Autumnal kitchen décor updates from butter yellow door fronts to pretty protein-rich pick-me-ups.
We spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
Add visual interest to the space with updates that are easy to execute and pack a lot of design power.
Butter-up doors
Butter yellow is a very soothing tone to bring into the kitchen.
It will work in both classic and contemporary rooms and will make metals such as brass and copper shine.
UK-based Olive & Barr's new skinny Shaker kitchens start from about €11,500, ex tax and delivery.
It’s hip to be square
Coloured tiled countertops in kitchens are back, in a way not seen since the 1980s.
It’s a great way to give a fresh look without having to pay an enormous amount.
Best Tiles sells a range of zellige squares for €110 per square metre that will give it a rustic look.
Serve with a reactive stripe platter, €34, and a glazed round platter, €27, both from Marks and Spencer.
Contrast island colours
“An island in a contrasting colour adds real depth and interest to a kitchen,” says Mary Orr, creative director at McNally, stockists of the Leicht range shown.
Pictured in vert anglaise, and available in satin-painted or textured painted finishes, the island features distinctive 150mm curved gables and a slimline 17mm compact worktop.
There are about 5,000 shades to choose from. Island prices start from €15,000.
Let there be light
If your kitchen is a small scullery-type in a single-storey return, one way to optimise the space is by raising the ceiling to a pitch that allows you to insert a bank of rooflights to bring in daylight.
Add Swedish-style blonde oak veneer Sinarp units, a handleless design from Ikea, and white countertops to transform the place.
Door fronts start from €79 for a 60cm by 140cm size.
Cooking in comfort
Tiled or concrete floors in a kitchen are a practical choice, especially if you’re considering installing underfloor heating.
But standing on such surfaces is hard on the legs.
As the seasonal changes become more apparent, a rug underfoot will switch up the look of the space.
It will also cushion your feet from the hard floor.
This Provenance design in olive, 120cm by 180cm, costs €319, ex delivery, and is a collaboration between Geri Designs and Rugs.ie.
Pretty, protein-rich pick-me-ups
Small purchases can make weekday breakfasts feel a bit cheerier.
This ikat pattern by Eclectic by Carolyn Donnolly at Dunnes Stores will bring pattern and colour to the most important meal of the day.
The cereal bowl costs €5 each, and the mugs are similarly priced. The egg cups cost €6 for a set of two.
Bring the outdoors in
House plants add natural greenery and a sense of warmth to a kitchen.
Designer Roisin Lafferty has taken this idea to the nth level by installing a red Japanese maple tree in the kitchen of the River Suites at the Montenotte Hotel in Cork city.
