Adding Art to Your Kitchen

Today I have the pleasure of introducing my guest blogger, Doug Kerwin, founder and President of Fulcrum Gallery.com. Doug and Fulcrum Gallery have been helping clients decorate their surroundings since 2003 and is here to talk about artwork in the kitchen. One of the distinctions in kitchen design today is the simpler, pared down approach. Open floor plans, less utilitarian wall to wall cabinets and more personality to the design. Clients are looking to imprint their own signature style with subtractive details that create this look. As a matter of fact, with the multitude of design magazines showing open shelving, and less wall cabinets, more clients are asking for ideas how to make this work in their own kitchens. As drawers, hutches and open shelves are taking the place of wall cabinets, walls are free to showoff more artwork than ever before. Doug will share his ideas on how to complete the space by adding art to your kitchen.

Doug, the reins are yours today. Thanks for your participation.

Many people today will find that the kitchen has become one of the most used rooms in the house. Whether you are throwing a party, cooking a meal, or just getting a snack, the kitchen has become the center of all the action. This is why it is important to decorate your kitchen and turn it into a room that is just as entertaining and comfortable as the rest of the house. One of the easiest and most affordable ways to decorate your kitchen is with framed art.

There are many things to keep in mind when deciding on art for the kitchen. First, decide what style kitchen you have, or if you are remodeling, what style you would like to have. Is your kitchen a modern or contemporary kitchen, a Tuscan themed kitchen, or maybe a country themed kitchen? Once you have decided on a style of your kitchen, then it is time to start browsing through the categories of art that will best fit your kitchen.

Tuscan themed kitchens have become very popular in recent years. The deep reds and olive greens that are often associated with Tuscan art give off a warm and inviting feeling that will make you and any guests in your house feel welcome. Some of the art to choose from includes beautiful landscapes of the Tuscan countryside and lush vineyards, as well as paintings of famous Italian dishes and red wine art.

Modern and contemporary kitchens are also becoming more popular as many people begin to remodel their kitchens. As new technologies are developed and new sleeker looking appliances are developed, many people have found themselves modeling their kitchens in new contemporary ways. The great thing about modern and contemporary art is that it encompasses a large variety of work. When decorating a modern kitchen, you can choose from categories like photography, pop art, or abstract art, and you are free to mix and match these pieces from these categories. This wide range of possibilities makes decorating your kitchen just a little bit easier.

One type of kitchen that never goes out of style is the country kitchen. Country Kitchens offer a warm and inviting atmosphere that bring out feelings of being in the country, even if your home is in the middle of a city, and provides a nice escape to daily life. Art featuring fresh fruits and vegetables, rustic old signs, and barn yard animals are great choices for anyone transforming their kitchen into a country theme.

If your kitchen does not fit a specific theme such as the ones listed above, then your possibilities are endless. There are large selections of art from many different categories that fit well in any home kitchen. One choice that goes perfectly in most home kitchens is vintage kitchen art. Above is an example of a kitchen with two vintage art pieces by Kimberly Poloson from her “Fancy Fruits” collection. These two works of art feature vintage looking advertisements, one for cherries and the other for strawberries, and both go perfectly together or separate in any kitchen.

Another example of a piece of art that can fit well in any kitchen is the example of the right. This is part of the Red Wine category, and is an art print by Stefano Ferreri. It is one of many art prints in this category related to wine. This category has art pieces that work well on their own, but also features many wine related pieces that would fit in with any of the themes listed above.

There are a few things you must think about after you purchase art for your kitchen. One thing about having art in your kitchen is that you must make sure that it is framed. There are a lot of things in a kitchen, such as grease, smoke, or splatter, which can ruin a painting or photograph. Having a frame is essential to protecting your piece of art from all these elements.

The last and most important step is deciding where to place your art. It is important that you place your art in a location that will not often be obstructed, and someplace where it is highly visible. Remember, placing it next to a cabinet that opens wide will often block your view of the art. Also remember that placing your art near a stove or sink puts it at risk for damage. Heat and water can be very dangerous to your art, and it would be a shame to have all of your hard redecorating work go to waste.

All of this may seem very time consuming, but it is very well worth it. If you are going to be spending a lot of time in the kitchen, you might as well spend the time to make it an enjoyable place to be. So no matter what kind of kitchen you choose, this information will help you create a space that is warm and inviting, as well as interesting and unique. Good luck!

Thanks Doug for your recommendations.
Here are a few more questions my clients have asked me about artwork.

Q: You recommend a frame is essential for protecting artwork. Before we even begin to selecting a frame, there are different mediums in which we purchase artwork, are there any limitations as to what you would not put in a kitchen? Prints, Lithographs, Serigraphs, Original Artwork on Pastels, Oils or, Charcoals.
A:

I think any medium of art can safely go in a kitchen as long as it's protected by glass or plexi-glass and the frame. While art on canvas can be framed, it typically does not have any protective glazing, so pieces on canvas are probably best to other rooms. Most art prints can be transferred to canvas and during that process they get a protective laminate covering which would work in a kitchen however an oil painting done directly on canvas will not clean off as easily if exposed to any elements.

Q: What about the effects of a lot of light exposure in my kitchen, would you recommend I protect my art under UV glass?
A:

I would. If you use regular glass or plexi-glass and the piece hangs within direct sunlight, it will start to fade after a year or two. Although it is a little pricey, the best option to protect the artwork from sunlight and give the best clarity in viewing the art is using Tru Vue's Museum Glass. This glazing option will be available on Fulcrum Gallery by late June 2009, and is currently not available anywhere else online.

Q: If I find something I like from your website, can I just order the art and have it framed locally?
A:

Of course. Although we offer custom framing services, you are always able to just purchase the print and have it framed with your local frame shop. If you are buying the print unframed, I recommend taking it to your local Deck The Walls store for quality framing at fairly affordable prices. If you do choose to frame online with us, and decide that you don't like it for any reason whatsoever, you are able to return it for a full refund within 30 days. We think this is important when selling art online. Although we try to give high resolution previews of the art framed with your selected moulding and mats, it's nice to know that if you get it home and it doesn't quite match the color of your wall or the room overall, you can always send it back.

Thanks Doug for your time, it was great fun to have you come into the kitchen and talk about artwork.

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More about Doug Kerwin and Fulcrum Gallery.com:

Doug Kerwin is the founder and President of FulcrumGallery.com, one of the largest online retailers of framed art prints in the world. FulcrumGallery.com offers a selection of over 300,000 art prints, focusing on the selective high-end decorator. Doug and Fulcrum Gallery have been helping clients decorate their surroundings since 2003. Fulcrum Gallery also hosts an art question and answers community called Fulcrum Answers (www.fulcrumgallery.com/answers) where you can ask questions and get answers on art questions and help finding a particular piece of art. Fulcrum Gallery also offers a free service called Fulcrum Designers (www.fulcrumgallery.com/designer.aspx) where if you email us a digital picture of the room you're decorating and some guidance on the style of decor you prefer, our designers will provide you with recommendations of art to best suit the room.