Buon Giorno! Mamma mia! What delicious pizza is produced in this kitchen! Divine tiramisu and tender gnocchi melt in your mouth. Spaghetti Bolognese and lasagna, pleasing not only the body but also the soul. Is it because they are so good that they are made in a kitchen that has become the epitome of Italy.
Italian-style kitchen: Italian style in the interior for a small kitchen
Is it worth dreaming about a trip to the Apennine Peninsula for years? The dream is easy to realize, starting with the transformation of your kitchen.
Features of the Italian style
Three pillars on which the Italian style is based:
- Natural materials, natural colors, soft diffused color
- Harmonious combination of solid classics and elegant modernity
- Natural beauty and noble chic, achieved through original decor and attention to detail.
Signs of style allow you to almost unmistakably determine that it is Italian cuisine in front of you:
- natural wood and stone;
- matte surfaces of furniture and countertops, set off by a discreet sheen of dark metal;
- ceramic pots and tiles;
- Details that bring at the same time a slight touch of negligence and amazing warmth and soulfulness to the Mediterranean style of the interior;
- open shelves with beautiful dishes on display, flowers, fruits, onion, garlic, pepper compositions;
- wooden blinds or light Roman blinds on the windows;
- dark decorative beams on the ceiling, referring to a cozy country house;
- a large table with a stone top is a gathering place for a friendly family.
In the center is a massive table, open shelves, and vegetable decor – oh yes, this is Italian style
Color spectrum
The traditional palette of Italian cuisine corresponds to the basic principles of this style: closeness to nature, naturalness, beauty. Basic colors: terracotta, lavender, burgundy, yellow, olive, green, orange, blue, and red. All these shades are present in the Italian landscape, reminiscent of the sea, the sun, fresh greenery, flowering gardens, and fields.
Advantages and disadvantages
Italian style attracts with its unpretentiousness and abundance of natural materials.
Italian style is a real salvation for residents of megacities who are accustomed to a lack of greenery and concrete boxes. The warmth of wooden facades, the soft light of a large chandelier, and the colors that are pleasing to the eye give a feeling of comfort, beauty, and joy. Such interiors speak of the presence of good taste in their owner. In addition, they are very environmentally friendly due to the use of natural materials.
There are only two supposed disadvantages for a person who decides to give preference to this style:
- Other aesthetic passions, say, a love of hi-tech or glamorous excesses.
- The second drawback is a natural continuation of the virtues of Italian cuisine. The use of high-quality natural materials, safe and durable, inevitably affects the cost of such an interior. Of course, it will require more tangible costs. Although the joy of being in it fully compensates for this shortcoming.
Open shelves (if there are any in the kitchen set) – both an advantage and a disadvantage:
- smaller capacity;
- the absence of an ideal order is immediately evident;
- dust accumulates faster, fat and soot settle;
- exposure to direct sunlight shortens the shelf life of products stored on such shelves.
Open shelves give Italian cuisine simplicity and charm.
Fat settling can be prevented by installing a good hood and an air purifier. For products, use lightproof containers. Try to put everything in place at once, get rid of unnecessary things in time.
Combined interior
Combining Italian style is not so easy. In this case, they often resort to a modern style, with elements of Italian
There are many options for decorating a living room or dining room with an open kitchen. For the unification of functionally different rooms to look harmonious, various techniques are used.
- A selection of different floor coverings in the kitchen area and living area. In the first case, we choose a tile that imitates marble or natural stone. In the dining area, we lay parquet or another type of wooden flooring.
- Zoning with light. Active use of lamps in both halves, mirroring each other. Above a large dining table, set on the border of two zones, a crystal or forged chandelier with white horns imitating candles would look very appropriate. A beautiful Murano glass lampshade or chandelier is also an unmistakable option.
- A beautiful curtain on the border of the kitchen and living room, installing a stained glass or other mobile partition between them.
- Multi-level floor in different areas.
- Installation on the border between the zones of the fireplace, large sofa, shelving.
It’s good if the color scheme of the furniture and decor of these two zones echoes each other. Beige, creamy, sand, olive shades look elegant and very cozy, against which metal fittings and contrasting decorative elements look good.
Read how to choose Ikea kitchens in our article.
Small kitchen
In a small one, you can use individual elements, for example, colorful curtains against the background of a light headset
If you have become the proud owner of a small kitchen, do not be sad. Little Italy can be made in any space.
- Design tricks:
- a metered number of decorative elements so as not to clutter up the room;
- the use of built-in household appliances, the correct placement of work surfaces;
- the rejection of a large kitchen table in favor of a smaller round model;
- light suite (creamy, bleached oak) and pastel colors in the wall decoration visually expand and lighten the space, the furniture does not seem bulky;
- for the same purposes, you can use a beautiful chandelier (if the height of the ceilings allows);
- small paintings and mirrors hung at different heights are also able to visually stretch the room;
- actively use light and color accents;
- a good effect is the use of shades of orange and terracotta, diluted with blue;
- for decor, you can use stained glass elements or mosaic tiles, anthropomorphic flower pot vases, patinated tiles with a worn effect;
- metal or ceramic side lights that give a soft, subdued light.
How to make repairs
But Italian fusion, which is based on national and modern trends in Italian style
Get ready to improvise, turn on your imagination and stock up on inspiration.
- On the floor we put tiles imitating natural stone or marble with a worn effect. You can also put a tree with moisture resistant impregnation;
- For walls we use imitation of brickwork, wallpaper for painting, plaster with the effect of a rough surface, tiles;
- Color palette: natural shades with bright decor accents;
- The window is often decorated with blinds, although the use of beautiful textiles in natural shades is not excluded;
- An abundance of decorative elements: original jars for spices, onion braids interspersed with red pepper, frescoes and mosaic panels, on furniture there are carved inserts depicting animals, grapes or olive branches.
Italian cuisines are all so different
Arched openings (including snags) decorated with frescoes or other decorative materials look beautiful.
Wall and ceiling decoration
Decorative or so-called Venetian plaster is widely used in wall decoration. A combination of different textures and materials is allowed: antique tiles with uneven edges, mosaic tiles, and panels (they can also be used for an apron and countertops), frescoes, wall paintings, mirrors.
On the ceiling, smoky-colored polyurethane false beams or real wooden beams look very authentic, creating a spectacular contrast with the light shade of the ceiling. With a low height of the room, you can get by with a stretch ceiling with lighting or whitewashing.
A limited budget dictates its own rules. It is possible to use substitutes for natural materials: artificial facing stone, veneer panels, imitation masonry, or brick-like tiles.
If comfort is associated with the presence of wallpaper, you can choose the wallpaper for painting. Ivory, white, beige, light blue prevail. Cork wallpapers are also in keeping with the style and its trend towards naturalness.
Floor
Marble floors are beautiful, but… expensive
By the way, the relief texture on the tile prevents slipping.
Lighting
The chandelier looks amazing
The lighting design in Italian cuisine should be soft, not glaring. As a rule, these side lamps zone the space and a chandelier on the ceiling.
Lamps can look like candlesticks, lanterns, candelabra, hanging from the ceiling on chains, made of metal, glass, and ceramics. There should be enough light.
How to choose furniture
The furniture we choose for the Italian-style kitchen has its personality. Her characteristic features:
Solidity and massiveness of furniture. Visually, it should give rise to a sense of reliability and durability. Italian kitchen furniture is characterized by elements of forging and carving, floral-style painting, and elegant fittings. Open shelves in some cabinets, a sufficient number of drawers, and shelves.
The best colors for kitchen furniture: rich brown, beige or milky white, sand, cream, olive, terracotta, green, and ocher.
Marble, stone, mosaic, granite countertops, or acrylic countertops.
Marble countertops can sometimes be replaced with wooden ones, under “rough boards”
Large dining table (with a small area, it can be laid out) made of solid wood. Enough wooden chairs and stools to accommodate everyone in the house. In a large kitchen, a large roomy sofa is possible.
A dining table for which a large family gathers: a necessary attribute of Italian cuisine.
Very Italian – put wooden benches in the kitchen.
Decor
The original decoration will be the hearth or its imitation
- everything becomes an ornament in Italian cuisine: textiles, dishes, bunches of garlic and onions, fruits, flowers, pans, candlesticks, bottles of wine and oil;
- kitchen utensils are not hidden in cabinets here, they are admired;
- it is in Italian cuisine that one can see an antique bust appropriate in this entourage;
- add to this embroidered napkins, lamps, stained-glass windows, mosaics and paintings, we can say that the little things help create a holistic image no less than furniture and floor, wall and ceiling decoration;
- a lively atmosphere of light negligence, without a hint of emasculated pedantry, so it goes not only to this kitchen, but to everyone who accepts it with all their hearts.
Italian cuisine is a special mood and temperament of the southern countries.
Or maybe it’s the luxury of the Italian palaces of the Renaissance?
An excellent element of decor – bowls with colored sand, shells, rose petals.
Italian cuisine is an abundance of natural materials, and course, a wine bar
And you can create only a small corner in which only a wooden, massive table will remind you of Italy, at which it is pleasant to gather with friends for pizza
But in general, the Italian style has much in common with the style of southern France – Provence.
Italian-style cuisine is not just a piece of Italy. The light, warmth, and beauty that will enter your home with it can unexpectedly and irrevocably change your whole life for the better, as well as the lives of your loved ones. And if you have to make a little more effort to maintain it in a decent form, it’s worth it. See also information about kitchens in the style of modern classics.