Looking up for the
Holidays

When family and friends gather at your home for the holidays, where will they gather? Though you may have an inviting living room; open floor plans seem to insure that your guest will always end up in the kitchen! They lean against the bar or perch near the kitchen island talking and often looking up while you make a meal. So then with all this attention, the top of the cabinets should look great for the season and year round. Let’s take a peek at two kitchens, a Whispering Pine model and a Gardenia model, to get some ideas that will make your kitchen impress your guests somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

• Larger and Less
In the world of design the eye likes to see larger items and less of them. When we apply that principle to decorating, the top of cabinets will need a lot less “stuff” than one would think. I often use art above the cabinets to create large focal points. Large lanterns and large baskets of greens work well too. Remember, something that looks large on the ground will look much smaller on top of cabinets.

• Whispering Pine kitchen
This kitchen is cozy with a French Flair so we used more than I would use in a coastal space. We enhanced the French feeling by adding French pottery above the cabinets. The pottery looks authentic and old with a rustic finish and the iron handles on the pots tie into the other touches of metal in the space. For the corner of the cabinets we placed a large basket of heather to add height and softness to the space.

• Artwork
The artwork next to the heather basket is a small oil painting of a French café on a lovely street somewhere in France. The iron ducks below the painting add a sense of whimsy to complete the grouping.

• Baskets
We needed a large focal point along the largest run of cabinets above the refrigerator but we used the homeowner’s only piece of art that worked with the French theme on the right side of the cabinets. We chose to use three large baskets instead of a large picture because it fit the look better. I hung one of the baskets on the wall as the center of the focal point and the other two baskets are leaning against the basket nailed to the wall. This strong pop of texture and natural color in the space adds warmth and hominess.

• Clock
The window between the cabinets has a good amount of wall above it. That wall looked like it should be included in the above the cabinet décor to look complete. We added a distressed washed clock with hands and numbers that matched the iron handles on the old French pottery.

• Candle sconces
The kitchen seemed so cozy that the only thing missing was candle light. We added two simple iron sconces over the bar for instant ambiance and romance.
All of the décor above the cabinets complements the large French artwork hanging over the buffet rounding out the full French kitchen experience. The only thing missing was a French bread scent plug in!

• Gardenia kitchen
The owner of this kitchen really wanted a minimal look so we used colorful and large art to make a statement. The picture above the cabinets measures 60” wide by 30”high. The colors are sharp and vivid and we decided to highlight the navy and royal blue in the photograph art. We added a large royal blue basket with fern above the pantry. The blue of the basket and the green of the fern coordinated perfectly with the picture.

• Symmetry and simplicity
The cabinets are highlighted in this model to the right of the stove. The raised cabinet and two lower cabinets create an even and symmetrical look so we worked with the symmetry. I found a fabulous woven charger with navy blue, teal, and crème that I placed on a stand above the center cabinet. We finished the vignette by adding two identical glazed blue pots with greens on each side of the woven basket. The simple symmetry and strong pop of color makes a statement without clutter for this homeowner.

• Lighting
If you don’t have it, you must get it! LED lights above and below the cabinets make everything look better. The lighting above the cabinets highlights all the art and pretty things. While below the cabinets lighting provides great illumination for cooking and food prep!

P.S. –Attention all club presidents! We give free decorating seminars. It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today. Also, we are on-line check out our web-site at www.ruthdyer.com and you can always e-mail us at ruth@finishingtouchfl.com or Call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.

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