Check out these cool features for the kitchen

Sensor-Operated Faucets

Gone are the days of stubborn, stiff handles on your faucets – simply wave at the fixture and it will magically stream at your command! Brands like Delta and Pfister offer touchless sensor faucets that are easy to use for all the family.

Water Softener System

If you live in a hard water area, you’ll know the toll it can take on your hands when washing up and the bitter taste it has. Install a water softener system beneath your kitchen sink to get fresh, filtered, softened water flowing straight from the tap. Filter out potentially harmful chemicals and hard deposits from your home’s water supply and enjoy smooth, great tasting tap water.

Coffee Machine with Timer

The dream of having a hot, steaming cup of real filter coffee waiting for you when you wake up has ARRIVED. All the classic kitchen appliance brands (Russell Hobbs, Morphy Richards) now offer very affordable filter coffee machines featuring a timer that you can set for the best wakeup call ever. Nothing will have you jumping out of bed at 7am quite like it!

Smart Speaker

We’re seriously considering placing a pre-order for Apple’s new HomePod smart speaker – simply ask Siri to play any song in the world and have it fill the room in seconds, in amazing hi-fi sound quality, completely hands-free. This is especially great in the kitchen so that you can prep and chop food without pausing to fiddle with buttons to play music. Ask Siri to play your favorite playlist and dance around the kitchen as you cook! You can also ask it questions – what step comes next in the recipe you’re making? Alternatives to Apple’s latest gadget include the Google Home and Amazon Echo.

Boiling Water Tap

Another faucet-related tip: get instant boiling water from your faucet. Imagine making an instant brew after a hard day’s work and halving the time it takes to boil potatoes on the hob. These contraptions are available from all kitchen retailers nowadays, and customers who’ve installed them never look back.

Pull-Out Table

When living in a small space, like a bedsit or cozy apartment, utilizing space is key. Where you don’t have room for a dining table, consider a pull-out. It can be neatly tucked away inside a cupboard or otherwise out of sight when not in use, leaving you more space to prepare dinner. When it’s done, whip out your table and enjoy a sit-down meal.

Magnetic or Blackboard Wall

Kids especially will find these fun feature walls a highlight of the house. Stick up photos, lists, and your children’s artwork with colorful magnets for proud display; or scribble important notes, messages and doodles in chalk on your funky blackboard wall.

Kitchen Terrarium

Not a gadget or device, but a cute feature that will bring a little joy every time you see it. Terrariums have become the houseplant-come-décor of choice in modern homes, and you can make them yourself quickly and easily. Buy a few succulent plants from a garden store (available for just a few dollars each), a terrarium frame (you can even make these out of picture frames), and some decorative pebbles. Make at home for a fun activity.

Breakfast Master

Behold this feat of 21^st century engineering: these amazing all-in-one cookers fry your eggs, toast your bread, and make coffee at the same time! The microwave-sized contraptions fit on your countertop and ensure your food and beverages are perfectly cooked and ready to eat at exactly the right time. A range of manufacturers have begun to offer them, like Product Box in the UK and Elite Cuisine available from Amazon US. At just $30, you can’t really refuse.

The post 9 Modern Features You Need in Your Kitchen appeared first on .

Before you do anything, sit down and work out exactly what you need from your kitchen. For example, some people only use a kitchen for cooking, while others need it to double as a laundry. If this is the case, ask yourself whether you can configure the kitchen so that a separate, smaller area leads from it, where you can accommodate a washing machine, other laundry appliances, and items like an ironing board. If you are one of those people—or families—who spend a lot of time in the kitchen, eating or even socializing there, your approach will be quite different. You will need space for a freestanding table or, at the very least, a built-in counter with bar stools where you can eat.

Once you have decided on the function, you can move on to the approach you are going to take. This involves fundamental issues ranging from the basic layout of the kitchen to any style you may want to follow. From here, you can start costing items and deciding whether you are going to employ a professional kitchen company to do the work for you or whether you will tackle the hard work yourself. A compromise would be to get a professional company (or manufacturing outlet) to make custom units and for you to install them yourself. This can work well, provided you have the necessary skills. If you are going to employ the services of a company or individual specializing in kitchen installations, it is still a good idea to know what you want before you get quotations.

Exploring Ideas and Establishing Your Budget

If you’re stuck for ideas and really don’t know where to start, have a look at websites (like this one) that show photographs of different kitchens. You can also look for magazines and books that are well-illustrated, with up-to-date ideas. You’ll probably find that you instinctively like some ideas and not others. Another good option is to visit show houses and showrooms where you can see and touch what’s available. Try to gauge prices so you know what to expect and whether you can realistically afford what you think you want. It is essential to have a clear idea of your budget from the start, so you can ensure your new kitchen fits within it. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to decide whether you can increase your budget or find ways to cut costs.

Once you have established your personal priorities and have a fairly clear picture of what you want, it’s time to work out the costs. This is a vital part of planning a new kitchen. To do this, you’ll need to decide which appliances you need to buy and how you are going to fit out the kitchen. This means establishing the type of fittings—such as cupboards, cabinets, or open shelves—and their finish, as well as how many of each you’ll need.

At this point, it’s back to the drawing board. If you’re using a professional company for the kitchen—or even just getting quotations—they should give you a preliminary plan of what the kitchen will look like based on your requirements. If you’re fitting the kitchen yourself, either from scratch or with knock-down units, you’ll have to draw your own plan. If you use common sense and follow basic design principles, you shouldn’t find this difficult.

The size of the kitchen and its shape will determine, to a large degree, how you will lay it out. Typical configurations include galley kitchens (long and narrow with units on opposite walls), U-shaped kitchens (using three walls), and L-shaped kitchens (with units along two walls that meet at right angles). The open-plan approach, where the kitchen becomes part of the general living space, can work with both U-shaped and L-shaped kitchens. Or, the entire kitchen can become a living room of sorts.

Most efficiently designed kitchens incorporate a work triangle, which involves a logical interrelationship between the cook’s three main aids:

1. stove,
2. refrigerator, and
3. sink.

All this really means is that whoever is working in the kitchen needs to be able to move between these three “aids” easily. They won’t always form a perfect triangle, however. For example, a sink and refrigerator may be positioned along the same wall with the stove on the other. In the case of a kitchen along a single wall, all three would be in a line, but not right next to each other. If your kitchen includes an island unit, it might be best to incorporate either the sink or a hob into the triangle for it to be effective.
Just remember that the stove and refrigerator should never be positioned right next to each other. This is because one is made for heating and the other for cooling, and placing them together will prevent them from operating at maximum efficiency. Also, it’s best to have some working surface on either side of both the stove and the sink.

Corners can be a particular challenge, especially when two cabinets meet at a corner, making it difficult to reach the space. Investigate what space-saving fittings are available, such as those that rotate.

Other factors to consider when planning a new kitchen include:

• making sure there is enough space for people to walk through the kitchen easily (even with a central island),
• positioning tall units at the ends of ordinary counters,
• checking the direction in which cupboard and cabinet doors open so they don’t get in the way of one another and open easily,
• making use of all possible wall space, either by hanging cupboards, using open shelving, or incorporating taller units or freestanding furniture like dressers,
• planning your work surfaces carefully so you have sufficient space for every task, and
• ensuring that essential services related to plumbing, electrics, and gas are correctly installed and in the right place.

The post Planning a New Kitchen – Cabinets, Sinks and Floors appeared first on .

For the purposes of this article, we are going to assume that you are starting with an empty shell of a room. You will need to work with the room’s dimensions, as well as all the other physical aspects, including the position of windows and doors.

If you are revamping a kitchen, you can still follow these very same guidelines, though you may be able to utilize some existing items, such as kitchen cabinets and lighting.

The first step will be to decide what type of kitchen you want, both in terms of style and decor, and what it will offer you in practical terms. An excellent way to assess this is to make a list or several lists. Here’s an example:

• lots of storage space behind closed doors,
• a dedicated cupboard for brooms and cleaning equipment,
• a dedicated cupboard for foodstuffs,
• easy-to-clean countertops with a marble-topped section large enough for rolling pastry,
• a built-in wooden chopping block,
• a double sink as well as a prep bowl,
• wall-hung plate rack for drying (wooden cottage style),
• an electric eye-level oven,
• centre island with a gas-powered hob,
• built-in microwave oven,
• combination refrigerator-deep freeze,
• above-counter lighting as well as general lighting,
• tiled floors (terracotta to fit the style),
• tiled splashback (maybe feature tiles in yellow and blue),
• all other walls painted with a good quality paint that provides a surface that can be scrubbed (pale lemon),
• pretty blinds,
• open shelving for the recipe book collection, and
• enough space for a small freestanding table for family meals (look for colonial-style or bentwood chairs to fit the cottage style).

Remember that this is your list, so you can change anything if you wish. For example, you might find some glorious old red and green tiles for the sink splashback and then decide that a stone-washed wall color will be better than pale lemon. You might also decide that the style you first thought would work doesn’t, and opt for another look completely. The point is that you need a starting point from which to begin working on designing your kitchen on a budget.

Once you have a good, basic idea of where you are going, you can start concentrating on specifics. Since storage is at the top of the list here, an important priority will be to find cupboards or cabinets that fit within your design scheme. Your budget will largely determine what you choose. If you can do a lot of the work yourself or persuade family or friends to help you, then you will save a lot of money by buying separate elements and assembling them yourself. You will need to establish the correct sizes (based on the basic dimensions of the room) and make sure that you have everything from hinges to handles. A slightly more expensive option will usually be to buy knock-down units that you assemble yourself. Here, the manufacturer will have included everything you need in the pack, but you will have to do much of the work yourself.

Whichever route you take, you will need to ensure that you meet your own needs, such as a broom cupboard and food cupboard. To do this, you need to decide on a suitable layout for the kitchen as a whole. The sink units will need to be plumbed in, so this is one of the first considerations. Electricity and gas supplies are equally important. Draw a layout to scale on graph paper that shows where these supplies and services are, and also show where all the door and window openings are. Make absolutely sure that the measurements you take are accurate. Mistakes can be extremely costly. Then make templates of the units you want and play with them on your layout. Don’t forget to include wall-hung units as well as those that will be fixed to the floor. Also, include freestanding items (table and chairs) and open shelving like that required for recipe books.

Maximizing Space and Efficiency in a Budget Kitchen

When you are designing a kitchen on a budget, be sure to remember the kitchen triangle. This is an extremely simple concept that links three main service areas:

1. cold storage (your refrigerator and deep freeze),
2. wash-up (your sink), and
3. cooking area.

As old-fashioned as some people consider this to be, it does work. But it isn’t always as simple as a three-point (triangular) plan. Go back to your list and you will see that there are three cooking appliances required, as well as two sinks. The refrigerator and freezer could be separate appliances. But the important thing is to make them work together. Also, it is never a good idea to locate cold storage next to cooking appliances—the one heats and the other cools, so they don’t work well right next to one another. Keep cooking units close to each other, but don’t worry too much about the other appliances. For instance, a freezer can be located away from the main working area, and a prep sink can be closer to the living area than a sink used for washing dishes.

You will also need to accommodate the required marble slab and chopping block within whatever countertops you choose. If this isn’t possible, you can always use loose slabs or blocks. Shop around for off-cuts and remember that someone else’s throwaways can be bought for a song! For example, some people install marble counters throughout the kitchen, and there will often be slabs left over. Otherwise, look for what suppliers call seconds—items with scratches and dents or dings that aren’t likely to worry you since you are designing your kitchen on a budget.

It is also possible to find appliances that have been marked down because they are shop-soiled. Remember, you don’t have to compromise on quality. A scratch down the side of a refrigerator won’t matter if it is going to be lodged between cupboards.

Another basic element will be the floor tiles, and you can save a bit of money here too by looking for special offer goods at cheaper prices. You shouldn’t be tempted to buy lesser quality products, but end-of-range or special promotion products can help you cut your budget considerably.

Once you have worked out all the basics, start looking at other details. The best way is to work progressively through your lists until you achieve a finished product you will be happy with. Do as much as you can yourself, and enjoy the challenge.

The post Designing a Kitchen on a Budget – How to Keep Costs Down appeared first on .

If your home already has an established color scheme outside the kitchen, consider blending the two. Otherwise, select a color that complements the rest of your home without clashing. This process is straightforward and manageable.

Kitchen color trends come and go, but you don’t need to follow them blindly. Instead, choose a color you love and can live with long-term.

Paint companies often promote “new” colors as the shade of the year or season. However, these colors—whether in paint, tiles, or wallpaper—are rarely new and have often been around for decades. While it’s helpful to explore what paint and design companies suggest, don’t feel pressured to overhaul your kitchen unless it’s your goal.

Ultimately, your color choice is personal. Make decisions that reflect your taste, and consider the preferences of those who share the kitchen with you.

Keep in mind that the color spectrum is fixed—it’s all about how you use it! The rainbow remains constant; only our interpretations change.

Creating the Right Ambience

Color significantly impacts a kitchen’s visual appeal and ambience. For instance, blues can feel cold, so they may not suit a dark room with little natural light. Bright yellow is sunny and cheerful but can be overwhelming for some. In kitchens with ample natural light, softer, paler colors often work best.

Light colors tend to make walls appear farther away by reflecting more light, creating a sense of space. Darker colors, conversely, make surfaces feel closer, which can help visually adjust a room’s proportions—for example, lowering a high ceiling or making a long, narrow room appear shorter and wider.

You can also use color strategically to unify awkward spaces. Painting all walls and ceilings the same color can make kitchens with odd corners or nooks look more balanced and cohesive.

The approach differs depending on whether you’re starting from scratch or working with an existing kitchen. If designing from the ground up, you can create a cohesive color scheme for the ceiling, walls, and floors, choosing any colors you like. If renovating, you’ll need to work with the existing colors.

Traditionally, popular kitchen colors are attractive and practical for the environment. They’re rarely loud or bold, though vibrant colors like red or green can work well for some. Ultimately, it’s about personal preference.

Where to Start

Having a favorite color is great, but unless you’re starting from scratch, you must consider existing fixtures and fittings. Even in a new kitchen, your budget will influence what’s available. Think about how these elements will affect your color scheme.

Neutral colors are often the easiest to work with in a kitchen. Cabinets and cupboards, typically made of wood, melamine, or other laminates, are usually neutral or natural in tone.

Even if you want bold colors, such as through painted walls or colorful curtains, choosing neutral units allows flexibility. This approach lets you update your kitchen’s look with trendy colors without major expenses.

A natural-looking base provides a versatile foundation you can adapt and refresh as desired.

Adding Bold Colors

Neutral doesn’t mean boring. You can install natural wooden units or white melamine cabinets and then introduce bold or interesting colors on the walls. The key is to design a functional kitchen plan and add color afterward.

For example, you can add color by:

• Painting walls
• Spraying cabinets
• Incorporating colorful accessories
• Using bright soft furnishings like curtains or blinds

Tiles can add color but are more permanent, so neutral tones are often safer. If you’re updating a tired kitchen and can’t replace the tiles, modern paint products allow you to paint over them. Use a primer to reduce the ceramic sheen, ensuring the paint adheres properly and doesn’t peel.

Consider Appliance Colors

Appliances like refrigerators, dishwashers, and stoves can pose challenges, especially if you’re stuck with ones you don’t love. Ideally, these should match, though cost often makes white the most practical choice. Smaller appliances like kettles, toasters, or food processors left on countertops should ideally coordinate as well. While not essential, matching appliances creates a more polished look.

Consider all elements together to create a harmonious kitchen that brings you joy.

The post Popular Kitchen Colors appeared first on .

The kitchen is a hardworking part of the home which means that all surfaces need to be chosen carefully. Generally walls need to be easily scrubbed, especially areas around cookers and stoves, and around sinks. One way around this is to tile portions of the wall and then wallpaper the rest.

Wallpaper suitable for kitchens

Always remember that the cheaper the wallpaper, the more lightweight it will be, and the more likely it is to stretch and tear when you hang it. Also, a lightweight paper will not be suitable for scrubbing. Coated papers may be wiped, but it’s not a good idea to scrub them. Without a doubt, the most suitable wallpaper for kitchens is the vinyl type, because you can scrub them clean.

Broadly speaking there are two types of vinyl wallpaper, plain and textured. Some come ready pasted, which means you should be able to simply wet the backing for a short while and then hang it. In reality, it will stick better, and be a lot easier to hang, if you use a paste as well.

Textured vinyl wallpaper undergoes various heat treatments when it is manufactured, which is how they produce various relief patterns. This makes it particular suitable for kitchens and bathrooms where condensation occurs and can be a problem, because the vinyl creates a good water-resistant surface. Because if its thickness, vinyl is also easier to hang than most other types.

Tools and materials for wallpapering the kitchen

First you need suitable wallpaper that you like, and enough of it. The number of drops you will get out of a roll of wallpaper depends on two things:

1. the length of the roll, and
2. the height of your walls.

So start off by measuring the height of the walls to be papered, from the cornice to skirting or floor. Then measure the total distance around the kitchen, including doorways and windows. If openings are wider than the width of the paper, you might be able to deduct part of the area from your final total, but it’s usually best not to take a chance. With these measurements you should be able to work out how many rolls you need. Just remember to take pattern repeats into account, and to make sure you can cut the drops slightly longer than required. If you don’t buy enough paper in the first place, and need to buy more, make sure you get any additional rolls from the same batch, because the colors might be fractionally different in another batch. And yes, it WILL show. The batch number will be printed on the packaging of each roll, so make a note of it.

Basic tools you will need include a sharp pair of scissors and a utility or trimming knife. You will also need a solid and stable surface wide enough for you to place the wallpaper drops on while you apply the paste. You can use a kitchen table for this, or buy a special pasting table. These are usually wooden and fold up for easy storage. Then you will need a bucket for the paste (unless you have bought the ready-mixed type) and a paint brush to apply the paste. The brush should be reasonably wide so that you can get the job done quickly. You will find that a 4 in or 100 mm brush is ideal. If you buy a ready-pasted paper, and aren’t going to take the advice of using additional paste, then you will need a water trough of some kind to dip the paper into before you hang it.

You can buy special smoothing brushes to smooth the paper once it is on the wall, but a large foam sponge works just as well. However one specialist tool that is great to have is a seam roller that you use to press the joints between the drops to make sure they don’t lift.

It is absolutely vital that wallpaper is hung vertically, so you will need either or plumbline or a spirit level to mark the first vertical line on each wall. And of course you need a tape measure, ideally one that is retractable, to be able to measure your kitchen in the first place, and to measure the drops.

Hanging the wallpaper in your kitchen

One of the reasons relatively few people tackle projects like wallpapering the kitchen themselves is that they believe it is a difficult job that should be left to the professionals. But anyone with some DIY savvy will find that it isn’t difficult at all.

The first step is to make sure that your walls are well prepared. Wallpaper is not a solution for covering up blemishes and dirty surfaces. Scrub your kitchen walls and scrape away any peeling paint.

Sandpaper any uneven edges and fill in holes and cracks using a proprietary crack filler. If the walls are currently painted with shiny enamel paint, rub the painted surface down with a coarse sandpaper to help the paste key the wall.

The next question is where to start. If you are using a bold pattern, then it is usually best to start in the centre of the most prominent wall, for example the wall behind a fireplace or the wall you see when you enter the room. The only disadvantage is that you are likely to have to trim drops vertically when you get to both corners of the room. Otherwise start at the corner of the room opposite the main entrance to the kitchen.

You then need to draw a vertical line where you are going to hang your first drop. Don’t be tempted to use a corner as your guide because these are often not vertical at all – you might be surprised.

Paint the paste onto the paper, folding each end over itself. The paste will need a little time to soak in, but don’t let it dry. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. Then carefully step up the ladder, holding the part of the paper that will be closest to the ceiling. Position the paper so that the top edge is slightly higher than the cornice, and press it firmly against the wall. Then slide it so it is in line with the vertical line you have drawn. Use a sponge or smoothing brush to make sure every inch of the paper sticks to the wall without any bubbles. Work from the top down and from the middle outwards.

Then trim the top along the edge of the cornice, either with a utility knife or by marking the paper with the back of your scissors and then peeling back slightly and cutting with the scissors. Repeat the process for each consecutive drop, making sure that any pattern matches the pattern on the drop next to it.

When you get to door and window openings, align the drop with the previous one and let it flap over the opening. Smooth the paper and then cut off the excess. If the opening is wider than the wallpaper, you may be able to use an offcut at the top of the opening – provided the pattern (if there is one) matches.

It might take a little practice, but a kitchen wallpaper project will give you a great deal of satisfaction at the end of the day.

The post Wallpapering the Kitchen – Vinyl Wallpaper, Plain and Textured appeared first on .

Your budget will ultimately determine the quality of the kitchen cabinets you buy. But let there be no mistake: all cabinets are not created equal. It’s essential to understand the difference between quality construction and average construction so you can make an informed decision. You should know what materials are used in furniture-grade cabinets versus economy cabinets. While not everyone can afford a custom kitchen, everyone can, and should, understand what makes a set of cabinets good versus average.

Types of Kitchen Cabinets

Let’s talk about the types of kitchen cabinets available. Generally speaking, when you are buying kitchen cabinets, you’ll have two primary options: box cabinets and custom-built cabinets. Box cabinets have four sides and are individual, complete compartments that are preassembled and attached to one another on the job site to form your kitchen design. Alternatively, you can have your cabinets built at your construction site (or by a shop) by a cabinet maker and then installed. The main difference between these two options is that a custom cabinet builder can make your cabinets “to size,” eliminating unsightly filler strips often needed when using manufactured cabinets built to standard sizes. Of course, custom cabinets are significantly more expensive!

There is also a third option to consider. A custom cabinet maker can create a cabinet face that’s mounted to a sub-frame, providing the look of a complete set of box cabinets but at a lower price. This might be a good option if you’re on a tight budget but want a custom look. The savings come from the fact that only the face and doors are made from furniture-grade wood or plywood, while everything inside the cabinet is open, except for the rough framing that supports the face and the countertop. This allows you to use high-quality wood for the face and doors, while saving money on the rest of the cabinet construction. The downside, however, is the wide-open look inside the cabinets, with exposed drywall that may need to be finished since it will be visible.

When considering price points for kitchen cabinets, entry-level options typically include box cabinets made from particle board with either an engineered wood or particleboard face. The doors might be constructed from finger-jointed wood or particleboard, while the shelving is often made from low-grade plywood or particleboard. The construction of the drawers involves butt joints, which are stapled or nailed and sometimes glued, similar to the rest of the joinery (where wood meets wood at a 90-degree angle). These cabinets are usually only available pre-finished in solid colors, as an unfinished cabinet would expose manufacturing imperfections.

In the same price range as entry-level cabinets is a product made specifically for DIYers, called RTA (ready to assemble). In a line-by-line cost comparison, RTA cabinets can be more affordable than most entry-level cabinets of similar quality, because there is no labor involved in their manufacturing. This type of cabinet can significantly improve the look of your kitchen, as the money saved by assembling the cabinets yourself can be used to purchase a higher-quality product that mimics the look of an expensive custom kitchen.

If DIY isn’t an option, the next step up is what we call midline cabinets, which are where most new homebuyers find cabinets that meet their needs. These cabinets offer a broader selection of design styles and colors, made possible by professional construction techniques and the use of higher-quality materials. These cabinets are generally made of wood—no particleboard—and quality plywood. The plywood is used for the sides, backs, shelving, and drawers. The face and doors are usually made from solid wood. The construction is enhanced by using dado cuts to secure the back panel, and the drawers typically feature dovetail joinery that is glued. Vinyl-covered “wood look” plywood is not used, although plywood with a laminated wood top layer (such as oak or birch) is frequently found in cabinet-making.

The best value for most new home buyers can be obtained by combining quality cabinets, careful selection of wood types, finishes, and cabinet styles (such as Victorian, Country, or European), along with carefully chosen finish trims in matching or accent colors. Oak, maple, birch, and cherry offer great value and durability. Hickory is a beautiful wood, but its grain patterns can be challenging to match in larger kitchens. Pine works well with many country styles, but the wood can be prone to movement. If you plan to paint your cabinets or use a solid stain and want solid wood underneath, consider using oak. It’s stable, hard, and reasonably priced.

Look for design opportunities when laying out your kitchen to achieve a custom look without the custom price. Consider using taller wall cabinets that reach all the way to the ceiling. This eliminates the dust-collecting area above most wall cabinets. You can also add glass doors in areas where the contents of the cabinet would add visual interest. Another great option is to use rope trim, crown molding, and spindles to accessorize your kitchen design.

The post Buying Kitchen Cabinets – A Big Investment appeared first on .

Yet new trends in kitchen countertops are not limited to the offerings of commercial businesses; they are also a result of design innovations and ingenuity. So when you consider kitchen countertops for YOUR home, look carefully at home you will use them and what they will ultimately look like, as well as how they will perform.

Countertops in any kitchen need to be able to work hard – passively that is. They need to be heat resistant, reasonably waterproof, easy to keep hygienically clean and tough enough to withstand the pressure and sharp edges of the many utensils and varied equipment we use for preparation and cooking. In addition, both aesthetics and cost will be factors that homeowners will want to consider.

Kitchen countertop design

The type of kitchen units chosen will determine, partly, what countertops are suitable. The obvious choices are:

• units that are built according to the design of the room, which usually ensures best use of the space available, or
• units that are purchased off the shelf and then configured to the space and room size available.

Within both these categories there is further choice between appointing a contractor or manufacturer to do the installation, or either paying a sub-contractor or doing the work yourself. Usually this choice is dictated by budget, although there are many people who actually enjoy doing the work themselves, and who are able to do it as well, and sometimes even better than qualified professionals.

But how adventurous do you want to be?

Traditional materials for countertops

Whether you use traditional materials or bright new products for your kitchen countertops, it is vital to ensure that the units used are suitable for the countertop material chosen. The most obvious reason for this is that the shell or cupboard carcass must be strong enough to support the counter. If, for example, tiles are to form the finished surface, there will also need to be a solid top of some sort that can be tiled.

If units are made from lumber, typical traditional counter top materials might be:

• solid wood,
• some sort of laminate like melamine or more expensive Formica (which is a registered product),
• ceramic or quarry tiles, usually laid on board that forms part of the structure of the unit,
• solid marble or granite, or tiles made from these types of mined stone.

Solid wood can look wonderful and it is a hardwearing material. However it needs to be custom cut and finished if it is to be used for counter tops.

If you want wood that is eco-friendly, you might want to look around and find some of the more popular and reliable companies in your area. For Canadians, the Canadian Heritage Timber Company that recycles old building wood; Second Wind Timbers which produces a remarkably large range of recycled timber building products; or Logs End (www.logsend.com) that harvests new FSC-certified wood and also rescues timber felled generations ago that has been perfectly preserved in rivers underwater, are tree excellent resources. Search the Internet or even your local Yellow Pages for companies in your area (and of course country).

For decades, laminate tops have been particularly popular for mass-produced counter units. Depending on the exact material used, they are tough and heat resistant. Cheaper materials do, however, eventually disintegrate and peal. Post-formed work tops have been a favorite since they were first launched, because manufacturers are able to round corners and to mold the laminate onto the counter surface using various heat treatments.

You’ll find laminate tops at stores like Lowes and Home Depot. Both companies offer installation services, or you can buy their products and either do the installation yourself, or simply supply your builder with the materials.

Both also stock and install granite and other more trendy, 21st century products.

Trendy kitchen countertops

While the traditional materials are still universally available, there are a selection of more exciting materials that we can use for our kitchen counters. Some of these incorporate the use of recycled materials, which is of course an eco-friendly, and so therefore in itself a trendy option.

New trends in kitchen countertops include materials that use recycled glass, quartz combined with resins, new-age composite materials made using concrete and recycled glass, natural stone including slate, and new-improved laminates, to name just a few possibilities.

Whilst some of the new materials around today can increase your building bills quite dramatically, by shopping around, and checking out , for example what the Lowes-type stores offer, you will find that there are some quite interesting and cost effective options. But you will need to do your homework and check prices against what is offered.

You should also remember that certain generic types of counter top are sold under certain trade names. For example, lots of people talk about their Corian counters. Corian is a registered name for a laminate product that is supplied by DuPont (www2.dupont.com) in the US and Canada. But you can also find it at the likes of Home Depot or Lowes. Corian countertops are made in a number of finishes, some of which look like granite and other types of stone. They are stain, heat and bacteria-resistant, but clearly not as strong or resistant as the real thing – or in fact as strong as any other engineered stone, for example Silestone.

Silestone (www.silestone.com) is made from durable quartz, rather than more expensive granite – although both are, of course made from natural stone that is mined from the earth. Quartz is considerably cheaper and easier to source than granite or marble (the latter of which is in any case not ideal for kitchen counters because it is quite soft and stains easily). And, according to the manufacturer, Silestone is the only product of its kind to have built-in “bacteriostatic” production, which is probably why it is one of the premier new trends in kitchen countertops.

Then there are green products, including those that are recycled.

One of the most exciting recycled North American products – or rather products that utilize recycled materials – is Vetrazzo which incorporates a large glass aggregate in its manufacture. In fact as much as 85% of the material is made from recycled glass, making it one of the most eco-friendly kitchen counter tops you’re going to find. Now promoted as “Vetrazzo by Polycor” (because the company that bought out Vetrazzo), these kitchen counters are amazingly strong and durable. If you do want to go green, it will also matter to you that this particular product won the very first annual Green Log Home & Lifestyle Award in the countertop division. You can read more at www.precisioncraft.com.

Another “green” countertop product that is exciting home owners in North America is Granicrete (www.granicrete.com). But unlike those we have been talking about, this is an overlay product that is manufactured to cover an existing counter top. It looks like granite or marble but is half the price, without looking cheap. This, and another product called Aurastone, must be applied using a trowel onto existing countertops by a trained installer.

There’s lots of choice and lots to think about. It will also pay you to do ongoing homework to keep up with changing trends in kitchens as a whole, and kitchen counters in particular.

The post New Trends in Kitchen Countertops appeared first on .

Homeowners have many options when choosing their kitchen’s style. There is no right or wrong choice—it’s a matter of personal taste. Popular styles include antique, retro, traditional, and contemporary, with more specific periods like French Colonial, American Traditional, and Art Deco.

One style homeowners often consider when remodeling a kitchen is contemporary. This look can transform a 30- or 40-year-old kitchen, bringing it into the 21st century.

Defining Contemporary Style

Contemporary fixtures, design elements, and cabinets feature a streamlined look with sharp yet smooth curves. Cabinets and drawers are flat and smooth, often with a glossy finish, and lack recesses or raised areas. Hardware is typically absent or recessed, and colors are often monochromatic, such as black, white, beige, or stainless steel.

The contemporary style is seamless, defining your kitchen as utilitarian, accessible, and efficient. It evokes a uniform, minimalistic, and symmetrical feel.

Factors to Consider

Installing contemporary kitchen cabinets creates a bold visual statement, requiring you to reconsider other kitchen elements.

Important Considerations

Here are key factors to influence your cabinet choice:

• Prioritize functionality, ensuring cabinets meet your cooking and baking needs.
• Combine different-sized cabinets for visual interest, leveraging the uniformity of contemporary design.
• Choose brightly colored surfaces for dark kitchens.
• Opt for darker colors in brighter kitchens.
• Use slim, recessed hardware to add subtle accents.

Appliances and Fixtures

Changing cabinet style often requires updating appliances and fixtures to maintain a cohesive look.

• Ensure major appliances match your cabinet style.
• Align sinks and counters with the contemporary aesthetic.
• Update adjacent dining nooks, bar areas, or dining spaces to match.
• Contrast colors and textures on appliances and counter finishes for visual diversity.
• Consider wall coverings and kitchen decorations to complement the style.

Concerns About Contemporary Style

Common concerns about contemporary cabinetry can be addressed in various ways:

• Cost: Renovating a kitchen can be expensive, as a contemporary look often involves updating all elements. Costs vary based on materials and construction methods.
• Monotony: Some find contemporary cabinets boring, but hardware and creative cabinet configurations can add flair.
• Color Limitations: While black, white, beige, and stainless steel dominate, many other colors are available.
• Uniformity: To prevent a bland look, use granite, quartz, lavastone, or glass countertops for visual interest.

Create a Whole New Kitchen

Contemporary kitchen cabinets modernize your cooking space with an elegant, polished, and streamlined appearance. Designed for busy lifestyles, they maximize space efficiency and are easy to clean due to their smooth surfaces. Made from durable materials, they offer a trendy, upscale, and tasteful style for homeowners seeking a sophisticated kitchen upgrade.

The post Contemporary Kitchen Cabinets Can Transform Your Cooking Space appeared first on .

Many homeowners may be stuck in the rut where they are trying to replace an existing fixture in their home and don’t know what they could possible put in its place because of the size or shape of the light. Others are trying to add more lighting but don’t know how to do so within the constraints of their kitchen. In any other room you would maybe add a lamp or two but that is certainly not as feasible with a kitchen. Because of the technical aspects of changing out a light many homeowners are inclined to contact an electrician, however, their skills do not generally help with design and style decisions. By consulting a lighting design specialist to help you with your lighting decisions, you should be able to obtain a professional opinion on not only good style features for lighting, but on the functional quality of various lighting products.

Trends to Consider

The difficulty with trendy lighting fixtures is that you are likely staring up at a trend of somebody’s decade and can’t believe that anyone would have ever found the giant box of fluorescent bulbs attractive let alone functional for cooking, entertaining and just plain eating. One way to be conservative with choosing a trend without going generic is to look at what builders are using in new build homes. Builders will purchase their products in large quantities and consequently you should see nearly the same lighting throughout their models.

While builders may not specialize in decorative variety, they do work with people who understand today’s current trends and what will appeal to buyers. The builder’s models will give you an idea of what is typical and allow you to be more custom or more conservative with your selection. In the least, it is a great place to start when you are a big overwhelmed by the options found at the home improvement store or lighting design studio.

The main overhead lighting is typically the focus for kitchen lighting projects, but there are also a number of other areas that would benefit from some added lighting. Homeowners may want to consider under cupboard lighting which will light the area between the bottoms of the cupboards to the countertop. This can be particularly beautiful with reflective countertops or backsplash tiles. There is also the potential for using lighting on top of cabinets that have display items or even within cupboards that have glass doors, allowing you to showcase china or other special items. Functional lighting above a sink or an island is almost always expected, but by adding additional lighting elements, you can easily enhance and personalize the look of your kitchen.

Where to Shop

When shopping for kitchen lighting fixtures, the home improvement store is a great standby, but it shouldn’t be your one and only stop. Many unique lighting options were not intended for kitchen design at all yet they are truly beautiful and actually offer functional value as well. Consider chandeliers that can change the mood quickly with a dimming switch. Or you can consult with a glass maker who can provide custom pendant lighting in the size, shape and color you might not be able to find readily available anywhere else.

There are also antique shops that specialize completely in lighting fixtures that can help you to complete an authentic look. Environmentally focused products are becoming routinely available in local stores but you can potentially find products that are not only created from recycled materials but actually have energy saving features as well. You may even be able to customize or update your lighting fixtures on your own with a little creativity. Sometimes by just adding a coat or spray paint to a dated wall sconce will suddenly change the look entirely. If you are reusing an old product or attempting to enhance the power function of a product, you should consult with a certified electrician prior to installing the light.

What to Consider

With kitchen lighting, style and function are understandably the main concerns. However, it is also how feasible the light fixture really is. Some homeowners may be considering lighting products that look great, but end up not being great options for a kitchen. A small chandelier with tiny lamp shades covering the bulbs may initially seem like a perfect option, but the fabric on the shades will be particularly prone to capturing dirt, oil and grease that are natural to a kitchen. A fixture should be able to hold up to the range of humidity, heat and high traffic use of a kitchen. Another thing to consider is installing long lasting bulbs. These may at first seem like an unnecessary, added expense, but, the frequency of use in the kitchen makes them worth the investment.

Lighting the kitchen is a way to change the personality of one of the most important rooms in your home. Selecting the right style of lighting products combined with choosing a functional fixture can be a difficult task which is all before you even got to the part where you are trying to install it. By consulting a professional you may be able to save time and money as well as be exposed to different lighting sources you would not have otherwise considered. By simply updating your kitchen lighting, you can easily add more function while creating a great new look and style to your kitchen.

The post Lighting the Kitchen – Be Practical with your Selection of Lights appeared first on .

When contemplating a theme, there are a few important questions to ask yourself as you embark on this exciting decorating journey.

First, would you like your kitchen theme to match the existing theme of your home? For example, when you think of your home, what theme would you say it follows? Is it a country farmhouse with a picket fence and a tree swing in the yard? Or perhaps an adobe home in the Southwest with chili peppers and rounded arched doorways? Maybe it’s a beach house where summer is eternal, with water, sand, and shells playing a major role. Or, perhaps a Cape Cod home with cedar shingles and a walkway leading from the garage to the house. Or you might envision a cozy mountain cabin surrounded by a forest of trees. These are just a few examples of décor styles that could inspire a fantastic kitchen theme.

Incorporating Personal Heritage and Travel Inspirations

Another question to consider is, “What is my heritage?” For instance, do your roots trace back to Ireland, Mexico, Italy, or the French Riviera? Creating a theme based on your family heritage is a wonderful way to honor your background and share it with others, as well as provide a history lesson for your growing children.

If your travels have left you with fond memories of a particular destination, why not create a kitchen theme based on your favorite vacation spot? Have you ever visited a place so captivating that you couldn’t wait to return? Recreate that “heaven” in your kitchen, so you can enjoy a little piece of your dream vacation every day.

If you’re still unsure about how you want to decorate your kitchen, browse home decorating websites. There are literally hundreds of them! The world is at your fingertips. Look through decorating magazines for inspiration. When visiting friends, pay attention to the techniques they’ve used in their kitchen décor. Keep track of any ideas you like, clipping pictures from magazines or printing images from online sites. This will help keep your ideas fresh in your mind.

Create a kitchen theme file where you can store all the ideas you like in one spot. Add handwritten notes as new ideas come to you. Feel free to mix and match decorating ideas for your theme—be creative! Choosing an unusual theme is perfectly fine. After all, it’s your kitchen, so you can do anything that creates an enjoyable environment.

A major consideration when choosing a theme is your budget. If you have an unlimited budget, you can incorporate every idea you’ve found to create your dream kitchen theme. If your budget is tight, you may need to be more creative and use ideas sparingly. Another important consideration is whether your kitchen is large enough to host all the elements of your theme, or if you should just incorporate a few key elements.

When choosing your theme, it’s crucial to research the particular area or tradition that inspires it. Learn about the lifestyle, culture, and décor associated with that region. What colors are commonly used? What kind of textures are popular for walls? How do they cover windows, and what types of food are typically made there? Understanding the way of life in the region that inspires your theme will help you make your kitchen feel authentic.

Adding Personal Touches to Your Kitchen Theme

When creating a kitchen theme, using items unique to the region or culture you’ve chosen can enhance the décor and make the theme even more distinctive. When entering the room, there should be no doubt about what your theme is—no explanation needed. Flea markets and secondhand stores are great places to find unique items that add character to your kitchen theme, often at a fraction of the cost.

Be sure to take before-and-after pictures of your kitchen for your family album. You’ll enjoy looking back on the transformation, and your kids will have fun reminiscing about their childhood. Styles tend to repeat themselves every twenty years, and home décor is no different.

There’s a simple way to decide if your kitchen theme decorating project has been a success: ask yourself, “How do I feel when I walk into the kitchen?” Do you love being in the room and feel happy and content when you spend time there? Do you enjoy showing it off to family and friends?

One thing is certain: nothing says “welcome” like a sparkling clean kitchen, where delightful smells greet your nose and a happy hostess awaits.

The post Creating A Theme In The Kitchen appeared first on .