June 19, 2010
Building A New Kitchen? Get A Franke Sink
It would be reasonable to assume that you are already aware of how a Franke Sink could benefit your kitchen. Whether you are a commercial shopper, or looking for something a little bit special for your home, the range of available options is more than impressive.
For some, a simple Single Bowled, Top mounted Stainless Steel design will be all that is necessary. However, if you are an entertainer at heart, or simply have a large family to cater for, perhaps the Double Bowled Granite option will be better suited. And for the professionals too, Triple Bowl, and Prep Bowls solutions are also available.
Whatever you choose, you can be sure that only the best materials will be used. If you want something that will really stand up to anything you can throw at it, with no scratches or dents, then Granite should be your choice. However, even the Stainless Steel options will be more than adequate for the home kitchen. Whilst scratches will appear, these will soon blend into the finish and not detract at all from the operation or longevity.
If a stronger guarantee is needed, then you need look no further than some of the best Michelin starred restaurant kitchens across the world. With Stainless Steel gauges of anything up to 16gauge, (professional quality density), you will be in very good company.
Despite the sourcing of the best steel available, to maintain the clean and sleek lines and finish, be sure to maintain it well after every use. And when cleaning after use, do not go reaching for chemical detergents and abrasive materials. Instead, simply wipe dry with a cloth. If a little discoloration occurs, simply wipe over with some water and vinegar solution.
You are also assured of excellent continuing customer service through the life of your sink. Whether you wish to drill extra holes, or have the unit relocated and reset, their dedicated team of experts is on call to provide guidance at every step of the way.
To maintain the beauty of your Franke Sink, it is important it is cared for well. For most of us, a sink is nothing more than a tool; and this is exactly what it is. However, no matter how good the workmanship, the installation or the finish, neglecting to maintain it correctly will soon diminish its luster.
Before deciding amongst the many options in Franke Sinks be sure visit us to learn more about which Franke Sink will best suit your needs.
Filed under Kitchen Remodeling by Lucy Marciani
January 16, 2010
Staying Within Budget While Renovating The Kitchen
Being levelheaded with your budget is the first rule of renovation. In renovation, budget is key. It will optimistically keep you from creating heaps of wrong decisions and decisions before you’re well into your renovation. Do investigate before setting a budget so you’ll have an idea what contractors, appliances and materials you’ll would like for your kitchen renovation. Once you have all of your data for every facet of the design, then you will be able to figure out a workable budget. It is wise too to have a little bit of a cushion for the unexpected. Even the simplest-planned budgets can get thrown off target if something sudden pops in during the installation or final renovation stages of your kitchen. It’s forever sensible to supply a minimum of three quotes from contractors to make positive you’re not paying too much. Never automatically opt for all-time low bid because it is definitely worth your money to spend a little extra to get quality work.
In reference to your appliances for your kitchen, it’s best to shop around and not purchase the first thing you see. Worth ranges vary from store to store thus take your time. It is undoubtedly worth the time to wait on a sale. Additionally you’ll be able to use as a bargaining device too by shopping for all the kitchen appliances from one store. Anyway you can safe cash is the name of the game in kitchen renovations. Keeping your kitchen renovation on a budget is to be disciplined. When the craving comes “I simply have to have that” syndrome, you may should exercise restraint. Shopping for things that you just had not intended on can send your budget through the roof.
When it comes to kitchen transforming, there are plenty of things you need to consider even beforehand acquiring the services of a skilled contractor, or making appliance choices. A lot of than any different space of the home, the kitchen is the foremost versatile. It’s used to arrange meals, feed the family, store foods, and clean and store service ware and different household things.
The kitchen is additionally the family assembly area. Everybody undoubtedly migrates to the kitchen as a result of it is the main heart of the home. Therefore, it’s important that every kitchen remodeling plan be taken into consideration. Search through home decorating magazines and discover some nice ideas on TV. Whether you opt to style the kitchen yourself, work with a kitchen remodeling contractor or home center, formulating a strategy can be the first step. In other words, put pen to paper the vision and make it clear.
The first kitchen reworking tip is to consider the three basic kitchen functions: storage, food preparation, and clean-up. A well thought out kitchen style can accommodate every of those 3 functions. The layout of the kitchen style should be defined with suitable layout and ease of movement. The classic “work triangle” should be the basis of the floor plan. The kitchen sink, refrigerator and stove, as the three kitchen options used most typically, should be organized in a triangular pattern. This work triangle saves redundant steps when cooking and has proven to be the most convenient layout. The work triangle concept saves unnecessary steps when preparing foods, and proves the most convenient layout design.
Before deciding amongst the many options in Franke Sinks be sure visit us to learn more about which Franke Sink will best suit your needs.
Filed under Kitchen Remodeling by Nina Adelson
December 14, 2009
Different Household Bar Stools Options
The appearance of bar stools as common household furniture options is becoming more frequent. There has been a gradual and seamless transition of such stools from commercial settings into residential settings. As recently as 20 years ago, bar stools were novelty seating for most households. These days bar stools can be found in the furniture sections of most department stores.
However, now residential bar stools can be readily found and are a great addition to many rooms or outside spaces. Given their height, bar stools add some increased vertical visual dimension to a room. If properly placed they can create a point of visual interest. Although, physically bar stools require more space than regular furniture, their height lends itself to the creation of vertical space.
Not long after the emergence of regular height bar stools into the residential furniture market, came the shorter 24″ bar stool. The shorter stool was designed primarily for use in the kitchen. As families began to spend more social time in the kitchen, new kitchen seating areas were required. Designers began to incorporate room for love seats, and TV areas, and breakfast bars.
Bar stools come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Before you start looking for some bar stools for your home, you should acquaint yourself with some of the different options. Bar stools can have fixed seats or movable seats. The movable seat or swivel seat bar stools tend to be a slightly more expensive option. However, the swivel seat adds a great deal of convenience. The swivel seat allows the person to get of the chair without having to push away from the table or bar. This ability saves wear and tear on the floor beneath the stool.
Another consideration is whether the stool should have a back. Most bar stool models come in backless versions. There are pros and cons to backless bar stools. Backless bar stool tend to be less comfortable as they provide no back support. The benefits of backless bar stools is that they fit nicely in small spaces and are generally cheaper than bar stools with backs.
When you add bar stools to your decorating scheme you are adding some visual interest and spice. An average room can be given a slightly different appeal with a bar stool or two. As previously mentioned there are multiple different types of bar stools. They are different heights, made from an assortment of different materials. In addition, you can buy backed or backless bar stools.
To find out more information, click here or visit the website Fancy Bar Stools.
Filed under Kitchen Remodeling by Matt Adams
December 3, 2009
24″ Barstool - New Invention
I believe that 24 inch bar stools are a fairly modern development in the area of bar stools. Historically, there were only 30 inch bar stools. The 30 inch bar stool dates back hundreds of years. The standard height was set based on sitting at old English style pubs. When I first got into the bar design business all of the stools were generally standardized. They were the same heights, and for the most part one of only a few styles and designs. You would walk into just about any pub and not be able to tell them apart if you only had the bar stools to go by. Now there are hundreds of different types of bar stools that are manufactured and commercially available.
There are 24″ bar stools and 30″ bar stools. These are the two standard heights for bar stools available on the market these days. For the most part, the 30″ bar stools are found in commercial areas such as bars, pubs, and restaurants. Both the 24 inch and 30 inch models are found in residential settings. There are hundreds of different models to choose from. Stools come in a wide range of different styles and colors.
Historically, the use of bar stools in private homes was generally limited to basement family rooms or possibly the main floor at the edge of a large living room. Often if used on the main floor the bars were portable. Those stools used in the basement tended to be wooden and were stained a natural color. The whole concept was to recreate an old English pub in your basement and these bars needed pub style bar stools. Those stools found in the more formal areas of the residence tended to be made out of chrome or resin. All of these older style bar stools were designed for use by adults. The stools were invariably 30″ high to suit a standard 42 inch bar.
Then about 15 years ago a revolution began in the kitchen. Kitchen renovations were becoming quite popular and very common. Kitchen renovation shows were popping up on TV. Lifestyle shows were being set in the kitchen. New glossy kitchen renovation chat rooms were being launched. It suddenly became self-evident: the kitchen was an integral and very important part, if not the most important room in the house. Today kitchens are still about function but they are also about lifestyle. The new kitchen reflects a redistribution of domestic labor. Husbands, wives, and children all contribute to meal preparation or clean up. Today’s kitchen is about stainless appliances, cappuccino makers, and breakfast bars and breakfast bar stools. Breakfast bar stools are generally 24 inch bar stools.
The idea of the purpose of a kitchen changed radically. A kitchen wasn’t just about making food or doing the dishes. A kitchen became a place to enjoy family time. This concept came to fruition just as we all realized a bigger kitchen with more counter space was needed if the food preparation and clean up was to be shared with other activities. The breakfast bar became the ideal place to read the paper or do homework.
There are a number of good reasons the 24″ bar stool was created. Not the least of which was that the older taller chairs seemed too big for the kitchen. However, likely the most important reason was child safety. If children were to use these stools then the standard height stools were simply too high and posed a danger to children. The shorter 24″ bar stool was perfect as it blended into the kitchen and was safe for use by children.
Read more about short bar stools check out kitchen bar stools.
categories: barstools,bar stools,bar furniture,furniture,home decor,home decorating,interior design,interior decorating,kitchen,kitchen design,renovation,home,house,bars
Filed under Kitchen Remodeling by Adam Pink
October 29, 2009
Kitchen Design Software
Computer programs can help lay people design their kitchens quickly, easily and very cost effectively. The World Wide Web is the ideal place to buy such software from as there are many websites from where you could download such programs from.
There are many kinds of kitchen software. The sites giving free downloadable software usually also offer trial versions. These software versions are very user friendly, allowing you to learn them within a fairly short time. You can work on the software without having any advanced qualifications in architecture, engineering or design.
A Couple of well known free kitchen design software
The two most well known software are SmartDraw and Google SketchUp.
SmartDraw would be ideal for you in case you are just starting out. It’s fairly easy to learn in contrast with some of the other software. One thing you would want to remember to do is to use the template initially and not try to create one of your own. Playing around with the template will also help you learn the software a lot better and faster.
Google Sketchup : The free version of the software is good, but it’s not something that’s meant exclusively for kitchen design. The pro version - while being much better - does cost money and is not inexpensive. Initially, you might want to use one of the already available designs to speed things up.
There are also paid kitchen design software versions which offer extra features. But the disadvantage with paid software is that they take time to learn. Remember to check out the reviews of the software given by users, before you download them.
Learn more about Free Kitchen Design Software. Stop by http://www.SpicyKitchens.com where you may find learn about the two very widely used freely available software to design kitchens.
Filed under Kitchen Remodeling by Yoga Sadhaka
October 6, 2009
Got Kids? You Need Counter Height Bar Stools that are Durable
We moved into our home 5 years ago and the first thing on my to do list was to purchase bar stools. You see we now had a wonderful, large open kitchen to work with. The counter is L shaped and quite spacious. Counter height bar stools would be the perfect addition.
With 3 kids ages 3, 5, and 8, mealtimes were always a lot of work and sometimes stressful. There was so many little chores to do like setting the table and cleaning it after meals. Taking the dishes to the counter and loading the dishwasher. Cleaning the counters and getting all the crumbs and particles from the chairs and the floor took a little time too.
I thought it would be so much easier if the kids could eat right at the kitchen counter sometimes. So I started looking for some cheap counter stools. I found that they were not so cheap, especially online and at the local department stores. We had just gotten into our new home, so the budget was tight.
I was looking for at least three stools and I was not prepared to spend $75 or more per stool. I discovered many styles of stools made of metal or wood. There were several choices in design too. Did I want backs on my stools or footrests at the bottom for support? The list goes on. I was tempted by the 30″ swivel bar stools, but decided that would probably end up in disaster.
The height was a big factor. If you are looking for a stool you have to be sure it is the right height for where you are planning to use it. Too tall and it will be awkward to try and sit and eat. Too short and you won’t be able to reach the counter. It is important to take measurements with you when you go shopping so that you can be sure the stool will work.
I was out on a shopping trip at Walmart when I saw the perfect stools for my kitchen. I just happened to look down the furniture aisle and there they were. I never thought Walmart would have something I liked and for such a great price too. They were only $25 each which meant I was only spending $75 for my entire bar stool purchase. This was fantastic. I didn’t thing Walmart would offer good quality, but I was wrong. These were wooden saddle seat stools with a cherry finish. They were very nice looking and were comfortable too.
I took the stools home after purchasing them and found that I had definitely made the right choice. The fit perfectly with the rest of the kitchen decor and the dining room. They did not swivel so they would be safe seating for the children. The height turned out to be exactly what we needed to be comfortable at the counter.
When we had guests over, they all made nice comments about the stools. They wanted to know where I got them and when I told them, they couldn’t believe it. They were all excited about the price too. Many of them went to Walmart searching for those stools. They wanted a good bargain too.
I think I hit the jackpot that day. The kids can eat comfortably at the counter and the sink and dishwasher are right there for easy clean up. It makes mealtimes less stressful and more enjoyable. Everything is faster and easier and not such a mess. This has been our favorite purchase since we moved in.
Filed under Kitchen Counters by Marie Swilley
August 28, 2009
Why You Shouldn’t Rush Designing Your Kitchen
Beautiful kitchens are always well thought out. Being one of the most busiest roads in the home, it needs to be properly organized to handle the various tasks that is required of it. In order for it to be successful, kitchen design needs a great plan.
The entire layout of the kitchen, must be considered prior to purchasing any items whatsoever. In order to get the layout right, it may be necessary to move some of the essentials. For example, the triangle considered by all professionals to be the optimum working area. In other words, placing the sink, refrigerator and stove in a triangle will save time by eliminating extra steps.
But more than the triangle is necessary for good kitchen design. One very important factor that must be determined is the traffic flow in the room. The placement of cabinets and other appliances must allow seamless movement, and making it easy for two people to be in the kitchen at once. But it doesn’t end there! Getting good kitchen design also means having an aesthetically pleasing kitchen, as with the cabinets.
Counters and floors also draw the eye just as much of the cabinets do, therefore they must be given much consideration. Maintenance of both of these must be considered as well. Both of these get a lot of use and abuse, and therefore choosing the right materials is very important in order to endure the workload.
Not only is durability key in choosing the right floor, but also in choosing the countertops. These are also subjected to much use and abuse. Imagine the counter is being used by someone who rarely will chop on a chopping block. In this case, durability is imperative otherwise, the counter will be destroyed very early on.
Besides the appliances that the homeowner will choose, the sink has evolved greatly. Homeowners today are opting for very deep sinks to enable easy cleaning for bigger dishes, and the like. They are also paying more attention to the faucet, and prefer pullout spouts with sprays, etc.
A great kitchen is well lit. Lighting is required in this room. And, the lighting must come from different sources in order to be able to see properly and to enable the user to prepare meals with ease. Good light is required over the stove, the sink, the eating area, and throughout the ceiling, either with recessed lighting or a spotlights, for example.
Filed under Kitchen Remodeling by April Kerr
July 12, 2009
Building A New Kitchen? Get A Franke Sink
As would reasonably be expected from the world’s leading provider of kitchen equipment, when you buy a Franke Sink, you are getting something a little more than a simple kitchen sink. Indeed, such is the breadth of knowledge built over their respected history, they can advise which style and fitting would suit you best.
This advice will be needed; with an impressive range of sinks to choose from and a veritable galaxy of options to tailor it to your most specific of needs. Whether you decide to choose from a Granite Topmount design, a rustic Fireclay Apron Fronted double sink for your country kitchen, or a more traditional single bowl Stainless Steel Worktop fitting, you are sure to find the ideal option.
Whatever you choose, you can be sure that only the best materials will be used. If you want something that will really stand up to anything you can throw at it, with no scratches or dents, then Granite should be your choice. However, even the Stainless Steel options will be more than adequate for the home kitchen. Whilst scratches will appear, these will soon blend into the finish and not detract at all from the operation or longevity.
If a stronger guarantee is needed, then you need look no further than some of the best Michelin starred restaurant kitchens across the world. With Stainless Steel gauges of anything up to 16gauge, (professional quality density), you will be in very good company.
Even with the resilient Stainless Steel, there are things you need to consider. Not many people are aware; but sinks should be kept as dry as possible when not in use! They can also be cleaned using nothing more than simply water and vinegar too!
You are also assured of excellent continuing customer service through the life of your sink. Whether you wish to drill extra holes, or have the unit relocated and reset, their dedicated team of experts is on call to provide guidance at every step of the way.
You may not need this advice of course; but a well maintained sink will last forever, and never lose its look, functionality or appeal. If you are planning on designing a new kitchen, or perhaps you are looking for only the best facilities for your professional kitchen, a Franke Sink could well be the answer.
Filed under Kitchen Remodeling by Lucy Marciani
May 18, 2009
Should you use a ducted or ductless range hood?
Any kitchen, be it a domestic or a commercial one, all have one thing in common: range hoods. Range hoods are placed above a stove in order to properly ventilate any unnecessary fumes or odors that might be produced during the course of cooking. In turn, this keeps any odors from leaking out into the rest of the building or house, thereby ensuring that all fumes are properly circulated and ventilated.
It is because of these reasons, that range hoods are an extremely vital part of a well operating kitchen. Apart from providing comfort to anyone who might be cooking in the kitchen, it also keeps people safe from any unnecessary accidents that might a direct result of lingering fumes in the kitchen.
In the market today, there is an extremely wide variety of range hoods, all of which are built to cater to different needs, specifications and requirements. Some range hoods are made of special non-stick materials, which make relatively easy to clean, whereas others are designed to be stored away when not in use. In addition, you will also be able to find different range hoods that have been designed to suit specific designs and layouts of kitchen, making it relatively easy to find a range hood that will suit your needs.
Most range hoods can be roughly categorized into two main categories. For range hoods that have been designed for use in kitchen, they will either be ducted, or ductless. Understanding the operational difference between each of these two types of range hoods is essential, as it will help you decide on the type of range hood to use in your kitchen.
For ducted hoods, you will need to have a connecting exhaust duct to blow the fumes from the kitchen, out into an open space that is normally outside the house. With ducted range hoods, you get very efficient venting of unnecessary fumes, but depending on the overall layout of your kitchen, might be very troublesome to install.
However, for ductless range hoods, you will find that these range hoods are extremely easy to install, as they do not need to be connected to an external ventilation duct. The only requirement for these range hoods to operate is an electrical socket that powers the ventilation fans. These ventilation fans help to blow the air back into a certain area of the room, thereby isolating all the intended kitchen fumes.
Despite the ducted range hood having a much higher level of effectiveness, you will find that most common domestic kitchens use a ductless range hood. This is simply because there is not enough space in domestic kitchens, for the luxury of being able to install a ventilation duct for the ducted range hood.
Despite this, you should always take the time to measure and weigh your requirements, before deciding on the type of range hood to install, as it will be a long-term choice that you will be making.
Filed under Kitchen Appliances by Steven Tsang