Ryan Harris asked:


For a lot of us, redecorating the kitchen is a frightening prospect. The idea of new cabinets, new appliances, and new floors sounds (and is) incredibly expensive. But, by following a few simple steps, it is easy to decorate your kitchen on a tight budget.

Two classic design styles for the kitchen are:

French Country Design

This style is rather rustic. You should aim for comfortable and relaxed. Furniture should look distressed. The design brings a lot of outside elements to the indoors. Yellows are most predominate, but greens, blues, or reds are often supplemental. Stick with dark wood; that has a heavy grain ,or a whitewashed look. Roosters are very common in French décor.

Tuscan Design

This style involves a lot of natural elements. Floors should be a stone material. Incorporate lots of brick- i.e. around the fireplace, backsplash, and oven. Plaster walls. Woods should be a dark stain and distressed. Table should be wood. Lighting fixtures should be iron. Incorporate olives and grapes in the art work design. Marble or copper is great for the countertops

Now, the average Jane can not brick the kitchen, or splurge for marble countertops. Most classic designs are not for the frugal spender. Cheap home decoration alternatives are needed.

The most current trends in kitchen décor is turning largely to green ideas, appliances, and living. Bamboo is a popular flooring choice. Storage is a must. People want a storage place for everything. Everything from spices, to appliances, have their own hide aways Personalized and bold color palette backsplashes are popular.

Again, how many people can afford these kitchen trends. One of the most costly kitchen elements is the kitchen cabinets. Yet, the trend is to create more cabinets; that are even more detailed. But, who says that you have to follow any trend , or décor resume. Create your own style, and save money doing it. So, here are a few tips for cheap home decorations, that are still stylish.

- Venetian plaster is a great alternative to actual plaster walls.

- Instead of buying new cabinets, stain them. Dark stains can leave more room for error, than light stains.

- Change the hardware. Sometimes just updating the hardware can give new life to cabinets.

- Create your own custom paint. Play around and mix colors. Use a sponge or rag to apply the paint, for a custom look.

- Hit the flea market, salvage store, etc, for furniture. In many themes, the furniture is supposed to look aged or distressed.

- Use sideboards and other old furniture as an alternative to additional cabinets.

- Incorporate natural elements into the design, that can replace expensive art work. For example, frame an olive branch. Find a unique wine bottle or oblong bottle, and fill with: colorful olives, citrus fruits, or peppers. Then, fill to the top with olive oil.

- Ask the flooring store if they have remnant pieces of flooring and counter top. This will be cheaper than a custom cut.

- Do the installations or prep work yourself.

- Look appliances with dents. Often a stove may have a small scratch or dent that can easily be fixed, or that will be hidden in the design.

These are some cheaper home decoration ideas. However, get creative. Incorporate anything that you can reuse, get cheap, or have readily available. Your imagination is the only limit for how you design a kitchen that fits your style and budget.