Kitchen Design
5. Undermount sinks. Not charmed by the apron-front style? Another one of my personal favorites, and a popular choice at seemingly every trade show, is a crisply rectangular stainless steel undermount sink. The practicality of this style is high because the undercounter style avoids seams above the counter that can catch crumbs and debris. Stylewise, the look is understated, letting the bold features of the kitchen be the star but giving a subtly clean and modern look that says you have an eye for details.
3. Keeping up with the classics. While colored cabinets and islands have been showing up more and more in kitchens, it’s still hard to deny the power of a classic white kitchen. This New York City kitchen, which features white Shaker cabinets, quartz countertops and a subway tile backsplash, is among the year’s most popular with Houzzers. Browse quartz countertops
Maximize prep space on an island. I love symmetry, and for years, I would center the sink in the island. But unless the island was 9 feet long, the prep area on both sides of the sink was limited. These days, I hold the sink to one side of the island to allow for maximum prep space. Another consideration when placing a sink in an island is the height of the faucet. The taller the faucet, the more of a focal point it becomes.
8. Make cabinets glow. In the past, lighting the interior of a wall cabinet meant that each shelf had to be glass. The light source came from the top of the cabinet and needed to penetrate the shelves to illuminate those below. The farther away from the light source, the dimmer the shelf. But times and lighting have changed, and these days, I prefer to install an LED lighting strip on both sides of the cabinet. That way, each shelf can glow, as shown in this photo. Hide the LED strip behind the cabinet’s face frame. If it’s a frameless cabinet, embed the strip in a prepared groove in the cabinet’s side wall.
7. Provide task lighting. The primary purpose of undercabinet lighting is to illuminate the countertop, which in turn makes food preparation easier on the eyes. That’s why it’s known as task lighting. Always install the task light toward the front of the cabinet, not toward the back. If the light is stationed closer to the back wall, it primarily highlights the backsplash tile and not the counter, defeating the purpose of the light.
Photo #3 Crow removed the cabinet facings and refinished them, adding curvaceous new hardware and soft-close hinges. She also added a new sink, marble countertops and a matching marble backsplash. “In the cabinets next to the stove they originally had only one glass pane, so we added a second glass pane to the other side to make it more balanced,” Crow says. Wood flooring replaced the tile.
honey oak cabinets (like ours) were resurfaced white
Design enables us to see what we have versus the high shelves in the pantry/cupboard
Middle pull-out...would be great for us so we can see the items. Maybe in the space next to the oven where we have the broom et al.
spice drawer would be great for us
Clever space creating for laptop and drawer
Repaint your cabinets. A fresh coat of paint can transform a kitchen from dark and dingy to light and airy. If you are a few years away from that big kitchen reno, this is a great time to have some fun with color.
Painting cabinets white Once again heavily grained stained oak cabinets cheapen the atmosphere in this roomy kitchen. Otherwise, it has everything you would want, including a large window over the sink that lets in lots of natural light, granite countertops and up-to-date appliances. AFTER: This time the cabinets, doors and all, stayed in place but got completely painted over. Notice also that the pulls and knobs were replaced as well. Now the darker granite contrasts the light cabinets in a sophisticated way. The room feels cheery and clean compared to before.
A soft contemporary theme has been achieved in this refaced kitchen. Notice that the cabinet door is a simple stile and rail with a flat-panel inset, which is called a Shaker style. This is one of the least expensive door styles available, and it can be used in both modern and traditional interiors effectively. Stainless steel hardware complements the coordinating appliances. Again, glass upper cabinet doors provide interest.
After their youngest child left for college, this Fresno, California, couple decided to create the open kitchen they had always dreamed of. They took down walls and raised the roof to accommodate a pine board-paneled vaulted kitchen ceiling. This transformed the ranch home completely, opening it up and providing the room they’d always wanted for gathering and cooking.
could we build that same type of row of cabinets extending from the kitchen and use my dining table as the kitchen table.
like the use of space (micro wave and drawers) below the extended counter. Like the open flow into the family room.
grey & white combo...very clean design
Butcher block counter for the island...
Concrete counter top and clean warm lines
Designer Susan Klimala felt that creating some visual contrast in this nearly all-white kitchen in suburban Chicago was key. “White inset cabinets, quartzite countertops, subway tile and nickel accents provide a traditional feel. The gray island is a needed contrast to the dark wood flooring,” Klimala writes.
I like how the crown molding and cabinets meet. Light colored granite looks good.
Shaker cabinetry...note recessed area like ours
Mixture of long pulls and knobs
Bar organizing
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