30 Ways to Store More in Your Kitchen: Part 2
By Better Homes & Gardens
continued from last month's issue
11. Adjust shelves to fit specific contents. Choose adjustable shelves that can be as widely or closely spaced as necessary. Professional organizers recommend measuring your stacked dishes to determine the shelf height your dishware requires.
12. Make the most of between-shelf spaces. Wire baskets that hang from shelves let you fill unclaimed "air space" with more food items, dishware, or linens.
13. Retrofit cabinets with tray dividers, slide-out bins, and plate stackers. Bins are especially useful for containing and organizing small items, such as tea bags, spice packets, and gelatin boxes.
14. Avoid stacking or nesting items that fit badly together, such as cups with handles. Use cup hooks that attach to the bottom of an upper shelf, and pull out for access.
15. Keep things conveniently out in the open. Pot racks make use of space above an island. Keep in mind that pots displayed on a rack look picture-perfect only when they aren't used much.
16. Store shallow items, such as cutting boards and platters, upright. Even narrow spaces next to your range or your sink can be used in this manner. Use dividers to separate items for easier retrieval.
17. Put unused space to work. Incorporate shallow drawers into the toe-kick space below lower cabinets to hold a folding step stool, dustpan, or newspapers for recycling.
18. Fill in the space under a cook-top with a tilt-out tray for spices and roll-out trays for pots and pans. Or, slide in a movable cart with shelves to accommodate cooking equipment.
19. Wrap storage around plumbing lines and ductwork. A wire unit fits around the water lines and drain pipe under a sink, a handy spot for cleaning supplies. (Avoid storing food items in areas that may get too warm.)
20. Add shelves or niches to the end of a cabinet run. The side of an island or cabinet is a prime spot for storing cookbooks and displaying kitchen collectibles.
Read next month’s newsletter for Part 3
The Best Kitchen Island Designs
By James Mahoney
The kitchen island as a stand-alone platform in the middle of the kitchen provides convenience and efficiency by creating more workspace. When the island is located in the center of the kitchen more space in automatically created. In most situations a kitchen island is the ideal way to separate the kitchen from the living room. If the kitchen island has cook top, sinks or pull-out drawer refrigerators then this accommodates greater convenience and socializing since one can do dishes and preparation while conversing with guests in the living room. There are endless uses for kitchen islands.
According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), kitchen islands are one of the most popular kitchen design features among today’s consumers. The NAHB also reports that buyers of new homes have also indicated a desire for kitchen islands as well. Actually some 80% of homebuyers consider a kitchen island to be an absolute must.
Some newer kitchen island ideas include the following features: rolling islands that can be used where a large island won’t fit, granite-topped islands, and islands with furniture like features such as pilasters.
New homebuyers aren’t the only ones that should consider a kitchen island design for their kitchen. Some older homes with an awkward kitchen floor plan with limited space can also benefit from a kitchen island design idea. Closed-off kitchens have been transformed into more open looking kitchens by lowering existing walls half way to forms islands between the kitchen and nearby living space.
Many
Kitchen Island Styles
Kitchen Islands have become so popular that this has even led to the
creation of unique design styles of their own. A kitchen island can have
the same design as the main counter and cabinets or it can have its own
unique design.
Before deciding on any type of kitchen design you need to be certain of the shape. In addition traditional rectangle or square a rounded or oval island can bring a whole new look to your kitchen. Whether in a single row kitchen or as part of an L-shape design the kitchen island will be the heart of the whole kitchen. Some basic kitchen design ideas need to be considered.
Kitchen Islands can have some additional design options like breakfast bars and installed appliances which can achieve the 'triangle' design of sink-stove-refrigerator that is considered one of the top kitchen design ideas. Kitchen Islands are also available in many styles and designs such as: Contemporary, Traditional, American Folk and French Country.
Many kitchen islands can be created with natural woods such as, Northern Maple, Red Oak, Poplar, Birch, and plantation-grown exotic woods. Other kinds of kitchen islands are constructed of stainless steel, or wood combined with stainless steel. Island tops are usually hard wood, granite or marble, stainless steel, or butcher block, which is usually Hard-rock Maple fastened end or edge grain to prevent cracking and warping.
What to
Include in a Kitchen Island
Some features to consider in adding a kitchen island can include the
oven as the main component of your kitchen island, electric switches and
outlets (a kitchen island can be an ideal area for additional outlets
for kitchen appliances), storage and shelves. Finally as for the
material of the island counter while you could use the same material for
the island counter as you have for the kitchen counter it is possible to
consider different materials to create an more interesting look. You
might want to consider a kitchen exhaust hood over your kitchen island.
The right kind of kitchen lighting is important for kitchen islands. The island should be well lit. Your kitchen island plan should provide locations for lighting in the ceiling as well as around the kitchen exhaust hood.
From:
http://www.kitchendesignersideas.com
Want Instant Drama?
Color adds quick, inexpensive change to your décor
By Carol Donayre Bugg, ASID
Looking for a change? Color is the quickest and can be the least expensive way of making a dramatic difference in your décor.
"Color is one of the most exciting and versatile tools that a decorator possesses," says Sue Pelley, an interior designer and spokeswoman for INTERIORS by Decorating Den headquartered in Montgomery Village, MD. "Using the right color can make your room come alive. Even the simplest, most inexpensive furnishings in the plainest room can be transformed into a showstopper with an imaginative use of color."
“Nothing can give your space more instant ‘pow’ better than color, but the different hues also have psychological effects, too, that can either calm your room or enliven it with joyful expression. A very integral part of the way we feel about something is based on its color,” Pelley says. For instance, blue tones tend to be calming while pinks and reds create a sense of energy
Want to create a relaxing environment? Select cool colors. A soft blue or teal hue gives your room a peaceful feeling.
Need a little energy? Then you'll find warm, bright colors such as yellows and oranges stimulating and full of pep.
Striving for a little more balance in your life? Soft shades of green might do the trick. There is no better way to bring the outdoors in than to decorate with Mother Nature's finest color. Unsure about which new color will work best in your room? Test your new colors both by day and night. Artificial light makes some colors appear totally different at night. And incandescent light bulbs tend to throw a yellow cast on any color scheme.
Completely Kitchens, LLC © 2008. All Rights Reserved |