Kitchen Decorating: Warm Up Your Kitchen With A Touch Of Vintage To Your Walls

Learning from our local savvy restaurant entrepreneurs, we can create a warm, inviting and comfortable atmosphere right in our own kitchen. There is no more authentic way to pull this off than to add a little vintage decor.

The newest rave for seafood houses, pizzerias, ice cream parlors and hot coffee spots alike is the "new" vintage design. Restaurants are catching on to the fact that softening their decor and creating comfortable, relaxed atmospheres will make people feel welcome, so why shouldn't we?

Learning from our local savy restaurant entrepreneurs, we can create a warm, inviting and comfortable atmosphere right in our own kitchen. There is no more authentic way to pull this off than to add a little vintage decor.

The Old Dock Inn located downtown adorns its walls with rustic lobster signs, crab signs and lots of other ususual seafood delectibles. Dominic's Pizza on Main Street uses pizza signs to decorate its dining room. After a little investigation (that is why they call it investigative reporting), we were able to uncover their sources for these adorable collectibles.

We found several different companies that offer these little gems, along with several different styles of creating their antiquated appearance. These methods ranged from lithographed tin signs, to heavy steel porcelain signs, to hand crafted nostalgic metal signs. The prices varied quite a bit, too. We found the best prices by purchasing directly from the manufacturers (most of them retail their products, as well as sell wholesale to outside vendors) and found that there is quite a bit of truth to the old adage, "You get what you pay for."

Our top choice was a company called Vintage Metal Art. They tout that they are the industry leader in producing reproduction vintage metal sign art. We found them to have the most extensive selections, the best quality printing, and extremely competitive prices. After much searching on their web site at http://www.vintagemetalart.com we decided on three signs: Crab Cakes, Clam Chowder, and a No Trespassing Violators Shot sign because it was simply just too funny. Our signs arrived in less than a week, packed well and undamaged, and were shipped out Priority mail. We were very pleased with the service, as well as the product, and plan to use their services in the future to help plan for our convention hall themes.

Of course, it all depends on what you are looking for, but their catalogue sure seems to have something for everyone. They also do custom work, as well as customize their own signs to suit your needs, so the options are pretty plentiful. That is not to say that the others were not carrying great products themselves. They all have their own styles and feel for what creates a "vintage" finish. We made our decision to purchase from the company that satisfied our three requirements: Appearance, Quality and Customer Service.

Not sure if vintage is the way to go for you? Give your kitchen a "test drive". Try some food art on the wall. If that doesn't grab you, it will sure make you hungry... but either way, it will cozy up the room and make your guests feel quite welcome and invited.