Retro kitchen design is a growing trend in interior design, which embodies a sense of nostalgia for simpler times. The companies who manufacture kitchen appliances and accessories have been quick to catch on to this trend, and there are wide ranges of retro inspired kitchen products available on any high street.

If a retro kitchen design appeals to you, it is possible either to go full retro or just add nostalgic little touches to your existing room. However, you must be careful to design your kitchen so that it still fits in with the feel of your home; it is still your kitchen and not a set design.

There are some simple steps you can follow when designing your new kitchen that will ensure that it looks the way you have dreamed:

Firstly, just like a professional interior designer, create a mood board. Go through magazines, or Google image search, and choose pictures of kitchen that you particularly like. Collect these images, maybe draw a circle around what it is you love in that kitchen. When you look at these pictures next to each other notice if there is a common theme, and one theme I can almost guarantee is that the kitchen in the picture is bigger than yours! Is the style you have been drawn to retro? If so, does it seem to have been influenced by a particular era, is it art deco or 1950′s. Most retro kitchen designs are inspired by the 1950′s, when the new consumerism really took off, and kitchen appliances became the housewife’s favourite items.

What is your favourite colour scheme? Is it the classic red, black and white or maybe the brighter jades, turquoise and shocking pink that attract you?

Secondly, you will need to consider your budget. Are you lucky enough to be able to completely remodel your kitchen or do you want to add splashes of retro with new kitchen accessories? If you are working on a small budget, go to your kitchen and look honestly at what you already have. Maybe, you could repaint the cupboards or the walls a bright retro colour.

Thirdly, how much space do you have in your kitchen? Can you fit freestanding appliances, such as a large retro inspired Smeg fridge in bright pink! Or do you have room for a plastic and chrome table and chairs or even a diner style booth?

Retro inspired design should include elements of bright colours, chrome, plastic or formic, and vinyl floors usually in a checkerboard pattern. Combine these materials and colours with kitchen appliances that have a softer, curved design. Also, remember that in the 1950′s kitchen appliances would have been freestanding and very noticeable and not fitted in and discrete.

Finally, add decorative items such as vintage tea towels or replica old tin advertising signs or even road signs, think Route 66. Coloured glass works very well in a 1950′s inspired kitchen; sundae glasses in sherbet colours will transport you back to an innocent age.

A retro kitchen design can be fun and it is remarkably easy achieve, and is quite budget friendly with so many kitchen manufactures making replicas and items inspired by the past, such as the De’longhi Icona range. The most important thing to remember when designing a retro inspired kitchen is a sense of fun.

A kitchen redecorating or remodeling project can easily get to be an expensive project. With expensive appliances, costly water fixtures and pricey home accessories, kitchen decorating and redesign can quickly make any budget spiral out of control. That’s why it’s so important to create a cost breakdown list first to ensure you know how much each kitchen material costs and whether you live without it or not. Use this guide to decorating your kitchen on the cheap and you’ll be sure to get a kitchen design you’ll love at a price you can afford.

Setting the Budget

Getting a set of definitive numbers down on paper can be difficult at best. That’s why it’s a good idea to create a list of your wants and needs when it comes to kitchen design. This will help you to define a cost breakdown list of materials and labor costs. This will especially help you when hiring any contractor or remodeling expert, to ensure you keep your kitchen decorating project within budget.

Budget Design Tip: The best way to get a good budget from the get go is by breaking the job apart into sections. From flooring to metallic wall art, you’ll be sure not to leave any steps or materials from your kitchen design.

Sketch Up

Once you’ve got everything from appliances to table decorations drawn into your budget, you can really begin to design your kitchen space. A good blueprint is always necessary when completing any home improvement project. But before you call the architect, it’s a good idea to draw your own plan. Whether it’s on a cocktail napkin or if it’s done to scale, a drawing can help you wrap your mind around your kitchen design.

Blueprint Design Tip: Once you complete the basic outline of the existing kitchen, make several copies of it. This will help you create as many design options as you need, ensuring you get the best kitchen design possible.

Buying in Bulk

It’s not just about the big chain stores that give you big savings on bulk groceries. Construction supply companies do it too. If you are planning to do more than one remodeling job on your home, then buying some items in bulk to use later can really help offset some of the costs of the project down the road. Materials like electrical outlets, accent furniture’s and table décor all get cheaper when you buy them in bulk. Store the unused materials for your next home improvement project for twice the savings.

Buying in Bulk Tips: Looking for the best deals on sale items can help accentuate the savings on certain items. Just be sure bulk items like paint are stored for as little time as possible as they degrade very quickly.