Kitchen & Bathroom,Wardrobe & Closet Design Plans

The All in One “Kamido” Kitchen Island by Menno Kroezen for Panasonic

Designer Menno Kroezen designed the new “Kamido” all in one modern Kitchen Island for Panasonic in Osaka, Japan with Japanese style cooking in mind. The small layout of Kamido incorporates several elements such as a cook top with side vent, large sink, under counter waste compartments, and a durable modular sliding counter top that can hide or expose what you need at the various stages of the cooking process. Kroezen also paid close attention to the limited space in many Japanese homes and apartments and adapted the design for these environments. See more of the designs from Menno Kroezen.

Kitchen Backsplashes

Backsplashes have an important job to do.

A functional and visually pleasing backsplash should be high on your list of priorities for any new kitchen.

However, you shouldn’t start planning how you want your backsplash to look until you’ve picked out the countertops for your new kitchen design. A backsplash sits on the countertop and to create a tasteful design, you need to know what will work best with the material you’ve chosen.

If you don’t like the idea of having two independent materials for your countertop and backsplash, you can of course use the same one for both. Although using one material can create a very sleek finish, it doesn’t make a feature of the backsplash, which traditionally is an important factor of a kitchen design.

We’ve got more information and useful articles on kitchen backsplash design listed below.

7 Eco friendly Kitchen Appliances – Help You Reduce Cost and Energy

The kitchen is the place where food is prepared and in which almost each of us pass through every morning before we start the daily activities or in the evening before we go to sleep. It is also the space where the whole family can gather for a comfortable and friendly dinner. For these reasons each of us strives to give a more pleasant appearance to this space. Our concerns should not resume, when selecting furniture and domestic appliances, just to the aesthetic aspect of the kitchen handles, but also to the energy efficiency of small or large appliances and household items. It is recommended to choose those appliances with the lowest power consumption, because in this way we not only save money, but also do our part in helping the environment.

We will offer some suggestions to turn your kitchen into a green space.

Whirlpool has introduced the new Resource Saver refrigerator, which they claim to be the most energy saving side-by-side fridge ever made, as it consumes 30% less energy than federal standards require. The power use is almost the same as for a 60Watt light bulb. The refrigerator is made with the latest technology, incorporating cooler sensors and having the ice cube unit in the door. Read the rest of this entry »

The next step in planning your new kitchen is to plan enough storage to suit your needs. As already explained in Kitchen Shapes, different shapes of kitchens automatically provide different amounts of storage space. However, there are a lot more possibilities and styles than you might think. In this section storage solutions will be discussed and useful tips will be given to make the most of even the smallest of spaces.

 Most of your cutlery will be stored below the worktop as well. Try to store your cutlery close to the dishwasher or sink for quick storage after cleaning. Drawers are still the best storage option for cutlery, but you may find it handy to keep you ladles and wooden spoons in a jar on your worktop. Knives can be kept at a magnetic knife holder that you can attach to your wall or in a separate knife-block on your worktop. Make sure though that your worktop is free from too much clutter as this will give your kitchen a messy look. Read the rest of this entry »

When you purchase a vintage home, you will find that the kitchen is not up to today’s standards for family living. In many instances, you may find that the entire house will need to have restoration work. When preservationists restore vintage homes, they usually keep the facade and the main living areas in the style of the home. The kitchen, however, is usually redesigned to meet the needs of their family.Vintage Kitchen

Vintage not only means the restoration of pre-World War I homes but also bungalows from the 1950s and ranch style homes from the 1970s. The design and purchase of a home is a personal choice and the styles from various decades appeal to many people.Vintage Kitchen

When kitchens became a separate room in the family home, there were work areas. Everything in the kitchen was freestanding including the stove, the refrigerator, and the sink. The kitchen table was the work area and the appliances were all one color, white. Some had cast-iron stoves. Floors were wood or linoleum.

The decades of the 1960s and 1970s did see changes in color in kitchen appliances but some of the colors got old pretty quickly. It was difficult for everyone to live with avocado green and gold for twenty years.

When planning a kitchen redesign for a vintage home, you want it to feel warm and inviting and homey. You also want the hardware to have a period feel. The availability of period materials has grown. You can find period pieces in antique stores and well designed reproduction hardware and appliances in home shopping stores. Architectural salvage companies go through buildings and homes to be torn down and salvage materials for re-use.Vintage Kitchen

The look and feel of a kitchen is determined by its cabinets. If you want to keep an historic feel to your kitchen, check with architectural salvage companies for wood and metal cabinets. You can mix these cabinets with freestanding antique or reproduction pieces. You can also add other vintage pieces such as an antique dresser or other items such as plate racks and open shelves. When refinishing your salvage cabinet finds, you should make sure that you strip, buff, and lacquer the metal cabinets to prevent them from rusting. Old painted wood cabinets have a tendency to warp when striped. You should do them one at a time.

Vintage Kitchen

You can use stone countertops in a vintage kitchen redesign. The stone should be honed to a soft finish. Vermont soapstone is a popular choice.

Flooring in a vintage kitchen redesign can be linoleum or wood. You may be able to find unused rolls of linoleum from early decades at an architectural salvage store. Many of today’s designs also complement the vintage kitchen. Linoleum companies are reproducing early patterns.

Many vintage kitchens, especially pre-war, used pressed metal in the ceiling. You can check for these at an architectural salvage store. An alternative is to use a heavy Anaglyptic paper. This is a cream colored paper embossed in a variety of period patterns. It costs less to install than pressed metal and when it is painted, achieves a similar look.

Since the mid-1980s, it has become easier to find authentic looking vintage stoves and refrigerators. Most old stoves are white but you can find some colors such as cream, green, or cobalt blue. Hoods used for venting were not used 100 years ago. In this case, you can have one built of the same wood as an overhead cabinet.Vintage Kitchen

It is not difficult to find antique hardware. In a vintage kitchen, you may want to choose antique brass, satin nickel, or blackened finish. You can find reproductions to fit just about any vintage period at your local hardware or home shopping store.

A kitchen redesign for a vintage kitchen can make your home warm and family friendly. It just takes a little time to find the right pieces.

When installing new cabinets, plan to do the job after completion of rough wiring and plumbing but before the finish flooring has been installed. By installing the flooring after cabinet installation, you won’t use more flooring than needed and the new floors are less prone to construction damage.

Unpack your cabinets and make sure all components are on hand. If your cabinets arrive disassembled, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for assembly. Wait until after cabinet installation to add drawers, doors, and shelves. If you remove any parts, be sure to label them so you can return them to their proper places.

The wall that backs cabinets should be level, smooth, and clean. To check it for flatness, place a long straightedge against it. Mark any bumps or voids so that, during installation, you can adjust for them.

When moving them around, you will discover that upper cabinets are heavy–just imagine their weight when they’re loaded with dinnerware and food. For this reason, it is imperative that they be fastened very securely to the wall stud framing behind the wall’s surface material. And the screws you use must go through a strong part of the cabinet such as a support rail that runs along the cabinet back. Every cabinet should be secured by at least three screws which penetrate the wall framing by at least 1 1/2 inches. For cabinet installation techniques, see How to Install Kitchen Cabinets.

New cabinets can make a dramatic difference in the look and feel of a kitchen. Although installing kitchen cabinets does not require professional skills, it does take an eye for precision. In order for cabinets to work properly and look right, they must be installed level, plumb, and flush with each other.

Plan to put in cabinets after rough wiring and plumbing are installed but before you install finish flooring. This way, you won’t use more flooring material than necessary and you won’t be in danger of damaging new floors. Install wall-mounted cabinets first so the base cabinets won’t be in your way as you work.

If your cabinets don’t arrive assembled, put them together according to the manufacturer’s directions–but remove (or don’t install) doors, shelves, and drawers. If you remove these parts, label them so you will know where they go.

The wall behind the cabinets should be smooth, level, and clean. Make sure it’s flat by placing a long straightedge against it. Mark any bumpy or bulging areas. During installation, tap wood shims–short pieces of wood shingles–beneath or behind the cabinets to make slight adjustments. If the irregularities are significant, you can compensate for them by using a scribe rail.

Upper cabinets are extremely heavy when they’re loaded with canned foods or dinnerware, so they must be fastened very securely to wall studs. Screw through a strong part of the cabinet–most have a support rail that runs across the back for this. For each cabinet, at least three screws should penetrate the wall studs by at least 1 1/2 inches.

It is particularly important to install the first wall and base cabinets level and plumb, both from side to side and from front to back, because each additional cabinet will be aligned with the first ones.

Kitchen Storage Planning — China Kitchen Cabinetry

The best kitchen designs are laid out with work zones in mind. Using what’s called “the work triangle,” kitchen designers place everything from ovens and cooktops to sinks and refrigerators — as well as the cabinets themselves — within various zones.

Harmony® Storage Solutions by KraftMaid are organized by zones as well. These zones include Food Storage, Tableware Storage, Preparation, Cooking and Cleanup. Specialized Storage Solutions work within these zones, allowing you to maximize storage, accessibility and comfort in your kitchen.

Review the many options in this section. You’ll see how easy it is to create a kitchen that’s more organized, more efficient and more livable than you ever imagined.

This zone contains all of your basic food items, including canned goods, dry goods, perishables, refrigerated foods and bulk storage. In your kitchen layout, it should be placed near the Preparation and Cooking zones, and should be easily accessible for unloading groceries. Harmony® Storage Solutions that make this zone work hardest and smartest include lazy susans, pull-out pantries, multi-storage pantries, a variety of roll-out trays and utility cabinets.

This zone is used to store dishes, glasses, stemware, serving pieces, silverware and other items that you use in your daily kitchen routine. This zone should be planned so that it is easily accessible from the eating area as well as the Cleanup zone. Think about Harmony® Storage Solutions, like cutlery dividers, china display cabinets, base drawer storage and more.

This is the main work area in your kitchen. This zone will contain work knives, utensils, mixing bowls, food processor and other small appliances. Of course, it should be designed in proximity to the Cooking and Cleanup zones. This area will gain efficiency and practicality from Harmony® Storage Solutions, like base pots and pans cabinets with adjustable drawer dividers, cutting centers, floating island base cabinets, tambour storage, utensil ensembles and much more.

As you can imagine, this zone will include your cooktop, ovens and microwave. It will also contain your cookware, bakeware and cooking utensils, as well as your spices and cooking oils. This zone is the true focal point of your kitchen layout. And you can keep the focus on efficiency with Harmony® Storage Solutions, like a base cooking center, roll-out trays, spice racks, tray dividers and microwave cabinets.

The Cleanup zone is another area that can define your kitchen layout because it most likely will be dictated by plumbing access or the placement of your dishwasher and windows. This zone contains your sink and dishwasher, trash and recycling bins, cleaning tools and cleaning supplies. Make your Cleanup zone more efficient with Harmony® Storage Solutions, like a sink base door storage cabinet, pull-out wastebaskets and more.

Manage Your Kitchen Remodel

1.Put it down on paper. Draw a plan and make a list for your kitchen remodel to help you determine costs. Decide if you’ll need new cabinets or if you can paint them. Many home improvement centers offer computer generated kitchen remodeling plans based on your own photos. Decide if appliances will be replaced and what type you want. Check online for appliance features and stores that offer discounts.

2.Hire a reputable contractor who is experienced in kitchen remodeling if you aren’t going to do it yourself. Make sure the contractor is licensed and insured. Get references from the contractor and make sure that you have a time frame in writing. Labor costs are estimated at approximately 30 percent of the total remodeling cost.

3.Do it yourself. If you are experienced in home repairs, you may be able to do a lot of the work yourself to save money. Gas appliances need to be installed by experts. Make sure you hire reputable plumbers and electricians to help with the mechanical aspects of the kitchen remodel if necessary. Depending on the age of your kitchen, mechanical remodels can take as much as 30 percent of your budget.

4.Keep at least 10 percent of your budget for those unexpected costs. You might have termites or dry rot in wood, which will need to be replaced. Wiring may be old and not up to code. Old water pipes could be leaking and need to be replaced. Always keep a “contingency fund” for just such repairs.

Unless you will be doing your kitchen remodel as a Do-It-Yourself project, you will need to consult and select skilled experts in a variety of fields. Some remodeling companies and most building contractors specialize in handling the entire kitchen remodel from design through complete installation and will assist purchase of the products needed to complete your project. Some kitchen and bath retailers and some home centers offer this complete service or “turnkey” approach, too. If you do not select a full service company with this capability as your source, you must be prepared to serve as your own ‘scheduling contractor’ and perhaps, even purchasing agent.