic kitchen a cheery coat of a color. In this clean-lined white kitchen, kiwi-green walls add modern flair and inspire the rest of the decor.

Choose Bold Textiles : A bold Roman shade sets the tone for this all white kitchen. Playing off the window covering, red, orange, and yellow accessories spice up the rest of the room.

Paint an Accent Wall : Add pizzazz without pressure by painting one wall in your kitchen in a bold accent color. The terra-cotta-orange accent wall spices up the otherwise subdued kitchen.

Maximize Every Inch : There isn't an inch of unused space in this kitchen. At the end of a run of cabinets, a recessed bookcase was added and is a drop point for mail, magazines, and miscellaneous papers; below is a small house for the cat.

Choose Art with Personality : Step outside the standards of kitchen art and choose unique pieces that showcase your personality. Vintage signs, classic advertisements, and art intended for other rooms of the house often look right at home in the kitchen.

Go Beyond Removing Doors : Instead of just removing cabinet doors and displaying dishes, outfit the now-open storage with textured baskets, bins, and pretty glass storage containers. The baskets add texture and color, while the glass storage containers keep what you need neatly on display.

Make the Most of Wall Space : The combination of metal shelving and a magnetic board corrals spices, tea, mugs, pictures, and recipes all in one easy-to-reach place.

Interesting Texture : In a classic kitchen with cherry cabinets, the marble countertops, gray linen roman shade, and raw-wood shelves all add interesting textures to the room. This small amount of juxtaposition with the traditional cabinets creates great contrast.

Play Up Pattern in Tile : In an otherwise standard white kitchen, the patterned backsplash tile adds personality and much-needed movement in the room. A classic black-and-white color scheme can be easily accented by different colors as styles change.

Choose Colorful Stools : The simple lines of these stools get an extra dose of style with turquoise paint. Now the stools are a focal point in the kitchen and are the perfect starting point for the rest of the decor.

Wall Decals : Whip up some whimsy in your kitchen by adding fun wall decals and colorful artwork. Decals can be swapped out at any time to make changing the look of your kitchen quick and easy.

2014 Kitchen Decorating Accessories Ideas : Easy Update

Add color and personality to the cooking zone with inexpensive artwork, displays, and linens.

By  : Renee Freemon Mulvihill

The kitchen is a hardworking, functional room, but you can have fun with its design, too. Once you've selected the cabinets, appliances, and fixtures, don't forget to add the accessories that will truly make the room feel like your own. Decorative items, such as artwork, collectibles, and linens add welcome color and personality to finish off the space.

Artistic Elements 

You'll likely spend a lot of time in your kitchen, so brighten up the space with wall art. Although you may not want to place your most cherished artwork near the sink or range, due to possible steam and splatters, inexpensive poster art can brighten a wall, says Richard Landon, a certified master kitchen and bath designer in Bellevue, Washington. Keep in mind that artwork isn't limited to paintings and pictures. Consider hanging decorative platters, distinctive cookie cutters, or vintage cooking tools as decoration.

Creative Displays 

If your kitchen includes glass-front cabinets or open shelves, use them to create attractive and colorful display areas. Design an eye-catching focal point by grouping similar items and hiding not-so-pretty items in decorative canisters or baskets. Limit color choice for a more sophisticated look. All-white dinnerware on open shelves can form a simple and attractive display, for example, while collections of enameled cast iron pots in complementary hues can add a burst of color to a neutral kitchen. No open shelves? "Take a simple element and repeat it on a windowsill," Landon says. "I've taken empty Perrier bottles and lined them up. Something about repeating an element makes it special."

Other Accessories 

Even everyday items can make a big impact in a kitchen work zone. Choose rugs or dishtowels with bold pattern to add a burst of cheerful color, choose a light fixture with a colorful shade, or paint chairs or barstools in bright, unexpected hues. Copper pots and pans hung from a pot rack or set on a shelf attract the eye and add old-fashioned charm to a traditional kitchen. Sculptural salt and pepper shakers, stand mixers, or other functional kitchen tools can double as art when displayed on the countertop. Or place red and green apples (real or fake) in a ceramic bowl for an inexpensive display that can break up an expanse of countertop.

2014 Stylish Stone Kitchen Countertop Ideas

Stone countertops are durable and versatile. Browse this collection of our favorite materials from high end granite to vintage style soapstone to find the right one to install in your kitchen.

You'll love these ideas to try in 2014! I hope you find these ideas useful and inspiring to you .... Enjoy it !!!!

Granite Options : Granite countertops add a rich, natural look to your kitchen. Granite is popular because it provides a virtually maintenance free and scratch , stain , and heat resistant option after it’s been sealed. Plus, it comes in a great variety of color and veining options.

Stone Shopping Tips : Stone naturally varies in color and pattern, so make sure you pick one to coordinate with your kitchen. Try taking a large sample back to your house to see how it fits your space, instead of relying on a small piece. Then double check the exact slab you're buying to guarantee you like the look before you make the purchase.

Simple and Subtle Style : Quartz surfacing makes an ideal countertop for this modern kitchen. The matte, uniform look is simple yet sophisticated, and it's a low maintenance alternative to natural stone. The gray green tint adds subtle color to the room as well.

Muted Texture : This seagrass limestone countertop brings texture and visual interest to the muted color palette of this kitchen. The subtle speckles and veining tie in the light color with the green backsplash.

Soapstone Sophistication : This soapstone countertop beautifully contrasts the crisp white cabinetry and marble backsplash. The combination of dark matte countertops with the sleek white color palette gives the kitchen a sophisticated look.

Popular Quartz : Quartz is probably the most common type of engineered stone countertop. This island is topped with quartz surfacing, which bridges the gap between the light features of the room and the dark stained wood.

Add Color with Stone : Caramel color limestone warms up this white kitchen. This colorful addition to the room is both practical and stylish, and it adds a casual look to the traditional limestone countertop.

Color-Scheme Countertop : The color scheme for this kitchen is based off the granite countertops throughout the room. Dusty lavender and organic brown undertones are speckled in the granite, producing a neutral color scheme with timeless style.

Customizable Concrete : Concrete countertops can be customized to the ideal color and thickness for any kitchen. These countertops were slightly tinted to complement the pine-paneled walls and dark maple floors, giving the room a cohesive look.

Faux Stone : Want to get the stone-countertop look but on a tight budget? Solid surfacing comes in a variety of colors and patterns, and it can give your kitchen the look of more expensive materials like stone for a much lower price.

Glossy Finish : A 3-inch thick black granite countertop is the perfect stone to contrast the back painted glass backsplash. The smooth, glossy finish of the granite transitions almost seamlessly to the backsplash, giving the kitchen a sleek and modern look.

Dark Marble : Marble takes on a darker look in this kitchen. An elegant Pietra del Cardosa marble countertop on the island provides a handsome work space, perfect for quick cleanup after meal preparation. The 2-1/2-inch thick marble matches the profile of the stainless-steel countertops around the perimeter of the room.

Aged Character : Flamed granite countertops have a distinct texture that gives them a timeworn look. This aged character adds to a rugged, country style in the kitchen. The speckles in the stone add texture and variety to a space.

Functional Surface : Black granite countertops provide a simple, solid surface in this kitchen. More colorful, elaborate details are found in the kitchen's slate tile backsplash, so the granite countertops are the perfect subdued countertpoint.

2014 Smart Storage Solutions for Small Kitchen Design

Smart planning and innovative kitchen design solutions transform these kitchens into storage packed spaces.

You'll love these ideas to try in 2014! I hope you find these ideas useful and inspiring to you .... Enjoy it !!!!

A new desk and banquette bench were added adjacent to the kitchen to provide more storage and a dedicated home office.

An extra row of drawers flanking the refrigerator adds the perfect amount of storage near the door. Cabinetry runs all the way to the countertop to make use of every inch of space.

Pullout racks and utensil organizers were added after installation creating smart storage without the custom-cabinetry price tag.

The island offers prep space, close to the range storage for pots and pans, and proximity to a pullout trash and recycling center. This drawer within a drawer in the island makes it easy to keep pots and lids separate and organized.

The homeowner was determined to infuse the kitchen with rich elements to give it distinction. The Calacatta marble tile backsplash, for example, runs up the wall to meet horizontally oriented beaded-board paneling, which also appears in the adjacent family room. Turning beaded board sideways creates strong horizontal lines that make walls appear longer.

A sink made of the same material as the countertops presents a sleek, clean look. A window ledge provides bonus display and storage space behind the integrated sink and traditional bridge faucet.

A firm believer in open storage, this homeowner uses shelves to keep everyday items easy to see and reach. Shelves next to the refrigerator hold the microwave and wine cooler; the latter frees up space in the fridge.

More open storage opposite the refrigerator wall is supported by shapely brackets. The dark metal complements similar tones in the floor, counters, doors, and window frames, and it adds pizzazz to simple open shelves that provide both display and storage space. The shelves keep items used every day in an easily accessible place, and a top shelf, which might be hard to reach, is used to showcase art and decorative objects rather than kitchen essentials.

The space around the range was smartly outfitted for cooking. A knife drawer on one side of the range features an integrated cutting board for quick chopping.

To the right of the range, a drawer stores spices neatly and out of the light, keeping them fresh and easy to grab when cooking at the range or doing prep work on the counter above.

The small peninsula serves as a bar area, complete with undercounter beverage chillers and a pullout liquor cabinet. A deep, cased archway provides a gracious transition from the dining room to the colorful kitchen.

Store Up High : There wasn't enough space for a walk-in pantry, so the custom-designed cabinetry extends to the ceiling to maximize storage. A library ladder that rolls along a rail provides access to the top row of cabinets. Cleverly concealed pullouts store spices, bottles, platters, and trays. The slim pullout shelf below the pantry cabinet serves as a temporary landing space for items without permanently intruding on the walkway.

A corner pullout unit stores large cookware and avoids wasting space in a corner cabinet. The pullout unit brings the cabinet contents into clear view, eliminating the likelihood of losing items in the recesses of a deep cabinet.

Appliances were also chosen with capacity in mind. Paired refrigerators with stacked freezer drawers blend in with the cabinetry and give the couple plenty of space to stock up on food for a house full of guests. A pullout cabinet beside the refrigerators makes use of an awkward space. The slender dimensions of the unit make it ideal for storing small containers and bottles.

The couple also opted for a trash compactor and two sink areas: one for preparing food and one for rallying dirty dishes. Two sets of dishwasher drawers between the sinks ease cleanup.

The rail above the pantry continues around the rest of the kitchen. Transom cabinets take the place of soffits and are within reach, thanks to the library ladder.

While they were going for a contemporary feel, the homeowners also wanted the kitchen to be a warm, comfortable place, so they opted for wood-look cabinetry. Zebrawood (named for its dark stripes on a light background) was their first choice, but it was also a budget buster, so they went with custom cabinetry finished with a faux-zebrawood laminate. To keep the look of the cabinetry simple, the couple used few door pulls, opting instead for push mechanisms, which make it easy to open the sleek cabinets and access their contents.