With so many people into green living, this color scheme helps add to the natural and simplistic appeal on top of its other benefits.

Cabinetry Takes on a Whole New Look

No one wants the look of avocado green that was so “in” back in the 60’s and 70’s. Olive green comes in many shades, from deep forest green to pastel shades. For your cabinets, the best choice is a medium hue much like the lighter shades you find in camouflage materials. While olive may not be the first color that comes to mind when you think of updating your kitchen, you will be stunned at the appeal that comes when you mix pure white and olive. Just look online at a few examples and you will see that the look is truly striking.

You can paint your cabinets without much difficulty, and give them an entirely new look. If your cabinets are already painted, simply paint over the existing color. If your cabinets are stained and varnished, you may want to lightly sand the finish before painting. Once you have achieved the medium olive tone you want, simply add white hardware to contrast.

Choose White to Complement

While the cabinets will be the main source of olive green in the room, white accessories will add interest and keep the room from looking drab or dull. Appliances that you keep on your counter top should be white, and the counter top itself may be solid white or a mixture of olive and white, with white being the predominant color.

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

Accessories Complete the Look

The accessories you choose really tie together the complete look and add visual appeal. Consider a kitchen floor mat that can be used in front of the sink in an olive and white floral or leaf pattern. Linoleum or tile will also be beautiful when these two colors are combined.

For the kitchen table, use a solid white tablecloth and accent with an olive colored pot filled with herbs or other natural greenery as a centerpiece. White walls accented by olive baseboards and large botanical prints add even more visual appeal.

The look is totally fresh and unique when compared with most kitchens you see today. If your desire is to have a kitchen that looks modern and inviting, olive and white is a spectacular combination that mixes the pure, pristine look of white with hues that are straight out of nature!

Leon Tuberman has 40 years of experience in the furniture and interior design industry. He owns and manages a popular furniture store in California. They have a large inventory of handcrafted American built solid oak furniture for your bedroom, home office and living room. Are you searching for wood nightstands for your bedroom or a wood TV stands for your home then they probably have everything you need.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leon_Tuberman

The first consideration is choosing the right sized kitchen island for the area. There needs to be enough room around the outside of the island to allow maneuverability throughout the kitchen. An island that is too big will overwhelm the room and reduce the functionality of the entire kitchen. The island should be large enough to be useful, yet small enough prevent the feeling that it is in the way or causes traffic issues.

Match the counter top on the island to the existing kitchen counter. This is not to say that it must be composed of the same material as the counter, but it should at least accent it in color and style. Many people will choose to have the same material on both, which is normally quite easy to accomplish by using many of the counter top materials currently available.

The base of the kitchen island design should include an area that provides storage. Any homeowner will tell you that there is never enough cabinet space in their kitchen. The bases include either doors, drawers, or a combination of the two and should be purchased with the homeowner’s needs for extra storage in mind.

By accenting the right kitchen island design with matching stools, it can serve as an eating or food preparation area. There are also designs available that incorporate another small sink in the kitchen. However, keep in mind that selecting another sinks means that new plumbing will need to be installed. The available island designs and styles may be found by going online and doing a quick search.

Click here for more kitchen island design ideas.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Smitts

The fact of the matter is that the design the key element. The biggest problem always seems to be the refridgerator. Where do you put the beast. For example an a common solution is to put the refrigerator into an alcove built right into the garage. This small extension was cheap enough and provided three more feet of space for the kitchen cabinets. Another idea is to create space is to take a wall down and combine as a room addition without the cost of building a dormer extension or the like. If you can’t remove a wall then start to think in 3D. Certain home styles allow you to Vault the ceiling above the area. A good kitchen designer will jump at the opportunity to add volume and feel to the room. This is done by expanding into the attic space overhead.

To tweak the new look it is very cost effective to add a small skylight to the job. I’m not saying to add a sunroom or a sunroom addition- just something to bring in more light and beauty.The rage lately has been to do multiple skylights and add larger windows as well. It doesn’t cost as much as you think and is a good
investment for your project.

Finally, if the refrigerator is tucked away and you’ve maximized your space both horizontally and vertically (vaulting the ceiling) your now ready to talk about the cabinets and the work triangle needed in each of our kitchens. Next article: the work triangle.

Gordon Millard C.R.

http://www.gamcoremodeling.com

Babylon, Long Island, Suffolk County, NY

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gordon_Millard

The kitchen is undoubtedly one of the favorite places in the house for everybody. Whether you are coping, or socializing with family and friends, or simply hanging around, it is one of the most frequented spots in the house. Unfortunately it is now beginning to show the effects off the passage of time, and the wear and tear. The kitchen cabinets, the most visible part of the kitchen, are covered with dirt and grease giving the whole kitchen a shabby and unbecoming look. You have therefore decided that you will give your whole kitchen, a facelift by installing new kitchen cabinets.

For those a few who are shopping for new cabinets, on a tight budget, here are a few pointers.

Take this opportunity to make other minor changes to your kitchen to obtain a complete new look. Prepare a plan for the new layout and look and estimate the costs to ensure that they fit into your budget. You do not require any great experience and a little bit of common sense could save you a great deal of money on kitchen designers. Do this well in advance of beginning a project because cabinets bought from stores will take time to deliver (anything between six and 10 weeks).

Choosing the wood for the cabinets is important. Solid hardwood such as oak, cherry or walnut is highly durable and reliable. They are also by far the most expensive. Avoid board construction such as particleboard or fiberboard since they have a tendency to warp or deform in moist conditions. A reasonably priced compromise is cabinets made of solid plywood. You can then add doors and drawer fronts made of hardwood or with laminate or veneer finishes and attach them with rollers or hinges.

Naturally, when you are spending so much money, you would like to choose a manufacturer with a solid reputation for quality and durability, and the ability to deliver what you are looking for within your budget. It is worth spending some time looking at the range of Mills Pride kitchen cabinets. The company is proud of its reputation for providing quality and good looks at an affordable price. They offer a wide range of finishes and colors including hardwood, melamine, thermafoil, and white veneer. Two lines of products are offered, one being finished cabinets, and the other ready to assemble cabinets. They also offer unfinished cabinets, to which you can add finishes and hardware according to your own personal specifications.

The company is well aware of the use and abuse to which kitchen cabinets are subjected and build their cabinets accordingly. They have the confidence in their products to offer warranties on any cabinet that you might buy. All the customer testimonials that you can read online, testify to these facts.

When you choose from the range of Mills Pride kitchen cabinets, you may do so with the knowledge and confidence that you are getting the quality and workmanship that will bestow your kitchen with outstanding good looks.

About the Author

If your kitchen design needs some work, there are some things you can do regardless of your budget. The idea is to determine how much money you have available to spend updating your kitchen, and then use that to help you figure out the best changes to make. Those who have more money can make more drastic changes, such as replacing appliances, all new cabinets, or even removing a wall. Those with smaller budgets can stick to less expensive changes, such as painting the walls and getting new hardware on their cabinets.

The first thing you need to do is determine what you don’t like about your current kitchen design. Maybe the kitchen looks too dark, or it is too crowded, or maybe the appliances or flooring is too outdated for you. This will give you an idea of where you will want to focus your spending.

You will also need to determine how much money you have to spend on updating your current kitchen design. This will help to narrow down your options and give you a better idea of how much it is possible for you to do. You might find that you don’t quite have enough money for the major change you would like to make, but if you think a bit you might be able to come up with other options.

Now that you know which things about your kitchen design bother you the most, and how much money you have to spend, you can start researching your options. If you are on a tight budget and you want to find a way to brighten up your kitchen, some good ideas include painting your kitchen a lighter color or choosing new lighting fixtures that will give you more light (either by replacing the old fixtures or adding new lighting such as under cabinet lights). Those with a large budget might decide to remove part or all or a wall to open the kitchen up a bit more to the rest of the house, or add or enlarge a window to get more natural light into the kitchen. As you can see, regardless of your budget you can find solutions to your problems with a little investigating.

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When choosing your own fitted kitchen, it is easy to lose track of the overall design, and to become overfaced with the challenge of making the project a reality. There are several ways of ensuring that your involvement in the process is reflected in the design, while also remaining flexible to changes in either your budget or your tastes. The key to this confident outlook is in thinking about design – in a sense calling to mind the various elements of your fitted kitchen in a workable manner.

However technically-minded we may or may not be, it is certainly possible for us to form a preliminary ’sketch’ of a kitchen design that suits us; by ordering a few brochures and visiting a few stores we can begin to realize a shape and a unified feel that may be built essentially around any aspect of the design: kitchen cabinets, worktops, specific lighting – all of these things can be the starting point from which the picture of the finished kitchen begins to grow.

From a loose portfolio of ideas (brochure cuttings, photographs from stores), we will begin naturally to think about the specifics and how they are relevant to our personal needs – call it a brief, a plan, at this stage it’s just a kind of list of the storage space, appliances, surfaces, finishes and fittings that we think are more suited to our own needs and tastes. As each kitchen is different in its positioning, shape, and size, we can begin to be more selective, and trim down the design to suit the space it will inhabit.

After getting a fairly good feel for the kind of fitted kitchen we want, we may still have further questions that need answering in order to reach that perfect design – after all, as good as the in-store kitchens and brochure pictures may be, the correct blend of interior aspects and practical elements is hard to achieve. But, as we’re thinking about design already, we’re one step ahead in providing ourselves with the solutions.

Browsing a few websites offering fitted kitchens, we’ll find that the better companies offer a ‘free design visit/consultation’ service. By arranging a consultation, we can openly and frankly lay down our vision for the fitted kitchen we’re thinking about, and establish a kind of creative space in which ideas can be bounced back and forth. The bottom line for design consultants is the preservation of the picture we have of the fitted kitchen, so again we are strengthening our initial vision with the experience of trained, impartial professionals.

We might consider this further and find that the in-store fitted kitchen examples and the brochures are the product mostly of thinking about and talking about design; the texture and finish of the cupboards may be anchored around a striking worktop as a centrepiece, for example – there is a choice being made, and whether or not we want to think of ourselves as customers-cum-designers at all, these choices will be the aspects of the finished fitted kitchen that really come to life and make this most central space of the home truly unique. (By Katie Brunt) ]]> http://www.ahcqc.com/19/thinking-about-design-fitted-kitchens-the-smart-way/feed 0 http://www.ahcqc.com/16/green-ways-to-decorate-and-design-your-kitchen http://www.ahcqc.com/16/green-ways-to-decorate-and-design-your-kitchen#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:36:01 +0000 admin http://www.ahcqc.com/?p=16

After decades of neglect, the environment is starting to receive the attention it deserves, and with good reason. As a result, some homeowners are choosing to implement green designs into their kitchens, especially since the kitchen can use a lot of energy through appliances that constantly run and water that regularly drips.

Here are several tips for each category in your kitchen so that you can choose a green decorating scheme based on your needs and budget.

Green Appliances and Water Saving Technology

Energy Star appliances are getting a lot of attention, and with today’s range of options and price ranges, upgrading your older appliances for more energy efficient options is viable. Energy Star appliances use anywhere from 10 to 50 percent less energy.

Don’t overlook your kitchen faucet as a potential source of water-conservation. Especially if your budget doesn’t include new appliances, consider choosing a kitchen faucet with an aerator. You’ll have the same water pressure with less volume. A recirculation pump will keep your hot water in your tap, meaning no running the water for up to a minute waiting for hot water.

Big-Ticket Items Going Green

Cabinets and countertops are seminal components that affect the look of your kitchen. If you are considering the possibility of refacing your current cabinets, one popular option is choosing a hardwood that wasn’t finished with urea-formaldehyde, which emits harmful gasses. You can also choose green materials such as wheatboard that is finished with nontoxic products.

Recycled quartz countertops are the most popular green option, and are engineered by DuPont, CaesarStone, Silestone, Zodiaq and IceStone. These recycled quartz countertops are antimicrobial, mold and heat resistant. They offer a wide range of color options with good color depth and a hint of sparkle that will complement any kitchen.

Green Underfoot

If you are considering updating your kitchen flooring, before you go the laminate flooring route, do some research into green options such as cork flooring, linoleum and bamboo or reclaimed hardwood. Bamboo is popular because it’s easily renewable and has been improved to be more durable as well as to stand up better to moisture. Cork is environmentally friendly and you’ll have a many options for color, just make sure you like the texture and look before committing.

Because linoleum is made from linseed oil, rosin and wood flour, it’s durable and environmentally friendly to produce. If you are set on tile, consider purchasing recycled tile that was well preserved, perhaps a terra cotta for a warm, rustic look.

Don’t Throw That Away!

Whether you are updating your entire kitchen or just several items, don’t overlook how you dispose of the items you’re replacing. After all, throwing your current appliances into the landfill won’t justify buying Energy Star appliances. Instead, either sell or donate your used appliances (if in working condition). This way, someone else will reuse them and this will prevent them from clogging a landfill. The same goes for replacing cabinets and even countertops. If you’re taking down your cabinets, take pictures first and try and sell the lot or donate to your local home improvement charity that will reuse your materials, such as Habitat for Humanity. This way, you’ll have done your part for the environment.

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