Kitchen Makeover – A Working Kitchen
If you are like millions of other homeowners you probably think about a major kitchen remodeling project from time to time. There are many possibilities including cabinets, appliances, lighting, counter tops, flooring, sinks & fixtures, paint & wallpaper, window treatments, etc. If you are a serious cook, may we offer a suggestion for your new kitchen layout? You probably will look at scores of beautiful new kitchen designs on the web and in the various home decorating magazines. These are great sources for layout, design, style, themes, colors, and appliances. But the great majority of these designer kitchens are not organized for serious cooking.
The shortcoming of their layouts is that there is nowhere to actually “cook”, meaning the mixing, measuring, beating, blending, rolling, kneading, etc., that is a large part of serious cooking. In order to have proper room and the layout for serious cooking on a continuing basis, you should plan on at least four feet of clear counter space to one side of the stove or cooktop. If your new kitchen layout has less room than this, you will be missing out on the opportunity for an exceptional level of convenience day-in and day-out as you cook. Of course, wonderful meals and dishes can still be made in a somewhat less convenient kitchen, but if and when you have the opportunity, it will be a great improvement to have the proper room to cook.
If you look closely at the designer kitchens on the web and in the magazines, you will find that virtually none of those kitchens have the recommended four feet of counter space next to the cooking surface. Four feet of empty counter space is not optimal if the objective is a pretty picture, so you will almost never see that situation. Likewise the professional kitchen designers won’t plan adequate cooking room unless it is brought up by the owner. Likewise if you look closely at some of the great cooking shows on TV such as Barefoot Contessa, you will see a kitchen with 2 cooking surfaces. The designer fancy stove will be in the background for appearance, and the working cooktop will have a very large section of free counter space next to it.
There may be other special features that you want to consider if you are planning a kitchen for serious cooking. There are a lot of accessories that you can build-in with your new countertops including cutting boards, marble pastry boards for rolling out dough, etc. These accessories can add to your convenience since they are right where you need them and ready to go. If your plans include a lot of enjoyable cooking in the future, give yourself plenty of room and convenience in your new kitchen layout.
Kitchen Cabinet Design – Plywood or Particleboard for Your Kitchen Cabinet Design
When you are planning to remodel your kitchen, there are many factors to take into consideration, not lastly of which is what type of kitchen cabinet design you should use. It helps to do a little research and browsing before you begin a project and you can find a ton of information when you research online. You will find out how to begin, where to look and what type of kitchen cabinet design will go best with the other features you have chosen.
Set a budget for your kitchen-remodeling project and try to stick with it. You may begin with your own kitchen renovation ideas or go directly to a kitchen cabinet design and remodeling store and arrange for a consultation at your home. They will present you with ideas and materials to choose from in order to obtain the kitchen of your dreams.
You will probably end up spending most of your budget on a kitchen cabinet design. This will be the most expensive because of the total volume involved in the cabinetry. You may also spend a lot on replacing kitchen countertops or appliances as well.
One of the biggest misconceptions of a kitchen cabinet design is the choice of wood. When you are choosing between particleboard and plywood, most people think of plywood as being better than particleboard. Perhaps it is because the word wood is in the name and particleboard sounds more like a cheap imitation. In many instances, the particleboard is a better choice than plywood.
To help you make your decision it might help to know something about these two materials. Particleboard is made up of small wood particles held together with adhesive. Plywood is made up of thin sheets of wood that have been glued together. Both of these materials are sturdy and strong and make a good choice for a kitchen cabinet design.
Within the categories of these two material choices are different grades and types. Particleboard that is high-density is usually stronger than plywood, and usually lasts longer. All types of wood for a kitchen cabinet design will expand and contract from changes in the humidity. Particleboard is usually more resistant to the effects, so if you live in a high humidity area, particleboard would be your best option.
Bathroom Tile Design Ideas For Your Small Bathroom Remodeling Project
Simple bathroom tile design ideas
One of the most difficult decisions that face you when you are remodeling your bathroom is the design of the ceramic tiles. Not only do you need to decide on the color and patterns on the tiles but you also have to consider how much of your bathroom you’re going to cover with ceramic. There are so many different variations of all this that it can get pretty overwhelming. I was recently faced with this problem with my own small bathroom remodel and I’m going to tell you exactly how I solved it.
Bathroom ceramic tile coverage
Ceramic tiles vary considerably in price and it’s easy to limit the coverage in your bathroom if you think that it’s going to be too expensive. I shopped around for tiles a lot and found a very reasonably priced line of ceramic tiles that were very similar to a lot of very expensive ceramic tiles that I’d seen. It definitely pays to spend time looking for the right tiles at the right price.
Because the ceramic tiles that I’d found were a good price I was able to afford to tile all the walls of my small bathroom from floor to ceiling which is what I’d set my heart on. I saved a little by not tiling the wall behind the bathtub that wasn’t going to be seen. I’d looked at a lot of bathrooms by then and I knew that bathrooms that are tiled 100% look much nicer than those that aren’t.
Ceramic tile design for small bathrooms
I have a small bathroom and not only is there a lack of space but little bathrooms can also feel small and cramped if you get the design wrong. The trick is to give your bathroom a light airy feeling. Plenty of light helps and so does a mirror or two on the walls. Choosing a light colored ceramic tile was the key to opening up my small bathroom because it reflects the available light and gives the impression that the room is larger than it really is.
Mosaic bathroom tile design
My first ceramic bathroom tile design idea was to use a bright white smooth tile throughout. This would have lightened up the room but I had the feeling that this would be overdoing it a bit so I looked at ways that I could break it up a little while keeping the same light and airy feel to the bathroom.
I eventually found a mosaic tile design that came in several pastel colors. The tiles were normal size so they were just as easy to fix to the wall but the surface of the tiles look like small rectangles raised a little from the surface to give a mosaic look.
I chose 2 colors, white and a light sky blue pattern and used about one third blue and two thirds white. The blue tiles were set at the lower part of the walls and look a little like the sea. This was a very simple but effective design.
Bathroom shower tile design
You don’t have to stick with the same arrangement of ceramic tiles in the shower but it’s good to use the same colors and stick to the same theme. I used the blue tiles to form a triangle with the peak in the corner of my shower. This has the effect of drawing you into the shower and making it look more inviting.
I hope that you enjoyed this article and maybe I’ve given you a few ideas for your bathroom tile design and remodel.
You can see how my small bathroom remodeling project turned out on this web page Pictures of Bathrooms Before and After Remodeling