MySpace Designers

Decorating Tips to Make Your Kitchen Work for You

Forget the media room, the great room, or the backyard, it’s the kitchen that continues to be the family hub, the heart of the home for daily activity and entertaining. For this reason, the design of kitchen space should address how the room is used. Identifying how you like to cook, eat and entertain are important steps in creating an efficient kitchen space.

Whether you are building from the floor plan up or simply reorganizing, kitchen tools and space planning have the most powerful impact on a kitchen’s effectiveness.

According to Bob Azimi of Atlas Tile & Stone in Laguna Hills, Calif. “The best way to make your kitchen work for you is to consider how much time you will actually spend there, so that you can design your kitchen to fit your needs. The kitchen is the most popular room in the house and has the most traffic.”

The Kitchen Pro

Ask any chef and they’ll tell you that cooking with the right equipment makes all the difference. While a full kitchen overhaul can be costly, here are some ideas that blend functionality and fashion.

* Mix and match. It is perfectly acceptable to equip your kitchen with appliances you like, one by one. Most culinary experts do not choose an entire matching set of appliances from one manufacturer.

* Choose stainless steel fixtures and appliances because they work with any color palette are built for standard sizes so they are easily retrofitted to your space.

* Expand freezer space. If frozen dinners come flying out of the freezer door every time you open it, consider adding refrigeration or freezer drawers in your kitchen work island. These compact units can add as much as 30 to 40 percent more refrigeration and freezer space to a kitchen, making them fantastic kitchen space savers.

Conquering Space

Gadgets and small appliances can be very handy but tend to hog space. Consider these tips to manage clutter:

* Sinks with integrated accessories, i.e. integrated drain boards and colanders, are more efficient, stylish and eliminate kitchen clutter.

* Create more counter space by adding a small center island or rolling cart.

* Trade in your kitchen table for a bar-style counter and stools. They free up floor space.

* Get creative to better utilize deep cupboards and organize drawers.

Once you have your kitchen in order, it’s time to start thinking about decorating and bringing it up to date. Azimi said the most popular trend in kitchens today is contemporary.

“Antique bone seems to be a popular color and off white cabinets is another one,” he said.

Other popular choices are rich, deep woods and stainless steel appliances that give a modern ambiance. Indeed, today’s kitchen is truly the gathering spot for family and friends to share, celebrate and of course, eat!

How to make an immediate change in just one day

A top-of-the-line kitchen remodel can be very expensive – new cabinets, new appliances, flooring, countertops, lighting, furniture and accessories can average $55,000. However, prudent homeowners don’t have to spend quite so much to create a stylish, attractive kitchen space.

The first place to start is with kitchen paint. Before replacing your cabinets, consider how a few coats of new paint or an innovative kitchen painting technique can change the entire look of your room. Here are some kitchen painting ideas to consider.

• Go back to basics. Sand down and paint or stain your kitchen cabinets. A sander, paint, latex gloves and a brush is all you need. Check out new hardware to complete the fresh look.
• Think about a pickling technique. Simply paint on a light coating of a flat, oil-based paint. Then wipe enough paint off to let the wood grain show through.
• Learn decorative kitchen painting techniques. You can apply the same techniques you may have used in other areas of your home to your kitchen. Think color washing, ragging or glazing.

Giving your kitchen a new look is a simple as using some tried-and-true kitchen painting ideas. Repainting your walls and adding a fresh paint technique to your cabinets may be all you need to achieve the change you desire.

Redesigning a small kitchen doesn’t have to be difficult

Remodeling a kitchen – especially if it is a small kitchen space – can be a challenge. Here are some tips to make the most out of your kitchen remodel.

1. Minimize the number of appliances – if you have very limited counter-top space, think about kitchen space savers such as under the counter appliances that mount to the underside of your kitchen cabinets.
2. Organize your cabinets – dishes, pots and pans, and canned goods can take up a lot of small kitchen space. Redesign your kitchen by incorporating space-saving baskets or shelves in your kitchen cabinets.
3. Go over your head – install a ceiling pot-rack to hang pots and pans. This can free up valuable cabinet space.
4. Think smaller – a kitchen remodel often means new appliances. Dishwashers, stoves and refrigerators come in a number of sizes to fit your small kitchen space.
5. Consider an island – a table, counter or pull-out island can provide a prep and cooking space. Portable islands can be kitchen space savers while also giving you with ample storage space. The benefit is that you can move the cart to another room when you don’t need it in the kitchen.
6. Keep everything within arm’s reach – many professional chefs don’t work in expansive kitchens; they simply maximize their small spaces to work efficiently. Tips include prepping everything you’ll need before you start cooking, keeping your counter clean from clutter and having what you need within arm’s reach.

With a little planning in advance, you can find real solutions to remodeling and redesigning your small kitchen.