BBC HomeExplore the BBC
This page was last updated in March 2007We've left it here for reference.More information

7 December 2009
Accessibility help
Text only
TV and radio Directory A to Z Chat Lifestyle Food homepage

BBC Homepage
TV and radio
Food talk
Newsletter

Contact Us

Like this page?
Send it to a friend!

 
Detail from Neneh and Andi's kitchen

Getting the look

If you liked the colourful Mexican-cum-Cuban-cum-West Indian style of Neneh and Andi's kitchen, you'll be pleased to know it's easy to achieve.


Keep it cheap

Just by getting a bit creative with what you can find in your local market, you'll find Neneh and Andi's kitchen is easy (and cheap!) to emulate. As Sandra Kane, the set designer for the programme says, "There's lots of untapped kitsch to be found in markets, such as Harlesden, Brixton or Stoke Newington in London, or random Afro-Caribbean shops."

Sandra suggests buying cheap, colourful fake flowers, stripping them off the stalk and sewing or stapling them onto ribbons for attractive garlands. You can also scatter the petals across a table setting.

Details from Neneh and Andi's kitchen

Bold colours

Most modern kitchens have a neutral chrome, aluminium or blonde or dark wood base, so it's easy to dress this kind of basic kitchen any way you like. Sandra says, "Don't be afraid of colour - the more you add, the easier it gets. And don't be hung up on a décor of just two colours. Mix different wallpapers. Make fruits and herbs visible in your kitchen and celebrate their colours."

Play with the lighting, using plenty of candles. Place candles of different heights and sizes on a tray laid with tin foil for a sparkling centrepiece for the table. You can also arrange a few fairy lights under a glass-top table or frosted glass table for a pretty effect.

And don't just limit fairy lights to Christmas. You can now get fairy lights that don't have exposed bulbs - they're encased in plastic, so they're much safer and unlikely to burn. Arrange the fairy lights so that their lights twinkle through your shelves or reflect glass or silver cabinets.


Details from Neneh and Andi's kitchen

Be inspired

You can find ideas in unexpected places: Sandra says, "Andi, Neneh and I are all Frieda Kahlo fans and got a lot of inspiration from her books. For her parties, she would string up pieces of paper cut into different shapes. Cut a piece of paper into a quarter, then a quarter again and cut around to make a circle. Then cut out triangles and rectangles to make pretty patterns, and then open up and flatten down, a bit like snowflakes at Christmas. You can do the same with pieces of A3 paper for placemats too."

"Handmade Japanese washi paper is also a useful thing to have around - in plenty of colours. Hand-tear it into drink coasters: they come out in irregular shapes and look great. Arrange a single flower, say a tulip, in a pretty port glass for each setting on the washi coaster."

"Use your imagination and trust your own taste. Just because something is cheap, it doesn't mean it isn't tasteful. For example, I found some great strawberry placemats in a market and arranged them on plain white trays from Ikea to make them look funkier and everyone was asking where on earth I'd bought such cool trays."


Details from Neneh and Andi's kitchen

Last-minute emergency

If you're suddenly faced with the prospect of entertaining and you want to create a dazzling table-setting within half an hour, Sandra has a useful tip: "Using aluminium foil is a great trick and everyone has it. It gives a great sparkle when used with candles or tea lights. Lay a white tablecloth (or even a sheet if you don't have one), lay a strip of foil along the centre of the tablecloth and scatter with bits of ivy, twigs or clematis from the garden for instant style."


Back to top

In Lifestyle

Carnival cuisine
Nigel Slater's spring flavours
In season this month
Get Cooking video recipes

Elsewhere on bbc.co.uk

BBC Homes
BBC Gardening

Elsewhere on the web

Neneh Cherry online
Recipe Hound
The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites



About the BBC | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy