Scandinavian Kitchen Design and Inspiration

Scandinavian design is defined by simplicity, minimalism and functionality. The style emerged in the 20th century and grew in popularity in the 50s in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Finland. The great thing about the Scandinavian style is that it's achievable in any budget. The simplicity and minimalism aspect of the design allows home owners to brighten up their homes at an affordable price. So where do you start? Here are some Scandinavian kitchen design ideas and inspiration to freshen up your kitchen.

READ: Minimalist Kitchens

White or Light Colours

One of the key design feature of a Scandy kitchen is the colour scheme which is typically white or light colours. This creates a fresh, calm, clean and airy feel in the kitchen. Transform your cabinets with a lick of paint or pick up the light colours in furniture (stools, chairs and/or tables) and your splash back.

Natural Materials

Incorporate natural materials, like timber into the kitchen. A wooden table, chairs or kitchen crockery is the easiest way to bring in the natural material without completely renovating. Stick with lighter timber for the Scandinavian style.

Textures and Patterns

Incorporate texture and art into the kitchen. Brick walls, tiles, textured ornaments and contemporary art offers interest and edge against the sleek Scandy design.

Minimalist pendant lighting

Mismatched and/or alternative looking pendant or lamp lighting completed the Scandinavian kitchen design look. READ: Kitchen Lighting Tips. 

Camper Van Kitchens

Happiness is...going away in your camper van. We love kitchens. And we love camper vans. So we're sharing the inspiration! Renovated a camper van? We'd love to hear from you! Comment below with your experience.

VW Camper Van Kitchen

It's unusual for a camper van kitchen to be placed at the front end of the car - but it totally works. The kitchen is warm, homely and functional with a chimney kettle and stove, mini basin, bench top and shelf. Minimalism at its best. See the full camper van here.

Pull Out Kitchen

A camper van pull out kitchen takes cooking outdoors to a whole new level. This more traditional looking camper van kitchen has a good amount of storage space, a stove top and oven. An oven is a massive perk for a camper van kitchen. Stove tops are great, but boiled rice and pasta gets boring pretty fast. An oven allows you roast veggies and make pizzas. Enough said!

Sprinter Van Kitchen

This quaint and traditional looking kitchen is compact with plenty of cupboard space and a bath sink for dishes or food prep. It has a two pot stove top and has been finished with some decorative tiles/splash back.

VW Cosy Kitchen

Surf's up and dinner is on in this warm and natural looking camper kitchen. Wide drawers supply plenty of storage space and the clever condiment holders allow a spacious bench top. This kitchen is complete with a neat basic and two hob stove top.

4x4 Sprinter Van Kitchen

Bear Foot Theory follow Kristen Bors on her adventures in her camper van. She converted her 4x4 Sprinter Mercedes into a practical, modern and super cool home. You can see the full tour of her van here. Or watch the video below. Her kitchen is modern and practical with a large basin and goose neck tap, two hob stove top, plenty of storage place and a fridge. I love the drawer knobs that you press in so the drawers don't slam open when driving.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R43D6xhUpVo[/embed]

Making an Environmentally Friendly Kitchen

Your kitchen is the one area of your home where you can make a real difference to the planet. Changing small habits can lead to big changes and your kitchen is a good place to start. Here are some tips on making an environmentally friendly kitchen.

Start From Scratch

If you're a new home owner or renovating your kitchen, start by using environmentally friendly building materials. Bamboo, recycled timber or stone are just some of the materials that are kinder to the environment.

Clean Green

Avoid using harsh cleaning products in your kitchen. Instead, use homemade cleaning products. Mix up a bit of white vinegar, bi-carb and lemon in a spray bottle as a multi-purpose cleaning solution that works wonders and is environmentally friendly.

READ: BBQ Cleaners You Didn't Know About

Energy Saving Appliances

Where possible, invest in energy saving appliances. They will reduce your energy bill and impact on the environment. Check the energy rating on your washer, dishwasher, dryer and/or fridge to determine its energy efficiency. You can read more about the star ratings your white appliances should have here or read the summary below.

• Dishwasher- 3.5 or more
• Washers or dryers - 3.5 for energy and 4 for water
• Hot water systems - 5 star
• Fridges and freezers - at least 3.5

Essentials Only

Probably the easiest and most convenient way to save the planet is to stop buying in excess or buying things you don't need. This goes for everything in hour household. Avoid purchasing appliances that you'll just never use - ice cream and popcorn makers, smoothie makers, blenders. These are just some items that often sit and collect dust in the kitchen. Clear out your kitchen, keeping only what is absolutely essential for day to day living.

READ: Tips on Creating a Minimalist Kitchen

Recycle

Install recycling bins in your kitchen cupboards or designate areas where you can conveniently recycle your waste. Use food scraps for composting in your own garden or for your green bins.

Reduce Food Waste

Meal prepping on a Sunday for the week helps reduce the amount of last minute takeaway meals that add to your waste heap. Freeze food that you know you won't eat in a couple days and find some quick and easy recipes you can make use of for last minute meals.

Vegetarian BBQ Recipes Every Veggo Needs to Know!

Our meat lovers got a lot of content last month with our Meat Smoking 101 and Meat Smoking Wood and Charcoal Cooking  blog so this one goes out to all the veggos out there. Despite common beliefs, vegetarian BBQs can often be a lot more vibrant and nutritional than normal BBQs. With a wide variety of produce available and some really fresh and creative recipes out there you'd be silly not to try a vegetarian BBQ! Here are our favourite vegetarian BBQ recipes:

Zucchini Fritters

Sure, there's the vegetarian burger, but the zucchini fritter blows a standard veggie patty right outta the water! They're also a lot easier to make.

• 4 medium sizes zucchinis
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup of spring onion
• Two pinches of mint
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2/3 cups of flour
• A hand full of bread crumbs

Grate and drain excess water from the zucchinis and mix in the rest! Mould the mixture into balls and gently press into a patty shape. Grill on the BBQ and serve with yogurt.

Feta, Chilli and Lime Butter

Perfect for smothering over corn on the cob (or anything else really). Mash up some butter, crumble feta and add lime zest, chilli and salt and pepper if needed.

Roasted Butternut Cous Cous Salad

This is a family recipe that wins the best side at every BBQ I go to! Chop and roast up some butternut with garlic, salt and pepper. While its roasting, dice spring onion and red capsicum and prepare the cous cous (see box for instructions). Combine all ingredients and add feta and baby spinach.

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Eggplant

Thinly slice some eggplant (however many are needed). Make a marinade from:

• Balsamic vinegar
• Fresh chilli
• Salt
• Ginger (a pinch or two)
• Sugar (a teaspoon or two)

Soak the eggplant in the marinade for 1 hour. It should be soft enough to cook but not too sloppy. Grill on the BBQ and serve with a fresh rocket, pear and walnut salad.

4 Spring Outdoor Living Area Trends

With spring only 44 days away we thought we'd share some spring outdoor living area trends to spruce up your home in time for spring. Transform your patio into a Zen garden, liven your veranda with recycled items and plants or freshen it up with some vintage furniture. Here's some ideas to create a relaxing, functional and eye-catching outdoor living area.

Zen Garden

A simple water feature, some pebbles and low maintenance succulents can transform your outdoor living area into a peaceful Zen garden. READ: Low maintenance plants for your outdoor area. Add some outdoor furniture or a meditation bench for seating and a fire pit for those cooler spring evenings. READ: Outdoor fire pits. The great thing about a Zen garden is that you can go as small or as big as you like. A small Japanese inspired Zen garden can be designed for one corner of your living area, leaving the rest as is. Alternatively, multiple water features, statues and timber structures can be built for the full Zen experience.

Vintage Vibes

Place reclaimed materials or second-hand furniture (chairs, tables, a chest of drawers, etc.) in your outdoor living area to add some character and a vintage touch. Tile pebbles and decor like old vases and vintage posters can also work well outdoors too.

READ: Add a vintage look to a modern kitchen

A Touch of Teal

According to Bourn Creative, Teal is associated with meanings of refreshing, feminine, calming, sophisticated, energy, wisdom, serenity, wholeness, creativity, emotional balance, good luck, spiritual grounding, friendship, love, joy, tranquillity, patience, intuition, and loyalty. All pretty good associations to inspire your outdoor area! Teal is a trending colour indoors and outdoors at the moment used to reflect an organic lifestyle in the home. It's also the perfect balance of warm and calm to use in your home or outdoor area.

Rustle up the Rustic

Reclaimed timber, chunky rugs and patterned throw cushions are the key ingredients for a rustic outdoor living area. Use warm colours like red and forest green paired with white and black as your colour scheme and incorporate some unusual outdoor lighting to brighten up the area at night time. Here are some great alternative lighting tips.

Meat Smoking Wood and Charcoal Cooking

Here are some useful tips for meat smoking wood and charcoal cooking for you to take your meat smoking game to the next level.

In our last blog post we shared some hot tips to get you smokin'. READ: Meat Smoking 101: A Beginners Guide to Smokin' it Up! This week's post is covering the different types of wood. Smokers and barbecuers are actually talking more about the type of wood used than they are about the meat cuts!

Wood Smoking Chart

Use this wood smoking chart to source recommended wood for your smokin' food.

Poisonous Wood

It's really important to note that some woods are potentially poisonous. These include but are not limited to:

• Pine
• Fir
• Spruce
• Redwood
• Cedar
• Cypress
• Elm
• Eucalyptus
• Sassafras
• Sycamore
• Liquid Amber

Australian Wood

Australia has some excellent native wood perfect for smoking food. These include:

• Ironbark• Apple• Oak• Manuka• Cherry• Chestnut• Macadamia• Black wattle• Peach• Nectarine• Pecan

Meat Smoking SHOULD Dos

Jay Beaumont, from the Australasian Barbecue Alliance shares some key SHOULD DOs in his blog feature which are also listed below:

• For hardwoods like gum or boxes, strip the bark from the wood and dry it out so there is no moisture in the wood. Make sure your wood is seasoned well. Seasoned is a term used to describe the drying out process of the wood.
• Most fruit and nut woods can be half seasoned, but should not be used freshly cut. You can also soak fruit woods as they can burn quite quickly.
• Get your fire pit to a good middle ground. It shouldn't be smouldering nor raging, but rather somewhere in between.
• If wood is green, try split it to help with the seasoning process.
• Clean out your firebox after each use.

Meat Smoking 101 : A Beginners Guide to Smokin' it Up!

Low 'N' Slow barbecuing has taken the world by storm. Meat smoking enthusiasts are testing out the different meats, flavours, wood and smokers that can be used to create an endless onslaught of delicious food. We can see what all the fuss is about! Smoking meat significantly improves the taste, softens the meat and adds immense flavour! Want to hop on the meat smoking train? Here's where to start. Here's our Meat Smoking 101: A Beginners Guide to Smokin' it Up!

What's the difference between a BBQ and a smoker?

Great question! Unlike BBQs, where food is placed directly over a hot flame or coals, smokers use 'low and slow' heat combined with the moisture and smoke to cook the meat. Sure, this takes longer, but the results are so delicious you'll wonder why you haven't been doing it the whole time. Speaking of time, it takes between two to three hours depending on the cut of meat. The average consistent temperature should be between 100 - 120 degrees Celsius.

What's cold smoking?

Cold smoking is a technique used by people or businesses looking to preserve the life of the meat. They cook it for an extended amount of time at 30 degrees Celsius. Meat needs to be carefully cured before cold smoking. The food actually remains raw and moist as opposed to hot smoking which smokes the meat to cooked perfection.  Cold smoking is a technique that should only be done by professionals.

Hot smoking on the other hand doesn't require curing and cooks the meat, ready to serve!

Smoker styles

There are three type of smokers on the market - gas, charcoal and electric.

Charcoal smokers we reckon are the best. It's how the South Africans do it! READ: South African Style BBQ. Charcoal smoke gives a way better smoky flavour that gas or electric. Read this article to learn about controlling temperatures of your charcoal smoker.

Electric smokers are super easy to use. Simply set the temperature and grab a seat for two hours.

Gas smokers are also pretty easy to use. They run off LP gas and just need to be set to a temperature and monitored to make sure it doesn't run out of gas.

Offset smokers

This classic smoker design is probably one of the most popular in the market. Food is placed in a long horizontal cylinder with a fire box with coals, wood and fire alongside it. The smoke from the firebox filtrates into the horizontal compartment to slowly cook the meat.

Ceramic smokers

Ceramic smokers offer a bit more versatility. You can grill and smoke food in a ceramic smoker efficiency.  They're also low on fuel.

Check out this 5 minute clip from the Australasian Barbecue Alliance - a Low 'N' Slow BBQ Smokers Guide.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw-MJnbjp0U[/embed]

Minimalist Kitchen Tips

Last week we posted some totally amazing minimalist kitchens. This week we're offering some minimalist tips on how you can achieve the minimalist look in your kitchen. Bear in mind that a minimalist kitchen doesn't only look good but it helps you keep your kitchen clean. If there's less clutter, there's less dust which means less cleaning - it's a win win situation!

Keep your benchtop clear

This tip has the biggest impact, but is probably the hardest one to stick with. Your kitchen is often the heart of your home and where you might find yourself dumping a lot of your things at the end of the day. As hard as it may seem at first, resist the urge to put your stuff on the kitchen benchtop. Instead, set up a place (preferably near the door) where you can offload.

READ: 6 ways to create more benchtop space

Hide appliances

Pack away any appliances you don't use often (blender, waffle maker, toasting machine, etc.) leaving only the essentials on your benchtop (usually a coffee machine/kettle and toaster).

READ: Kitchen drawer ideas

Keep the fridge clutter free

A lot of notes, reminders, brochures, etc. end up on fridges. This can often make the kitchen look cluttered. Rather than pinning your reminders on the fridge, pop them into your phone or make use of a chalk board - this will also help add some character to your kitchen. Hidden fridges can also keep a minimalist look.

READ: Hidden fridges 

De-clutter and donate

Go through your cupboards and drawers and give away or donate any items you no longer use. This will create more space for you to keep more organised.

READ: 8 Kitchen storage and organisation must haves

Integrate storage baskets and dividers

Placing your cupboard, drawer and/or benchtop items in storage baskets or dividers helps keep the kitchen tidy. Pull down the old spice rack from the wall (READ: Spice rack storage ideas) and neaten up your pantry cupboard with some baskets. (READ: Pantry storage pros and cons)

Keep decor simple

Stick with one interior design style (modern, contemporary, industrial, etc.) Mixing up too many styles can start to look messy. Avoid placing too many ornaments or decor around the kitchen as these only create busyness and collect dust.

Are you working on achieving the minimalist look in your kitchen? We can help. Adelaide Outdoor Kitchens specialise in affordable, custom made kitchens for home owners wanting a clean and modern look in their kitchen. Get a FREE quote today!