How To Maximize Kitchen Space? | Tips To Optimize Kitchen Workspace

One key solution to maximizing kitchen space is to think beyond borders and don’t be limited by the designated dimensions of your kitchen. Not everything that’s traditionally found in the kitchen necessarily needs to be there. Much of your crockery, utensils, appliances and accessories can be stored in neighboring areas to free up precious kitchen space. For example, turn sideboards near the dining table into accessible storage spaces for cutlery, serving crockery and entertaining accessories such as napkin holders.

Another suggestion is to make use of surface space such as the counter top. One good idea is to install a pull-out table on wheels which allows it to multi-task as an extra preparation table or breakfast bar, and can be tucked away when not needed.

Other than countertops, consider mounting appliances such as microwave ovens on the wall. They can sit on open shelves, or be hidden behind cabinet doors for a clean, uniform look, chopping boards that fit over sinks or the flat surface of an electric hob (when not in use) can also double as a preparation space.

Walls, cabinet doors and sides of cupboards can be surprisingly useful as storage areas. Instead of trying to cram yet another utensil into your overflowing drawer, install rails or hooks on the wall or under cupboards. Hanging up your cooking implements not only makes grabbing them a cinch (no more rummaging at the back of the bottom drawer), they can also inject visual interest on otherwise plain walls.

For high ceilings, a custom-made rail for hanging wine glasses or mugs can make a stunning mid-air attraction, and save you considerable storage space. You must not forget the external sides of cabinets or the inside of pantry doors; these are perfect for hanging oven mitts, dish cloths and light gadgets.

Keep in mind that kitchen cabinet accessories can also help maximize space:

1. Rotating carousel units; perfect for corner cabinets. They swing items out of spaces that are hard to reach.

2. Slide-out trays and pull-out baskets; a tug lets you see everything in your pantry and makes things easy to find.

Kitchen Planning – Basic Tips To Improve Your Kitchen Area

The kitchen is often the busiest room in the house and has a variety of functions. While food preparation is its most obvious, the kitchen is often the social hub of the family home, playing host to a number of activities such as homework and dining.

Decorating or furnishing any room requires careful planning to achieve the best results and this is especially true of the kitchen. From the outset, it is important to decide what you want from your kitchen area. If you’re going to use it primarily for cooking, then a large amount of work-surface will be needed. Or if meals are to be eaten there, room and space are going to be important considerations.

The removal of laundry appliances is worth considering for those looking to free up space. They could be placed in another room in the house or even put outside; A shed or out-house could be transformed into a utility room to store large laundry appliances such as washing machines or dryers. Other kitchen appliances such as freezers could also be moved, thereby providing extra space for smaller kitchen areas. This could enable you to provide an extra piece of kitchen furniture such as a small table or chair.

The preparation of food is often a time consuming activity. Therefore the kitchen worktop should be tailor-made for its user. The incorrect height can encourage bad posture, which in turn can lead to back-problems. It should be flexible in design, especially if a kitchen is used by more than one person. Features such as roll out worktops can help achieve this requirement. They can also be installed at varying heights to adapt to different users. Adjustable stools might also be worth considering.

Good lighting can help aid in the smooth and efficient running of a kitchen. Like the bathroom, it can have reflective surfaces that cause glare. So a lighting set-up that provides effective illumination for every-day tasks as well as soft background lighting is a practical necessity. Low-voltage bulbs concealed by a partition are good at this, as are cooker hoods. Most hoods come with an integral light that can help provide a useful background glow for cooking and preparation. And, if you plan on using your kitchen for dining, an adjustable rise and fall lamp installed over the table can offer a pleasant, relaxing ambience.

You should also plan where you’ll put your electrical kitchen accessories. The placement of electrical sockets is important in terms of safety and practicality and so a good number should be installed. Trailing electrical flexes are not a good idea and can prove very dangerous. Therefore at least two sockets should be installed for each worktop.

Ventilation is another integral feature. It helps maintain an odour-free environment as well as preventing the build-up of moisture caused by steam. Extractor fans are effective at this and are sometimes included with oven systems. Installing an oven/ cooker next to an exterior wall means that its extractor fan can vent stale air out of the kitchen immediately. Condensation is therefore drastically reduced and good air circulation created. In a room that can emit strong odours, this is an essential factor.

The three most important features of a kitchen are the fridge, sink and cooker. For ease of use and convenience they should be close together. Placing them at the points of an imaginary triangle is a popular practice and can help prevent excessive movement around the kitchen. This can, however be influenced by the shape and size of your kitchen. So in some cases the logical solution is to place them in a line. Square kitchens provide the most scope for layout possibilities. U-shape and L-shape designs are the most popular and can provide extra space for eating or relaxing, whatever suits you home the most.

Storage is another factor in kitchen planning. Adequate space for appliances and other kitchen equipment ensures that a cooking area is free from clutter and can run smoothly. Kitchen units are the most common and space-efficient solutions to space issues. Buying on the cheap should be avoided however. There’s nothing more annoying than drawers that don’t run smoothly, or doors that don’t close properly.

Quality kitchen units will last much longer and are much more durable than their less expensive counterparts. Kitchen cupboards and dressers are also an option. They can provide extra space to store and display dishes and other items. Open shelves such as those found on traditional kitchen dressers can lend a kitchen a relaxed lived-in look, even when full and may enhance the overall look and feel of the room.

In conclusion, planning and building a new kitchen is a good investment. It can improve the quality of your life as well as increasing the value of your home. With the application of a few tried and trusted methods, and some considered purchases, you can have an efficient, attractive and practical kitchen area, which should stand the test of time.

The Kitchen Hot Spot

If you belong to those lucky people who have had the privilege of enjoying a warm breakfast or the happy voices of the family crowd gathered around the kitchen table, it is most likely that this cooking spot in your family's house brings back a lot of happy memories every time you enter its premises. Like many of you, my family kitchen has been the focal point of my life from childhood to adulthood.

Although I cannot always recall with confidence, whether or not a conversation took place in any other room inside my family's house, I am usually able to remember the one that took place inside the kitchen.

My cultural background evolves around food. When people in my home country decide to spend some quality time together, they usually do it around food. Asking a visitor if he is hungry the moment he enters our house is not considered rude or inconsiderate. On the contrary, this is a question one asks in order to make sure that the other feels welcomed.

It is actually impolite not to ask if your guest needs to drink or to eat anything even before they are sited in the living-room couch. Although this practice made me wonder while I was a kid why people popped the "million-dollar" question after the guest has been comfortably seated, I realized as the years went by that there is a big difference between asking someone if he or she want to eat or drink anything from inviting that person to enter the sanctuary of the kitchen.

The process of opening the door of the kitchen and letting the other person explore its content is saved to be offered to those who have successfully passed the line between "I like you" and "I love you." Even though my father, in particular, was the one that usually left the fridge door open to everyone's sight, the understanding that this was an act of goodwill was more than obvious. Those who managed to stay in the kitchen room more often became clearer to me as I grew up that were the people my parents really cared for and wanted to share their lives with.

Two of those welcomed individuals were me and my brother. Since my mother was the master-cook of the family, our bright and lively kitchen became over the years that unique place where we would look for to find the needed comfort and support. In addition, my father, who was always capable of creating the kitchen mess my mother later had to clean, preferred the warmth of the kitchen to sit us down and discuss our problems or thoughts.

In that room I heard for the first time how my parents met and fall-in-love, what my mother asked after she gave birth to me, who was the teacher that gave my brother his first excellent grade, what I should do in case of a family crisis, and so much more. Our kitchen was the room that I stayed in late to study for my exams, while it was the only room one would enter without having anything particular to do apart from catching up with the rest of the family members.

Creating with the help and advice of my mother our birthday cakes was a one-year event my brother and me never wanted to end. Warm chocolate cookies, sugary syrup and lots of other "healthier" food ingredients were the toys with which we adored playing for hours.

If I had to advice one thing every couple I meet, it would be to create the kitchen of their dreams by keeping it always accessible to fun and games, while enjoying the process of preparing the family breakfast, lunch or dinner. Parental guidance and support can uniquely be combined with the hottest place in a house; its kitchen.

What You Need To Know About Kitchen Colors

Color is very important design element for kitchens and bathrooms since it plays an important role in affecting our modes.

A good combination of kitchen colors in the scheme of your decoration can make your kitchen look livelier and more appealing. However mismatched color schemes can ruin your décor.

Color can influence the mood of a room. For example, studies have shown that red can quicken the pulse and breathing rate, as well as increase appetite. Yellow, especially soft yellows can make people feel happier. When used as a accent bright yellow can attract attention and brighten up a kitchen. You can also use color to influence how large or small a kitchen can feel.

With kitchen color taking on more importance, many manufacturers of cabinets, appliances, flooring and countertops are offering the consumer more choices in colors. The best kitchen colors should include shades of brown, peach, yellow, pink or blue.

Kitchen color schemes have come and gone over the years. Some kitchen color schemes have remained popular over time.

White as a kitchen color remains a popular choice because of it has a clean look. One disadvantage of an all-white kitchen is that it can have a sterile and cold look and feel. That is why white is usually accented with one other color such as blue. Also design elements such as a light colored oak floor, or soft accents provided by curtains can make a kitchen seem warmer. It is considered a good idea to select one color as the overall or base color and select one or two accent colors.

You can feel safe selecting just about any color for your kitchen by following some important guidelines for using different kitchen color schemes:

It is considered a good idea in using color in a room to have a 60-30-10 split between three colors,
60% representing the main or dominant color, probably on the walls or cabinets. 30% of a secondary color used in the flooring or rugs, as well as window treatments. 10% for accents such as, dishes, artwork, pillows and other soft items.

Monochromatic color scheme is noted for only the use of one color. To create more variety you would used various tints, tones and shades of that color.

Complementary color scheme uses two colors placed opposite to each other on the color wheel. This scheme is quite intense and brings a more dramatic touch and energy to home décor.

Analogous color scheme includes three hues placed adjacent to each other on the color wheel with either warm colors or cool colors in combination, such as yellow and green, blue and violet, or red and orange. Kitchens generally wouldn't be the type of room where the type of color scheme would be used. This color scheme would be better for more informal areas of the home, such as family rooms, dens and bedrooms or where one would be looking for rest and recovery from the activities of the day.

Neutral colors include taupe, tan, black, white, cream, and shades of gray. Neutral colors can be paired with almost any color as an accent. Because your cabinets make up most of the expense of kitchen decorating it would be best to choose a style in a more neutral finish. This also applies for countertops and flooring.

A good decorating scheme is to emulate the color schemes found in nature, such as sky blue or the various shades of green or earth brown or light or pale yellow. Light can also be an important element in emphasizing the colors and can bring about different shades and views of the color based on varying intensity.

Kitchen Appliances | Microwave Ovens A Healthy Cooking Kitchen Appliance

Microwave ovens are the type of cooking equipments which are used for baking, roasting, grilling, pre heating and cooking full meals. Different cuisines need different temperatures. Ovens generally have a variety of methods to cook. The most common can be to heat the food from below. This is generally used for baking and roasting. For roasting, the meat can be placed on a rack in the oven to ensure even application of heat. During roasting, the air circulates around the meat, cooking it evenly. The devices prepare food quickly, efficiently and safely.

In the past, cooking ovens were fueled by wood or coal. Modern ovens are fueled by electricity. Fortunately life is made a lot easier with a microwave oven and cooking is taken good care of. To make real progress in cooking, you need to evaluate the best appliance and put together a list of your top priorities.

Make some changes in your kitchen to simplify cooking. You will feel energetic and be able to get a lot of things done easily. The importance of the right appliance and maintaining it is now a high priority among the most eminent individuals.

Microwave ovens provide structured features for its users developed in association with designs and styles. The booming products offer exciting performances. Ultimately the products with better facilities, technology and features are the primary choice.

Manufacturers are always working towards making life comfortable for the people. They have an ability to catch the pulse of human minds. They know that people are selective and have developed their own taste to choose the product. Special attention is given for the best and they are working hard to produce some more new models.

Microwave ovens are also regularly used in big restaurants and hotels. The microwave ovens used in restaurants and hotels can fluctuate from those used at homes.

They use large microwave ovens as the amount of food cooked in the restaurants and hotels are in great amounts. They have to put in order varieties of meals as per commands of the customers. The chefs effortlessly cope to prepare for all the orders handily on time.

Microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that comes in countless brands and designs. They offer large cuisine options. They help us to arrange the food with exciting results. The sensor cooking cycles fixed in the microwave ovens routinely adjusts the cooking times and temperature for the food to be prepared. Constant liveliness sharing, means cooking delicious food in a microwave oven. The food cooked in the microwave oven conserves total appetite and consistency of the food.

You can prove your skills towards an easy snack prepared by you. Your simple style of cooking food will be cheering for your associates and children. The secret of your fine cooking lies behind the microwave oven.

An excellent logic of balance can progress the potential of cooking in a microwave oven. If you want your wishes to be fulfilled, log on to the Toronto appliances and they will be there to guide you. They give ample opportunities for shopping and shipping. Their services promise fast shipping.