Beautiful Wood Carvings for Kitchen
It is a universal truth: there is no other room more favored in a home than the
kitchen. Kitchens seem to possess an almost magnetic quality. Perhaps its
mysterious ability to draw us into the room can be attributed to mankind's
fascination with fire and the comforting properties of the hearth. Or perhaps we
are naturally drawn to the kitchen because we are creatures of our biology,
congregating wherever there is the nourishment to sustain us. Certainly, the
setting has an ability to relax our spirits, allowing us to shed the weight of
the day's toils and tribulations.
It is arguable that the kitchen should be renamed the living room, since so many
of the businesses of life and living are conducted there. Primarily, there are
the tasks of cooking, with its prep and cleaning aspects. An although there may
be a perfectly good dining room in which to dine in, many people find that most
of their meals are taken in the kitchen, seated at a kitchen table, breakfast
bar, or at the counter of the kitchen's island. Here, you pay bills, read the
daily newspaper, or leaf through a magazine. Here, your children attend to their
homework, stacks of books and school supplies spread across the available
surface. Whether enjoying a board game with your family or giving a child an
impromptu cooking lesson, your kitchen is the most lived-in room in your home.
The kitchen's main purpose is that of utility, but its appearance should be far
more than utilitarian statement. Your kitchen says a lot about you: the presence
or absence of certain appliances or features, the type of food in the
refrigerator, the colors, tones and textures that lend to a certain ambience are
not accidental occurrences. Your lifestyle dictates these aspects of your
kitchen. Your kitchen should be the hallmark of your lifestyle, exuding
vitality, warmth, and unique characteristics.
At InvitingHome.com you will find a variety of ways to incorporate the warmth of
wood carvings into your kitchen. Consider the cabinet doors; embellished with
carved wood panels, or maybe with applied wood carvings of vintage grapes
(Madera wood carvings) or
wood carvings of an assortment of ripe fruits (Virginia
wood carvings) or even realistic carved flowers -
Madison carved wood onlays as an example.
Consider the hood above the stove. Although the hood's function is to funnel the
smoke and steam from the stove out of the kitchen, recent trends in kitchen
design show that the hood is a point of interest. The impressive
Carolina wood carving will turn
a functional kitchen element into a beautiful focal point in a kitchen's design.
Large wood corbels placed on
either side of the hood not only define this focal point, but enhance the
distinctive feel of the kitchen (see kitchen hood wood brackets). One of the most popular
spots to place our carved wood corbels is below a
countertop's overhang (see Chicago brackets for countertop support). Make your breakfast bar or kitchen island as a decorative
as it is functional, and you will witness a dramatic improvement in the look of
your kitchen.
Wood carvings do not have to match each other exactly, but they should
coordinate. Recognize your innate instincts! For instance, the
San-Diego wood
panels would look lovely on the kitchen cabinet doors with
Modesto floral drop furniture onlays on the side panels, and the
Washington wood brackets underneath the counter top all mesh beautifully with the Extra-large
Charlotte corbels beside the hood.
Our wood carvings are more than decorative elements accessorizing your kitchen:
they are critical design elements that complement a room in your house that is
the hub of the home and the center of your life's activities. By enhancing the
mood of this important room, you enhance every single day; imparting vibrant,
joyous memories of times spent gathered there with family and friends.
The Mystique of Hand Carved Wood Products
History tells us that from almost every corner of the earth, many ancient
societies engaged in the worship of trees, some believing that the gods lived
within the statuesque forms. While the present day saying "knock on wood" is
used as a luck charm with direct roots to these ancient beliefs, the positive
energy emanating from trees cannot be denied. The texture of wood is pleasing to
the eye, whether in a raw, natural state, or constructed into a durable piece of
furniture.
The practice of wood carving by hand is an art as old as mankind itself.
Originally, carved wood had its functional uses, with wood carvings fashioned
into tools for protection, agriculture, and other domestic implements. However,
it was shortly after when mankind grew acutely aware of its need for beauty and
all things beautiful. This hunger for the aesthetic is a trait unique to the
human experience; it is the attribute that fueled the art of ornamental wood
carving.
The art of ornamental wood carving reached its climax in the 17th century, when
a period of prosperity gave way to the baroque and rococo styles. The mastery of
the wood carving artists of this period is evident when you view their
renderings: from delicate carved flowers and symmetrical
floral rosettes to
scroll onlays of
acanthus leaves, to elegant carved
wood swags, the elaborate intricacies of these
onlays speak of hours or labor and costly commissions from the nobility and the
very wealthy.
America enjoyed the look of ornamental wood carvings in their interiors for
years. However, the advent of the population boom in the fifties resulted in an
increase in the production of pre-fabricated homes and the interiors of these
American homes omitted embellished wood carvings. Ornamental wood carvings such
as elegant wood moldings and distinctive carved wood panels became things of the
past. It is the houses built during this period that suffer from a starkness of
the interior. Devoid of character; they possess a "box-like" quality to those
who reside there.
Presently, the art of wood carving by hand is making a strong comeback. High
demand from clients with refined tastes and styles is fueling this trend, and
the return of simple wood carvings and ornate wood carvings to private homes and
businesses is growing more widespread each day. Ornamentation on the exteriors
of homes often occurs simultaneously with the return of wood carvings such as
beautiful corbels and other embellishments inside the interiors. Clearly, the
soul of the home was compromised with the banishment of these carved wood
details.
Given the history of wood carving, and the inherent qualities that wood
possesses, it is clear that wood carvings enjoy veritable mystique that
withstand the test of time. At InvitingHome.com, our esteem for wood and the
forms it takes in our wide selection of wood carvings is apparent. And although
tree worship is probably not on your daily agenda, we guarantee that once
installed, our wood carvings will inspire nothing short of a sense of
contentment in, and reverence for, the place you call home.
High Quality Wood Carvings
All of the wood carvings we offer are made from the highest quality, premium
hardwoods. Hand-crafted by masters, and inspired by nature, our wood carvings
are perfect for interior design and craft projects. At InvitingHome.com, we will
find a wide selection of carved wood designs and motifs to satisfy even the most
discriminating, sophisticated tastes. What is your style? Whether you seek
vineyard motifs, harvest motifs, flower motifs, shell motifs, or more of a
classic theme, you will find them carved in your choice of American Hard Maple,
Red or White Oak, Cherry, Alder wood and White hardwoods. Whether you choose
from our extensive wood corbel collection, or our applied wood carving
collection; whether your next project is to enhance your staircase, fireplace,
or kitchen, our hand carved wood designs command attention and admiration.
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