Tag Archive: Kitchens


Avoid These Mistakes When Updating Your Kitchen

Filed Under: Kitchen Remodeling
Mar.09, 2011

By updating your kitchen’s design you give it a fresh new look that’s appealing, it’s also important, especially when you’re thinking about selling your home. If you don’t plan it out well your redesign can create some problems and cost you quite a bit of money. This article will offer you tips and ideas that will aid you in renovating your kitchen so that you don’t create obstacles for yourself and you don’t overspend.

Know that if you’re tight on money, you shouldn’t think about your kitchen with new appliances, cabinets and counter tops. Keep things simple as making all of these changes can cost a fortune, so be careful if you don’t have the budget for it. Some small and affordable changes can really make a difference in the way your kitchen looks and feels.

Don’t be impulsive

Don’t buy the first thing that jumps out at you if you have not yet decided on a theme. Grab a notebook and take it with you so that you can take notes on the various accessories, kitchenware and gadgets that catch your eye. Before purchasing anything that’s a bit on the expensive side, like a new faucet, new appliances or other items, you should shop around and compare prices.

Choose a style that “fits” with the rest of your home

When you are renovating or refreshing the kitchen make sure that you choose décor that doesn’t conflict with the rest of the home’s style. While blending styles like western and country is okay, you can’t really blend something like cottage chic and modern styles.

If you have a living room and kitchen that are open to each other, the best colors to use are those that are similar to each other so that the rooms blend seamlessly.

Remember – all those little extras add up

If you’re on a tight budget it can be easy to overspend before you realize it. You’ll find that you might have spent too much money on kitchen gadgets and decorative accessories, especially if they’ve been bought separately. Buy one or two at once and you’ll think the costs are reasonable, but you may actually be shocked at the added total of what you’ve spent.

Prepare before updating the kitchen, even if you can afford the more expensive items like new cabinets.. Figure out your color scheme and make notes as you go shopping around first. Consider your needs when it comes to storage, you don’t want any surprises when you have those new cabinets installed. Also, don’t forget to account for the installation fees if you’re planning on getting a new tile floor or new counter tops.

If you put these tips and ideas to work for you, you’ll be able to update your kitchen with more money left in the bank and way less stress. By creating a plan of attack you’ll be able to ensure that overspending doesn’t occur, and you’ll be able create a kitchen that is more beautiful and coordinated when you’ve completed the job. Since your kitchen gets a lot of traffic you should make sure that you not only keep it beautiful, but that you keep it warm and welcoming as well.

About the Writer..

Leon Tuberman has 4 decades of experience in the home furnishings and interior design industry. He owns and manages his family owned furniture store. They offer a huge assortment of solid wood mission furniture for your living room, bedroom and dining room that’s built in the Heartland of America. Are you looking for a bookcase for your home office or a file cabinet for your dorm room then they probably have everything you need.

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Adding A Natural Element To Your Kitchen

Filed Under: Kitchen Remodeling
Oct.26, 2010

Since the kitchen is one of the most highly trafficked areas of the home, many home owners find that a great kitchen is essential. This is a place of gathering for family and friends, where people eat and catch up on the events of the day. For people that want a warm and inviting kitchen with a natural element, white and olive are the perfect colors to go with. The ideas in this article will help you in creating a more appealing room with a natural feel.

Since there are so many people into green living, a color scheme like this helps add to the natural and simplistic appeal of things on top of other benefits.

Cabinetry Takes on a Whole New Look

We all want to avoid the look of all too popular avocado green of the 60’s and 70’s. There are many shades of olive green, from deep forest green to pastel shades. You best choice for the cabinets is a medium hue like the lighter shades found in camouflage materials. You will be absolutely stunned with the appeal that comes with mixing pure white and olive, especially since olive isn’t exactly the first color that comes to mind when you think of updating the kitchen. Look a few examples from the internet and you’ll see the striking nature of this look.

You can give your cabinets a new look by painting them and without much difficulty either. If your cabinets are already painted, all you have to do is just paint over the existing color. Cabinets that have been stained and varnished should be lightly sanded before you being painting them. When you achieve the medium olive tone you want, all you have to do is simple add white hardware to contrast.

Choose White to Complement

Your cabinets will be the greatest source of olive green in the room, while you will add interest to your room with white accessories, keeping it from looking boring and dull. You want white to be the predominant color for your counter top, so your appliances should be white and the counter top itself can be a solid white or a mixture of olive and white.

By adding a white paper towel holder, white drawer pulls and white lighting fixtures you can really further dress up the look of the room.

Accessories Complete the Look

You will add visual appeal with your accessories, you’ll also complete the look and tie the room together. Consider using an olive and white floral or leaf patterned kitchen floor mat in front of the sink. The beauty of linoleum or tile will really shine when these two colors are combined.

A solid white tablecloth and an olive colored pot filled with herbs or other natural greenery will be perfect for the kitchen table. Large botanical prints and olive baseboards can add more visual appeal if you use them to accent white walls.

If you compare this look with most kitchens of today, you’ll see that the look is quite unique and fresh. If you want a modern and inviting look for your kitchen, olive and white will do you proud; especially since the two colors mix hues straight out of nature with the pure and pristine look of white.

About the Writer..
For over forty years Leon Tuberman has helped people with their home furnishings and interior decorating needs. He owns and manages a popular furniture store in Los Angeles. They have a huge inventory of handcrafted American built solid oak furniture for your bedroom, dining room and living room. Whether you’re looking for dining tables for your dining room or wood file cabinets for your home office then they carry everything you need.

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Affordable Kitchen Transformation

Filed Under: Home Improvement, Kitchen Remodeling
Aug.27, 2010

Updating a kitchen to create a modern new look can end up costing a fortune. Anything like counter tops, cabinetry, and flooring tend to be very expensive. Yet it’s updates like these that add the most value to your home. How about giving your kitchen a facelift and completely transforming the look without spending an exorbitant amount of money?

If you’re like many families, you spend the majority of your time in the kitchen and dining areas. It’s possible to achieve that warm and appealing kitchen you want without investing a ton of money. If you want to refresh your kitchen on a budget, here are several easy ideas to get you started.

Refresh Your Cabinets
Depending on your budget, you may not be able to afford to buy all new cabinets. Instead, make them look brand-new yourself. Paint them an entirely different color or sand them down and stain them a different shade. Top it with a protective coat of polyurethane for cabinets with a sparkling shiny new look. All you need is some new hardware, and your cabinets will have an altogether different look.

Add an Island
Adding an island to your kitchen will dramatically change the appearance of things—if you have the floor space, of course. An island will serve to break up the room and provide you with some much-needed counter space. Plus, this is the perfect place to hang a wrought-iron pot rack overhead.

Freshen Up Your Appliances
Most people don’t have the budget to purchase all new appliances. If your old appliances are looking a bit outdated, fortunately you can paint them as well. They make a special type of appliance paint that can be used for this purpose. If you notice any rust spots starting to form, there’s a special product you can buy that essentially stops the rusting process. Just be sure to apply the rust solution before you paint your appliances.

Perk Up the Walls
Anything is possible when it comes to your walls. Choose from paint, wallpaper, or even paneling. Use bright, energizing colors like orange, peach, and green that lend a botanical appearance to things. If you have a large wall space, hang pictures that include fruit, flowers, herbs, and other natural elements. It’s amazing how much transforming the walls can bring a dull kitchen to life.

Don’t Forget the Floor
If your flooring is old or outdated, this can be updated as well. Although many people don’t realize this, old linoleum can actually be painted. Start by lightly sanding the surface of the linoleum, as this will help the new paint adhere. After a thorough cleaning, apply an oil-based primer next. Once dry, the floor will be ready to paint.

Create your own floor design using stencil patterns or even painting a “rug” on the floor. This is a great way to use your imagination! Apply about three layers of paint and then wait for them to thoroughly dry. To protect your new floor and make it shine, finish things off by applying three coats of durable polyurethane.

If you want a beautiful new kitchen but need to stay on budget, follow these few easy tips. By doing it yourself, you can skip that complete kitchen remodel that would normally cost tens of thousands of dollars and instead do a makeover for just hundreds.

About the Writer
For over 40 years Leon Tuberman has helped people with their furniture and interior decorating needs. He is the owner and operator of popular mission style furniture store in Los Angeles. They carry a large selection of USA made solid oak furniture for your home office, dining room and bedroom. Are you searching for a amish dining set for your formal dining room and kitchen or oak file cabinets for your study area then they probably have everything you need.

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Using Olive & White in Your Kitchen Decor

Filed Under: Kitchen Remodeling
Aug.24, 2010

Many home owners find a great kitchen to be essential, especially since the area gets plenty of traffic. Here, in the kitchen, family and friends gather to catch up on the day’s events and to eat wonderful meals. Olive and white are perfect colors for someone that wants a kitchen with a natural element that is warm and inviting. The ideas in this article will help you in creating a more appealing room with a natural feel.

This color scheme helps add to the natural and simplistic appeal, especially for people that are into green living.

Cabinetry Takes on a Whole New Look

Avocado green, that look that was “in” back in the 60’s and 70’ is a look that everyone wants to avoid. There are many shades of olive green, from deep forest green to pastel shades. Cabinets do amazingly well with medium hues, much like those found in camouflage materials. Although you aren’t thinking of olive at first when think about updating your kitchen, the appeal of mixing pure white and olive will be absolutely stunning. Just take a quick second to see some examples online and the look will surprise you.

You can give your cabinets a new look by painting them and without much difficulty either. If your cabinets are already painted, all you have to do is just paint over the existing color. Cabinets that have been stained and varnished should be lightly sanded before you being painting them. All you have to do, once you achieve the medium olive tone you want, is add white hardware to contrast the color.

Choose White to Complement

Your cabinets will be the greatest source of olive green in the room, while you will add interest to your room with white accessories, keeping it from looking boring and dull. You want white to be the predominant color for your counter top, so your appliances should be white and the counter top itself can be a solid white or a mixture of olive and white.

You can dress up the look a little further by adding white lighting fixtures, white drawer pulls and a white paper towel holder.

Accessories Complete the Look

Your chosen accessories will really tie together the room and complete the look, adding visual appeal. Consider using an olive and white floral or leaf patterned kitchen floor mat in front of the sink. Combining these to colors will also help linoleum or tile to look beautiful.

Use a solid white tablecloth for the kitchen table, as for the centerpiece use an olive colored pot filled with herbs or other natural greenery. Large botanical prints and olive baseboards can add more visual appeal if you use them to accent white walls.

If you compare this look with most kitchens of today, you’ll see that the look is quite unique and fresh. By mixing the pure, pristine look of white with hues that are straight out of nature by using olive and white, your desires for a modern and inviting kitchen will come true.

Avo Barsoumian has been part of the interior design and interior flooring community for the past 25 years. He is the owner of Carpet Wagon, a family owned flooring installation company in Orange County. The offer the largest selection of elegant hardwood flooring, beautiful laminate flooring and plush carpeting under one roof. So whether you’re looking for carpet barn for your new condo or best laminate flooring to makeover your older house then Carpet Wagon carries everything you need.

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Simple Ideas for Your Kitchen Flooring Project

Filed Under: Interior Design, Kitchen Remodeling
Mar.16, 2010

It’s always best to choose a kitchen floor that will work well with the style and look you wish to achieve in the room. Although people tend to go for certain flooring options more than others, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to fall in line. If you’re looking to put flooring in your kitchen, here are a few different options to consider.

Wood Flooring for the Kitchen
It’s very common for kitchens to have wood flooring. Overall, wood floors tend to be one of the most popular types of flooring options available. If you decide to go with wood floors, you’ll have several different types of wood to choose from. The warmth that’s inherent in wood adds character to a kitchen space, whether it’s a basic pine slat or a trendier, more environmentally conscience bamboo wood floor. Consider your kitchen’s style and theme, and choose a color and type of wood to fit that.

Tile Flooring: Timeless and Tasteful
Tile flooring in the kitchen is also very popular. With this type of flooring you have many different options to choose from, from different colors and designs to a variety of materials. For instance, you can choose from plain tile floors, ones that are laid out in a design, and others that resemble stone or are decorative. If you’re looking at ceramic or porcelain tile, both require little maintenance. In addition, they’re resistant to both stains and scratches. However, do be careful not to drop anything upon the tiles, as they can crack.

Laminate Flooring in the Kitchen
If you’re looking for a less expensive choice for the kitchen floor, consider laminate. You have a variety of options to choose from when it comes to the new laminate flooring that’s available. One popular option is a laminate floor that looks like a wood floor and can easily pass for real genuine wood. Also available are laminate floors that look like tile as well as plain laminate floors, which can provide the perfect neutral in a visually striking kitchen. The reason may people choose laminate floors over a tile or real wood floor is that they can be installed easily and cost much less.

Concrete Flooring in the Kitchen
Although people don’t always think of a concrete floor for the kitchen, they are actually becoming increasingly popular. It’s important to note that a concrete floor designed for the kitchen differs from a regular concrete floor. These concrete floors are decorated and stained and often have patterns and colors incorporated into their matrix. Concrete floors are very reasonable when compared to real wood floors and are also remarkably durable.

Vinyl for a Kitchen Floor
If you’re looking for another inexpensive flooring option, consider vinyl tile or sheet. When people think of vinyl, they often think of the old linoleum floors of the past, but vinyl has actually come a long way. Now vinyl comes in all kinds of patterns, colors, and designs, and can add much style and beauty to any kitchen. One of the best advantages to vinyl is that you can really save money by installing the floor yourself. With its versatility, you can make a clear statement with that vinyl tile floor or let it be a quiet, calming addition to your kitchen. There are thousands of options, so it’s up to you what type of vinyl tile you choose.

You have many flooring options for the kitchen—these are just some of your choices. If you’ve narrowed down your selection to a couple of options, then you need to go and find out what’s locally available to you. You’ll be surprised when you find out just how many options are available to you.

About the Author…
Leon Tuberman has been in the home furnishings and interior design industry for 4 decades. He owns and operates his family owned furniture store. They carry a large selection of American made solid oak furniture for your home office, dining room and bedroom. It doesn’t matter whether you’re shopping for dining table for your kitchen or formal dining room or wood file cabinet for your dorm then they carry everything you need.

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Lighting for Your Kitchen

Filed Under: Interior Design, Kitchen Remodeling
Mar.02, 2010

You probably have more lighting options than you think, depending on the style and layout of your kitchen. When it comes to lighting a kitchen, there are plenty of options, but not every selection will fit with every type of kitchen. Here’s a list of options to consider when choosing your kitchen lighting.

Under-the-Cabinet Lighting Can Enhance the Look
You can definitely enhance the look of your kitchen by installing under-the-cabinet lighting. The key to this kind of lighting is to pick a type of light that best fits your layout, particularly that of your cabinets. There are certain things you’ll need to consider before diving into the project, such as which areas of the kitchen you’re going to want lit. The three different options for under-the-cabinet lighting include incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, and LED lights. You can determine which will work best for you and your kitchen by doing your research on each type of lamp.

Decorative Lighting Can Add Style
You’ll want to consider decorative lighting if your major concern is making sure your new light fits the style of the room. You might choose a light that hangs from the ceiling or one that lies flush with it. Examples of decorative lighting include products such as chandeliers and pendant lights. These types of lighting fixtures not only look attractive but also will provide plenty of light for the room. To make the light look even more appealing, choose a fixture that matches the style or theme of the rest of your kitchen.

Track Lighting Is Great in the Kitchen
If you have seen any pictures of or toured any new homes lately, you’ve probably seen track lighting in the kitchen. More and more people are going with track lighting in the kitchen these days. The reason for its popularity is that track lighting allows you to direct your lights where you need them the most. Thus, you can get your best lighting by the stove or countertops. Track lighting is also now much more attractive than it once was and is available in a variety of styles and designs. You also have more options than the traditional simple straight line. If you want to get creative, you can also get a track that’s curved or that follows an “S” shape.

Recessed Lighting Is Common in Kitchens
Another popular lighting choice is to install recessed lighting in the kitchen. Recessed lighting is actually installed right in the ceiling. Similar to track lighting, most recessed lights are aim-able, so that you can point the light at whatever spot you want in the kitchen. The clean and streamlined look offered by recessed lighting makes it a great choice for contemporary and modern kitchens. Plan on hiring a professional to do the installation in the ceiling, as this will ensure that it’s done properly and safely.

These are only some of the kitchen lighting options available these days. With a little research, you should be able to find a type of light that goes with the décor in the kitchen and emphasizes the beauty of the space.

About the Author…
Leon Tuberman has been part of the home furnishings and interior decorating  business for 40 years. He is the owner and operator of popular furniture store in Los Angeles. They offer a huge assortment of solid mission furniture for your living room, bedroom and dining room that’s built in the Heartland of America. Are you looking for a wood dining table or dining room chairs for your dining room  then they probably have everything you need.

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Beautiful Kitchens That Are Sustainable in Your Home

Filed Under: Kitchen Remodeling
Aug.10, 2009

Ideally, a sustainable kitchen is one built with durable non-petroleum-based materials ie. from recycled timber and granite or stone bench tops, as opposed to melamine and plastic. Also, in its every day use, a sustainable kitchen uses safe, non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning products. Let’s look at each area with a view to providing you with kitchen ideas.

Look at kitchens in show homes or kitchen manufacturer displays to give you ideas on the potential of your own kitchen . Measure your kitchen and take those measurements and measuring tape with you. Evaluate the design and space in the display home with what you have to work within your own home. You may think the actual layout is not that crucial until you try functioning in it. Optimising the space you have available will be one of the biggest challenges of the entire project.

What natural light is available. When renovating the kitchen is it practicable to install a larger window to let additional light into the kitchen? If you do make a decision on this choice do you need to use double glazed glass to keep out heat and glare.

Acquire a kitchen cabinet maker who uses sustainable timber to manufacture his cabinet frames. When deciding upon what material to use for your bench tops there is a wide range of natural stones available that can be used for bench tops, decorative bricks for outward facing cupboard walls and other materials that meet sustainability goals What paint is being used to colour drawer and cupboard faces. There are now bio-paints on the market that are prepared from natural non-toxic resources and are definitely worth investigating further.

Select appliances that have a high star energy rating and buy the right size appliance for your needs. For example, is your current refrigerator too big or too small? If you need a dish washer pick one that cleans dishes efficiently but does so using nominal water and consequently will use less energy to heat the water. Electric cook tops and ovens at this point do not have star energy ratings. In terms of a sustainable kitchen a gas cooker will give off lower greenhouse gas emission than an electric cooker

Find energy efficient lights to put in in the kitchen as these significantly cut down energy consumption and cost. Compact fluorescent lights CFL are energy efficient and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can replace the old incandescent light globes including halogen down lights.

Turn kitchen waste into green garbage. Have one bin for food scraps that can be put on to a compost heap and the second bin for recyclables that can be collected each week with household .

I hope you have found this article informative and helpful in designing a sustainable kitchen in your home.

Pauline is the owner of HomeHandyWoman For full article go to Kitchen Design Homehandywoman is a site for women wishing to learn how to do their own repairs and maintenance around their home.

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