Top 4 Green Products for Your Kitchen
Dec 20th
With more and more homeowners looking to go “green”, it is no surprise that more companies are making green products for the kitchen. If you are looking to do a bit of remodeling in the kitchen, or just want a more planet-friendly kitchen in general, the following list of must-haves will help you get started in the right direction: Read the rest of this entry »
Five Must Have Kitchen Accessories
Dec 11th
It’s a known fact that cooking is an art, and variations in cooking styles are a part of the cultural specificities that define regions and countries (there are, for example, Chinese restaurants, Indian restaurants and so on). In fact, there are two important perspectives to be analyzed when it comes to cooking: Read the rest of this entry »
Kitchen Cabinets: The Essential Ingredient For Kitchen Style
May 7th
Take a moment to think about your kitchen’s design. Hold that picture in your mind. Now think about how you would like your kitchen to look after redecorating and remember that picture as well. What kinds of things came to mind? Probably quite a few, but for many people cabinets are the very first thing that comes to mind when considering a kitchen decorating project. Cabinets are a dominant feature of the kitchen. They are not to be taken lightly and really affect the way your kitchen is perceived. Replacing them can be expensive and a bit difficult, but the finished project will turn any kitchen into a brand new room. Here are a few simple things to think about for your next kitchen cabinet project.
Easy, Inexpensive Kitchen Makeovers
May 2nd
One of those well known factoids that is passed around says that we spend more time in our kitchens than in any room of the house. Whether or not this has been scientifically validated or not, remains to be seen. Whether or not the kitchen is the most frequented room or not, chances are that it does see a lot of action on a typical day.
Since the odds are that you will spend a lot of time in your kitchen over the years, it helps to have some quick and easy ideas to change the room and give it a little variety. Here are a few tips that can be done quickly, without spending a lot of money.
Add a New Sink and Faucet. While this can be expensive, it doesn’t have to be. There are so many new designs available that you can pick a new sink and build an entire kitchen theme around it. There are old style, rustic-looking sinks that can give your kitchen a retro appeal. There are also a lot of ultra-modern sinks that can make your kitchen into the kitchen of the future. Take a look around and do some bargain shopping; a new sink can go a long way in adding some life to your kitchen.
Sponge paint to add some style. If you have painted walls in your kitchen, grab a sea sponge from the local store and a small can of paint and add some accents to your walls that really change up the look. Find colours that are complementary, unless you really want to go for a livelier approach. Granted you won’t want to take this project lightly, it can be done in less than a day and doesn’t require a huge investment.
New rugs, curtains and towels. Spend a day shopping for a new colour scheme for rugs, curtains and towels. Changing up these small details can give your kitchen a whole new dynamic. Some people like to buy a set of each of these things for every season. When summer rolls around why not go for the orange and yellow to bring out the brightness of your kitchen? The colours and styles are up to you, but by switching every two or three months, you are guaranteed to keep things interesting.
These are just three quick tips for giving your kitchen a quick, painless face lift. Look around at the small details of your kitchen to see what small steps you can take to change things up and add some spice to the kitchen.
The 3 P’s of an Inviting Kitchen
Apr 13th
If you think of your house as a wheel, the kitchen is the hub, or center. The life of home design begins, and finds its inspiration with the kitchen. For too many homes, the kitchen is all about business. These kitchens are made for cooking and cleaning, that’s all. Try adding some personality, playfulness, and pizazz to your kitchen’s design. Follow along on the three P’s for an inviting kitchen
Personality
Don’t make your kitchen all about productivity, there’s another P you should add to the mix – Personality! Your kitchen design should be a reflection of who you are. You don’t have to keep family photos relegated to the living room or family room, add some family photos to the kitchen as well. You can pick up some nice, light-coloured picture frames that are very inexpensive to frame your kitchen photos. Then, add some customization to the frames with floral designs or hand painted highlights. Let your personality shine through in your kitchen.
Playfulness
All work and no play makes your kitchen a dull place. Have some fun with your kitchen decoration. Bring in some cute knickknacks to display on your spice rack. Then put up a simple shelf for knickknacks, but put some spices or old kitchen utensils on it as well. Mix things up and have a little fun in your kitchen.
Pizazz
Too many kitchens are stuck being forever painted white. Throw on a new coat of paint, but add some actual colour. If the thought of doing all your walls is too much, think about doing just one wall or a section of wall over cabinets for a nice contrasting colour. Complement your new paint with some fresh-cut floral arrangements as a centerpiece and you will have a kitchen teeming with new life.
Add these three P’s to your kitchen’s design. Make the hub of your home a reflection of your style that is fun and exciting to spend time in. Don’t let your kitchen get stuck in the past; take some chances and liven things up. It may be a shock to your family’s senses to come down for breakfast to a fun, colourful, expressive room, but they will soon come to love it.
Kitchen Design 101
Feb 24th
In 1998 I found a jewel of a property, on a jewel of an island. I had the incredible pleasure of designing and building a house just the way I wanted. Sounds glamorous, but building a house has broken up more marriages and caused a few heart attacks when you can’t find your contractor and he has your money.
That being said, designing and building a house is the most creative thing I have ever done. Since I am a closeted architect, who studied Finance, I hand drew all the plans in such detail that I even included the furniture.
The heart of every house is without a doubt the kitchen, even if your man is trying to tell you otherwise. After all, you have to keep up his strength with food. Not to mention the kids.
So, I spent one year thinking about exactly how to set up the kitchen. What bugs me most is that in some kitchens, even large ones, two people can’t cook and clean at the same time. For me that is vital, having two areas that can be worked in simultaneously, without tripping over each other and possibly spilling the wine! That way when you are finished cooking, say for a dinner party, your kitchen is clean.
Now you don’t have to have a large kitchen to accomplish this goal. It just depends on how you set it up. There are of course professional kitchen designers, but I enjoyed doing it myself, and who knows my cooking and entertaining habits better than I do?
So this is how I did it. I measured the size of the kitchen and drew it in edging tape on the floor of my Manhattan apartment, and then I decided where the plumbing was going to be placed. Of course if it’s a reno, you may be restricted by existing plumbing.
Then I laid out the stove, sinks, dishwasher etc., of course to scale. I stood in my pretend kitchen and I pretended to cook, just to test and see if my setup would work. You know when the stove is just out of reaching range from the prep area, or when dishwasher is open and you can’t open the fridge?
The most annoying for me is actually at my dad’s house where at 5’5” I can’t reach the cupboards where the dishes are kept when the dishwasher is open. In order to get to them I have to take all the dishes out, put them on the counter, close the dishwasher and then put the plates, cups and glasses away. That takes twice as long! At my mom’s former home, before I got her into a great condo, the kitchen design was down right dangerous. If the dishwasher is open, and you didn’t realize it, you would literally fall right over it. Thankfully my mom was good at long jump in her school days because it saved her possible broken bones.
So if you play in your pretend Betty Crocker kitchen for a while, you will find these glaring problems before you spend a year’s salary on a new kitchen. Plus it’s a lot of fun!
Olga Alexandra Viteznikova
Kitchen Design Styles
Nov 23rd
A kitchen’s primary focus is no longer only to perform cooking tasks. It is a room that brings family or individuals together. It should not just be considered as a room that is used for the basic essentials, but as a room that is filled with love, creativity and the desire to make genuine cuisine. In a room that contains the majority of your larger furniture that tends to take up a lot of space, you should design or redecorate your kitchen keeping in mind these 5 main schemes. First off, the brand name and warranty of an appliance is very important. When making a major investment on an appliance that you know you will be using every day, you want to make sure that it is a reliable brand with a good warranty attached.
Second, you want to make sure that wherever you plan to put your appliances, there is no place for clean lines to show, which brings me to my third point. To avoid clean lines, invest in built-n appliances; this also gives you more space without any bulky objects sticking out.The fourth element is to not position your appliances in any awkward corners that would draw the human eye. Finally, coordinating your colours is very important. If you decide to go with a stainless steel appliance, it is important that the rest of your appliances follow that pattern.
Cabinetry – To give a different look to your kitchen you can put in different types of cabinetry in it, so not all of the cabinets will solely be solid wood. If you want a more contemporary chic look; mix your cabinets with glass, wood, or frosted glass. This will give your cabinets a different look and add texture to your room by providing variety within. Also, when it comes to cabinets, you are better off purchasing cabinets that pull out to allow for more storage space. Types of wood to choose for your kitchen can be oak, maple, cherry, pine etc. Oak is said to be the strongest and toughest type of wood, however the most popular choices when it comes to wood and cabinets are cherry and maple. Pine wood is not as popular because it is known to be a soft type of wood that is more inclined to leave scratches or dents.
Counter tops – Counter tops are very important because they are the most dominant part of your kitchen. They are also important because each type of countertop has a varying life expectancy due to its surroundings. The main types of countertops are Soapstone, Laminate, and Granite. Laminate is the least expensive route to go, it comes in different colours and is easy to maintain. However, if it is exposed to any type of heat, the laminate material will ruin and it is also prone to get scratched and stained. So, yes, it is affordable but very hard to maintain. Soapstone is the next cost efficient suggestion. It has a rich smooth look, however, if the soapstone does get a crack in it, it is impossible to fix. Finally, the most expensive type of counter top is Granite. Granite has a sophisticated look to it and it comes in different colours. It is a tough type of material that cannot easily be scratched or cracked. However, using such chemicals like cleaning products on granite can ruin the surface.
Colour – Colour in a kitchen is very important, however it is always hard to choose which colour is best suited for a kitchen as opposed to picking out a colour for another room. You don’t want to mismatch your colour schemes because it can ruin the décor of your whole house. It has been said that painting a kitchen a certain colour will have a specific meaning. For example, painting your kitchen yellow tends to make people feel happier, whereas a shade of red can increase your appetite. The most popular kitchen colours of 2009 were the shades of beige, peach, yellow, and brown. White has always been a popular colour and still remains to be one, but with white comes problems with keeping it that colour.
Back Splash – A back splash is not mandatory but can be used to add a special touch to your kitchen. There are different types of styles and methods for creating a back splash. You can use large tiles to give it a bold statement, or you can use tiny metallic tiles to give it an extra sparkle. Also, another type of back splash you can do is by using the same type of counter top material. So, if you are using granite for you counter top you can consolidate the granite for your back splash as well.
- Theresa Sebastiano
Kitchen Design Add Ons
Nov 23rd
A kitchen wouldn’t be unique unless you create different features in it. The sky is the limit. There is so much that you can do when decorating your kitchen. Think of add-ons that can simplify your life or benefit you. Kitchen’s used to be plain and simple; they only had a fridge, sink, and a stove because back then that’s all that was needed. However, nowadays the kitchen has expanded to include many other options. A selection of appliances that were never used before are now necessities to us, the most common ones being dishwashers, a fan to go with your stove and a pantry for storage etc. Here are some add-ons that will surely spice up your kitchen:
Kitchen Island – A kitchen island is very rewarding because it’s multipurpose. Not only does it contain storage, but you can use it to prepare your meals or as a bar area. Pull up some stools in the morning and use the island as a breakfast eating area.
Kitchen Canopy – Create a kitchen canopy that will divide the room from every other room around there. Use pillars to provide a different look to the kitchen. This idea works specifically for a high ceiling kitchen.
Lighting under the cabinets – There is no such thing as too much light. So go all out and include lights under your cabinets that will shine right on your spectacular countertop. This will give you more of an option if you wanted to turn on just the cabinet lights on as opposed to using your main ceiling lights.
Pantry – Having a pantry is the ultimate storage space. It is convenient and is normally hidden away which is great because it isn’t visible to your guests.
Glass Backsplashes – The newest trend in kitchen fashion is creating a glass backsplash that creates a more modern look for your kitchen. The glass should be placed from the countertop all the way to the top cabinet. To give it a more sophisticated look you can also add an LED light to the backsplash.
-Theresa Sebastiano
