Revelion 2010

It has often been said that the heart of the home is the kitchen. If that is really true, then why is it that some kitchen designs just don’t seem to support more than one cook or guest at a time? You can turn your kitchen into a functional and beautiful workspace and gathering place for the entire family. Even if you have limited square footage, there just may be more room for expansion, storage, and oh yeah, cooking in your kitchen than you think.

Counters & Cabinets

Storage is definitely a consideration in designing a functional kitchen. If you are limited by floor space, just look up. There is often a great deal of space between the counter tops and ceiling that just isn’t being used in a kitchen. Look at the space above the refrigerator. Is yours just collecting dust or take out menus? If so, add a cabinet and you’ve got a great place to store seldom used platters or treats you want to keep hidden from the children.

Kitchen cabinets also don’t have to be limited to one side of the countertop. If your kitchen design has a peninsula or island, you can use the ends and back side for more cabinet storage space.
Kitchen cabinets come in more styles and finishes that you can imagine. However, if your budget is limited then you don’t need to replace them for an entirely new look. Cabinet refacing lets you select cabinet patterns that are up to date and beautiful.

New countertops don’t always need to be included in this home improvement project either. Laminate countertops come with repair strips that will give new life to a worn surface.

Whether you are working with existing furnishings and fabrics or “starting from scratch” with an empty room, you should always use the elements and principles of design as a guide in choosing everything.  The elements are your tools or raw materials, much like paints are the basics to a painter. The elements of design include space, line, form, color, and texture. The principles of design relate to how you use these elements and are balance, emphasis, rhythm, proportion and scale, and harmony and unity.

Element #1: Space
Space defines the boundaries and sets the limits on the functional and decorative things you can do.  Usually you will not determine the space; instead, you will be faced with the challenge of using the existing space effectively.

Element #2: Line
The lines in a room are second only to color in importance when it comes to setting the overall mood or feeling of a room.  The lines of window fashions should support the dominant line of the room. In most situations, the dominant line is straight (vertical, horizontal or diagonal) rather than curved. Your choice of emphasizing the direction of lines will determine the mood you want to create.
•    Vertical lines add height and dignity, creating a more formal atmosphere. Vertical lines also balance the horizontal lines found in most furniture.
•    Horizontal lines tend to create a restful, informal feeling. They work well in casual rooms or as relief to the strong verticals of formal rooms.
•    Diagonal lines attract attention and lead the eye. They can be disturbing unless supported by verticals or opposing diagonals.
•    Curved lines add a softening effect and keep the room from becoming too stiff. Use curved lines with some restraint to keep the room from becoming too soft and overly feminine.

Attention to all you bathroom design specialists.  If you really want to please all the moms when it comes to their bathrooms then get busy designing and marketing these wonderful ideas.  As mom’s we don’t ask for a lot but a few of these suggestions could go a long way in keeping our happy families happy!!

Okay when it comes to mirrors I don’t see why they can’t make them tooth paste repellent. It seems like every morning and night when I go look in the bathroom mirror I see little specks of toothpaste. I am sure it would be much easier to design mirrors like this rather than to teach my family to brush their teeth with their mouth closed, or heaven forbid wipe off the toothpaste when they are done.

How about a water rail you can flip up on the tub when a toddler or younger child is playing in the tub. Lots of children like to play in the bath tub and some fill up containers of water to set on the edge (that sometimes get knocked over onto the floor). If you had a waterproof rail you could flip up it could keep all the toys, water, and waves in the tub and make things much simpler.

Now this one will be tougher to design, and maybe it is something that needs to be taught in school, I know I have had more success teaching new math, world history, and physics than I have in teaching my family how to consistently change the toilet paper roll when it is empty. But if a design could be invented to help make this happen in homes with children that would be an amazing invention. Maybe a buzzer should go off when it is empty and the doors automatically lock. The only way the buzzer stops or the door unlocks is when the old roll has been replaced with a new one. I don’t know, this is one for the experts.

Custom kitchen design expects development of many facts in numerous areas to be able to invent the devices for your custom kitchen. Being able to invent a custom kitchen design can be a very challenging chore. It is important to suit the wishes for style of the kitchen, as well as cooking, dining, socializing and your account. This can be a very tall order when it comes to being able to design a wonderful kitchen where many hours are useminus creating delicious meals, that can join aesthetic beauty and meaning, and that will inspire compliments and assist as the crucial advantage of your home.

Renovating a kitchen typically inceptions with a design for convenience, organization and meaningality. Many people want to change the look of their kitchen by developing great kitchen decorating thoughts and also find habits to invent a new feel for their kitchens and bestow an atmosphere that they can be comfortable in and invent a kitchen in an helpful and logical way.

As to where to instigate, well you might want to inception be browsing and saving thoughts you may come across in magazines, online sources, the files and other funds. After you have put together enough design thoughts you can inception to plan your custom kitchen design. Good kitchen design depends on eloquent about the newest trends in kitchen design.

There are many gear to judge when you are planning your custom kitchen design. Among them are the areas of the kitchen to be used for storeroom. These areas embrace the pantry, cabinets, drawers, shelving, and pot racks and rails.

Kitchen Countertop resources