Bohemian & colorful kitchens

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If you're thinking about renovating your kitchen, or other spaces for that matter, consider adding some color, and giving your space more character, instead of going for a generic, flavor-of-the-day look that most everyone else is going for at that time. Let your place have a timeless character and soul, and ideally your touch. Mark your territory.

That approach usually leads to a style generally referred to as boho-chic, or bohemian, or gypsy style... What these styles have in common is a relaxed, easy-going vibe, and an original aesthetic unrestrained by formulaic/textbook styles. 

Colorful tiles

Color is a good addition to life and our environments. Most often we are more likely to have a lack of color and patterns rather than an excess of them, so brighten up your spaces with some color and patterns. Colorful tiles are a great way of making spaces more lively and chevron patterns are easy way to add a good dose of character and visual interest.

Image sources: image 1, image 2, image 3

Mixed-style kitchens with character

Shiny and gritty surfaces, old and new, copper and stainless steel, solid and patterned tiles, light and dark colors, can not only be used together, but it actually creates more interesting rooms when they are.

As with any other room/space, a mix of different textures, materials, and colors add a lot of visual interest and help create kitchens with character. Variety, after all, is the spice of life.

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Interesting, true-to-life rooms with character

Mixing various styles, colors, textures, patterns, and materials creates visual interest and is a vital part of creating rooms with character. The opposite starts happening when you keep all those factors similar; you get a less lively, bland, and less satisfying look.

There are other benefits (that sometimes get overlooked in decorating) to this approach as well. It accommodates life and self expression better. Be it artwork, furniture, or something else, most of us like (and may acquire) a variety of items over the years and they would more easily fit in settings like these and even add charm. Also, things get broken, or worn out over time. It is easier to find suitable replacements and you will have more options to choose from when you already have a variety of styles, a more honest to life decor.  A restricted color palette/theme/style will not accommodate those situations as well.

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Cozy, homey, and practical home

When unpretentious elements like natural colors and textures, things that age well, and can take wear and tear come together in a practical way, you get a comfortable, cozy and a very livable home.

Creating a similar exterior may not be an option in cities but the interior elements would make welcome touches in any setting.

^ That green door, the covered porches, the easy-going landscaping, with the gravel and flagstone path are all cool touches.

^ I love the saltillo tiles, the kilim rug, and the big practical benches in this mudroom.

^ That rooster rug is nice. I also love those fabric covers. You don't always need the structure and the strength of rigid doors. Sometimes you just need a dust blocker, and efficiency is a good thing. The fabric also adds a warmer/softer touch. I like the painted cabinets and the DIY-ish kitchen island, too.

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Interior and exterior inspiration

 ^ The exposed beams on the ceiling are cool but what struck me was the easy-going and great-looking paint job on the kitchen cabinets.

  ^ Mediterranean style xeriscaped yard with some French touches, specifically the carefully trimmed foliage.

 ^ Love the couch cover, the rugs and, of course, the huge windows. A cozy and casual room, for sure.

^ Love the color of the door, the brick stairs, the potted plants, and the small front porch. Seems like a very cool and charming house.

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Beauty & utility of using broken tiles

Broken tiles can look amazing! If you have broken tiles no need to throw them away. You or someone else can create beautiful and useful spaces with them.  It is great when such value (& beauty) is created from what some might consider trash.

Broken tiles add a lot of character and an easy-going, relaxed flair wherever they are used.

I posted about broken tiles before. If you'd like to see more broken tile inspiration, just search "broken tiles" in the search bar on the right column.

Sources: Top image, middle image, bottom image

Dine-in kitchen: Smart and efficient use of space

It is smart to use space efficiently. It is also more environment-friendly, demands less economically, and in this specific example; friendlier, and cosier. Dining and entertaining right in the kitchen makes sense. Gone are the days of separate dining areas for family vs guests. A kitchen/entertaining space like this is more intimate and homey and in today's world we could use more of that. (That steel beam table is a bit overkill but overall, this is a good-looking and a very practical set up.)

Image from bloodandchampagne.com

Cozy kitchens with character

A lot of kitchen updates go from kitchens with some unique character that should be appreciated, to uncreative versions of the current trend. The "updated" kitchen is often time-stamped and bound to be dated in a few years. Such an update is in most cases financially an unnecessary burden, physically wasteful -since a lot of perfectly good things end up getting ripped out and replaced because they're not the newest style. Emotionally, it is only a band-aid because the way to appreciate your kitchen (clothes, furniture, etc.) is to make a mental switch, not a physical one. There will come new trends and if your satisfaction only comes from having the current style, your satisfaction is bound to fade, and you will soon find yourself coveting newer styles.

And if your place deteriorated beyond repair and it makes more sense to renovate, it is best to go after a unique and timeless set-up so you can appreciate it for a lot longer.

Images from thekitchn.com -Notice the mismatched dining chairs! 

Honest, unpolished, unpretentious

Finer things are not always the pricier things.

Top 3 images from breadandolives.tumblr.com, bottom image from Peter Cook's flickr stream

Casual and easy-going spaces and a small beach house!

Images from bungalowclassic.tumblr.com

Cozy & comfortable

Cozy& comfortable beats pretentious & high-maintenance any day. Relax, and find true beauty!

All images from loveandlanterns.tumblr.com

Interiors with character (or, random inspiration 2)

The most inspiring interiors are neither the ones that were put together with expensive items, or are organized and anally matchy-matchy in style, or color, etc. The real beautiful interiors have a quality that is hard to easily replicate, they're not formulaic. They are not just for show, they don't seem lifeless and perfect as if the stylists have just left, or empty like a fancy hotel suite waiting for its guests. They are lived in and the inhabitants' lifetstyle added to the room's style. They have character.

Images from brendan-i-am.tumblr.com

Easy-going home

The place seems easy-going and low-maintenance without unnecessary bs - and beautiful! That must be the formula to live happily!

Images from dwell.com

Homey home & patio

Casual and cozy place with lots of inspiration; some color, natural textures and materials, access to outdoors, and easy-to-maintain stuff always make life better!

Images from EspacioLiving.com