ABC’s of Fine Design

Last week I talked about bathroom fixtures and how easy it is to do a bathroom yourself as long as your not moving anything. This week I want to talk a little about kitchens. Kitchens help to sell a home, actually most of the time kitchens will sell a home so I well designed kitchen is a must.

A well designed kitchen consist of some very simple things. A fridge, sink and stove. Kitchen sinks are easily obtainable and usually the cheaper thing to get. You can get them in stainless steal, a huge trend right now or you can spend some extra and get a custom sink that fits with the rest of your kitchen or home. One thing I always look at is the faucet I personally hate the kind that pulls out itself. I like that item separate from the main faucet. Because of this I tend to look for kitchen faucets that have a separate pull out and are usually stainless steal. Why stainless? Well it’s a metal I like, it hold up well and I just don’t like the look of plastic faucets. Of course if you are remodeling your home for you, you may decide you like plastic. If your remodeling for sale though I would stick with a metal faucet.

When designing a kitchen remember all the appliances need to match. Even if your doing it just for you, you should try to get all of the appliances together and even get the same brand. Yes even stainless steal can look different if it’s made at different times. The big thing to remember is have fun with your design, make it your own if your the one who is going to be living there. Remember interior design is personal.

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Stainless steal. Those are the words I hear the most when it comes to kitchens. Everyone wants stainless steal. I understand I like it too. But what you need to really think about is what looks good in your home and will work with your decor. Now if your looking to sell, stainless is a great way to go.

You want your refrigerator and stove to match, if you can buy the refrigerator, stove and dishwasher at the same time. That way they are sure to work well together. The big appliances are not the only ones that you have to watch out for, your microwave, toaster and coffee pot all need to work well with what you have. Right now as a gift for a friend I am looking at the capresso brand of coffee makers because of there huge selection. My friend has been working on her home for the past 2 years and still hasn’t figured out what she wants in the kitchen.

A kitchen will still look good with a finish other then stainless steal if they all match and work with the other decor in the home. So if your looking for a kitchen remodel check out the new colors you can get appliances in, like red, blue and bright neon green, then decided what you really want to use in your home.

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Interior designers do so much more then design, they need to know codes and how they work. Why? When designing you need to design for different types of people. Knowing the Accessibility codes is important so that you save money and don’t have to make changes.

One common thing is a question of if something should be put into a building. The general tip I have is if your not sure put it in. Everyone needs to have access to public and many private buildings. Someone in a wheelchair would not be able to get up stairs easily so they would need a ramp. Designers need to know what slop to use when making this ramp. They also need to think about the safety of the people using the ramp and the building itself.

When dealing with home design there are many ways that you can make your home easier to get around and do things in. Not only for a handicap person but many of these changes are helpful to seniors and even healthy adults. Lowering your counters and allowing wheelchair access in your kitchen will help anyone who is in a wheelchair, it will also help your children to reach the counter if they need to. Another thing that is helpful in a kitchen is having shelves that will roll out and pull down, these were not made for our comfort, they were made to with with handicap access.

So the next time your thinking of redoing a room, look ahead and plan for the future, you never know what may happen or what you may need.

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I know many of you have heard about faucets that change the color of your water based on the heat or coolness of the water. Now there is a shower that does the same thing. Personally I think it’s looks amazing. The benefits are wonderful as they will keep your children or even yourself from getting burned or jumping into a too cold or hot shower.

 The maker of this shower is HANSA and they have designed many great products for your kitchen and bath. This is a great trend that I think will last for a very long time. It’s a useful trend and it could really help people be safe. So when you do your next remodel think about using these color changing fixtures and bring some fun color to your space.

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One thing I love about tile is that it is very versatile. You can use it in so many places for so many things. You can use it on the floor, the wall, the ceiling, as long is it’s not heavy and counter tops. The hardest part about tile is finding one you really like.

Anchor Bay Tile, offers many different types of tile. One they offer is a personal favorite glass tile. Why do I love glass tile so much? Well because of how it makes a room look. It shines and gives a calming feeling or can really make a room exciting depending on the color used. Glass tile always has a clean well kept look and really updates a design. It also can be used almost anywhere and looks really great as a back splash or in a shower area.

Another type of tile they offer is ceramic tile. This tile is also great for shower stalls and back splashes. It doesn’t have that same shiny effect that the glass tile does, though it does have a shine. Another tile they offer is I think the least used, but the kind of tile that will make a statement. Metal tile has many different uses. It can be used as an accent with other tile or places in random areas for a interesting appearance.

When your looking for tile, look for quality not just price. The website I have talked about today has wonderful quality tile and they do offer good prices. Remember when it comes to your home buy the best not just the most expensive.

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Everyone is looking to make there home look different, but with many homes out there being built to look the same how can you do this without spending a ton of money.

Paint. Now I’m not talking the walls but as an accent. I want you to take a look at the kitchen design I did about a year ago. Look at the colors. They pop but at the same time they don’t over do it.

The red in the cabinets draws your eyes to the red in the counter and the red on the chairs. If that red was not there you would probably notice the black first and then the red. This is one way to make a multi colored counter top pop, pick on color in it and paint something that color.  

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Many people around the world drink wine, it is good for your health and it taste good. when you design or decorate a home it is always the little things like this that matter, where do you store your wine? This may seem like a silly question but there are so many options out there from a wine fridge to a wine rack.

Today I’m going to discuss the use of a wine rack. The reason why is that they really can be an art piece along with serving a great purpose. Many can be customized to fit your decor and life style. There are racks that hang from the ceiling, ones that sit nicely on your counter, like I have, and some that are so large you need a whole other room to store them. Wine racks are very important as they keep your wine organized and looking great. Many people just put them in a cabinet but I’m sure after looking at some designer wine racks you may change your mind

Below I have a few pictures of wine racks that are sold at a wonderful website called The Vine Store. These are just the racks that stood out to me there are many more to choose from and I’m sure they will have one that will fit nicely into your home and decor. This website also offers gift certificates so don’t forget your friends, they need good accessories too.

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