Thursday 27 October 2011

Creating A Country Kitchen

Creating A Country Kitchen  - Jessica Ackerman



If you have ever wished that you could recreate the tradition and warmth of your grandmother's kitchen, you'll be happy to know that it is possible to fill your kitchen with country charm along with the modern features you value.
 
One feature which can distinguish a country kitchen from other styles is the cabinets. Instead of looking for the traditional maple or oak cabinets, consider painted white cabinets. Glass cabinet doors are another nice touch. You could also add period cabinet hinges and accessories. You may find originals at an antique or second hand store. Also, many companies produce replicas that can be ordered throughimprovement stores.
 
Furniture can be used in unusual ways to give a kitchen country charm. An armoire can be used for storing linens, dishes or even for concealing a television. Look around in antique stores for an old milk chest or wooden ice box to use for storage.
 
A few changes in accessories can make a w home orld of difference. A different wall paper border, country curtains or a display of old fashioned cooking utensils can help pull your look together. Farmhouse sinks are also very popular, and look great in a country style kitchen.
 
More and more families are choosing to eat their meals in the kitchen, leaving the dining room for special occasions. If that is the case in your home, you'll want the table and chairs to maintain the country charm. Of course, they also need to be comfortable and practical.
 
A table and chairs made from cherry or oak is ideal for the small family setting. Buy cushions for the seat and back of the chairs to mix and match with the kitchen curtains. If you are handy with a sewing machine you can make your own, and have your pick of fabrics. Shop around for hand embroidered cotton clothes, napkins and a wicker basket for storing bread and other items.
 
When choosing a floor for your country kitchen you may want to consider hard wood. For an extra touch of authenticity, check with your local lumber yards to see if they can tell you where to purchase reclaimed wooden flooring from old houses and barns.
 
When creating the country kitchen you've always dreamed of, it may not be possible to purchase high end appliances. If it is within your budget, a few companies produce replicas of vintage appliances. While these appliances have the look of your great-grandmother's appliances, they have all the modern features you'd expect in new appliances.
 
There are several websites and magazines that can help you achieve the exact look you want. Don't be afraid to mix fabrics and accessories. Experiment until you find the look that is perfect for you and your home. While some people don't like change, others grow bored with their decorating. This is an economical way to get the most mileage out of your decor.You don't need a lot of time to make changes that will brighten up your home. In just one day you can make small changes that will make a big impact.

Good Kitchen Design - Gunaseelan

Good Kitchen Design - Gunaseelan


Good kitchen design is a skill that is very much in demand. Modern homes need to have kitchens that are both spacious and practical, and fitting this in around kitchen layouts and the other rooms in new build homes is a difficult process. Yet it is the kitchen, more than any other room, that sells a property. Likewise in your own home, good kitchen design can improve the resale value of your property by several thousands, simply as a result of layout and interior design. As such an important feature of your home, what makes kitchen design 'good', and how can you improve the appearance and organisation of your kitchen space?
 
An effectively designed kitchen is one that makes the most of the space available whilst also providing a well coordinated decor theme - be it contemporary, farmhouse or retro. This includes matching up the designs on the cabinets and shelves with the colours of the walls and flooring, and indeed the materials that are used for the construction of each, and can often be achieved by buying a full kitchen suite complete with tiling or vinyl for the floorspace.
 
Unfortunately kitchen suites are rarely good value for money, and can often run in to the thousands if you're looking to buy a precoordinated, predesigned room from a furniture retailer. Of course that doesn't stop less savvy people from buying their kitchens and labour from the retailer, and ending up paying off what they're due over the next ten years. What that means is that for the buyer on a budget, style, fashion and a little bit of hard graft are going to play more of a part in getting the right kitchen design for your space, and achieving good kitchen design overall.
 
An alternative way to buy a kitchen that doesn't cost the earth is to buy flatpack and install yourself. Of course this takes time and a bit of work on your part, but by opting for this rather than pre-built and installed units, you could be saving yourself an absolute fortune on your next kitchen purchase.
 
Whatever kitchen you opt for it's important to make sure you choose matching or complimentary accessories to highlight the colouration in the room. Of course this will vary depending on the style you have chosen, but make sure that the colours work and the shapes and textures fit. Also, make sure you push cabinets flush against the walls and that there is as little as possible to clutter the floorspace. Floorspace is a premium in any kitchen, and good kitchen design will maximise the room available in order to allow greater movement and enhance usability.
 
Good kitchen design is, in essence about common sense. Think about what you use your kitchen for and how busy it can get to work out the space requirements, whilst stylistic features are very much down to individual taste - just don't make the wallpaper too garish as to put-off any prospective buyers later down the line!

Your Own Rustic Kitchen

Your Own Rustic Kitchen


When you hear the term rustic, your imagination may conjure up log cabin style decor with bear rugs and dark paneling on the walls. Or, you may think of a more country style rustic, with copper pans hanging from a pot rack and rooster on the countertops. The truth is, there are a few different ways you can do rustic. The most important thing is that you have a room you love to spend time in. Because most people spend a lot of time in the kitchen, this article will show you two different ways to do rustic in that room.
 
One form of rustic leans toward all things natural. To get started with rustic in your kitchen, you want to make sure your cabinets are in line with the style you want. If new cabinets are part of the plan, you can save a large chunk of change by finding some natural wood discount kitchen cabinets.
 
Discount kitchen cabinets aren't meant to be cheap. Essentially, RTA kitchen cabinets fit into the category of discount kitchen cabinets; and they are usually made quite well. RTA kitchen cabinets come ready to assemble. This is what saves you money. Because you are doing the assembly and installation, RTA kitchen cabinets can be a great way to start your rustic kitchen.
 
To bring the natural rustic design into your kitchen, you want cabinets, counters and floors to be made of natural looking materials as much as possible. Perhaps you live in a home that already features granite countertops. If this is the case, you can build off of that natural material by placing hues into the room that coordinate with the shade of granite on your counters.
 
In a nature inspired rustic kitchen, floors can be stone or wood. Stone tends to do very well in the kitchen because it can hold up to getting wet better than wood. On the counters, you want to eliminate as much clutter as possible. The naturally rustic kitchen will have a minimalist feel, because the main point of this type of decor is to bring natural substances in.
 
Another way you can feel rustic in your kitchen is through a country style rustic. The country rustic kitchen exudes warmth that calls you to come in and stay awhile. Think light and bright. Think white kitchen cabinets and wood floors. While stone can also fit into a country rustic kitchen, you want to think of a farmhouse when considering what to add; and most farmhouses won't feature slate tile floors.
 
If you have enough in your budget, you could consider changing countertops to the big butcher block style wood counters. If this is not possible but you have some room in your kitchen, you could build a small cart with butcher block top to place as a center island.
 
On the counters of the country rustic kitchen, you can place wicker baskets with fruit or faux eggs. The table in a country kitchen could be wood, wicker or white wrought iron.

A rustic kitchen should never be cluttered. The feel should be warm and inviting regardless of the style of rustic you choose. Resist the urge to go overboard with themed decorator items. Trends come and go and when you overload, you may have less tolerance for the decor than if you keep it simple.


French Country Kitchen Tables

French Country Kitchen Tables: The Centerpiece of Your Room

A Hallinan



In the center of the French Country kitchen stands the sturdy farm table, a symbol of the resilience and steadiness of the life of French Country peasant farmers over the centuries. The French Country dining table can be synonymous with the the kitchen table. Of course, the layout of your home will ultimately determine this, but historically they've been one and the same.
 
French Country dining tables are made of solid wood, the choice of which is the consumers. This is a piece you want to consider as an investment. It is where your children and, hopefully their children, will sit down to eat meals,and mark various events in the seasons and throughout the years. In addition, it is often where children will complete daily homework, where families will discuss important matters, and where family vacations will be both planned and remembered. As Albert Einstein once asked, A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?"
 
The selections available today are truly unlimited. Thanks to the custom nature of furniture design now available to consumers, any table you can imagine can be created. There are a few principles to keep in mind when choosing a table that will fit with the French Country theme.
 
Top: The top of the table must be able to handle daily use and abuse. This includes the ability to be stain resistant or have stains removed easily, the toughness to stand up to nicks and cuts, and yet retain the warmth so that the room remains inviting. This is another reason why French country is such a a great style for families. It truly invites living. Rather than worry about a scratch or dent in the table, the French Country look actually benefits from a time worn appearance. This is not to say that the table will look shoddy. No, the bulk and density of the woods used in a piece like this prevent real damage from being done.
 
Cherry and antique pine are two of the most sought after finishes. Many want their tables to appear older and opt for a distressed look to accomplish this goal. Tables can be finished with a whitewashed look as well. Liming, which is a centuries old process originally designed to prevent termites and other insects from attacking furniture, is often an option for the base of the table, whether pedestal or legs, but is not recommended for the table top due its frequent contact with liquids.
 
Base: A round French Country table is often accompanied by a large center pedestal base. The advantage of this is that no one person will need to be seated near a table leg. The round table is usually smaller, with a maximum seating for eight. More traditionally the rectangular base will be sturdy legs, whether straight and spindled or cabriole, and may have the option of self-storing leaves. Seating can be expanded through the use of leaves.
Seating: One can't forget the seating when discussing French Country tables. Seating, too, offers many options. If a more casual look is desired, an eclectic collection of farmhouse chairs, perhaps with some handmade seat cushions in various farmhouse designs is a great look. If you desire a matching set of chairs, be sure to look for a traditional pattern such as ladder backs or schoolhouse chairs. You can even find chairs with a farmhouse motif such as roosters. Caned seats are a great choice as well.

When choosing a table for your French Country kitchen, be sure to view it is an investment decision that you will have for a lifetime. With the quality of furniture available in today's market, this is a real probability.

Cottage Kitchen Design

How to Develop a Cottage Kitchen Design - J Kennedy


The neutral and pastel paints impart a soothing and calm ambiance. A cottage like kitchen renovation fashion can also be accomplished by adding white coloring shades to cabinets and furniture sets.

There is a well-liked concept to combine warm wooden and white color shades. It is required to spend awareness to detail if 1 desires to impart a type similar to that of a cottage. Cottage fashion kitchen renovation can be reached by picking the equipment and fixtures that align with that specific fashion. A cottage design kitchen can be introduced about by deciding on the suitable type of quilts and floral elements. It is doable to get hold of this unique type of renovation type by browsing garage product sales and flea markets.

The cottage style of kitchen layout in characterized as a colorful, comfy really feel that is produced by painted or decorated furnishings, baskets, beadboard partitions and healthy fiber rugs, and weathered surface finishes, as very well as hues a person would expect to find in a garden.

Cottage-model cooking area can have many accessories, but it is necessary to prevent going overboard to preserve the clutter from getting to be distracting. The cottage-style of kitchen style and design is also identified for floors that are bare with the exception of an occasional toss rug.

The cottage fashion of kitchen area layout conjures up pictures of a space light and airy, charming and casual. The breezy, uncomplicated feel 1 finds in a summer time cottage. Cottages evoke seaside vacations, a countryside locale, or a cabin in the mountains. The mood is often calm, unassuming, and informal. Simplification is the notable element of the cottage type of kitchen style and design.

Due to the truth that cottage model kitchens are tiny they typically have a flooring plan that is refreshing and open up, that can operate easily, as effectively as be a place to entertain.

To be able to generate the cottage really feel for you kitchen area you require to search at components these kinds of as property wares, linens, and furnishings you will pick for your cooking area. Some examples are the use of white distressed, stained and butcher-block surfaces all-around the kitchen, striped classic towels and dishcloths, an old antique kitchen clock, or exhibiting plates on open shelves over a window or doorway. Other components might involve stoneware pots, glazed earthenware and glass jars. Also you could place a pitcher of refreshing-reduce flowers to create more cottage appeal.

It takes time to produce a cottage type for your kitchen. You can not basically come across the cottage model all at a person time and in one retailer. The kitchen area ought to appear as if it little by little took on this search around a interval of time to realize a additional collected appear.

Furnishings in a cottage fashion kitchen area can include home furniture built from pine, or maple. Furniture detailing is an critical aspect of the cottage style. Furniture can be white painted, or lacquered, can incorporate also such capabilities as curved legs on base cabinetry, and previous fashioned moldings around cabinets and tables. Or a large perform table that can also be a dining room for the loved ones. Items can contain a farmhouse fashion kitchen table with beech spindle fashion chairs.