Using Bistro Chalkboards for Decorating Your Kitchen

Bistro chalkboards are a very useful thing to have for your eatery, no matter how big or small. Or, you may just want one to add appeal inside your home, or to use for another reason in your business, even if is not a restaurant. Regardless of the reason you would want one, there are so many different ones to choose from.
From brands, to shapes to size and design, you will have no problems finding a great deal of selection for this style of chalkboard.

What are Bistro Chalkboards?
Chalkboards like this are, often times, also referred to as bistro mats or French Bistro mats. The purpose is to write out messages, like you would on a chalkboard. These are most commonly used to write out an entire menu or the specials for the day. You may also be planning to use it one just to draw attention to your business or hanging it in the interior, to create a certain look.

Though originally more of a traditional chalkboard that stood outside like a sandwich board, there are different varieties, nowadays. You can find mats or boards like this that are very wide in their range. People often use light boards, as another style. You can use chalk, chalk markers and certain types of other markers to write out your message.

Why Use These Bistro Mats?
There are numerous reasons one might use a bistro chalkboard in their home or business. Most commonly, you could write out the menu or specials and help attract customers from outside. The reason a chalkboard is ideal, is that you can change the menu, specials or overall message. Of course, this can be a useful tool for any type of business that wants to convey a message, sale or daily specials to customers. It is a very popular method for bringing in people off the street.

Some people, though, like to use these inside and establishment, as well. You can still make customers or diners aware of what you have to offer, by using a bistro mat. You can also give a price list for wines or bring attention to a sale area, if used in an establishment other than a restaurant.

If you are going for a French or French bistro look inside your home, you could simply use one of these chalkboards to make shopping lists or write out messages to other members of your family.

What About the Look?
These boards or bistro mats can be elaborate or less ornate. Some are plain, for you to fill the space completely, or include lettering and detailing to create a French bistro look. You may find them in different sizes, or in shapes like rectangles, ovals or half circles. Look at some bistro chalkboards and you can include one or more in your business, today.

Choose the Suitable Kitchen Wall Tiles

Kitchen wall tiles are considered a luxury and not a necessity. A majority of homeowners assume that slabs are decorative pieces and they are installed on the walls just to make the cooking area look more beautiful and appealing. It is true that slabs are decorative pieces but it's not true that they are not a necessity. Wall tiling would not only add elegance to your kitchen but also help you keep it clean and hygienic. Slabs display high resilience towards moisture, dirt, dust and spills. They can be cleaned with soap water or mild detergents. The good thing about these slabs is that they don't require regular cleaning.

A wide array of kitchen wall tiles is available in the market. There are ceramic slabs, porcelain pieces, and slate, marble, granite and glass tiles. You can choose the slabs that match perfectly with the design of your home. Each slab has its advantages and disadvantages. Take for example marble. Marble is the most beautiful flooring available in the market but it has poor water resistance capacity. On the other hand, ceramic displays excellent resilience towards water and moisture but it is not as beautiful as marble slab. You need to consider certain factors when shopping for slabs.

Money is the prime factor that you should consider when choosing kitchen wall tiles for your home. Ideally you should set aside some budget for your kitchen renovation. With a fix budget in hand, you can start shopping for slabs. Choose the flooring that falls within your budget. Start with ceramic flooring as it is cost effective, beautiful and has high resilience towards moisture and spill. If you think that you can spend more on slabs then look for expensive pieces like marble, travertine and granite. These pieces are expensive but they worth the price.

Installation and maintenance is another factor you need to consider when selecting kitchen wall tiles for your cooking area. Use the slabs that are convenient to install and easy to maintain. There are only two kinds of slabs that fit this description and they are ceramic and granite slabs. Ceramic flooring material is affordable while granite pieces are expensive. You can buy one according to your requirement. If you are working in limited budget then choose ceramic slabs. If you can spend lavishly on slabs then use granite. You can consider travertine slabs if you are not satisfied with the ceramic and granite designs.

Decorating the Kitchen

The thought that goes into decorating the kitchen is much like the same process for a living room, bedroom, and the rest of the house. You have more options when it comes to decorating the kitchen, though, because you have to consider your floor tile, cabinets, window treatments, counter tops, and the rest of the items in your kitchen such as your fridge and stove.

When thinking of decorating a kitchen, you may wish to get ideas from the Internet, friends' homes, and perhaps track homes. What really brings your home alive is filling it with items that express your uniqueness. You home is your haven. It's the one place that's truly yours to get away from it all. Why not celebrate your house as if you were on a vacation in an exotic place? Taking small steps can accomplish the same feel in your house.

With decorating the kitchen, go with the colors that bring you alive. Kitchen colors should reflect your innermost being. This is the place you cook your meals, where you let your creativity flow, and where everyone mingles. Making it you will help make this your most favorite part of the house. Reds add flair; blues bring tranquility; greens reveal freshness and playfulness. What color best suits you? What color will encourage your creativity in cooking?

In addition, the color you choose for decorating a kitchen can vary somewhat from the rest of your home, but they should not be a stark contrast to the rest of the home. Mustard yellow enhances chili red and although the two are different, they are both warm colors and enhance one another. In choosing colors, if you wish to go with a different color in your kitchen than the rest of the house, make sure it compliments the rooms it is around.

Choose a theme when decorating the kitchen. Do you like the feel of a coffee shop? Then you can paint one wall with a type of paint that turns the wall into a chalkboard. Write the "today's special" on the board, i.e. what's for dinner that night. Or perhaps you want your kitchen to resemble a French countryside. Hang fake grape vines along the edging of the ceiling. Feature wine cups hung underneath cabinets. Instead of tile, use actual cobblestone like flooring. Use a French streetlight designed sconce. There are so many unique ways to decorate your kitchen according to themes. It makes you feel as if you're far away on a vacation and it will be truly unique to your taste.

Don't be afraid to explore. Some people are not visual and have a hard time perceiving what the outcome will look like. What you can do is to create a small scale of your kitchen by drawing it out on paper. Use different colors together on the page to see which colors compliment each other. Drawings are also helpful for drawing in the shapes of furniture to gather whether everything would fit together. Look at other home designs with a similar theme of what you want to create to see what works best.

Adding Outdoor Kitchen to Your House

When talking about an outdoor kitchen, it can be a wonderful addition to your house. If you want to give your house a whole new look then you should consider this as this will give a whole new dimension to your home. This can be considered as an addition to your house hold which is an evolution from the family BBQ that you have in your back yard. If you are looking for something more sophisticated or something that is more elegant than your regular backyard BBQ then you should defiantly move for a kitchen that will add that extra enjoyable touch to your house.

The outdoor kitchen can become more than just an addition to your party. Yes it can help to become the center of attraction to your party but it can defiantly be much more than that. If you move the kitchen outside then you will discover new joys to cooking. Also your family will enjoy eating at your backyard every day. If you go out for dinner once in a week, you would start finding the restaurants disappointing. After all, what is the comfort of eating in a closed restaurant compared to eating outdoors in your own backyard? You don't even have to dress up or drive. All you need to do is put on your slippers and walk from your living room to your back yard. This comfort is truly unmatched with any comfort that a hotel or a restaurant can provide. The sense of personalization can truly make your experience all the more better.

In countries that have pronounced summer, you would find a lot of outdoor kitchen. These kitchens help the owners make the most out of the summer. There are many products in the market today that help you create an outdoor kitchens. These products make sure that you have everything you need as your kitchen in your backyard. When you are looking to set up a kitchen you can go all out and set up an exquisite design for your kitchen or you can keep it simple and easy with the basic necessities.

The outdoor kitchens are basically evolved from the BBQ grill. Therefore you will most often find a BBQ grill at the center of things in a kitchen. You should also keep in mind the weather conditions of the area that you live in with outdoor kitchens. You can build a protective covering over your kitchen if you think you need protection. The covering will help to protect against sudden rainfall that might ruin your BBQ. However you should remember that there are many advantages when you have an outdoor kitchen. You can interact with your family and neighbors better. You can also make sure that you spend enough time with your family while enjoying over a BBQ. Getting the right equipment will help you to set up the right type of kitchen that will come to all your needs.