Guide to Creating an Old World Kitchen

By Jackie Dishner

Accessorize with hand-forged metal. Consider black metal, bronze or copper for the hand pulls on drawers, knobs on doors, faucet fixtures and other hardware, as well as pot racks, chandeliers and other lighting.

It's OK to step out of the classical look a bit and go whimsical. A good place to try this is with wall sconces. Look for unusual shapes or designs to light the room in this way.

For Old World fabrics, pick rich colors, fewer flowers and more stripes. If you have to use flowers, consider sunflowers but not roses, which are too delicate for the Old World motif. Look for texture. Anything that is knubby woven, or a chenille, works well on seat covers.

The Old World backsplash is a great place to experiment with hand-painted tiles. Choose a light colored stone, such as travertine or limestone, as the background, and add a pattern of hand-painted tiles or a colorful mural color. This will help create that light and dark contrast.