The kitchen of the 21st century is a place where you not only cook meals, but also entertain and eat quick meals with your family. Now, more than ever, the kitchen is the heart of the home, the hive of the home’s activity. So today’s kitchen must be efficient and it must be aesthetically pleasing.
The top kitchen design trends of 2013 reflect this sensibility. We’ve come up with a list of 10, based on an informal survey of websites and blogs.
1. Neutrals – Predominant colors for walls, cabinets and floors are white, beige and gray – lots of gray, in fact, ranging from dark charcoal to a light dove gray.
2. Mixing it Up – While neutrals may be popular, so is mixing cabinets. One wall may have floor to ceiling cabinets, another glass cabinet doors and another may be made of a different color wood.
3. Efficient Cabinets – Cabinets and drawers have separators and compartments to store and organize things like silverware and paper bags. Every space is utilized, even the narrow space by the stove.
4. Quartz Counters – Homeowners are discovering that quartz is as hard and resilient as granite, but not as expensive as marble.
5. Statement Making Lighting – With the neutral palette, lighting is taking center stage, and not just lighting, but big, bold shapes and colored pendants.
6. Splashes of Color – Again with the neutral palette for walls, cabinets and counters in kitchens, there is also a trend for splashy color, such as colored glass backsplashes or glass cabinets with a colored background to show off dishes or collectibles.
7. Brass Fixtures – It might have a traditional or antique look or it might be very modern, but one thing is for sure, brass is the material of choice for kitchen designs.
8. Furniture or Architectural Elements – From corbels to pillars to turned legs, furniture elements are turning up in kitchens everywhere. Some kitchen designs are even using tables as kitchen islands for extra counter space and seating.
9. LED Lighting – Kitchens are being built or remodeled with LED lighting, which is more energy efficient and produces less heat than halogen or xenon lighting.
10. Electronic Faucets – Homeowners are appreciating the efficiency of electronic faucets, modern versions of those usually found in public restrooms. The water comes on and stays on while you fill the pot, preventing handles from getting messy.
Whether embarking on a remodeling project or building your dream home, everyone tends to have some idea of how they want certain rooms to look but really don’t know how to achieve what they’ve envisioned in their minds eye. With a plethora of materials, styles, colors, technological advancements, etc., even the smallest room decor can feel overwhelming. Woodwork, trim, ceilings, lighting, cabinetry, countertops, carpeting, window treatments, all seem to be in never ending books of pictures blurring together and lists that are forever ongoing.
Ready for help? Interior design and construction experts are just what you need. Of course, a construction company can build our your vision but an interior designer can provide you with an ability to articulate your particular point of view with custom designed rooms ranging from the elegant and formal, to the modern and informal. A good experienced interior designer will help you pinpoint your sense of style and bring it to fruition. They should be attentive to every detail, listening to your preferences and desires, while clearly explaining the strengths or weaknesses of any design ideas. A design build team will help you create your own individually designed living environment and then build it out with skilled craftsmen who are every bit as passionate about your unique creation.
A design/build team is experienced in all aspects of interior design and construction. Regardless of the type of space you are focusing on, a design and construction services company can create just the environment to meet your specific individual needs, and do it in such a way as to be the least worrisome of your personal time and energy.
Designing a kitchen can be a daunting task. It takes a lot of careful planning to balance functionality (appliances, layout) with aesthetics, and with so many kitchen décor options on the market, it can be hard to put together a complementary design. One foolproof approach to designing a distinctive kitchen is to fall back on two popular kitchen design themes.
1) Modern
Modern kitchen designs are characterized by a high emphasis on functionality, lots of straight lines, and a clean, streamlined look. The goal is to create a kitchen space that is uncluttered, understated, and minimalist. Lots of storage, cutting-edge kitchen gadgets, and eco-friendly materials and features are some of the hallmarks of modern kitchen design. To get the sleek look of an ultra-modern kitchen, incorporate stainless steel appliances, a dramatic lighting scheme, and glossy surfaces or accents.
2) Rustic
Rustic kitchens are inspired by the farmhouse and cottage interiors of bygone eras. Earthy hues, natural materials, and rough-finished surfaces are used to create a warm, earthy space with pastoral charm. Exposed ceiling beams, wrought iron crockery, and lots of natural lighting are all typical elements of a rustic kitchen. Walls may be white-washed, made of untreated wood, or incorporate exposed stonework.
Reclaimed, untreated wood is actually a distinguishing feature of rustic kitchen designs and can be used generously for tabletops, countertops, kitchen furniture, and flooring. Rustic kitchens can also have natural stone floors. You can use vintage kitchen equipment to heighten the nostalgic appeal of your rustic kitchen, or incorporate modern appliances. French Country, Scandinavian Country, and Tuscan style are three interior design schemes that can be used for rustic kitchens.
Remember, the above kitchen design themes never go out of style and sticking to one of these themes can be a good way to simplify your design project. This does not mean that your kitchen has to lack personality. By using carefully selected accessories and artwork you can add a personal touch to your modern or rustic kitchen design.
Green living is not just a passing trend. Nowadays, more and more homeowners are investing in green solutions for the home, from eco-friendly building materials to energy-efficient lighting. Eco-sustainable interior design results in living spaces that are healthier, distinctive, and interesting. Here are some techniques and products to bring out the ‘eco’ in your decor.
1) Eco-friendly countertops
There are now a wide range of choices for environmentally-friendly kitchen countertops. Countertops made from recycled glass have a stylish, mosaic-like appearance and include vetrazzo, fuez, and BottleStone. You can also consider bamboo-based countertop materials like EcoTop or Teragren. Other options include Paperstone made from post-consumer, recycled paper, and Durpalm made from reclaimed, non-fruiting coconut palms.
2) Nontoxic finishes
Nontoxic lacquers, varnishes, and paints are a smart choice for the health-conscious, eco-aware homeowner. They reduce indoor air pollution and you can achieve the same stylish, high-quality surface finishes as with traditional products. Standard paints have VOC (volatile organic compound) in them, a man-made compound which has been shown to have adverse immune, respiratory, and allergic effects on humans. Eco-friendly finishes on the other hand, have low VOC levels or use colorants that are VOC-free. Examples include Yolo Colorhouse exterior and interior paints, and Benjamin Moore’s Natura line of paints. There is also the option of using natural, organic furniture polishes and wood finishes. These contain no toxic hydrocarbons or other biocides and can be either commercial or homemade.
3) Green flooring
Today, there are green flooring solutions to fit a broad range of budgets and tastes. Cork is an excellent eco-friendly and rapidly-renewable flooring material harvested from cork oak trees. A stylish alternative to traditional hardwood flooring, durable, sound-absorbing cork flooring is available in a wide number of colors and styles. Another option is sustainable bamboo flooring which adds beauty and serenity to any interior.
Do you have an unused or neglected room in your house that you don’t know what to do with? Special-function rooms can be a great way to get the most out of the extra space. Specialty rooms not only make fun remodeling projects, they are also a way of personalizing your home to suit your lifestyle and habits. Here are two specialty room ideas to consider.
1) Powder room
A powder room is the perfect remodeling project for a small-sized room. A powder room is a guest bathroom with a toilet and washbasin only. Other optional appointments for a powder room include storage features and a vanity set. When it comes to powder room design, there are practically no rules. Indeed, because powder rooms are small rooms, they are the ideal space to focus on aesthetics. Pick a theme; choose décor, accents, and accessories accordingly; and use multi-layer lighting (ambient, task, and accent lighting) to enhance the atmosphere of your powder room.
2) Home office
A home office is a great solution if you telecommute, run a home-based business, or relish the idea of having a dedicated space for taking care of household administration tasks. The secret to designing a great home office is to create a space that is not only comfortable and inviting, but also tailored to your personality and working style. Let go of boring assumptions of what an office should look like and instead, choose warm colors, and furniture and accessories (rugs, lamps etc.) that are both beautiful and functional. Decorate your home office with display objects that inspire your creativity, or that have personal significance for your career. You will likely be spending extended amounts of time in your home office, so incorporate features that help boost your productivity over long hours, such as a stocked mini-fridge and a comfortable futon or chaise lounge to recline on during breaks.
Nowadays, it is safe to say that interior design has become a lot greener. Growing awareness of the toxicity of many interior design products (e.g. VOC-laden house paints) has prompted many homeowners to reconsider the way they design their homes. Also, as we learn more about the adverse environmental effects associated with the manufacture and use of many interior construction and finishing products, green remodeling is gaining more currency.
Living rooms and kitchen spaces have been popular choices for eco-friendly makeovers, but what about the bathroom? Is it possible to design an eco-friendly bathroom and how so? Here are 5 tips to creating an eco-friendly bathroom design that both you and the environment can enjoy.
1) Conserve water
There are many water-savings technologies and products for the environmentally-aware homeowner. Look for low-flow faucets and showerheads that are EPA-approved (EPA is the Environmental Protection Agency). Low-flow bathroom fixtures use as much as 20% less water than their standard counterparts. You can also install aerators on your standard faucet or showerhead to decrease water usage. Another way to save water is to install a low-flow, high-efficiency toilet. These toilets have cyclonic flushing technology which means that very little water is used per flush. Installing a controllable flush handle is a good way to conserve water without having to buy a new commode.
2) Choose eco-friendly materials
Eco-friendly materials can give rise to a very distinctive bathroom design. For example, consider a bathroom vanity with an attention-grabbing vetrazzo or fuez (materials made of recycled glass) surface, or ceramic bathroom tiles made from post-consumer, post-industrial materials.
3) Use all-natural fabrics
A simple way to boost your bathroom’s green quotient is to use earth-friendly fabrics. Instead of toxic PVC vinyl shower curtains, use shower curtains made from EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate), organic cotton duck canvas, or hemp. Earth-friendly bathroom rugs and mats are made from a wide range of materials including organic cotton, repurposed towels, or sustainable bamboo, cork, or teakwood. Finally, choose hand towels, wash cloths, bath towels and bathrobes made from natural fibers such as organic cotton or bamboo.
Finishing a basement is the process of transforming a basement from an inhabitable utility space into a fully livable space. Designing a finished basement is an exciting remodeling project because it’s a great way to personalize your home. From hobby room to wine cellar, to home office or a playroom for the kids, there are so many ways you can put your basement space to use.
A key step in finishing a basement is making sure the basement is watertight. In older homes especially, the basement tends to be damp or leaky. Wet basements can pose a health hazard because they invite mildew and mold which can cause allergies and respiratory illness. Waterproofing is also important because you don’t want to run the risk of incurring expensive flooding damages further down the road. Furthermore, because accumulated ground water around the foundation of a house exerts pressure on basement walls, proper waterproofing is crucial to prevent cracks from appearing in your basement walls.
Here are 2 simple ways to ensure your basement is properly waterproofed.
1) Backfill, drainage, and sealants
Walk around your house and carefully inspect the exterior walls at ground level (the foundation). The ground adjacent to the foundation should slope away from the foundation. If the ground slopes toward the house, the backfilled dirt surrounding the foundation will most likely be saturated with accumulated ground water. In such cases, the best solution is to install a drain pipe around the foundation and cover the pipe with gravel. If your house is on flat land, you will also need to install a French drain or sump pit to collect the water from the drain pipe.
It is also recommended that you seal the foundation walls then cover them with a protection board made of rock, polystyrene foam, or fiberglass. Rubber-based water sealants are better than asphalt-based sealants because they are moisture resistant and will not crack.
2) Remove sources of water accumulation
Remove any plants or shrubs growing close to the foundation since plant roots can create a direct route for moisture to flow down into the foundation of your house.
Also, inspect your gutter downspouts; they may be depositing water on the ground right alongside the foundation of the house thereby contributing to ground water accumulation. The simple way to avoid this is to make sure your gutters and downspouts are clean and that they are expelling water away from the foundation. You might need to install a drain line to divert downspout water away from the house.
It is safe to say that most kitchens have a counter and that the counter is one of the most prominent features of most kitchens. Often the kitchen counter is the focal point of the kitchen or even the entire home, a place for the family to gather for meals or have important discussions.
With any kitchen design project, the type of kitchen counter installation depends on a number of factors including the size of the kitchen, the intended function of the counter, budget, and personal style preferences. Here are three basic counter installations for you to consider.
Basic island
Islands are freestanding counters that are usually placed in the center of the kitchen. They liven up a kitchen inviting family members and guests to gather around them. Chairs or stools are placed around the island to allow for eating meals or doing homework. Islands work best in large kitchens with sufficient floor space. The island can either be either fixed or mobile. The base of a kitchen island can have cabinets, shelves, and wine racks to provide the kitchen with extra storage.
Multi-level island
A multi-level island is a great way to make a kitchen counter multi-functional. With multi-level islands, the base countertop is used for food preparation; it is equipped with amenities such as a stove top, sink, and dishwasher. The elevated, “bar height” countertop on the other hand is used for serving and eating meals. It can also be used for other tasks like writing grocery lists or sorting through mail or as a place to set down flower vases and fruit bowls. Multi-level islands are a good way to get the most out of your kitchen counter.
Wall mounted countertop
Wall mounted countertops are countertop shelves mounted to a kitchen wall with brackets. They do not have a base or cabinets underneath them, and some are designed to fold up when not in use. Wall mounted countertops are usually small and thus best suited to small kitchens. They can be a minimalist dinning surface for one or two people, and can also be used for food preparation.
Most people don’t consider lighting to be a central aspect of a bathroom, yet lighting fixtures have a great impact on the overall aesthetics and ambiance of a bathroom. Sufficient, well-planned lighting is also important in a bathroom for functional reasons and should be part of any bathroom design.
Ambient lighting
Ambient lighting refers to the general lighting that uniformly fills an entire room. In a bathroom, ambient lighting can be provided in a number of ways. Ceiling-mounted light fixtures are a stylish way to furnish a bathroom with ambient lighting. This can include recessed ceiling lights or a flush mount fixture. Flush mount lighting fixtures come in a range of styles include bowl, box, and drum styles and in a variety of finishes including bronze, chrome, nickel, and stained glass. Another option for ambient bathroom lightning is an elegant hanging chandelier in a style consistent with the bathroom’s theme.
Task lighting
Task lightning is localized lightning in a specific area of a room that provides illumination for specific tasks. In bathrooms, task lightning mainly consists of light directed toward the mirror to reduce eye strain while applying makeup, shaving, putting on contact lenses, etc. Task lightning also minimizes shadows under the eyes, nose and chin producing a sharper reflection in the mirror. Task lightning can be done with either halogen lighting or a recessed downlight near the mirror, or by mounting scones directly onto the mirror. Another option is a pendant light above the mirror. Portable countertop lamps can also be a distinctive way to provide task lighting in a bathroom.
Accent lighting
Accent lighting is lighting that adds drama to a bathroom design or that draws the eyes to display features such as paintings, alcoves, or other visual points of interest. Wall sconces for example, can serve the purpose of highlighting the texture of a bathroom wall, or curved track lighting can be installed on the ceiling for pizzazz. Halogen spotlights or wall sconces can be used to draw the eye to features such as decorative bathroom alcoves.
Small kitchen spaces are a common feature of many modern-day habitations, in fact, they are an almost unavoidable part of small-space city living. Older surburban homes also tend to have smaller kitchen designs, a relic of past times when the kitchen was seen as a purely utilitarian space for cooking and nothing else.
Whether you’re grappling with limited kitchen space in a new apartment, or are a long-time homeowner thinking of remodeling your small kitchen, here are some tips for for a kitchen design to get the best out of close culinary quarters.
1. More storage
There are many ways to maximize storage in a small kitchen. Stacking cabinets are a great way to increase cupboard space in a high-ceilinged kitchen. Excess utensils and cups can be hung on hooks underneath and on the sides of cupboards. Stackable wire racks, pull-out utility carts, and microwave carts can be used for storing dinnerware, cookware, or food items. Tuck away condiments, drinks, or spices in a lazy susan or a basket on top of the refrigerator, and if the ceiling is high enough, hang pots from it.
2. More workspace
Because there typically isn’t much counter space in a small kitchen, meal preparation and clean-up can be tiresome. One way to increase counter space is to install an electric cooktop that can also be used as a countertop; another way is to install a smaller sink. Pair a tall faucet with a small sink to make washing dishes and filling large pots easier. Reduce counter-top clutter by installing a slide-out cutting board and consider getting an under-the-counter refrigerator and freezer to increase legroom.
3. More inviting
Aesthetics is an important feature of kitchen design and this is especially true for small kitchens. Small kitchens have a tendency to appear uninviting but by paying close attention to things like décor, color scheme, and lighting, you can create a small kitchen that is a pleasant space to be in. Attractive cabinetry, nice flooring, and decorative cupboard handles can up the ante in a small kitchen. Cheerful colors and soft tones will make a small kitchen seem larger and airy, as will a harmonious color scheme. Adding track lighting or recessed lighting is another good way to open up a small kitchen space and achieve a warm, cozy feel, and using mirrors instead of tiles for the backsplash also creates the illusion of more space.
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