Help me glitz up my kitchen.

[twinsetandpearls]

Now that I have got my money back from the computer nerds we can go back to doing our house up.

I am on the kitchen. We are keeping the units which are bog standard light birch cabinets with stainless steel handles. A bit like this . At the moment we have grey worktops but which will eventually be replaced by black sparkly granite - but that is a long term plan.

I have some original 1940/1950s advertisements that I have pinched off my gran that have been framed so want to go for a kitsch feel.

I want to do my splashbacks which is a large on behind the cooker/ food prep area and then behind the sink/under the window which is about sixinches high and running under cupboards. Dp wanted stainless steel but I wanted someting a bit more fun as my basic kitchen units are so dull!

black and white chequered tiles for a 50s feel?

(Nb would kill for a 'dull' birch kitchen like yours - mine is ancient blue and grey melamine with old china knobs)

Was also going to say the Blk and wht chequered tiles, turqouise looks good for the kitchy look on walls as well as chrome accessories - there are lots of retro coffee makers and toasters around at the moment. Something like a vintage coke sign and a cool 50's clock, that way if you tire of it you can change it pretty quickly.

Go to an Ed's Easy Diner for inspiration

the colours?

twinsetandpearls, i don't know if this is retro/1950's (in fact I'm pretty sure it's not 0, but ikea do some great glass splashback panels.... not £££ at all, but they do come in prescribed sizes. I'll try and dig out a link. WOuld certainly brighten things up a bit. The only thing is, do you have lots of plugs etc you need to work around in the splashback area?

found it!
here

Not sure that these would go with the pictures but I think they would go with the rest of your kitchen. Or these . It could be tricky to match the two different styles if you add too much colour and faff. 'Dull' can look good in kitchens.

Is there any colour in the pictures?

Mrs badger I loved my kitchen when i first moved in as my previous one was very old and battered.

But I am a glitzy, glossy kind of girl so I now find my kitchen a bit dull. I don't think I would go all the way diner - and even if I did dp wouldn't let me! But I wanted to inject a bit of fun and some of my personality into what is a very dull room at the moment. I saw on a makeover show some glittry tiles once which I loved but can't find them anywhere.

Orangina I had been looking at glass splashbacks as I thought they might be easier to look after than stainless steel. But under the cuboards we have lots of plug sockets which makes tiles easier.

Black and white tiles might be an option.

The pictures are coloured advertisements, one for a lemon meringue pie mis, a nestle tinned mill, ginghams material, Irish Linen, formica kitchens and wasing powder. I ahve got my gran hunting for some more. They are a mixture of colours but al that over the top colour you associate with advertising of that period.

I was going to play safe and have white walls and inject colour with tiles. Turquoise is actually one of my favourite colours.

mrs badger I have my mother in laws old melamine table in the kitchen at the moment, although it will have to go when we extend. It is a white with blue cornflowers, i adore it much to her amusement- I rescued it from her shed.

I like mosiac tiles, are they not a nightmare to laya and keep clean.

Some nice metallic and other ones here (click on the 'feely touchy' link at the left hand side, and the others) but probably hideously expensive.

I love those tiles , had already looked at the website but like you feared they would be terribly expensive.

Or how about these rather wacky ones ? Might be a bit too much, though.

Good links for finding lots of tile manufacturers here .

I love those, just checking prices now!

I love the stripey glass tiles but at £20 each dp would have a fit!

Could you pick a more plain (or should I say less expensive) tile and add just a few of the stripey ones?

That is an idea.