When it comes to decorating your kitchen you can take a whole load of inspiration from all over the world.

From the Italian bistro to the French country kitchen the world is full of culture, history, climate and a myriad of factors which can truly make your house a home.

It is always interesting to walk into a room and immediately become part of another world and what better room to decorate than the kitchen which is the most commonly used room in the house.

You can even decorate your whole house around one country or each room could individually carry its own style. And it really doesn’t have to be expensive either. A simple stroke of paint and a few added accessories can really make a whole load of difference.

To get you started into created a well-travelled home; here are a few inspirational ideas to create a new world in your home.

Victoria Mug by UlsterWeavers.com

English - When it comes to an English style kitchen think no further than a traditional country theme. Comfortable and homey stripes are ideal in creating an English country style kitchen. Use warm colours such as honey, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon or paprika to set the background for a country style. Paint your cupboards and furniture to a lighter shade.

Decorate with floral home textiles such as tea towels, place mats, aprons and oven gloves which match the English country trends. A home textiles trend that truly fits the English country bill is the Victoria collection by Ulster Weavers.com. A traditional floral design with a fresh, modern twist. With bright blues and floral colours the collection is ideal if you are looking to incorporate a English country theme into your home. The collection comes complete with a Bone China Mug, cotton apron, muff tea cosy, double oven glove, gauntlett, cotton tea towel and pot mitt.

Italian – Inspired by nature. Rustic Italian countryside and farmhouses play a major part in Italian interior furnishings. Tiled floors and wall murals as well as stencils are very prominent within Italian decor. Pear, olives, ivory and gold are prominent colours around an Italian home providing a warm, lived-in feeling to your house. Dependent on the size of your kitchen you may opt for darker wooden furniture, however if your kitchen is small you may opt for rustic wire racks to hang pots and pans. And like every Italian home, you need a wine rack as the perfect finishing touch to your Italian kitchen.

Mexican – Mexicans are all about bright colours. Sunny yellows, cobalt blue, antique white, verdigris, terracotta and mango orange are all cheerful and warm colours for your Mexican kitchen interior designs. Wrought iron candlesticks, bold coloured tiles, bird and fish motifs are very popular for a Mexican kitchen. Maybe throw up a fabric wall hanging if you have a bit of room featuring bright primary colours to add a bit of colour. Vinyl table cloths with fruits and flowers are fantastic for a Mexican style kitchen. Furnishings tend to take on a feeling of a crumbling old Spanish hacienda which can abode well with the bright bold colours of your interior textiles and furnishings.

Egyptian – The striking beauty of Egyptian furnishings can look stunning in your kitchen. Simple furnishings, accompanied with marble and gold inspire an Egyptian style kitchen. Hieroglyphic and parchment types of art can bring the ancient world into your kitchen. You could even incorporate home textiles featuring cats which were a major part of Egyptian culture. Oranges, blues and whites are also perfect colours for an Egyptian themed home.

African – You don’t have to spend a lot of money to recreate an African style theme in your kitchen. Plants, animal prints, tapestries, exotic fabrics are all a great way to incorporate African culture into your home. And if you are going the whole way terracotta tiled floors, ceiling fan, African masks on the wall are great additional accessories to add to the overall design. Deep colours like reds, oranges and yellows are great for an African kitchen. Fabric is very important so make sure you incorporate a variety of home textiles which take on the African theme.

Greek – When we think of Greece the most common images that spring to mind is the cloudless blue skies, sun-baked earth and sparkling sea. Greek decoration combines white stucco walls, stone floors, woven wall hangings, bare windows and rustic style furniture. Everything is clean cut and minimalist with natural clay pottery, tile accents and wrought iron furnishings. 

For more information visit UlsterWeavers.com for all your home textiles collections which can truly make your house a home.

One of the tea cosie workshops starring the completed Polly Dolly

Two artists from Australia are embarking on a backpacking trip collecting kitchen tea cosies before finally arrive at the World’s Best Tea Cosy Making Competition.

The chick-flick adventure sees visual and performing artists, Sarah Lloyd and Joanne Davis, start their journey in Melbourne, making their way to Miles in Queensland where the competition is set to take place.

Along the way, the pair will stop in at CWA (Country Women’s Association) branches to roll out art workshops, share a cup of tea and most importantly, collect tea cosies.

Ms Lloyd said, “One of the things we love is the community around having a cup of tea,”

Both women believe that taking a bit of time out of your busy day to have a cup of tea with a friend, family member or acquaintance is a way of accepting time with another person, inviting that person to confide in you, share ideas, feelings or grievances.

“Lots of our creativity comes out of having a cup of tea,” Ms David said.

However, the journey isn’t all about workshops, cups of tea and tea cosies.

The duo are hoping to gather information and ideas for their installation performance art piece which is due to go on display during the Beef, Bells, Bottle Tree Festival at Miles in September 2010 – the festival which will announce the winners of the World’s Best Tea Cosy Competition.

Back on the road: the tea ladies making their way to the World's Best Tea Cosie Competition

Described as a three-dimensional portraiture, the display will incorporate drawings, ‘Polly’ dolls from the workshops, sculptures, paintings and possibly even tea pots and strainers.

And to bring their journey together, Ms Lloyd and Ms David said they will be drawing their inspiration from the people they meet and adventures they have during their Tea Tales journey.

The tea-lovers are only two days into their ‘Tea Tales’ trek, however they have already collected 40 tea cosies and hosted two successful workshops.

During the workshops, CWA members were invited to let their creativity take control, dressing individual paper ‘Polly’ dolls with scraps of fabric, lace, cardboard, paper and feathers before concluding with a group dressing of a life-sized ‘Polly.’

To follow the journey of Ms Lloyd and Ms Davis visit their blog at www.teatalesladies.com.

If you are not the creative type and wouldn’t know where to start when it comes to making a tea cosie, then leave all the fuss to us at UlsterWeaver.com, the online home furnishing specialists. The website has a wide selection of tea cosies, aprons, tea towels and many more products for you to decorate your house into a home.