This year’s latest kitchen ideas and trends include mixing and matching your furniture/appliances. Gone are the days of buying all your kitchen bits to match! Now, kitchens are eclectic, an extension of your own quirky personality! Here are some ideas on how to create the mix and match or upcycled look in your kitchen!

Use different finishes and textures in your kitchen. The latest kitchen ideas include different materials for countertops, ie have a wood countertop on one side and a granite countertop on the other, great for visual purposes and as a cooking aid too! Use different shades of wood, mix up the shelving with not only closed kitchen cabinets, but some open display shelving too! Throw in a little glass, a glass cabinet door or a frosted glass countertop will look fabulous combined with a brushed steel or wood finishes. The idea is to play!

Colourful appliances and finishes are a must! And in 2011 you don’t just have to stop at a pink toaster. A great idea to trend up your kitchen is to replace your old fridge or stove with a nice new colourful one! Some of the latest kitchens appliances you can get come in red, orange and even yellow! Colour can extend to your finishes too. Colourful handles, splashbacks, tiling, even colourful countertops are the order of the day! Colourful is definitely the way to go!

Using slavaged or inherited items paired with your modern pieces will also help you achieve the mix and match look for 201. A great idea is to use antique brass, or oil rubbed bronze items, or cabinetware. Pendant lights or handles work well! Maybe add a copper hood to your stove or dig out your granny’s original wrought iron scale? Hit the local antique store for a lovely old gas or wood burning stove to add as a trendy centre piece to your kitchen!

2011’s mix and match trend will allow you to really personalize and fun up your kitchen spaces, and lets face it, the kitchen being the heart of the home, it’s about time it started reflecting the heart of the homeowner!