Create Your Own Kitchen With Style to Spare

It may be a place to make lunches, finish a homework project or plan an elegant dinner party, but a kitchen also reflects your style.

If you are building a new home or remodeling an existing room, you can take advantage of myriad choices in cabinets, appliances, counter tops and flooring choices.

If you are freshening up an existing space and working around fixtures you may or may not have chosen, there are many opportunities for new looks, too.

A new book, “Better Homes and Gardens Kitchen Decorating Ideas & Projects” (Meredith Books, $14.95 soft cover), will help define your look.

For example, if you favor American or French country, butter yellow paint, French blue cafe curtains and caned chairs or stools will help achieve a south-of-France look.

Paint can be your key to offering a background palette to set the scene. Perhaps a vibrant kitchen color will give a playful look. Or enliven a neutral color repeated from the dining room with a dramatic accent.

Storage is a key element in kitchen design, and open and closed are the defining choices.

If new cabinets are in your plan, consider a combination of dark and light wood finishes, or of painted and stained.

It’s OK to mix glass-door cabinets with open shelving. These days, rules of the past are to be broken.

For extra storage, hang a plate rack to free up more cabinet space. Purchase a cart on casters with open shelving for storing often-used pieces.

These tips might help make the most of available kitchen space:

* If there’s room, bring in a case piece, such as a formal secretary for a convenient desk area.

* To maximize space in a small kitchen, choose white paint, distressed finishes or light wood, such as maple, to keep it as open as possible.

Minimize counter-top accessories to avoid visual clutter. Leave windows uncovered, if possible.

* Built-ins sized to specific needs, such as space for a portable television or microwave oven, are a must in a compact kitchen.

* For simple freshening up, paint the walls or cabinets for an instant update.

* For new counter tops and flooring, common choices are laminate, solid-surface material, tile and granite.

To stretch your budget, combine two materials. For example, granite is durable, but granite tile is lower in cost.

* Energize a plain tile backsplash and counter with decorative tiles and insets.

* Rule of thumb: Darker wood surfaces make a room look cozier, and white and light surfaces make the space seem larger.

* For a clean, unified look, pair commercial-quality stainless steel counter tops with stainless steel appliances.

Visual warmth can be added with accessories such as pottery and textured baskets.

* When the family and friends want to gather ‘round the kitchen, lack of seating might be a problem. Here are some alternatives: An L-shaped banquette makes the most of a nook area.

* A lunch counter area with small-chair seating makes the most of a space-starved area. Even a tiny bistro table and chairs provide extra breakfast and lunch seating. Pull-up stools around a center work island offer space for snackers.

The book includes 18 how-to decorating projects to add pizzazz, from checkerboard borders and star plate stencils to a faux linoleum floor and Southwestern style details.