NinaCarmen Monroe 

The rustic style of décor is becoming more popular. It never actually died away, but sort of simmered for a few decades and now it is starting to be the kitchen of choice once again. What could be better than to make your kitchen warm, inviting, and welcoming?  If you have a large room now's your chance to make it the hub of the house where everyone naturally gravitates when they come home.

After deciding on a rustic style, you can really go in two ways - the natural look, where everything is as nature intended or the Mediterranean look that gives the feel of a warm summer's evening in Tuscany. Or you can blend the two together - this is your kitchen so take charge, get creative and make something special for you. The following, however, may give you a few tips on where to start:

Rustic means filling the room with old world charm so starting with the floor, you could think about stone flags or if this sounds too cold, a nice idea is to have a wooden floor while  still keeping a few slabs of stone, say at the back door or by French windows. This way, your feet stay warm as you pad about but you still have an area by the doors where people can take off muddy boots and shoes without hurting the wooden floor.

If you're going for a Mediterranean rustic look then the basic color pallet should contain vibrant but cool colors such as deep yellows and oranges. In fact, it has been scientifically proved that shades of orange not only improve the appetite but also make the viewer feel relaxed - ideal for a room where you intend to eat. Both rustic themes need to have a lot of wood and these colors are perfect for a whole range of different wood types and they also let you play with different accents around the room.

When thinking of cupboards, furniture needs to be unrefined and, well…rustic! Chunky tables and chairs with ladder-backs are great. Think of the overall image you want to achieve: do you want a picnic type of atmosphere with two long benches on either side of the table so any number of people can be fed at one go, or would you prefer individual chairs which can be prettied up with some soft cushions on the seat that match the blinds or curtains? It's entirely up to you. All this, of course, does depend on the size of kitchen you have.

On top of this, a few well placed open shelves and hutches can increase your old world charm tenfold. Try getting a few copper accessories. Some copper pots and pans strategically placed on the open shelves or maybe copper taps at the sink will help accentuate the warm colors and blend with the oranges and yellows. Depending on your own personal style, you may want to insert wooden beams across the ceiling to give a lower, more intimate feel, and then you could hang your copper pots from them to give a more encompassing rustic image.

This might be a good place to point out that although you are trying to achieve an old world,  rustic look, this does not mean you have to sacrifice the finer, more up-to-date details a kitchen in the modern world should have. Wooden cupboards are wonderful for hiding a whole range of labor saving devices such as a dishwasher here or a state of the art refrigerator there and there's nothing to stop you from having a nice flat screen T.V. that folds up under a cupboard and out of sight when not in use.

There are a myriad of wonderful options to choose from when decorating in the rustic style and the best bit is that it's entirely up to you how much or how little you want to do. So why not give your kitchen a makeover right now and fill it with old world, rustic charm?

Do you have other home decor tips or experiences you’d like share? Or do you have a request for something you’d like to read about? Leave a comment below, and you might find your comment or suggestion presented in an upcoming blog. Keep reading for more about dream bedrooms, home décor and design, and outdoor living.