Quirky accessories to bring fun to your kitchen

Maia Devereux Maia Devereux
Küchenrückwände, Schön und Wieder Schön und Wieder Kitchen
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A kitchen is a serious place, right? It's where cooking gets done, trash carefully stored, dishwasher stacked. And while a beautiful home is something that will give you joy, and confidence, beauty doesn't have to be all about being terribly serious. Sure, it's important to take designing your home seriously, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun with it! Especially in the kitchen - injecting a bit of colour and fun into this most practical of spaces will perk both you and the room up no end. If your budget is limited, or you're nervous that too much playfulness in your kitchen will just come off as kitschy or silly, a few accessories will enliven the space—an added bonus is that kids will love them, too. Combining a few fun accessories with splashes of colour—a statement wall in a bold colour, maybe, or a brightly coloured rug—will create a lively space that'll make you smile every time you enter. If you have kids, making your kitchen lively will entice them to spend time there—and might even inspire them to help out with cooking, or even—if you're very lucky—with the chores. With the kitchen being more often than not the centre of the home, why not make it bright, inviting, happy, and, well, fun?

Cool chopping boards

Learning to cook is one of life's greatest skills, and kids, little sponges that they are, will enjoy learning about food preparation from an early age. These adorable cutting boards from Julica Design could be given to a child as their own, to chop along—carefully, of course!—with the adult doing the cooking. If you don't have kids, these boards will put a smile on your face as you do food prep—smile through those tears while you chop onions! 

Sky planters

Kitchen herbs are one of the quickest, easiest, and most delicious ways to liven up a kitchen. But maybe you're starting to think that a row of pots on the windowsill is getting a bit passé, and you're looking for something different—something fun! These Sky Planters from Greenbop are perfect for herbs from mint, rosemary, basil, and much more besides. You might be wondering how on earth the earth stays in? After potting your plants in the planter, a net and a locking ring is mounted on the earth, so that when it's turned over, nothing falls out. To water the plants, use the hole in the 'bottom' (top) of the pot, and it will be delivered through the Slo-Flo water reservoirs. The reservoirs are made of a ceramic clay mixture which slowly releases water into the soil.

Herb wall

Or how about a herb wall? This one, also by Greenbop, will add a pop of vibrant green to your kitchen wall, as well as providing enough space for masses of herbs to grow. Pretty and delicious, and lots of fun!

Magnetic chalkboard

Chalkboards are always fun—kids and grown-ups alike just love to let their creativity run wild when handed a piece of chalk and let loose on one. This board combines all the fun of a chalkboard with the usefulness of magnetic strips—as it functions as a magnet, too! Use the chalkboard as a place to write memos or just draw sketches; and use the magnetic function to hang metal pots, and kitchen utensils and tools. You could even stick your keys there when you arrive home—and never have to hunt for them again!

Illustrated mugs

Bit of a grump in the morning? These cute mugs by Dominic Speelman for MAKE International will be sure to turn that frown upside down. If you get a selection and store them on an open shelf, they'll work as wall art, bringing fun and colour into your kitchen. 

A soup bowl with legs

We love these soup bowls from Uberstar. They're super-quirky, and will give guests a laugh. They're saved from being kitsch by being left in a neutral white—making the legs even more of a surprise when you notice them. 

Ants in the kitchen!

Everyone hates ants in the kitchen. They get into everything, and they steal all your food. And they bite. So while we're not advising stocking your kitchen with the real thing anytime soon, this tea-towel is a cute version of the little pests. The clever interlocking design means the ants aren't immediately visible; when you do notice them, you'll get a (pleasant!) surprise. Pauline Vercelletto-Friol has a range of different prints—from lobsters to wine bottles; if ants are something that just can't be made fun for you, there's sure to be something else in the range that takes your fancy!

Bold backsplash

Keep the rest of your kitchen serious, but go bold with a backsplash! Imagine yourself cooking while looking into an aquarium with this printed backsplash from Benedetto Gentili. Backsplashes in general are a good place to inject a little fun into a kitchen—they're confined to a discrete area, so a splash of colour there won't overwhelm the room, but it will give it some life. 

Fun fridge

SMEG 50style, SMEG SMEG Kitchen Kitchen utensils

Sick of boring old white fridges? Or sick of hiding  your fridge behind cupboard doors because it's boring and white? Go for colour! This gold one from Smeg will really bring the fun to any kitchen. 

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