Functional Art In Home Decor

July 28th, 2010 Posted in Home Improvement

Imagine that you are starting from scratch in a new home. You need to buy everything new. You naturally start with the bigger things that you need and only later add the decorative touches. Because you have an internet connection, you have no limits on your selections, but you do have a budget. Get the most from your budget by combining luxury with necessity when you’re looking for the finishing touches to your home.

Your living room needs a sofa and some chairs. It also needs a coffee table, at least a couple of side tables and good lighting. Once those absolute necessities are taken care of, then you look for the living room decor. You buy paintings or hang photographs, buy a vase or two and some nice nick-knacks to make the room look nice.

In your kitchen, the first thing you do is have kitchen cupboards installed. Then you look for the fridge and the stove. Then you move on to the smaller appliances like the microwave and toaster. Only when you have these items do you start thinking about the other kitchen implements and decorations.

The natural tendency is to think of implements like your knife set as functional necessities and not kitchen decor. You put them safely away in a drawer when you are not using them, because you don’t think of them as decorative.

Take another look at your Wusthof knife set. Yes, it is functional, but is it not beautiful, as well? Why is your bland looking white toaster sitting on the countertop all day? It serves no purpose except in the morning, while you need your knives all the time. Wouldn’t it be better to have the knives on display and not the toaster?

Get a knife block set and show off your beautiful knives. Give them pride of place on your bench top. They tell the world that you are a gourmet cook and they are always at your fingertips, ready to use whenever you need them throughout the day.

A knife block fully loaded with high quality, attractive knives is a joy to have. Your toaster isn’t much to look at and is easily removed from a cupboard shelf when you need it. Simply by putting your toaster away and displaying your knives, you have done something that not only enhances the appearance of your kitchen, but makes working in the kitchen easier, too.

In every room of the house you will find examples of space that is wasted on nick-knacks you never even notice anymore. Replace them with functional art and get the most out of your home decor.