Kitchen Ideas You Can Use, Updated Edition: The Latest Styles, Appliances, Features and Tips for Renovating Your Kitchen

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From the Publisher

BREAK THE WINDOW . . . RULES

In general, it’s not a good idea to block a window with a structural element. But that rule can be bent if not broken, as this kitchen clearly shows. The designer has run open shelving across two double-hung windows. The operable part of the window is below where the shelf bisects the opening, allowing the window to function as it would otherwise. The design creates dynamic lines where you wouldn’t expect them and allows the homeowner to store elegant vessels and cookware fully illuminated by the sun streaming through the windows. It’s an unusual design tactic, but one that works well here.

Small Kitchen Design Tips And Tricks

Make your modest kitchen work harder and look better by leveraging strategies straight out of an interior designer’s playbook.

Get Mobile. Rolling islands and cabinetry provide the most flexibility where space is tight. Wheels allow you to store a work surface or extra storage off to the side of the room until needed. Be Shelf-Ish. Exploit even small areas of bare wall with shelves sized to fit. Even a shallow spice shelf can alleviate some of the storage burden on cabinets in a small kitchen. Rack It. Hanging storage—whether it’s overhead pot racks or wall-mounted bar hangers—can be a great way to free up space in drawers and cabinets. The cookware and utensils you’d most likely hang tend to be space hogs and an inefficient use of enclosed storage. Mirror, Mirror. Mirrored surfaces will make the space seem larger and will bounce light around so that cramped counters are better illuminated for work tasks. You can mirror cabinet fronts, backsplashes, and even entire walls.

Color In The Kitchen

Be Fearlessly Bold When You’Re Sure

If you absolutely love certain colors and you plan on owning your home for a good long time (if not the rest of your life), then don’t be afraid to take the plunge and color the space to suit your preferences. This kitchen reflects just such a bold decision, indulging the homeowner’s love of neon colors. The space is vibrant, highenergy, and happy. The color scheme is actually a coordinated complementary scheme with an analogous addition (the orange). It may not be for everyone, but it adds life and excitement to what might otherwise be a sedate space.

Play It Safe By Coloring With Tradition

Certain classic colors are inextricably linked to a certain design style. Using these hues in the style for which they were intended is an easy way to liven up a space with color. The dusty cornflower blue used in this country kitchen is the ideal marriage of simple form and lines with a color that’s completely associated with that particular style. A muted-cream yellow would have been just as appropriate, and just as timeless.

Confine Colors To Countertops To Keep From Overwhelming The Space

The light green of the countertops used in this modern kitchen gives the space a fresh feel and makes it appear less sterile than it would if it had been kept all white. However, limiting the color to the countertops balances the visual weight in the space and ensures that it still holds true to a modern design aesthetic.

Kitchen Cabinets: Replace Or Reface?

Sparkling new kitchen cabinets are eye-catching centerpieces in a kitchen. But they also represent a major cost, one that can easily run into six figures. Refacing existing cabinetry is a less-expensive option. The decision to reface or replace depends on the state of your current cabinets, the look you’re after, and other factors.

Refacing involves removing and replacing doors, drawer fronts, and hardware, and cladding the exposed portions of existing cabinet boxes with panels that match the new doors. The three types of refacing materials are laminate, rigid thermofoil (RTF), and wood veneer. Laminates are plastic composites much like countertop laminates. They offer a wide range of colors and patterns, but are prone to delamination, wear, and chipping. RTF facing can be formed over surface relief elements and is available in a number of different appearances. Wood veneer is the facing of choice where you want a realistic wood appearance. The veneer is available in both softwood and hardwood appearances.

Refacing cabinets can save you half what you would have spent on replacements, but the decision will also rely on the existing cabinets. Much older cabinets may feature sturdy, solid-wood boxes. These are ideal foundations for refacing. But if cabinets are more recent versions crafted of MDF—or if the boxes are compromised in any way—they should be replaced. New cabinets may also make more sense if you’re reconfiguring the layout of the kitchen.

Any cabinet refacing contractor should be licensed and insured. As in working with any trade professional, obtain the initial quote in writing, listing exactly the material to be used and the final price including installation and scheduling (the process takes two to four days). It’s also wise to get at least three references and, if possible, check out those installations in person to see if the work meets your quality standards.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cool Springs Press; 2nd edition (April 3, 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0760360677
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0760360675
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.9 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.38 x 0.63 x 10.75 inches