Creating a Designer Kitchen on a Budget

19 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, Guest Posts, James Harper, The Home

Tags

appliances, cabinets, Caple, color, design, diy, floor models, Frigidaire, General Electric, home, interior design, james harper, kitchen, Kitchen Appliance Centre, redesign, refurbish, shopping, sinks, vintage

The average custom kitchen can cost upwards of $20,000, but in this poor economy not many people can afford to spend that much. If you’re willing to put in some sweat equity, you can have the designer kitchen you want without blowing your budget.

Add a Splash of Color
Bold, bright colors are everywhere; candy-apple reds, sunny yellows, and rich, warm tones are very popular in appliances. Electrical stores and kitchen specialists offer a huge range of products to suit all budgets, look for established brands Neff, Zanussi and Caple and do your research to find top of the line products. Buying your appliances from a discount outlet will give you the high end look you want at a much lower price.

As an alternative to spending thousands on an appliance that will have a permanent place in your kitchen, consider buying changeable panels for your dishwasher, stove and refrigerator. Other less expensive options include freestanding appliances in bright colors, changing lighting fixtures, adding a bright splashback, or re-facing cabinetry and changing hardware. These smaller projects can cost less than $100, but make a big impact.

Photo Credit: Kitchen Cabinet Design Ideas

Refurbish Vintage Pieces
Today’s less structured looks can be achieved at a lower cost by taking some styling cues from your family room. Get the look by using different finishes on furniture-style cabinetry; a cheap way to do it is to refurbish old pieces like dressers, armoires, and even rolling carts to create additional storage. For even more personalization, incorporate architectural pieces from the salvage yard.

Photo Credit: Ghoofie Design

Buy Floor Models
Manufacturers such as General Electric, Frigidaire and Caple frequently have stock that’s been slightly damaged; in most cases, the “damage” is a slight scratch that you won’t even see once the appliance is in place. Buying from scratch-and-dent stores or getting a floor or demo model can give you the kitchen you want without breaking the bank.

Shop Smart
Other kitchen necessities can be bought on the cheap as well. Caple sinks, custom cabinets, granite countertops and flooring made of bamboo and other materials are all widely available from discounters both in-store and online. With all the options available, it can be hard to find the look you want at a cost you can afford–online comparison-shopping tools make the process much easier.

Do the Work Yourself
Some of you may be reluctant to get your hands dirty, but going the DIY route can help you get a designer-look kitchen without the designer price tag. Installing your own countertops and splashbacks will give you a tremendous sense of accomplishment (and a fatter wallet). Of course, your pricing will vary depending on the products you choose, but you’ll definitely save on labor.

Photo Credit: CabFabLab

Written by James Harper on behalf of the Kitchen Appliance Centre

Time to Get Organized

17 Saturday Nov 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Crafty Ideas, The Home

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better homes and gardens, labels, organization, organized, Repurposing, space, vintage

I have always been an organized person. I feel being this way helps people to live a better and saner life. Some don’t really know where to begin and others just can’t keep it up. Well here are some easy tips for getting organized that everyone can follow. Thanks to Better Homes and Gardens for sharing such great information.

Labeling bins, crates or baskets with everyone’s name can certainly help a bunch of items stay put – I borrowed the whole idea from Wunderlabel France. This is especially great for kids too.

Having a large family can sometimes get hectic. Even if you only have two kids it can get a little crazy. By giving everyone their space, each of their things has a place it belongs. Doing this in the entry is a great idea because things are put away right when you walk in the door which gives you one less thing to worry about.

Having an organized office space is crucial to getting things done in a timely manner. It’s also good for your sanity! I make sure my home office is always tidy and clean. Otherwise, I cannot work to the best of my ability. When I see ideas that not only work but look good too, I get super happy. This oversized pocket protector is perfect for keeping folders, papers, magazines and all sorts of items in place and close to your desk.

Reusing items or vintage objects is right up my alley. I love this idea to use an old suitcase to store linens. It can be used to hold other things too which is really cool.

With all the gadgets people have these days, needing a charging station is sort of essential. Back to repurposing with this vintage tool box reuse. Great idea!

{For more great ideas on how to organize your space, visit this article on the Better Homes and Gardens website}

Bringing in Light During Long Winter Nights

15 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, Guest Posts, Ross Donald, The Home

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Form, Function, home, interior design, light, lighting, LightingSale.com, night, Ross Donald, sun, track lighting, winter

It’s finally happened. Just as the reds and yellows of the leaves have fallen to the ground, the cups at Starbucks have turned that same unmistakable shade of red. Summer has come and gone, and now fall has fell. Time to break out the sweater, the scarves and the big, warm, living room blanket.

Worse than even the coldest of temperatures is the way your days seem to disappear. A 9 to 5 easily steals most if not all of the daylight hours and hanging out in the dark just doesn’t have the same appeal to you that it had when you were 16. But you don’t have to be left in the dark; you can bring the light to you.

Light for Function
First thing’s first. Make sure your house has enough light to do the things you need to do. Overhead illumination is usually enough to cover this, but sometimes a well-placed floor lamp or wall sconce is just what the doctor ordered.

Photo Credit: The Design Home

Photo Credit: Ashton Sebastian

Light for Form
Now it’s the fun stuff. Lighting shouldn’t be all work and no fun. In fact, lighting your house will not only serve as a great, cold weather activity, it leads to further indoor activities, no matter the weather. Start with the rooms you spend the most time in. For me, it’s my kitchen and living room. Both of those rooms, while they have drastically different lighting, are adequately lit for their purposes. For example, my kitchen has bright, powerful lights over my work stations. My living room on the other hand is pretty dim for the most part. I have a floor lamp above the comfy chair that I read in, a small track lighting set up for general lighting and a cleverly place desk lamp behind my TV to give soft illumination from behind the screen.

Photo Credit: Suburban Light

Light for Winter
Just as bears hibernate and birds fly south, many of us have our own winter traditions. Maybe yours is making hot cocoa on Saturday afternoons or cuddling up with a good book after work. Mine is adding an extra floor lamp in every room to combat the early evenings of winter. I do this because when it’s dark, I tend to get sleepy. And with the sun only shining for a few hours each day in my neck of the woods, I need all the help I can get.

Photo Credit: My Hunter Gatherer

Written by Ross Donald

Guest Post: Cafe & Coffee Bar Interior Design Tricks & Tips

13 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, Guest Posts

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atmosphere, business, cafe, coffee bar, colors, customers, entrance, functional, interior design, light, materials, public, staff, textures

A commercial space like a coffee bar or café is obviously designed very differently to a living area. This is due to its features and that the interior is under the public eye and therefore must have an aesthetic sense and also a business mindset.

The huge variety in possibilities that an interior designer can provide to a café often depends on its location, size and clientele. After valuating all of these factors a combination of materials, textures, colors and lines can create an appropriate atmosphere which can enhance a space but also make it functional for both staff and customers.

The Use of Color
A trick used by interior designers to make a dark room lighter is the use of specific colors. Many people think that using light colors will improve this but actually it doesn’t. It is much better to choose bright colors, which reflect light and turn your café into a more vivid space.

Entryway Tips
The entrance design is crucial to the success of the café because that is where customers make the decision to visit. The trick here is to create a mix of ambiance that is welcoming, warm and informative. In some cases that would meant choosing the sizing guide for the perfect rug to place. Someone nearby the café needs to feel attracted by the entrance and this will persuade him or her to have a coffee. Your café will be judged by its so-called ‘cover’, the entrance. The lines, textures and materials in display will set a tone and if used correctly create warmth to the customer. You can see some examples in this cafè design web site.

Layout of the Space
The layout of the coffee bar is often personalized to the clientele. There is a vast range of seating options from benches providing a more communal atmosphere to divided tables that can provide more privacy. The layout is often based on the shop location and clientele. For example, the many city cafes that include single seating facing outwards towards the street or square. The reason behind this is because many of the coffee drinkers are alone with either books or laptops and therefore it makes more sense for them to be able to look out the window.