6 Ways to Add Maltese Flair to Your Kitchen

The heart of any home in Malta is typically the kitchen. So, the space should feel inviting and homey, and it may be easier to achieve than you think. By adding a dash of personality and a sprinkling of Maltese tradition, you’ll add a whole lot of soul to your home! 

Here are 6 easy ways you could add some pizazz to your kitchen in any type of property in Malta.

1. Incorporating Maltese tiles 

Our island’s famous tiles, found in all traditional property types like farmhouses for rent or houses of character for sale, are undoubtedly beautiful and unapologetically Maltese. Retiling your floor, however, may be an extreme step towards making your kitchen feel more local. Instead, a smaller and less expensive project would be to add a feature splashback to your counter or cooktop. 

This could help draw attention to an otherwise-boring spot while adding a touch of familiarity to the room. But if an entire splashback still seems like too much of a project, individual feature tiles could be placed as one-off statement pieces to achieve your goal with no effort at all! 

2. Nothing says Maltese interior like exposed limestone

The most commonly used and familiar material in traditional Maltese buildings like a house of character is limestone. This soft, light-coloured stone is ever-present in Maltese interiors. Adding this visual element to your home will instantly transform it into one that feels local. 

But once again, don’t feel like you have to make structural changes to your space. Many interior walls in traditional houses of character or other traditional property types are built out of limestone anyway. By removing the paint on a feature wall and exposing the limestone, you’re off to a great start. You could even polish, sand or carve it to add some texture, which will transform your plain kitchen into one with plenty of Maltese character.

Still too complicated? You could just add a floating limestone shelf to achieve the look you are after. Limestone unlocked!  

3. Bring the outdoors in with local plants

Introducing a little bit of green into your kitchen space will not only make the room more inviting and relaxing, but could even make your theme feel more Maltese. 

Pleasingly there’s a wealth of local plants and succulents that are particularly hardy to our hot climate and therefore relatively easy to take care of. Perfect for a low-maintenance option for your kitchen makeover!

If you want to get a little more ambitious with your Mediterranean foliage, choose a small potted bay leaf tree to fill out a corner of the room. You may even want to explore edible varieties. For example, herbs like rosemary and thyme will thrive on a windowsill and require minimal watering. 

4. Maltese Ingredients for a Maltese kitchen

If you spend a fair bit of time cooking, why not get yourself some locally themed accessories that could also be used in your cooking! 

Maltese cuisine features a lot of delicious preserves, which can also serve as stylish decoration pieces in the kitchen of your house of character or any other property type. Think mason jars filled with locally cured olives, capers or sundried tomatoes. Their vibrant colours will add splashes of brightness to your kitchen, and it’s always nice to know you’ve supported your local farmers too!

Large casks or bottles of local olive oil or wine would also make a pleasant addition, while a small fruit bowl with a selection of seasonal favourites could be the perfect way to help you consume more fruit while adding a natural local touch to your kitchen. 

5. Get crafty

As anybody who grew up in Malta will tell you, there was always some form of lacey doily kicking most local kitchens, hiding under a bowl or used as a placemat. The local art of ‘bizzilla’ crafts these beautiful white woven lace pieces that can be used functionally as cute little placemats, under vases, or even hung on walls. You will typically find these hand-crafted treasured at artisan markets or speciality stores.

6. Statement art and furniture 

Finally, add a sense of Maltese flair to your room quickly by investing in beautiful local artwork or even an antique or refurbished piece of Maltese furniture. This can be as simple as a small table, a credenza, a shelf, paintings by a local artist, or glass or pottery ornaments. Local art galleries and auction houses are your best bet for finding this sort of treasure – although local flea markets and artisans stalls could provide a more budget-friendly route to success! 

No matter the choice, adding traditional Maltese charm to your house of character or other types of property in Malta is a great way of giving your home extra personality and charm. Plus, it may make it stand out on the property market too!