Finishing Touches for a Warm, Characterful Kitchen
A styling formula with the exact elements to layer in — and make your own
I find it’s the finishing touches that make a room sing. Stacks of thumbed through books. A cluster of collected treasures. Potted plants lined up on a windowsill.
It’s all these little additions to a room that bring it to life and make it immensely more interesting — not to mention uniquely personal. Sometimes these details are overlooked in decorating, but to me, they’re everything. So I’m going to give them the attention they deserve.
Forget the devil, the divine is in the details.
Right here from time to time, I’ll highlight finishing touches for different parts of the home. I’ll distill them into a styling formula with shoppable examples. The idea is to show the role these accents play and make it easy to incorporate them into your home, in your own way.
Nicky Haslam’s kitchen
First up, the kitchen…. and all the details that make one feel warm and inviting. While wall color, cabinetry, countertops, and appliances can contribute to this feeling, you can’t underestimate the impact of things like window treatments, countertop accessories, and lighting. If your kitchen is cold, sterile, or unfinished, these accents will turn it into a room you want to spend time in.
Scroll down for the kitchen styling formula…
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sense of spen• cer
noun [sɛns, əv, ˈspɛnsər]
Reflecting one’s identity through their interiors
A home with character and soul
When a house becomes a home
Kitchen styling formula
Now I’ll break down each component.
Signs of life/things you use
The surest way to make a kitchen feel warm and lived-in is to actually use it — and to have those everyday, functional items out in the open. Greenery also adds a fresh and lively touch, an instant update to transform a stark space into a welcoming one.
Countertop containers: olive oil cruet, salt cellar, pepper grinder, butter dish. pinch pots
Cooking tools: spoon rest, mortal and pestle
Storage: glass jars, crocks, bowls for storing ingredients
Nature: potted plant, flowers in a vase
Cookbooks
Spongeware olive oil & vinegar cruets. A Love of Eating cookbook - a new favorite cookbook. Broom. Glass jars. Cook Beautiful cookbook - an old favorite much used. Enamel kettle. Blue splatter butter dish - this is only $10! Hand-painted colorwell bowl. Mochaware crock. Bobbin grinder, khaki green. ‘Cotswold’ pot, light grey. Ceramic salt cellar. Walnut salt cellar. Marbleized green bowl. Marble mortar & pestle. Il Buco Vita spoon rest. Pie crust terracotta planter. Handpainted pinch pots. Stoneware crock. Olive oil cruet.
Soulful everyday details are your foundation — but the magic really happens when you layer in lighting, craftmade pieces, and natural materials.