Spicing Up a Timid Kitchen

Rose Gilbert
Sun, 21 Sep 2014 21:00:00 -0700
Lifestyle

Q: We are taking down the wall between our kitchen and the old breakfast room. Our kitchen is all light wood. I'd like to do something jazzy in the new space. My question is, what color wood should we pick for the new table and chairs? Is it OK to bring in darker wood or even color?

A: It's not merely OK; a shot of unexpected color and "jazzy" pattern is just what the design doctor orders.

Look how this extroverted turquoise ensemble charges-up the looks of an erstwhile timid kitchen. According to the manufacturer, Somerton Dwelling, the chairs were inspired by the fashion industry, designed to act as accents in a room, the way accessories add color and interest to a basic clothing ensemble.
Updated: Mon Sep 22, 2014

Q: We are taking down the wall between our kitchen and the old breakfast room. Our kitchen is all light wood. I'd like to do something jazzy in the new space. My question is, what color wood should we pick for the new table and chairs? Is it OK to bring in darker wood or even color?

A: It's not merely OK; a shot of unexpected color and "jazzy" pattern is just what the design doctor orders.

Look how this extroverted turquoise ensemble charges-up the looks of an erstwhile timid kitchen. According to the manufacturer, Somerton Dwelling, the chairs were inspired by the fashion industry, designed to act as accents in a room, the way accessories add color and interest to a basic clothing ensemble.

There are 11 styles in the new Somerton Dwelling accent collection. With colors like this, it won't take a second wake-up call to get your family down to breakfast!

Q: I'm scared about buying a chandelier to go over the dining room table. How can you tell how big it should be? And how high should it be hung over the table?

A: There's a formula for that, according to interior designer Elissa Grayer. As she laid it out for a recent interviewer, it goes like this: Measure the length and width of your room and add the numbers to get the ideal diameter for a chandelier (in inches). For example if your room measures 13 feet by 13 feet, your chandelier should be 26 inches wide.

Hang it how high? Another equation from Elissa: The diameter of the chandelier should measure about half the width of your dining table, and the bottom should clear the surface of your table by some 30 inches.

Should such arithmetic bewilder you, there's an even simpler guide: your eyeballs and your common sense. A chandelier should look properly scaled to the size of your room, neither lost in space nor looming oppressively over the table.

The best advice is to try the chandelier on before you buy it. Send hubby or a handyman up a ladder to hold the fixture in place while you eyeball it. If it looks right, it probably is.

Now hang it low enough to illuminate the table — its most important job — but not so low you'll bang your head sitting down or getting up from dinner.

More good lighting advice from Elissa: Bedside lamps shouldn't be much taller than your headboard. Chairside lamps should be tall enough that you're not looking into the bright bulb either standing or sitting.

Always void having dark corners. Use different types of light in the same room, say, a mix of table lamps, torches, picture lights, spotlights, shelf lighting, even cove lighting, if you're lucky enough to have an interesting cove ceiling.

You can vary the color of the light, too. Just be wary of too-cool bulbs that can ice the loveliest of rooms and make colors change with disastrous results.

Given all the current confusion about new light sources — it ain't all incandescent (or fluorescent) any more — you'd be smart to consult a resource that offers a lightbox comparison of various bulbs (or lamps, as they're called in the trade). For example, Home Depot's bulb department has a demo that lets you see at a glance how the same room will look bathed in the light of different kinds of bulbs.

Table the discussion of dull, colorless furniture: This kitchen votes for vigorous hues and lively pattern. Photo courtesy of Somerton Dwelling.

Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Manhattan Style" and six other books on interior design. To find out more about Rose Bennett Gilbert and read features by Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.CREATORS.com.