Kitchens like any other room in the home can be given extra pizzazz with colorful and bright accents. The hard surfaces of the kitchen can make it feel sterile or cold. The wood cabinets, stone counters, tile back splashes, stainless steel appliances and tile or wood floors are all beautiful but hard. Hard surfaces make clean up easier and are typically more hygienic—two important qualities to have in the kitchen.

Fresh accents can breathe life into the kitchen. Because a kitchen’s focus is food and eating, decorative accents can be food and food themed.  This modern kitchen features a tall tile backsplash with a contrasting border stone counter tops and sleek appliance. The bowl of fresh fruit and a row of small vases filled with herbs and flowers breathes life into the kitchen. Just a bowl of citrus or apples can provide color and texture to break up all the hard surfaces in the room.  A bud vase next to the sink or on the window sill will add a fresh accent that might even brighten up the tedious task of doing the dishes.

Colors and patterns from food and floral accents in the kitchen can be used to inspire other accessories in the room. The color of runner in front of the stove could be inspired by a bowl of fruit, a box of garden vegetables from a local farm or bouquet of fresh flowers. Tea towels and dish cloths can also be chosen to coordinate with these fresh accents.