Kitchen

Attractive and Easy to Maintain Kitchen Flooring Options

The kitchen is typically one of the busiest areas of your home so you’ll want to choose flooring that is not only attractive, but durable. Here are the most common, easy to maintain types of kitchen floors that look great and are easy to maintain.

Tiles: Tiles are typically the first option in kitchen flooring for many homeowners. Tiles are available in hundreds of colors, materials and styles including:

Ceramic is a classic option for any kitchen design as seen in pictures (1) (2) and (3). For example, when tiles are alternating dark and light, it provides a classic, traditional look.
Vinyl kitchen tiles are inexpensive, durable and a great option for do-it-yourself homeowners who enjoy updating on a regular basis. Vinyl tiles are long lasting, but inexpensive to replace for new designs (4) (5).

Laminate: Laminate floors are a great alternative to expensive hardwoods. Laminate floors usually make the space appear larger and because of its durability, it is an excellent option for busy kitchens (6 – IKEA Pine Effect Laminate Flooring) (7).

Hardwood: This has been one of the more favored kitchen flooring options for centuries and continues to be a popular choice. There are several different types of woods to choose from, some of which are better suited for specific kitchen designs (8) (9 – with a herringbone layout pattern). Some of the most common wood options include:

Maple, which is typically a narrow plank floor, is used in kitchens with a rustic design. It can either be stained or left in the natural color. Maple is also easy to refinish.
Walnut is naturally dark in color, however, for an old-world charm, the wood can be stained darker. Walnut is a great option for kitchens with a modern as well as rustic look.
Pine is used often in kitchens with various designs. It is easy to maintain and can be stained or left in its natural color. Lighter pine floors can make a small kitchen look larger as well as give it a clean, crisp feeling.
Under Your Feet: Modern Flooring Ideas

Concrete: Quickly becoming one of the most popular options for kitchen flooring concrete is a great alternative to tile or stone and is very durable as well as versatile (10). Faux grout lines can be added to give the concrete the appearance of stone tiles (11). It can also be painted over or stained to give it some color (12), and polished for a more luxurious look.

Other Kitchen Flooring Ideas: Cork is another durable flooring option, one that is easy to maintain and can be stained in any color to match the design of the kitchen. For a more eco friendly kitchen floor, rubber is a great option. Rubber flooring is typically made from a variety of recycled items such as old tires – and is very durable.

An Added Layer: A carpet runner is a quick and easy way to add a splash of color to the kitchen as well as provide protection for soft wood floors (13) (14). These should be placed by cookers and sinks, places where you stand a lot, to avoid excessive wear on the flooring around those areas. It also helps prevents the floor from getting slippery. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14

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February 21, 2013 in Kitchen

Tuscan Kitchen Decor Ideas Mood Board

Rustic elements of nature are the key to a Tuscan style kitchen. To design a kitchen around this you want to have lots of wood and stone with accents of wrought iron. Here is a whole list of Tuscan interior design ideas:

Color Palette: As seen in the photos above, each kitchen has a base color on the walls. This base color will be an earth hue: terracotta/brick, a dark yellow/ochre/golden earthy yellow, or earth green colors.

The Ceiling: Just like in picture (1) having wooden beams fitted transforms the space. A simpler idea is to have the ceilings plastered to create a textured effect.

The Walls: You’ll also want to have the walls textured (2). This can be done through rough plastering or using a technique called stucco (stone tiles is another idea). When it comes to the windows, wooden frames are ideal along with wooden blinds.

Floors: Stone tiling is the best choice for flooring (3). Other choices include terracotta tiles, clay tiles or hardwood flooring. Wooden base molding is a great finishing touch.

Kitchen Fixtures: To keep the Tuscan style flowing throughout the kitchen, look to use a copper hood (4), a porcelain or better yet a stone sink, and when it comes to the countertops the Tuscan way is to use marble (5). For the cabinets: dark brown wooden cabinet designs are the way to go (6) – with wrought iron handles/knobs.

Lighting: The go to style for Tuscan lighting is wrought iron light fixtures. This provides that rustic, earth feel. A 2-3 light bulb wrought iron chandelier or pendant light can be mixed together with more modern recessed lights for the perfect lighting layout. If you have a kitchen island, one lighting idea is to have a chandelier that doubles as a pots and pan rack as seen in picture (7). For more lighting ideas have a look at our post here: (Kitchen Lighting Ideas Mood Board and Inspiration).

Furniture: Use a long wooden family table to create an authentic Tuscan kitchen design setting (8). An alternative for smaller kitchens is to have a round wooden table. Wood, wood, wood – that’s what it’s all about. The same goes for the chairs – leather and wooden chairs.

Decor: Ceramics and pottery accessory pieces are ideal for creating the Tuscan kitchen decor style. There are also wrought iron accessories like wall letters, towel hooks or fruit baskets. Another idea is to hang up decorative copper pots and pans (9). 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

February 17, 2013 in Kitchen

Designs and Ideas for Fitting Kitchen Sinks

Modern vs. Tradition: For a modern look the best kitchen sinks to go for are stainless steel or porcelain styles that are built into a countertop as seen in pictures (1) & (2). This creates a uniformed look. For more traditional styled kitchens like French and Tuscan (Tuscan Kitchen Decor Ideas Mood Board), rounded porcelain sink units (not built into a countertop) are the way to go to create a more vintage look (3) (4) (5) (6). These go along with traditional faucets with porcelain handles. Another idea for a Tuscan style kitchen are stone sinks (7).

Other Kitchen Sink Ideas and Styles: Stainless steel and porcelain are the more popular choices for sinks. Other options include a custom made marble sink (8) or a gorgeous copper one (9). Don’t forget there is the choice of having a single tub or a double to divide up dishes (rinsing vs. soaping). And there is also the choice of having a deep tub vs. a more shallow one (10).

Sink Placement: The most popular place to put the sink is in a countertop up against the wall looking out of a window. Other ideas include having it centrally located and fitted into a kitchen island (11). Another idea is to place it in a commonly underused section of the kitchen, the corner.

Organization Tips from Martha Stewart: Have small dishes around the sink for grouping like items: soaps with soaps, sponges and brillo pads. Another tip from Martha is to buy larger bottles of dishwashing liquid and use a funnel to pour it into more decorative bottles – much better for the look of the kitchen (12). 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12

February 17, 2013 in Kitchen

Kitchen Lighting Ideas Mood Board and Inspiration

Here are the specific areas of the kitchen that need lighting and the types of lights to use.

Over The Sink: The sink area is one place where lighting is often overlooked. Which lighting design ideas and options to use will depend on what you have around the sink. If there are any cabinets overhead then under cabinet lighting will work (see below). The most common solution would be to have ceiling track lights nearby. Since you can angle these lights, have one angled towards the sink. Other ideas include having a pendant light hang down close by as seen in picture (1), and for the daytime a window will bring in sunlight.

Stoves: Most hoods will have lights built into them (2) (3). If there aren’t any an alternative would be to once again angle a track light towards the area. You’ll want the light shining down so that the person cooking doesn’t cast a shadow over the stove.

Cabinet Lighting Ideas: There are under cabinet lights and display lights. Most cabinets will be hung over countertops. So you’ll definitely want to have under cabinet lights – not only to make the kitchen look great, but they light up the counters making it easier to prepare food (4).

Then there are display lights. These are puck lights that are attached to the underside of the shelves inside of the cabinets. These will require wiring, but a quick fix is to have motion sensor battery powered puck lights (found on Amazon), which will turn on when you are looking for things inside of the cabinet.

The Kitchen Island: For specific ideas on this area have a look at our post here (Beautiful Spaces: Kitchen Island Lighting Ideas).

Over the Dinner Table: A great way of lighting up a dinner table would be to have a pendant light hanging down from the ceiling right above the table. A stylish option would be to use a drum light (5).

Kitchen Bar: Here, just like a lot of the areas in a kitchen, you’ll want to bring the light close down to the countertop. Pendant lights would be the best choice (6). You can even find adjustable pendant lights – you pull them down when you want to use them. Take a look at pendant light adapters if you don’t want to do any wiring and electrical work. These are pendant lights that screw into and hang from a normal ceiling light socket (7). An alternative to pendant lighting for a kitchen bar would be to use adjustable track lights.

General Kitchen Lighting Ideas: The ideas above are great for providing localized and focused lighting to areas in the kitchen. For more general and ambient lighting, recessed lights would be the best way to go. These can be used alongside pendant lights, chandeliers, and track lights (8).

Added Features: Dimmer switches would be a great feature to have in a kitchen. You can instantly transform the space from a functional bright work area to a romantic dinner setting.

For a beginner’s guide to home lighting design, have a look at my post here: The Simple Guide: Home Lighting Design Basics.