A white kitchen with blue cabinets, wooden countertops and white tiles as backsplash

With a bit of fun styling, the kitchen can become your happy place

By Aishwarya Bhonsle

Social media is proof that, in 2020, a lot of people made banana bread. And sourdough bread. And dolgona coffee. And turmeric lattes. And just generally cooked a lot. But for a lot of people, they stepped into kitchens that had never been designed for creative cooking or hanging out. Kitchens that were meant to be purely utilitarian, and often not used by the family of the home at all. If you are one of those people, and feel the time has come for a kitchen upgrade then we have some ideas for you. With guest stylist Nidhi Tiwari, founder of Spaces and stories, we’ve created a happy kitchen that you’ll want to spend time in, even when you don’t have to.

THE THEME
The easiest way to enliven a space is to use bright colours, but without overwhelming the room. Here we took the Colour of the year 2020, Curiosity Blue as the main shade. It is paired with whites and natural shades like wooden brown and green to tone down the vivacity of the blue. There’s a texture on the wall, so that the whites don’t look flat. Since the kitchen is often the scene of spills and splashes, either use wipeable paints or apply a coat of stain-resistant emulsion to the paint you choose. Accents of brass under shelves or on cabinets add a touch of finesse to the setting.

Creating a happy kitchen will inspire you to spend time in it, even when you don’t have to.

THE FUNCTIONALITY
Here the intention was to create an interesting and practical workspace that allows the user to enjoy being there. An extra table makes space for all the prep that comes before the cooking starts. Then there’s plenty of space for cookbooks and gadgets to refer to recipes. There’s even space for a compact portable music system.

THE STORAGE
We have opted for both open storage and covered cabinets. Put utensils and everyday things in closed cabinets. The open ones act as spaces for décor objects, or a pretty collection of something, like crockery or a few collectibles from a trip. We recommend using transparent jars for storing groceries. Having some veggies on display isn’t a bad idea either. All the mix of natural shades and colours will make the kitchen more vibrant. We’ve also added interesting artwork, and just as we do at a work desk, there are Post-it notes for reminders.

FINAL STYLING NOTES
Placing objects in small groups of three make interesting vignettes of style. Use objects of varying heights and sizes so that there is no monotony in the display.