Thursday, February 17, 2011

Kitchen Layouts


Before starting, figure out how much money you want to spend to get the small kitchen design project completed. Once you have established the budget, make a list of what you want done to your kitchen. List the most important items at the top and work your way down in case you start to go over the set budget amount.
You may want to think about deep cabinets and countertops to give you more space in your kitchen. With the added extra space to store all of your pots, pans and other kitchen items you need, you will keep your kitchen looking neat and organized. To help, when installing deep cabinets it is wise to think of using drawers that slide out so you can easily reach the item you need. Pull out shelves are another excellent option for added space and convenience. While planning, you want to keep maximizing your small space in mind.
When choosing one of the small kitchen designs think of color and lighting. You want to choose a paint color that will make your small kitchen appear larger. A good rule of thumb is to paint your kitchen lighter to make it look and feel bigger. You may choose to add a skylight in your kitchen to add a lot of brightness to your kitchen.
Keep the triangle of your appliances so you get the most out of your kitchen. In other words, keep the stove, refrigerator, microwave and sink within the shape of a triangle.




Kitchen Pantry


A kitchen pantry is a wonderful thing to have. It is the perfect storage solution for all your non-perishable groceries.
Unfortunately it is also a great place to stick things that you want out of sight, and if care is not taken the pantry can become a disorganized storage area that is not pleasant to enter or easy to find what you are looking for.
Today you will tackle the pantry. Allow yourself at least one hour to complete this job. First clear off your table so that you will have a place to put everything that you will be taking out of your pantry. Yep, that's right, everything must come out.
After it is empty wipe down the shelves, and walls and sweep or vacuum the floor. Now your pantry is ready to be restocked. Discard anything that is out-of date, stale or spoiled. Remove any items that should not have been in the pantry.
If you have items that are edible, but for one reason or another will never be used place them in a box for donating to a local food pantry.
All dry goods should be in an airtight canister of some sort. Use canning jars for storing beans, pasta and so forth. Label each jar with the contents, today's date and expiration date.
Install sliding pantry drawers, new shelves, hooks, or wall mounted wire organizers.




Kitchen Paint Colors


Kitchen is perhaps the only room in the house that desires for most attention. We daily cook and eat our food there so it is surrounded by buzz of activity day in and day out. As a result the paint of the kitchen wears off quite quickly compared to other areas of your house. Repainting the kitchen is a good way to keep the atmosphere of the kitchen new and clean. While choosing paint colors for kitchen special attention should be given to the final display it will bring to your room. Many things should be kept in mind like the colors of kitchen appliances, kitchen cabinets and kitchen countertops and also the doors and windows of the kitchen.
Kitchen paint colors ideas can be applied in many diverse ways but before that you should also know about color psychology. Colors play with our mood directly and some types of colors also play with our appetite. Study found that some types of colors are responsible for stimulating the appetite while there are some colors that suppress our appetite. Colors like orange, yellow, red etc are categorized under stimulator while colors like violet, indigo, blue are categorized as suppressants colors. Green is known as neutral color and is also environmental friendly. The color also reflects back light so gives the kitchen lot of light which it requires.




Kitchen Sinks


One of the most used (and abused) fixtures in the home is the sink. From the kitchen to the bathroom, the sink is used pretty much at every meal, between meals, just after you wake up in the morning, and just before you go to bed at night. Something that gets as much attention as the sink deserves just as much attention in choosing one that fits your style, budget, and lifestyle.
Styles
Your kitchen sink is going to have a few significant differences from your bathroom sink. In the kitchen, choose from the main sink (where the majority of your tasks will be done) or a bar sink (a complementary sink that's smaller, but can still accommodate virtually any job). Laundry sinks are also a huge help as an auxiliary fixture in the garage laundry room.
Installation types
In both the kitchen and the bathroom, there are a few methods of installation that are more popular than others. In the kitchen, apron, drop-in, self-rimming, and undermount are the most used installation types. And in the bathroom, drop-in, pedestal, self-rimming, undermount, vessel, and wall-mounts are the most popular.




Kitchen Tiles


Tiles form a very important part of the kitchen decor, making or injury it completely. One of their best aspects is that they are existing in small sizes, enabling you to construct great patterns. At the same time, the mixture in ensign, sizes and materials of kitchen tiles is almost endless. Apart from being used on the floors, tiles also form a part of the parapet, backsplash and even countertops. Not only do kitchen tiles look awfully attractive, but also blemish as well as water opposing. The only flaw with them is that the grout wants to be cleaned regularly. At the same time, you ought to swap them when they get chipped or cracked. Still, with tiles in kitchen is a good option.
While making using of tiles in your kitchen, don't make the confuse of departing for coordinated insignia, between work emerge, ramparts, ground, and the like. Rather, make use of contrasting accent colors and establish a contact. One of the chief surfaces that you have to coordinate your kitchen tiles with composes of the doors, and not the worktop. The kitchen tiles should be both of a lighter or darker shade, or a contrasting accent blush.




Kitchen Towels


The right towels can transform a plain bathroom into a thing of beauty. That is why people spend so much time and effort finding the perfect bathroom linens. However, there is another room that can benefit from the right towels: The kitchen. In order to experience the difference a kitchen towel set can make, you should consider a few things.
First, think about presentation. It does not make a great deal of sense to purchase an attractive towel if the items will be stuffed into drawers or linen closets, away from plain view. Many kitchens lack the means to display such towels and washcloths. If your kitchen lacks those opportunities, rectify the situation. It only takes a few simple, easy-to-install towel rings and that small investment can pay huge dividends.
Second, think about function. You might like the idea of purchasing an attractive, delicate kitchen towel set. That is fine if you are looking purely for ornamentation, but most of us actually use our towels every day. That makes it important to find an absorbent, sturdy kitchen towel set. Your kitchen towels are some of the hardest working items in the house. Think in those terms.
Third, think about appearance. Let us be honest. We could wipe up spills with paper towels and use old, ripped apart t-shirts as dish cloths. But we do not. Instead, we look for the perfect kitchen towel set. That is because we care about appearance. That is something you must keep in mind. You want a set that will match your overall color scheme and that will compliment the design and style of your kitchen. You can grab the cheapest set you find, but if you will be happier if you take the time to find the ideal match.




Kitchen Tables


The kitchen is often the most frequently used room in any house. A modern kitchen is not just a place to cook, but also an area for family gathering. Kitchen tables are contemporary furniture that adds much value to the house and home. Kitchen tables are perfect for casual dining, but they also function as a good food preparation area.
Kitchen tables come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and designs. They can be rectangular, round, or oval in shape. The use of high-quality materials and solid construction techniques can improve the life of kitchen tables. Most of the kitchen tables now available on the market are made of hardwood. Maple, cherry and walnut are the main wood types used for kitchen tables. These wooden tables are coated with oil or lacquered to give a better finish. Glass, stainless steel and chrome-made kitchen tables are other options. Kitchen tables with stone tops, such as granite or marble, are easy to maintain, as they can be cleaned up with mild soap and water. Illuminated Onyx stone tables that produce gentle light add an elegant touch to your kitchen. Often, the top layer of the kitchen table is coated with durable heat-resistant material. The layer should also ideally resist stains and scratches. Some modern kitchen tables have drawers and adjustable storage spaces. This gives additional space to store pots and pans, cutlery, storage containers, and other kitchen utensils.




Kitchen Table Sets


One of my favorite restaurants is at a theme park near my home. Visitors sit in kitchens that are a throwback to the decade before my childhood - at kitchen table sets featuring chrome and laminate tables, a banquette and chairs in shiny, sparkle-infused vinyl, the TV playing clips from the Golden Age of Comedy, and servers (dressed in classic diner-waitress uniforms) who tell you to take off your hat inside the house and keep your elbows off the table. The atmosphere captures our imagination - of an imagined time when family life was simpler and the issues in our lives could be solved sitting around the kitchen table set.
Today, our lives are different. We have smaller families, we eat on the run. Still, we want to have a place to start our day with a cup of tea and a light breakfast, or share a sandwich at the end of a busy workday. We have plenty of options for kitchen table sets when we outfit our kitchens to suit contemporary life.
When you are shopping for new kitchen table sets, your primary concern should be the size of your kitchen. If you've got a spacious eat-in kitchen, you've got many options. But even if you've got just a corner to fill, you can find kitchen table sets that give you a space to eat. Know what size table will fit in your space.




Kitchen Trends


Kitchens have been reinvented throughout the decades and they have been in the interior design spotlight ever since dethroning living rooms as the new heart of homes. One of the most visually dominant features of the area, the collection of kitchen cabinets has taken center stage. A great contributor to the overall ambiance of the room, it is important that what you choose will not only satisfy functional requirements but also fulfill your remodeling project's aesthetic needs. With this said, it pays to be updated with the kitchen cabinet colors trends.
Fashion has become an important element in home improvement. To make the most appealing result, equip yourself with some knowledge on kitchen cabinet color trends. Like anything else that is governed by fashion, trends are set and are bound to change. So if you are contemplating on sprucing up the heart of your home by changing cabinetry, then here are points to consider:




Kitchen Utensils


here are certain things that every chef needs in his or her kitchen. These are cooking tools that you will find yourself reaching for time and again. If you are just starting out here are our top recommendations. You will find yourself needing more tools, as your cooking prowess progresses but in the beginning you can definitely manage with these five tools:
- Chopping board. Used to chop food like onions, potatoes, tomatoes, meat, herbs, etc. it is absolutely essential and will save your table tops and counters a ton of wear and tear.
You may eventually want to have different chopping boards for different types of food but in the beginning one will definitely do.
- A good quality knife - you can buy one that handles well, yes actually pick them up and see how they feel in your hand before purchasing one, or purchase a knife set. Just make sure to go for quality as you will be using this tool for quite a while to do all of your cutting and chopping.
- The Big Pot. If you plan on making stews, soups or pasta this is a must have. I love to make a huge pot of stew or soup and then dine on it for an entire week with different pairings. I love Le Crueset but save these types of pots for later, as they can seriously blow your budget.