kitchen

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General

Small Kitchen, Big Potential

Modern Kitchen Trends

By Gina G.

Having a small kitchen doesn’t necessarily mean you’re limited in your design capacity. Rather, you have the opportunity to really stretch those creative muscles. Here are a few ideas that can make your small kitchen area  that much more functional:
Try bold colored cabinetry. Hands down, colors pop. More commonly we are used to white or wood colored (spanning from maple to espresso) cabinets in the kitchen. However, why limit yourself? Colored cabinetry is definitely gaining traction in the industry and can be a simple way to add some design to your kitchen without taking up space. If you feel like painting your whole cabinetry is just a little too adventurous for you, try painting just the doors of the cabinets in a complimentary tone. Blue tones and pastels are great options for this approach. Either way, color cabinetry pair well with most granites and stainless steel appliances.
Speaking of appliances, if your remodel is bigger in scale and involves large appliances, consider hidden appliances (fridges, microwaves, etc). Hidden appliances provide dual functions: they are both practical and aesthetically pleasing for small kitchen areas as they blend seamlessly into cabinetry without taking up already limited space.
Another idea to maximize the design of your small kitchen is to dress up your windows. You may only have one or two, so utilizing them to add something special to your kitchen is important. Consider a soft roman shade for a simpler kitchen, a bamboo shade for a more rustic style, or a textured roller shade for a more modern approach. Be sure to keep the treatment light filtering to take advantage of the natural light your window brings to your space.
As far as accessories and smaller appliances, if you opted for more traditional colored cabinets, here is an opportunity to bring in that color. And go bold, use warm colors but limit the prints. Fresh flowers are also a simple, yet impactful addition to smaller areas. Finally, avoid tons of knick knacks and non-essential items as they tend to make smaller kitchens appear cluttered.

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Kitchen Faux Wood Blinds General Inspiration Tips and Advice

The Power of a Grey Kitchen

Neutral color palettes like white, tan and beige have long held their top spots as the most popular kitchen hues. However, the use of sleek, sophisticated grey color schemes is soaring. When it comes to a kitchen design, grey is making its mark as the new must have essential color. Grey is both modern and edgy while remaining timeless and classic. So, it comes to no surprise that grey is quickly becoming the contemporary neutral of our time. As a refreshing take on neutral, grey can be the perfect choice because of its wide range of warm and cool shades. It suits just about every room, every mood, and every setting. The versatile of grey makes it perfectly suited for kitchens. It provides a relaxing neutrality and an exciting warmth to your space, giving you the best of both worlds. Grey presents itself as a fitting backdrop to any style from classic to modern and even traditional. All furniture styles and all ranges of bright colors pair delightfully with this modern neutral. Unlike beige or tan, it contrasts well with wood tones, making it the ideal companion for wood floors. If you can’t decide which color to go with, combining both grey and white cabinets give you the best of both worlds. It’s also a great way to add interest to your kitchen while breaking things up. You can also reverse the colors by doing grey as the cabinets and white for the kitchen walls. The look of grey cabinets build anticipation for other aspects of the kitchen. You can not wait to see the countertop, the floor, the backsplash and so on. In a way grey allows other elements of the kitchen décor to stand out. Instead of boring, grey actually makes the kitchen more exciting.

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Geometric pattern on these patio doors. General Inspiration Tips and Advice

Patterns

One of the big styles in 2018 is pattern. Big, bold and colorful patterns. The problem a lot of people run into is how to use the pattern, and how much is too much. These patterns are so bold that it’s easy to overdo a good thing. To make it a little easier, we have broken down a typical house – room by room – and made a list of suggestions on how to introduce these fun new patterns!

  • Bedroom: Change up your bedding! The bedding is the number one statement you can make in any bedroom since the bed is almost always the focal point. It is also an easy enough thing to change up every season, once a year, or whenever the mood strikes.
  • Kitchen: Use your kitchen towels! It may seem like a small change, but generally the kitchen is one of the more “cluttered” room in your home – so you don’t want to add to the congestion – but a bright red and orange towel set will surely stand out amongst your gray or neutral palette.
  • Living Room: Add some side panels. Side panels are a good way in any room to introduce some color. The living room is a great space to change these because the windows tend to be less crowded than in some other rooms – and again it is usually a space with a more neutral palette that can handle a pop of color.
  • Bathroom: Go bold and change your shower curtain. Shower curtains are easy to change out and tend to be relatively inexpensive – so a great room to introduce that chevron pattern you have been eyeing in the store.
  • Dining Room: Grab a table runner or some placemats. The dining room tends to lack in pattern in general, so dressing up the table everyone is going to be gathered around is always a great way to change the room up – and it’s also a inexpensive update.

Most of these suggestions can be used in multiple places in the home, just keep in mind less is always more! It is always a good idea to have one big statement in every room in the house, and not to overdo one room with too many strong statements. Happy decorating!!

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General Inspiration Tips and Advice

Backsplash Inspiration

There are a million and one decisions that go into designing a kitchen; appliances, cabinets, door handles, paint colors, and fixture finishes. But, believe it or not, one of the most defining features of your kitchen is the color and style of your backsplash. Bold or neutral, plain or patterned – this element is going to make a statement for anyone who walks into your kitchen.

Since this piece is so important, the problem then arises of how do I decide what to go with? For starters, you have to take all of the other elements in the room into consideration. The easiest route is to design the rest of the kitchen, and then tackle the backsplash. However, if you have a dream backsplash in mind, chose that, and design the remainder of your kitchen around that. Keep in mind though, it should be the element that ties everything else together – if you have brushed metal fixtures, do not chose a backsplash with chrome or gold. If you have chosen dark cabinets, it is recommended to add a brighter backsplash to lighten up the space.

Good news! There is a huge variety; from tiles, to granite pieces, to metals, to marble – backsplashes are now designed out of anything or everything. Even my personal favorite – sea glass – imagine what a statement that could make paired with a fresh white cabinet! All this variety gives you a range of colors – make sure to coordinate – but try not to match – you never want to overdo a good thing – and in reality, you will never match perfectly either!

Not only color and materials, but sizes and shapes. You always want to keep in mind the size of the space you are working with – if you have a smaller area, you don’t want to go with a tile that is too big, and you won’t be able to repeat many times throughout the space – and at the same time, if you have a huge space, don’t go with a small subway tile that will look overly busy when lined up across the wall.

Once you have chosen the color and size, then you get to decide how to arrange the material. A subway tile can be used vertically, not always horizontal like is expected. A small rectangle piece of granite doesn’t always have to be symmetrical, it could even be arranged in a herringbone pattern.

All in all, the options are endless. Keep in mind like we mentioned earlier, this is going to be a huge statement, no matter how bold or muted you go – but it is also something you are a going to be living with for a long time – so make sure to get samples, test things out, and fall in love before you start installing!

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DIY Inspiration Tips and Advice

Space Saving Ideas for Your Kitchen

Kitchens aren’t always as spacious or inviting as you see on HGTV. Sometimes you have a modest kitchen or a galley kitchen and the hardest thing is to find enough space for all of your appliances and essentials such as plates, bowls, and silverware.

One of the best ways to find more storage is to add it yourself! One way you can do this is by adding an island. I am not talking about the kind you are thinking of that are of so popular and everywhere in the model homes and magazines. What I am talking about is a lot more practical and can add much needed storage and count top space. These islands are like carts most of them are movable with wheels and are great for adding needed counter top space as well. You can bring things out of the cabinets that you go to a lot and put it on the open shelving as well pots or cereal whatever you find is more helpful. The best part as these allow you to move them into a corner or out of the way when you don’t need them and bring them closer and have that crucial extra countertop space when you do.

Another great space saver is to hang items on the wall pot hooks or racks are great for this and again allows you to get those pots and pans out of the cabinets where you can now store more food, spices, linens, or whatever else you may want to stash behind closed doors.

Another great thing to do is find extra room. This can be done in a lot of different ways and would rely you utilizing all the space you may have and not realize. One thing you may want to do is stack spices perhaps putting ones you use less often on the bottom or just organizing them so they take up less room this can be done for any set of food just prioritize the food you use most often and put the others underneath. If you have space around your fridge you may be able to fit in an extending rack so you can hide brooms or whatever else back there and pull it out when needed. Lastly you can try and get things off the countertops hanging paper towels or knives under the cabinets will net you a lot of precious counter top space.

Happy planning and have fun finding new space and making your kitchen your dream kitchen.

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General Tips and Advice

Kitchen Organization Tips

Organizing our kitchen is an ongoing project. One day everything is back where it belongs, the next it looks like a tornado ran past. I’ve slowly come up with a few useful techniques that help keep everything in one place and in order.

  • Make the most out of the spaces you have. Being that a lot of storage in the kitchen is tucked away in cabinets, it is easier than not to “shove” stuff away. What I’ve found, is making a designated “home” for things makes it far more likely to maintain organization. One example is using the inside of a cabinet to hang our measuring spoons and cups – by simply making hooks and labeling where each belongs. I also hung a tension rod underneath the kitchen sink – and all cleaning supplies are hooked on top to keep them off the ground. I have also attached metal paper holders to the inside of a few lower cabinets – store cutting boards in one and aluminum foil/cling wrap in another.
  • Labeling! While it may sound unnecessary, labeling containers in your pantry helps everything stay organized and in order – and helps when making the grocery list too. In my pantry we use the containers with pop lids and I just use simple tape and write the contents on the outside.
  • Create more shelving inside of your cabinets. Pots and pans are a huge offender in my house – we simply added a couple of more shelves, and suddenly everything had a place. The large pots had to fit on the bottom, the smaller sauce pans on the middle shelf, and the frying pans up top – because that was the only place they fit. Spices tend to take up a lot of space as well, so dividing a standard cabinet into smaller shelves allows you more space to stack them and makes them a lot easier to access!
  • Fruits/Veggies Storage. Fresh fruits/veggies that do not go in the refrigerator used to take up space and look like clutter on my counters. We purchased a metal wall hanger (designed for mail) and hung it on a wall that was out of the way. We now have one spot for fruits, one for veggies, and the third we use for extra storage.
  • Hooks. Purchase inexpensive stick on hooks for the back of appliances. When not in use, the hooks can serve as a place to hang the cords. There is nothing messier on a counter than cords hanging down all over the place!

Hopefully these tips will give you some order and organization in your kitchen as well!

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General Inspiration Tips and Advice

Two-Toned Cabinets

If you’re looking to spice up or add flare to your kitchen, a popular trend emerged towards the end of 2017; Two-Toned Cabinets. This trend is sure to carry on into 2018 (and already has!) giving your kitchen a whole new look. This process allows you to incorporate a new color, not only into your kitchen, but to the surrounding rooms as well. It allows you to highlight different aspects or  decor pieces in your kitchen as well.

One of the best ways to use two-toned cabinets is to draw the eye and attention to them. For instance, a large island is a great example of where you would want to make it stand out; or to change your upper and lower cabinets into different colors. This is a great way to add warmth by using a darker shade on the bottom, and a warmer tone on top. You can also choose to go the high-contrast route where maybe you do something like go with a navy or red to really make a point and a bold statement. You don’t always need to use paint to accomplish this either, you can also use stains to add a difference in your cabinets and still make for a very modern touch in your kitchen.

Ultimately, it is important to remember your surrounding walls and rooms so this technique can be a finishing touch and really pull the whole house together.

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General Inspiration Shades Tips and Advice

Kitchen Window Decor

From countertops to cabinets, designing a kitchen involves coordinating multiple surfaces, colors and textures. Finding the perfect combination that looks great together (and fits your vision) can be tough. Throw in window treatments that are functional and attractive, and all the decisions can seem downright overwhelming! So to help you out, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite kitchen window décor ideas.

NATURAL WOOD TONES

Woven Wood shades are an excellent choice for kitchens. They are easy to operate, can act as light filtering or blackout treatments depending on the material and lining, and come in numerous styles and colors. Our best suggestion is to choose a material/style with colors that pick up on the warmth of the natural wood tones elsewhere in your kitchen. For example, Woven Wood shades in a coordinating tone are a logical choice to add interest to a kitchen complete with white subway tile and Forrest Green cabinetry.

You can also coordinate Woven Wood Shades with the finish of your hardwood floors. Say you have white and cool gray on your kitchen cabinets; if you match or coordinate the woven window shades to the color(s) of wood on your floor, you can visually link the walls with the rich color of the floors, keeping the space cozy and intimate.

WHITE ON WHITE KITCHENS

If you have a statement piece in your kitchen, such as a patterned floor, you can allow your window treatments to remain subtle and understated to let the rest of the room shine. You can choose something like a simple, solid white Roller Shade to block glare, and the textured cabinets and colorful floor take center stage in a bright kitchen. Or you can use a soft cellular shade to help insulate and keep the window looking soft. Whenever you use a monochromatic white palette with pops of color, it  always results in a sleek design.

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DIY Inspiration Tips and Advice

Kitchen Spruce Up

When most people move into a new home, kitchens tend to be the first room that require attention. Whether it is just not your style or color palette, not designed in a functional way, or is just plain old outdated, most people want to give it a facelift. Unfortunately, after purchasing a house, it is generally not in the budget to renovate the entire room. Luckily, there are a few small projects you can do to give the room a new look without too much of an investment (and give you a chance to put the full kitchen remodel on the five-year plan).

  • A fresh coat of paint. Paint can literally make a world of difference in any space, the kitchen included. The walls are a great start, but take it farther and add a coat of paint to the cabinets. You can really change the look of the kitchen by painting some wooden cabinets white, or painting some white cabinets a trendy shade of gray.
  • Add a backsplash. Most older kitchens were designed without a backsplash – which makes adding a new backsplash even easier! Bring in a new color, or tone down the color of the room. If you are nervous to undertake a project tiling, check out your local home improvement stores where you can buy “tile like” pieces that are easy to install – they install almost as easy as wallpaper but with the classy look of tile!
  • Update outdated light fixtures. It’s amazing how much different a simple LED bulb can make a room look, but change out the fixture to something updated – think antique bronze or brushed nickel. Most are easy to change out but looking online for a local handyman could be a good idea when dealing with electrical work.
  • Change out the old hardware. Switch the outdated hardware on all drawers and cabinets to something new. It’s an easy fix that takes only a couple of hours and will make an instant difference!
  • Make a chalkboard wall. A chalkboard wall is easy to make, you can buy the paint at any paint store, and it instantly creates a great conversation piece! You can use it to decorate the room – if you are good at drawing – or you can use it for a great area for your kids to play with.
  • New appliances. Obviously, a larger investment, but changing outdated appliances can really refresh the space, and will be something that you will keep when you end up doing a total remodel down the road.

Hope these ideas buy you some time until your big remodel. Happy decorating!

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General

One Room At A Time: Kitchen Decorating 101

Since the kitchen is the room in my house people always tend to see when they stop by, I always love to keep the room looking clean, up to date, and refreshed. It’s the place you’ll gather for a cup of coffee after the kids leave for school, where the family will gather to celebrate events, and the room you’ll relax in with friends after a long week of work. That being said, it’s always easier to keep it simple from a decorating perspective.
– Use your everyday items as décor. – For example, the pretty coffee cups you use on a regular basis can be hung above the counter from simple hooks – not only does it take clutter off the counter, but the color in the cups can then accent your décor! Another example is using glass jars to store your fruit. Fruit is also colorful and decorative, and generally, you need somewhere to store it as well – use the decorative containers you were given last Christmas to show them off!
– Add greenery. – Depending on how you much counter space you have, figure out where it makes the most sense to bring in some plants. If you are low on space, don’t waste it – find a corner where you can get some hanging shelves and fill them with plants. Use them as a centerpiece on your kitchen table – it will force you to make sure the table doesn’t fill with clutter too! If you have the space on your counter, use it to your advantage and add a few small plants to brighten it up.
– Use chalkboards. – Depending on the household there are lots of fun uses for chalkboards in the kitchen. You can use to with your partner to remember what meals you shopped for at the beginning of the week if you have kids you can use it to keep track of after-school activities or even chores. If you just love to entertain you can add fun quotes and sayings that are different every time your friends stop by!
– Bring in some color. – Although the kitchen is a room without a lot of fabric treatments, you can always find a way to bring in some color. For starters, throw an area rug down under the kitchen table, or a runner in front of the sink. Rugs are a fun way to bring in a trendy color or pattern without being overly committed to it. You could also add a valance or window treatment with some color for fairly inexpensive.

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