Tag Archives | Mood Board

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.

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February 17, 2013 in Kitchen, Lighting

Beautiful Spaces: Kitchen Island Lighting Ideas

The kitchen island is not just a great place for preparing food, but it can also be used to do paperwork, kid’s homework, or eat and drink from. Because of all of the things you can do here you’ll want to have localized lighting – lights that are focused onto the kitchen island.

The best lighting ideas are the ones that bring the light closer down to the countertop surface. Ideas include a single or multi bulb pendant light as seen in pictures (1) (2) (3), adjustable pendant lighting, or a chandelier that also acts as a pot rack (4). If you already have recessed lights above the kitchen island, then a great way of adding pendant lights without doing any wiring is to use pendant light adapters. These simply screw into any normal ceiling light socket.

Other kitchen island lighting ideas and options include using track lights (the kind where each light can be angled differently (5)) or if you have a plug socket on the island how about using a desk lamp (6). 1/2/3/4/5/6

For lighting ideas for the rest of the kitchen have a look at our post here: Kitchen Lighting Ideas Mood Board and Inspiration.

February 17, 2013 in Kitchen, Lighting

Inspiration and Ideas for Decorating Kitchen Ceilings

Here are a few ideas to get you inspired on what to do with your kitchen ceiling:

Remodeling Ideas: A drop ceiling can make the space feel cozier and allows for modern recessed lights as seen in picture (1). It also allows for cove lighting which bounces light off of the ceiling and into the room creating a grand setting (2). Instead of having a drop ceiling another idea is to have a more rustic look with exposed beams (3).

Decorative Ideas: Wallpaper can be used to decorate the ceiling, have a look at our post here: Design Notes on Kitchen Wallpaper Ideas. A cheaper alternative would be to have the ceiling painted. This can be one solid color (4) (5) (6) or you can go for a more textured look by using some unique painting techniques (7) – check out our post here for ideas: Textured Wall Painting Ideas: From Faux Wood to Linen Effects. For ideas of what colors to use and how to create an overall color scheme take a look at our post here: A Palette Guide for Kitchen Color Schemes: Decor and Paint Ideas.

Other kitchen ceiling ideas include: Fitting beams to the ceiling and have them lined with crown molding (8) (9). Another idea is to fit tiles for a more decorative look (10) (11). 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8//10/11