The ultimate guide to kitchen design on Pinterest.
If you’re in the market for a kitchen makeover but have no idea where to start? May we suggest Pinterest. We’ve got all the tips and tricks you need.
Why should you use Pinterest to help design your kitchen?
If you’re not familiar with Pinterest, you might be surprised to learn that it operates less like the social media sites you may be used to, and more like a visual search engine. Offering endless inspiration, from layouts and colour schemes to storage solutions and trending accessories and finishes.
Even better, it allows you to save the ideas you come across, create mood boards, and narrow your search depending on your kitchen size, budget and style. There are over 175 billion pins on Pinterest (Source: Omnicore), with home interiors and décor making up a huge percentage of these. What’s more, it’s completely free, so why not set up your first board and give it a try?
You’ll find everything you need to know about kitchen design on Pinterest, below.
1. Setting up your Pinterest board for success
While you can hold up to 500 boards on your Pinterest account, we suggest starting with one board only, dedicated to your new kitchen project. Call it something like ‘New Kitchen Ideas’.
Do a simple search by entering ‘kitchen inspiration’ in the search bar at the top of the screen and you’ll see hundreds of pins pop up. Take a look at any that catch your eye, and if you want to save them for future reference click on the little drawing pin icon to save them to your board. Don’t be afraid to overdo it, you can always remove or refine your pins later on.
As the number of pins on your board begin to mount up, or you’re looking at more specific subjects, you might want to divide your board into sections to make it easier to keep track of everything.
You can do this by following these steps:
- Head to the board, select the ‘Organize’ icon and then scroll to the bottom of your pins. Here you’ll find the options to ‘Move’, ‘Create Section’ or ‘Delete’.
- Click on a few related pins, select ‘Create Section’ and then give your new group a name.
- You’ll see the new section appear at the top of the board. You can then use the ‘Move’ option below if you want to add any further pins.
You could create sections for ‘Colour Schemes’, ‘Lighting’, ‘Layouts’, or ‘Storage Solutions’, for example, to keep all your different streams of thought organised.
Expert tip: Save a wide variety of ideas initially to get a sense of your style preferences, then gradually narrow it down to a more cohesive vision.
2. Finding unique ideas beyond trending pins
You’ll find that when you go onto your Home Feed, Pinterest will serve up pins that are similar to those that you’ve already pinned to your board. This is the algorithm at work. The pins that are offered will be those that are trending and have proven popular with other users. Which may be useful, of course, but if you want to dig a little deeper to find the perfect pins to save back to your kitchen inspo. board, then there are a few things you can try:
Use specific keywords to search
By using very specific keywords you’ll get niche pins to aid your research. Try using terms like ‘birch plywood kitchen ideas’, ‘minimalist warm kitchens’ or ‘small kitchen storage tips’ and see what Pinterest suggests. You could also try searching by season – i.e. ‘spring kitchens’ for brighter colours and lighter woods. Searching hashtags may also bring up different results – this first phase of research is very much about experimenting and seeing where it takes you.
Follow other users and boards
You’ll find there are lots of kitchen designers, architects and interior design studios on Pinterest, who regularly share their own idea or those of others. If you spot someone whose aesthetic you like, make sure to hit follow on their account so you’ll be more likely to see pins from them in the future. You can also follow specific boards that curate the exact style you’re looking for.
Following various accounts and boards will help Pinterest target, more accurately, the pins it shows you in the future.
Expert tip: You can follow us here: Koivu Kitchens on Pinterest, to start pinning beautiful birch plywood kitchen designs that catch your eye.
Try Pinterest’s Lens feature
If you see a style that you love while you’re out and about, you can use Pinterest Lens (visual search) to find pins that offer a similar aesthetic. Simply open the Pinterest app on your phone and click on the little camera in the search bar. Take your photo and then see what it comes up with.
3. Curating your kitchen design elements
When it comes to kitchen design, there are so many different elements to think about, so it’s worth giving some thought to your approach on Pinterest. With so many pins flying at you from every angle, it can be a little overwhelming, so our best advice is to focus on one aspect at a time.
Spend 15 minutes or so searching and pinning that one thing – attempting not to get side-tracked.
You might choose to focus on:
Cabinetry – search by colour – ‘green kitchen cabinets’, style – ‘scandi style cabinets’ or material – ‘birch plywood cabinets’ and see what comes up.
Colour palette – explore colours that you might be interested in, but keep your mind open for now. Look at different combinations that come up together and create a colour scheme section on your board to keep track of different options.
Expert tip: If you’re really stuck – try “[your chosen colour]” + “colour palette” + “for a [style] kitchen. And hit return.
Layout ideas – search ‘open-plan kitchens’, ‘L-shaped kitchen designs’, ‘kitchen designs with an island’ or ‘small kitchen layout ideas’ – the opportunities are truly endless.
4. Organising your Pinterest board & staying practical
Once you feel you’ve pinned plenty of ideas and you’ve got some direction, it’s time to review and edit. Sift through each section of your board deleting any pins that you feel no longer fit your vision. If you have any you don’t want to lose, simply move them to another subsection to keep them out of the way. Pinterest allows you to move pins around on your board so you can organise and sequence your images simply by dragging and dropping. Perhaps grouping similar colours or styles together to really create a clear visual story for your new kitchen design.
But remember, while Pinterest is incredibly inspiring, it’s important that you design for real life, balancing an aesthetic you love to look at, with the practical elements that will make for a kitchen you love to use. So make sure you’re realistic with your pins at this point. Get rid of any pins that are simply not possible within your budget, space (or marriage – ahem!). And don’t fall for any fleeting trends. Make sure you’re sticking only to elements you feel you could truly love for the long-term.
Expert tip: Revisit and refine your board throughout the design and build process to help keep you on track and moving in the right direction.
5. Turning pins into plans
Of course, at some point you need to stop pinning inspiration and actually turn those plans into reality. And that’s where we can help. Having well organised, clear design preferences is a great start and we’re always happy to take a look through your Pinterest board with you, to get an idea of your style.
You could use a notebook or digital tool to start sketching out your layout based on the pins you’ve saved. Or you could leave that up to us. Either way, it’s time to nail down your non-negotiables and really reflect on what you want from your kitchen, whether that’s sustainability, easy maintenance or the perfect place to share food with friends.
Choosing a company that offers a bespoke design service will almost certainly give you more flexibility. Allowing you and your designer to work together to come up with solutions to odd-shaped areas as well as the inclusion of any specific features you really want.
Get in touch today to talk about how we could support you to design your dream kitchen in real life.
Kitchen design on Pinterest: 3 BONUS tips you might not know
1. Use secret boards to refine your ideas
Did you know your Pinterest Kitchen Design board doesn’t have to be visible to everyone? It can be a secret, meaning you can pin to it without fear of comment or judgment. Plus, you can add others to your secret board, allowing you to share your ideas with another family member or trusted friend.
2.‘More to explore’ for more efficient searching
Found a pin you absolutely love? Click on it, then scroll down to the section titled “More to explore”. Pinterest will show you similar pins, helping you uncover fresh ideas that align with your favourite style, without searching all over again.
3. Use the Pinterest browser button to save ideas from across the web
Install the Pinterest browser button (available for Chrome and Firefox), to pin images from other websites directly to your board. This is perfect if you find kitchen inspiration outside of Pinterest—for example from design blogs, kitchen companies, or online magazines.
If you’re getting ready to invest in a new kitchen and would like a Pinterest-friendly designer to share your boards with, get in touch. We’d love to help.