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Home Improvement Articles |
Kitchens have evolved a lot over the years.
Once found only in the rear of the house, today's kitchen design
takes the kitchen out the background. The challenge for kitchen
design is in creating a more open-faced kitchen, that is part of a
dining area, a family room or a great room.
In deciding on how to design your kitchen, you must take into
consideration such things as: will your kitchen have an island? Will
it be of a modern or traditional design? What kinds of appliances
will you need for your new kitchen design? What kind of lighting
design?
1. Kitchen as 'Great Room'
Whether you are redesigning an existing kitchen or planning a new
kitchen in a new home there are some design considerations to keep
in mind, such as including in an island or peninsula as part of the
kitchen design. These can be used to connect the kitchen to a nearby
dining area or family room thereby creating a 'great room'. A
kitchen island or peninsula will allow the cook to keep in visual
and conversational contact with family members or guests in the
adjoining family or dining room.
2. Create a Kitchen Canopy
To give the kitchen some visible borders without blocking views
create a kitchen canopy. Also a high ceiling in the kitchen can
create the perception of spaciousness.
3. Using Kitchen Cabinet Color to Set Tone of Kitchen Design
Kitchen cabinets will help set the tone for the whole room. The
choice of wood will influence the overall look of your cabinets. To
create a light look, use a light wood such as ash, beech, birch,
oak, maple, or chestnut. For medium range, select cherry. To darker
kitchens, choose wood that has some color to it.
4. Plan Out Use of Cabinets and Drawers in The New Kitchen Design
Plan out in the kitchen design blueprint just how your cabinets and
drawers will be used and how much space and storage you will need
before you start your new kitchen design. The first thing to examine
is the counter surface area. Look at where you put everything in
your existing kitchen and where in your new kitchen design will
these things will go in the new space. Will there be more than one
person cooking at a time. If so, will there be enough room for two
cooks in the kitchen to work together?
5. Use The Galley-Type Kitchen Design
As for counter arrangements, many kitchen designers agree the
galley-type design to be the best in terms of efficiency with it's
single aisle and counters to either side, making it easy to turn
around to go from sink to cooking range.
6. Under-Cabinet Kitchen Lighting
Kitchen lighting can be an overlooked area of kitchen design. Even
if the kitchen has generally good lighting, the counter areas can be
somewhat dark. For these areas under-cabinet lighting can help
provide more light to work in. By using simple spots or fluorescent
lights a smaller kitchen can be made to look larger.
7. Looking at Countertops
Granite, marble, and limestone are all popular natural materials for
use in countertops are available in many colors. Ceramic tile
kitchen countertops are versatile, practical, and also available in
many colors, as well as many shapes, patterns, and finishes. Solid
surface countertops provide seamless acrylic faces. Solid surfaces
also come in almost limitless colors, patterns, and styles, and are
stain and heat resistant. Laminate countertops are more affordable
but not built to last. Concrete countertops are known for
versatility, as well as strength. Wood countertops are long lasting
and easy to clean and repair but the wood will not withstand
exposure to water and household chemicals. Stainless steel
countertops lack the elegance of granite or tile. These countertops
do not absorb stains, but tends to scratch easily.
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About the Author: D. Benjamin is the owner of
iapsales.com LLC - a family business specializing in HVAC products. We
are distributors of
Qmark Heaters,
electric tankless water heaters,
bathroom heaters,
patio heaters, electric heaters,
portable air
conditioners & electric towel warmers. Shop on line at
www.heateroutlet.com for these great home improvement products.
Iapsales.com LLC was established in 2003 and is the sister company to
Innovative Air Products located in historical Exeter, NH. We are a 2nd
generation manufacturers’ rep firm dedicated to providing residential &
commercial heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment. We offer
a great selection online at the lowest prices anywhere. We can also be
found on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
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