10 Design Tips for a Spanish-Style Kitchen

Planning on injecting a little extra spice to your kitchen with a Spanish style remodel? Here are 10 essential design tips to get you pointed in the right direction.

• Combine wood and stone for the perfect ceiling – Sturdy, time-worn wooden beams and intricate brickwork make for a great canopy to shield your kitchen from the elements. The naturally neutral color schemes of wood and stone ceilings are a perfect fit for the largely neutral hues found in Spanish style design.

• You can’t go wrong with Saltillo tile floors – Saltillo tiles are a true hallmark of Spanish architecture, and a Spanish style kitchen will feel naked without them. Their patina and texture goes a long way towards giving your kitchen that old world feel.

• Give your walls some outdoor flavor – Rustic stone siding adds warmth and tactile texture to your kitchen. The outdoorsy vibe also creates a deep textural contrast with your sleek modern appliances and goes great with distressed woodwork. Textured tiles will also make for the perfect backsplash and wall treatment.

• Appreciate the arch – The arch is another essential design element of Spanish and Mediterranean style architecture. Not only does it create a pleasing contrast with largely linear kitchen elements, it also works as a great way to separate the cooking and dining areas without taking up too much space. You can also use smaller arches for niche storage areas and even for your backsplash design.

• Add a little age to your cabinets – Get in touch with your rustic side and use distressed wood for your kitchen cabinets. Don’t be too hung up on perfect lines; lightly distressed cabinets with imperfect lines are essential elements of a Spanish style kitchen. In terms of material, go for knotty alder or pine and bring their natural grain to light with medium-note stains.

• Keep the shelves open – Open shelving keeps the Spanish style kitchen simple and free from fuss. Plus, you get an easy to access storage space for the items that you use most often. You can kick things up a notch by using intricately carved wood shelving.

• Decorate your kitchen hood – Your stove or range hood is very often your kitchen’s main focal point. Take it to the next level by adding interesting details such as carved wooden trim, reclaimed timber, or intricate Mexican tile designs.

• Cozy it up with copper sinks – By itself, a gorgeous copper sink can do wonders by enhancing an otherwise simple kitchen. Their distinctive aesthetic appeal and rich patina complements a Spanish style space very well and will put you in a relaxed and enjoyable old world mood in no time.

• Heat things up with a fireplace – A cozy Spanish style fireplace will do wonders for your kitchen’s warm and cozy atmosphere. Use banco seating to turn it into a relaxing and hearty gathering place for the whole family.

• Lighten up the room with iron – Iron sconces make for the perfect lighting accents in Spanish style kitchens. Install dimmers to create a very relaxing mood during the evening. Consider adding other wrought iron pieces such as drop lights and candelabras to complement your sconces.