Small Changes, Big Difference: Simple Steps to a Shabby Chic Kitchen

 

There are dozens of small touches you can give to your kitchen to give it a shabby chic feel. From changing the colour scheme to strategically placed accessories, we give you some tips to create the vintage look in your kitchen quickly and easily.

 

Keep things low-key

There is a fine line between creating a beautiful vintage kitchen and a messy one. While accessories are pretty, over-doing them will result in the room looking cluttered and unruly.

 

Ditch the boring tea towels

Nobody said tea towels had to be boring so ditch the white in favour of something pretty instead.

 

Add a feature rug

Carpets are usually best avoided in the kitchen but adding a small feature rug is perfect for softening the look of an otherwise hard floor.

 

Dress the windows

If you’re one of those people who dislike having blinds or curtains in the kitchen, a great alternative is to get a length of ruffles and place it along the top of the window. It adds a vintage look without blocking light.

 

Add ornate shelving brackets

Shelf brackets designed for outdoors usually have a flowing pattern and look brilliant when placed indoors too! They may not be necessary to hold the shelves up, but they provide a graceful touch if added.

 

Use retro tins and jars

The best possible accessories for a shabby chic kitchen are jars and tins from past generations placed strategically around the room. They look incredible, and are cheap to buy from charity shops or even from bigger supermarkets. Better yet, see if your relatives can have a rummage through their attics and see if they’ve got anything that would suit your shelves.

 

Hang around

Bunting or fairy lights look gorgeous! Bunting adds character and is easy to make out of paper or fabric, and the fairy lights soft glow illuminates the room and makes it look magical.

 

A sense of balance

A set of vintage weighing scales make quaint addition, merging practicality with beauty in one.

 

Look for a sign

Following our above statement of how retro tins and jars make the kitchen look amazing, vintage signs available from many shops work just as well. You can get quirky, funny quotes, or more heartfelt ones. You’re sure to find something to suit your taste.

 

Fabric magnets

You don’t want your choice of fridge magnets to ruin the retro look, so why not buy or make fabric ones? You can easily glue fabric onto plain magnets using a hot glue gun, and you can use anything from polka dots to a floral print design.

 

Creating a vintage kitchen doesn’t mean you have to rip it all out and begin from scratch! Just a few accessories will be enough to give it a whole new look.