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Unique Ways to Spice Up Your Kitchen Design

Renovators Place Columnist
Oct 08, 2009

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Looking to spice up your kitchen design? Try adding clear blue glass wall tile, a honed granite countertop, or interesting paint techniques.

Today's kitchen design trends offer a host of ways to create a unique kitchen. During kitchen remodeling, take advantage of all the fun materials and products on the market.

Get Creative With Wall Tile

Wall tile has come a long way since the neutral colored 4-inch squares of yesterday. Today's tile designs can range from 1-inch to 12-inch squares to 6-inch by 8-inch rectangles. They also come in a variety of shapes. Among the popular colors are:

Earth tones - sage, tan, rust
Pastels - green, pale yellow, light blue
Bold primary - red, navy blue, forest green

Try Stone Tile With Granite Countertop

When selecting tile, look for natural stone patterns to blend or contrast with a granite countertop or bold colors to shape a contemporary kitchen design. Consider:

Mixing and matching sizes to create a brick work pattern
Adding contrasting tiles as accents in randomly place spots on the wall
Creating rectangles or squares to highlight key spots on the wall

Vary Finish on Granite Countertop

Granite countertops often are purchased with a polished finish, as it adds a dramatic, sophisticated look. There are other ways to finish granite countertops to create a unique look. Try:

Honed granite, which has a more subtle finish and looks aged
A beveled edge, which draws attention to the front of the counter
Granite tiles or slabs on the wall between the granite countertop and cabinets

Let Paint Finish the Color Palette

There are many paint techniques that can transform an ordinary kitchen. Among the options are:

Sponge painting
Ragging
Leather - look texturizing

Kitchen Painting Techniques

Some painting techniques can also enhance your kitchen design You can combine two colors in the same palette but are a few shades apart. You can use the dark color on the bottom for more emphasis. Adding a gold or speckled finish to the paint glaze will give the walls a nice sheen.