Top 5 Colour Combinations For Your Kitchen

The kitchen is often called “the heart of the home”. It is a place where food is cooked and the family bonds over meals. Modular kitchens are now becoming the norm as more and more people are gearing over functionality with aesthetics. In this blog, we will share the top 5 colour combinations you can use to decorate your kitchen.

Why Is Choosing The Right Colour For The Kitchen Important?

The colour scheme of a kitchen can affect the mood of any room. It can make or break the room. The kitchen should emulate a positive vibe. Different colours give off different feelings. Warm and earthy shades like beige, brown, yellow, and orange give a sense of comfort. The colour combination you choose should also complement the scent and vibrancy of the spices used in Indian cooking. 

Top 5 Colour Combinations For Your Modular Kitchen

Blues & Greys

Cool blues and greys are classical shades that give a sense of sophistication and modernity in the kitchen. They add a calming vibe to the room. They are perfect for candlelight dinner or a warm family meal. This color combination is perfect for busy mornings before heading off to work. Grey complements darker shades of blue to create an elegant kitchen setup. Combining these colours with natural wood or stainless steel brings the look together. Here are some colour ideas for blues and greys:

● Baby blue looks great with a pale or dark grey

● A light teal looks glamorous against pale grey and white

● Sky blue adds a cool palette that adds energy

● Drak grey creates a rich atmosphere

● Navy blue has its way of brightening up a kitchen

● Light grey pairs well with pastels

Black & Brown

These are the most standard colours that are quite common in Indian homes. However, if used correctly, they can be some of the most elegant combinations to add to your modular kitchen. When used correctly, they add a calm ambiance to the place and are a classic combination that you can use. Here are some ideas for using black and brown to add warmth and texture to your kitchen:

● Pair brown cabinets with black countertops and backsplash

● Dark cabinets can get white accents to add contrast

● Use black and white striped tile with concrete floorings

● Bi-colour black and white walls pair well with oak counters

● Shiny black appliances look elegant with brass hardware

White With Light-Coloured Natural Wood

White is said to be the colour of innocence and purity. It is a timeless combination as it makes the room look more significant than it already is. Choose an all-white kitchen if you want something classical but attractive and simple at the same time. Even in a minimalist setting, this combination can add energy with its warm tone. It adds some vibrant energy to an otherwise dull setting. Here are some ways you can make this combination work:

● Add gold/rose gold hardware to cabinets for an elegant look

● Deep forest green creates an earthy look and brings the place closer to nature

● Use a lavender-toned grey backsplash for some coolness

● Use black chairs to add some colors

● Light brown furniture looks great with dove-white

● A yellowish light gives off warmth and makes the space look brighter and larger

Sage Green & White

Vibrant colours like sage green and white are versatile and make the kitchen look lively. Sage green is an ecological colour and is an ideal palette for those who want to integrate a serene ambiance into their homes. Natural wood looks best with this combination. You can use them in cabinets and countertops. There are several ways you can utilise this combination in your kitchen. Some of them are:

● Greyish sage green is a cooler tone and works best with grey wood like Western Red Cedar and Siberian Larch

● Brass or bronze hardware adds a sophisticated look

● Dark brown wood looks best with neutral-toned sage green

● Add a marbled backsplash for an expensive look

● Different tones of sage green can be used at the same time to create a monochromatic look

Pastel Shades

Pastels are among the top shades that are used for modular kitchen designs in Kolkata. They look cute and captivating. They are ideal for small kitchens and can make the space look clutter-free. These colours can add life and brightness to a kitchen without making it overwhelming. They pair well with wood and marble and add a pleasant aesthetic to the kitchen. Here are the different ways you can use pastel shades in your kitchen:

● Mint green and blush give the space a vintage look that looks uplifting

● White marble countertops make the kitchen look brighter

● Pale aqua and light grey look calming

● Spring green adds liveliness when it is paired with light-coloured natural wood

● Angel pink with a printed or multi-colored backsplash looks fun and youthful

How Can You Incorporate Your Personal Style?

Choose color combinations that are more in line with your interests and hobbies. If you are a nature enthusiast, you can pick earthy greens, browns, and other natural colours. If you want the kitchen to look vibrant and energetic, use bold and lively colours to match your personality. You can add a copper sink for an industrial look. Make the kitchen island your centerpiece and hang an abstract ceiling light above it. Modern materials like stainless steel, glass, concrete, and polished stone achieve a contemporary look.

Which Colours Can Make The Kitchen Appear Larger?

Light colours can make the kitchen appear larger and open. They reflect more light than darker colours and add an airy feel to the room. Shades of white, cream, beige, and pastel are perfect to achieve this look. There are other ways to make your kitchen look larger:

● Use bright pops of colour for accents

● Open shelves add an airy feel to the kitchen

● Use a mirrored backsplash

● Leave the ceilings white

● Follow a monochromatic colour scheme

How Do You Balance The Warm And Cool Tones In The Kitchen?

Neutral colours like white, beige, gray, taupe, or earthy tones create a cohesive look with the backdrop. Try to avoid monochrome colours, and introduce different accents to add a “break” between the wall and cabinet. Play around with textures and designs. Use different wood tones, leathers, gold, or brass accents to offset the cool tones. 

Eight Essential Home Decor Products For The Ultimate Home Office

The words “home” and “Office” may once have been mutually exclusive. However, in recent years, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, “home offices” have more or less become the norm. 

The term “home office” broadly refers to anything from a desk at home, a laptop table on the bed, to a separate room for all your professional pursuits. Working from home is a dream come true for many office workers. Despite the advantages of WFH, it can pose some significant challenges in terms of distraction and work-life balance. 

Unsurprisingly, your “home office” decor can effectively address these issues. So, if you’ve brought your work back home for good, continue reading for eight essential home decor products for the ultimate home office. 

Eight Essential Home Interior Decor For The Ultimate Home Office  

The right home decor can help you significantly increase productivity as well as create a healthy work-life balance. Since you have the freedom to choose what stays and what goes, you can opt for ergonomic furniture that suits you, make adjustments for increased comfort, and eliminate distractions. 

Let’s take a look at eight essential home decor products and how they can help you achieve the right balance of work and life.

Desk

A desk is a must-have for a home office. And it can’t be just any other desk! When your workspace is cluttered, focus and productivity fly out the window. That is why you need a desk that is big enough to accommodate your office dimensions and daily activities.

Organisation is equally important as the right size when it comes to work desks. Regardless of the desk you're going for —- an L-shaped desk, stand-up desk, floating desk, writing desk, executive desk, or armoire desk —- be sure to look for features that make it easy for you to keep your space organised. 

Office chair

Another absolute must-have for a home office is a comfortable and ergonomic chair. While you may believe that you can make do with the chair you dragged away from your dining table or your bed; they simply can’t provide the long-term comfort and ease of a chair designed for work. You can find a wide range of office chairs at Merlin Homeland Mall, one of the best furniture stores in Kolkata.

Working, whether from home or in the office, typically requires you to spend hours on end setting down. This practice is known to put stress on the structures in your spine. In order to avoid developing or aggravating back problems, investing in an ergonomic office chair that supports the lower back and promotes good posture is crucial.

Cable management

Working from home means that you must account for a lot of cables. From computers, phones, and printers to desk lamps, cables can make your home office look cluttered as well as pose tripping risks. 

Get your cables under control with cable wraps, ties, or tubes to keep them in one place and out of your way. Nowadays, many desks are equipped with cable management or include it as an optional feature that can be added for an extra cost. With the prevalence of WFH, many office furniture stores have started carrying cable management products.

Storage

Your paperwork, files, and supplies need their own space to avoid clutter and confusion. Despite the popularity of cloud storage and online communication, it’s impossible to be completely paper-free. Suppose your job requires you to secure clients, customers, or patient files. In that case, you will also need to consider storage with a locking mechanism. 

If you are averse to the sterile beige and grey steel cabinets commonly used for office storage, work-from-home is your opportunity to switch things up. Best furniture shops in Kolkata boast countless attractive options in various designs, materials, fishes, and prices. Whether you’re looking for sleek cabinets that blend in with the rest of your decor or quirky pieces that add colour and character to an otherwise dull room, you definitely won't be disappointed with the options at Merlin Homeland Mall.

Lighting

The importance of adequate and balanced lighting in home decor cannot be overstated. Insufficient lighting can cause eye strain, headaches, and decreased productivity. Whereas too many lights can feel clinical and can induce discomfort. 

While natural lighting is ideal for many spaces, a home office is not one of them. Layered lighting is considered ideal for a home office, meaning that you need at least three separate sources of light:

● Ambient lighting: Also known as overhead lighting, ambient lighting is the ideal choice for general illumination.

● Task lighting: Task lighting is designed for specific activities such as reading, writing, or typing on a computer. 

● Accent lighting: Accent lighting is perfect for illuminating specific areas, such as dark corners or beneath shelves.

You can invest in a ring light if you often have online meetings and presentations. Ring lights cast diffused and even lighting, minimising facial shadows and smoothing flaws. Ring lights can brighten up your face and reduce the appearance of undereye circles that make you look tired.

Zoom wall

Even if you prefer keeping your video off during meetings, showing your face from time to time is mandatory at most places. An awe-worthy background with a fresh coat of wall paint, wallpaper, artwork, or some floating shelves with framed photos or knick-knacks adds a human touch to your virtual meetings. 

If you are planning to work from home long term, a “zoom wall’ can be an incredible addition to your home office decor. Besides being an excellent backdrop for virtual meetings, a Zoom wall can also elevate your home decoration.

Bookcase

If you have the space for it, a bookcase can be a highly functional and decorative addition to your home office decor. Storing books and files in a bookcase makes them easily accessible. Moreover, bookcases can also be used to display photos, souvenirs, and even small decorative plants for a pop of colour and character. 

Merlin Homeland Mall is the ultimate stop for home decor in Kolkata, housing a wide range of bookcase designs.

Door or Partition

Working from home frequently means that the line between personal and work life blurs and breaks. Chronic overwork can result in depression, anxiety, hypertension, and heart disease. 

Once you’ve logged out of work, worries about work can continue to linger in your mind. Once work ends, having a door to close on your work makes it easier to enjoy your private time. While it doesn’t necessarily have to be a door, a physical boundary between your workspace and your personal space can help you better disengage from your professional life. 

Choose either a partition or door to separate your personal and professional spaces depending on the space and resources available to you. 

Best Home Decor Store in Kolkata

Merlin Homeland Mall is the ultimate one-stop solution in Kolkata for home decor. It is home to countless interior decor possibilities and is the top choice among professionals in Kolkata.

Whether you are looking to buy wooden furniture or ergonomic chairs, visit Merlin Homeland Mall for the very best. Add personality with colour, textures, artwork, or decorative plants. Upgrade to desks with inbuilt cable management features or officer chairs that reduce stress on your spine and support good posture. Invest in high-quality lighting fixtures to help you look more awake in video meetings, even when you are not on top of your game. 

Conclusion

Choosing the right home office decor can exponentially enhance your comfort and, subsequently, your focus and productivity. When working from home, finding a balance between relaxed and strict to optimise your work environment is crucial. Besides comfort and convenience, it is also important to take note of physical barriers that help you disengage from work wholly. 

This blog has explored eight essential home decor products for the ultimate home office. This includes the mandatory desk, chair, lighting, cable management, storage, and the optional yet crucial zoom wall, bookcase, and door or partition.

Explore a wide range of home decor products at Merlin Homeland Mall and design the ultimate home office!

Five Tips For The Best Modular Kitchen Design

 

Modular kitchens are one of the essentials in a modern home as they allow for complete and efficient utilisation of available space. However, if it is your first time getting a modular kitchen installed, you might be feeling overwhelmed by all the technical talk. If the onslaught of jargon such as layouts, countertops, pull-outs, and base cabinets has got you reeling, you're in the right place. Continue reading for five tips for the best modular kitchen design.

Identify the Golden Triangle

The golden triangle refers to the distance between the three critical components of a modular kitchen — the sink or preparation slab, the refrigerator or storage unit, and the stove or cooking range. The golden triangle rule states that these three components must be installed within a gap of four to nine for optimal efficient and unobstructed movement. Once you decide on the best layout for these three focal points, you can consider half the work done.

One option is to place your stove and refrigerator opposite each other. Placing the sink in the centre will create a tentative triangle. Furthermore, be mindful of little details, such as placing the appliances you frequently use near the refrigerator for a more user-friendly design and enhanced functionality. 

Prioritise Ventilation

Cooking generates a lot of heat, and Indian cooking tends to produce a lot of smoke, too. This makes it imperative to have sufficient ventilation. While most modular kitchens have a chimney, exhaust fans or both to vent out the heat and fumes, often more is needed. For the best kitchen design, ensure proper ventilation to prevent smoke buildup inside your home.

When designing your kitchen, try to position it so that there is a door you can open onto a balcony or a window for ventilation. This allows fresh air to come in while preventing smoke from cooking from collecting inside your house.

Light it Up

Natural lighting is great for the kitchen, but it may not be enough for your needs. Kitchens in the modern home are multifunctional spaces requiring balanced lighting. You can use a combination of cabinet lights, pendant lights, and track lighting for the option to switch between task and ambient lighting. 

Most of the action in a kitchen takes place on the countertop, so overhead lighting is compulsory. However, under-cabinet lights are also commonly used to provide direct light on the countertop.

Add Safety Features

When it comes to modular kitchens, safety cannot be overlooked. You can consider safety measures such as safe gas piping, curved countertop edges, and slip-resistant flooring. Ensure that your appliances are positioned close to the switchboard and that there is plenty of space between the basin and the stove to avoid any accidents. By taking these precautions, you can create a safe and functional kitchen that you and your family can enjoy.

Don't ignore corners

Corners tend to go unnoticed when installing a kitchen. However, modular kitchens allow for total utilisation of available space with a range of subassembly designs and sizes. With the help of professionals at Merlin Homeland Mall, which accommodates some of the best stores offering modular kitchen designs in Kolkata, you can make the most of your space. Make sure to consult a professional before installing your modular kitchen to avoid losing out on usable space.

Conclusion

Modular kitchens are an incredible addition to any home. Still, even before you can install them, you might be overwhelmed by confusing terms such as base cabinets and pull-outs. In this blog post, we have explored five tips to make designing the best modular kitchen a breeze. 

From the golden triangle, ventilation, lighting, safety features, and optimising the use of corners, there are many aspects you must consider before installing a modular kitchen. However, if you are still unsure, you can always consult a professional.