Kitchen Backsplash Review Blog

Accessorising Your Kitchen And Bathroom

Kitchen and bath accessories are the key to not only making these areas comfortable but also for them to look good. The right accessories and furniture can entirely transform your kitchen into the most pleasurable area of your home. The quantity, size and theme of the kitchen accessories must match with your overall decor theme and space available. Here are some tips for you:

1) Once you have decided on the colour of your walls, placing of your refrigerator, counters and cabinets, categorise all your accessories by colour, size or style and then choose them according to the scale and visual balance.

2) Install the largest accessories first, keeping the aesthetic balance, right eye level and distance to the cooking area, then move on to the smaller ones.

3) A wall clock is must in the kitchen, whether you are a student, working person or a housewife, so that you can get done with cooking on time. It also helps you to monitor your cooking better.

4) Designer range hoods do not only look trendy but are also quite functional when it comes to getting rid of smoke and vapours.

5) Kitchen carts and worktables come in quite handy for a variety of reasons and can be moved or folded and slipped under the counter after use.

6) Pot racks and baker’s racks are for those with advanced culinary skills.

7) Covered trashcans are a must in the kitchen to discard all those soda bottles and boxes.

Cabinet accessories, designer sinks, faucets, knobs and pulls lend a sophisticated look to the kitchen.

9) Stools and chairs that can be stacked one on top of the other can be used and then stacked in the corner in a small kitchen.

10) Chopping blocks and countertops are a must but you may also opt for wine racks.

11) Decorate your appliances too with beautiful decorative panels.

12) Stainless steel wall shelves and backsplash accessories are the latest trend in kitchen decor.

Whether it’s shelving accessories, lighting systems, the addition of split rope topper mouldings, lattice, panels, brass grills or glass etchnigs, you can make your kitchen a place of distinction and efficiency with simple and ease to install extras. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish with just a few feet of wineglass moulding, fluted rosettes, or bun feet added to your favourite fixtures. Low-voltage lighting, pantry organisers, sink front tray sets, pullout trash bins, appliance garages, and shelf lift mechanisms add convenience and organisation to please even the most discriminating kitchen boss.

Most accessory stores have a full line of innovative systems that can turn your kitchen into a showcase. Best of all, most are affordable, practical solutions that are quick and easy to install.

HAVE YOUR OWN PROJECTS

Complete your own custom kitchen accessory projects. Built-in wine racks above refrigerators, mouldings to disguise soffets, and matching appliance, garages are popular kitchen accessories that add quick-access storage, or, a cabinetry display, plate rack, or bookshelf. These projects are not beyond the reach of the average woodworker or handyman or woman and can be accomplished with basic skills and tools. The possibilities are endless with today’s line of hardware, woodworking and project supplies.

Bathroom accessories are similarly worked out for pleasure and beauty.

It’s not polite to steal things from a luxury hotel’s bathroom, but now people aren’t snatching embroidered towels or miniature shampoo bottles.

Instead, consumers are taking the coordinated style associated with upscale hotels into their homes, which is one of the factors spurring the evolution of matching accessories in residential bathrooms.

Many plumbing fitting manufactures offer bathroom suites, so people can head to one company for faucets and accessories, grabbing hold of a complete, cohesive look. Matching products offer the one-stop shopping, contractors and their clients crave. “It provides convenience for the builder and consumer,” say many designers.

As the role of accessories in the bath increases, so does the range of products. Builders and remodellers now can find so much more than just the basic towel bar, including glass shelves, hotel racks, light fixtures, tumblers, soap dishes, toilet paper holders, and even wall-mounted toilet bowl brushes made to match faucets.

“Every little place now that we can think to decorate, we definitely take advantage of,” say many householders.

THE WIDER SELECTION

The wider selection of accessories gives customers a chance to personalise their baths. For example, using an oil-rubbed-bronze robe hook or a chrome wall-mounted toilet brush, homeowners can add individual flair without compromising the consistency of a look.

“You do not have to buy it exactly as you see it in a catalogue or showroom,” say homeowners. “The days of everyone on the block having the exact same look are over.” But a lot depends on the finishes available, and chrome and brushed nickel in accessories remain the most popular.

“I think that is mostly because when a homeowner goes and picks out, he goes for shine and effect.” So, revamp that kitchen and bathroom and decide to make cooking and bathing a pleasure.

Small Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

Any remodeling idea for a small kitchen must address the following issues: counter space, storage, built-ins, and pantry.

In order to make better use of your kitchen floor space, you need to put up the maximum amount of counters. Plan your design with deeper counters to cover as much of the area not occupied with appliances with counter space if the difference in floor space is a matter of a few square feet.

Squeeze as many cabinets into your design as possible. Deep cabinets that can hold plates should be located near the dishwasher, and large cabinets with slide-out drawers should be placed near the oven.

Another space-saving device is to include built-in facilities. You can have built-in ovens, microwaves and storage for small appliances. This will make your kitchen appear less cluttered. Built-in storage for foods like potatoes and onions and bread storage cabinets will also give the kitchen a cleaner look. You can also opt for waist-high, sliding shelves that hold mixers and toasters. Your small appliances can remain hidden in these shelves and still be easily accessible.

If there is no room for a pantry in your kitchen, consider converting a closet outside the kitchen area to store your cutlery, pots and infrequently used items. You can also include rollout pantries that can be pulled out to view the items you have, but rolled back into a space.

Choose a large sink. It will be easier for you to clean bigger pots and pans. Moreover, a large sink is a great place to stash your dirty pots. A large sink can also serve as a utility sink, too.

You can increase the efficiency of your small kitchen by putting a wire basket on the inside the cabinet or under the sink to hold trash bags and other frequently used items. You can mount an instant hot water heater on the sink to replace the sprayer or soap.

A tile back splash on all the walls above the counters, stove and sink make the kitchen easier to clean.

Smith & Chen
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/kitchen-cabinet-and-counter-and-kitchen-remodeling-136741.html

I have a new kitchen being built. The electrician long ago stubbed out wires for under the cabinets. They ended up about 4 inches below the cabinets.

My problem is the tile guys drilled holes in the tiles slipping the wires through them instead of moving the wires up to the bottom of the cabinets and tiling up against them.

My question is, where are the wires supposed to be? Through the cabinets or through the wall under the cabinets?

Help, I’m surrounded by first class idiots.

the wires are supposed to be through the wall and under the cabinets the tiles have suffered an unneccesary damage

I tried replacing the bulbs, but they still don’t work.
I tried replacing the bulbs, but they still don’t work.
The bulb that works is the one closest to the power inlet.

Woody has pretty much got it , the only other thing you can try is to make sure the light heads are connected to the track properly, take them off and re-connect them. you should hear a click when they are properly seated in the track. You can also clean up the contact tabs while you have them off the track

Kitchen and bath accessories are the key to not only making these areas comfortable but also for them to look good. The right accessories and furniture can entirely transform your kitchen into the most pleasurable area of your home. The quantity, size and theme of the kitchen accessories must match with your overall decor theme and space available. Here are some tips for you:

1) Once you have decided on the colour of your walls, placing of your refrigerator, counters and cabinets, categorise all your accessories by colour, size or style and then choose them according to the scale and visual balance.

2) Install the largest accessories first, keeping the aesthetic balance, right eye level and distance to the cooking area, then move on to the smaller ones.

3) A wall clock is must in the kitchen, whether you are a student, working person or a housewife, so that you can get done with cooking on time. It also helps you to monitor your cooking better.

4) Designer range hoods do not only look trendy but are also quite functional when it comes to getting rid of smoke and vapours.

5) Kitchen carts and worktables come in quite handy for a variety of reasons and can be moved or folded and slipped under the counter after use.

6) Pot racks and baker’s racks are for those with advanced culinary skills.

7) Covered trashcans are a must in the kitchen to discard all those soda bottles and boxes.

Cabinet accessories, designer sinks, faucets, knobs and pulls lend a sophisticated look to the kitchen.

9) Stools and chairs that can be stacked one on top of the other can be used and then stacked in the corner in a small kitchen.

10) Chopping blocks and countertops are a must but you may also opt for wine racks.

11) Decorate your appliances too with beautiful decorative panels.

12) Stainless steel wall shelves and backsplash accessories are the latest trend in kitchen decor.

Whether it’s shelving accessories, lighting systems, the addition of split rope topper mouldings, lattice, panels, brass grills or glass etchnigs, you can make your kitchen a place of distinction and efficiency with simple and ease to install extras. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish with just a few feet of wineglass moulding, fluted rosettes, or bun feet added to your favourite fixtures. Low-voltage lighting, pantry organisers, sink front tray sets, pullout trash bins, appliance garages, and shelf lift mechanisms add convenience and organisation to please even the most discriminating kitchen boss.

Most accessory stores have a full line of innovative systems that can turn your kitchen into a showcase. Best of all, most are affordable, practical solutions that are quick and easy to install.

HAVE YOUR OWN PROJECTS

Complete your own custom kitchen accessory projects. Built-in wine racks above refrigerators, mouldings to disguise soffets, and matching appliance, garages are popular kitchen accessories that add quick-access storage, or, a cabinetry display, plate rack, or bookshelf. These projects are not beyond the reach of the average woodworker or handyman or woman and can be accomplished with basic skills and tools. The possibilities are endless with today’s line of hardware, woodworking and project supplies.

Bathroom accessories are similarly worked out for pleasure and beauty.

It’s not polite to steal things from a luxury hotel’s bathroom, but now people aren’t snatching embroidered towels or miniature shampoo bottles.

Instead, consumers are taking the coordinated style associated with upscale hotels into their homes, which is one of the factors spurring the evolution of matching accessories in residential bathrooms.

Many plumbing fitting manufactures offer bathroom suites, so people can head to one company for faucets and accessories, grabbing hold of a complete, cohesive look. Matching products offer the one-stop shopping, contractors and their clients crave. “It provides convenience for the builder and consumer,” say many designers.

As the role of accessories in the bath increases, so does the range of products. Builders and remodellers now can find so much more than just the basic towel bar, including glass shelves, hotel racks, light fixtures, tumblers, soap dishes, toilet paper holders, and even wall-mounted toilet bowl brushes made to match faucets.

“Every little place now that we can think to decorate, we definitely take advantage of,” say many householders.

THE WIDER SELECTION

The wider selection of accessories gives customers a chance to personalise their baths. For example, using an oil-rubbed-bronze robe hook or a chrome wall-mounted toilet brush, homeowners can add individual flair without compromising the consistency of a look.

“You do not have to buy it exactly as you see it in a catalogue or showroom,” say homeowners. “The days of everyone on the block having the exact same look are over.” But a lot depends on the finishes available, and chrome and brushed nickel in accessories remain the most popular.

“I think that is mostly because when a homeowner goes and picks out, he goes for shine and effect.” So, revamp that kitchen and bathroom and decide to make cooking and bathing a pleasure.

Michael Douglas
http://www.articlesbase.com/accessories-articles/accessorising-your-kitchen-and-bathroom-115160.html

I am thinking about lighting for new kitchen,spots are not an option, dont really want to use wall lights.
how much dust collects on the wires, is this type of lighting practical in a kitchen
The ceiling is pitched with two Velux roof lights

We have a kitchen/diner built as an extension to the cottage. The diner section has a pitched roof with low voltage lights set into the ceiling. They give a good light and a cosy setting when we have dinner parties. Go for them.

I don’t want those little pendant lights b/c I don’t think they give off enough light, and I can’t afford to put in recess lights. I need to be able to switch it out myself. Suggestions?

There are several things to be considered here. You say "ugly lighting." Does this mean you are all out against any type of florescent lighting, or just the ugly kind?

Consider, that the cost of operating a florescent fixture is far less than an incandescent fixture. Also consider that florescent lamps life is 20,000 hours compared the the 2,000 hour life of an incandescent bulb.

Every fixture does the same thing. They provide lighting. The beauty or ugliness of them depends on the outer casing. Many florescent fixtures come in attractive casings. Perhaps you need to look in that direction.

As far as alternative lighting, track lighting is the best bet for proving lighting to specific areas. You can spotlight where you want lighting. This will not usually provide whole room lighting.

To provide whole room lighting will require a central fixture with sufficient wattage to light the area.

You choices are: florescent, incandescent, or track lighting, or a combination of several.

And also how can I install under cabinet lighting with a regular light switch?(without wires running down my wall or cabinets)

Fine Homebuilding just ran a great article (5 pages with a lot of photos) in their "Best of" series.

http://www.taunton.com/store/pages/027003_toc.asp

The article features the installation of a HIGH quality, low voltage undercounter lighting system. Its not cheap.. figure on spending $35-$40 per foot for this system.. but consider that you get 20,000 hour rated Xenon bulbs (at $2.65 ea bulb) …

The article covers a few methods of running the wire in your walls.. This is an activity that is an ADVANCED DIY project.. be sure to get an electrician to do the line voltage part of the installtion. Your project will also require a permit from your city

The usual HD "hocky pucks" only last 300-400 hours and are 5 bucks a pop.. (I HAVE them in my house, for now)

A good online source for the Clik-strip brand is here, alone with many other options

https://www.pegasusassociates.com/XenonLightStrip.jsp

Many home design magazines have perfect rooms that express the best of today’s home trends and designs. People spend hundreds of dollars on home decorating magazines piecing together a collage that will transform their home into a showplace.

After spending ten to fifty thousand dollars, most homeowners give up and settle for second best. This is unfortunate, because with a few designer tricks, any home can be turned into a showplace.

The first trick to creating a magazine quality room in your home is to understand the concept of direct and indirect lighting. Many of the rooms in magazines use ambient lighting with soft bulbs, often golden hued, to give the room a warm glow.

A white light can leave the most beautiful room looking garish. In fact, if you take a look at many ‘before and after’ photos, the ‘before’ room is flooded with a harsh white light. The window treatments are pulled back so that the outside landscape contaminates the room.

Any richly decorated room will be ruined if a large picture window floods the room with bright greens and street black. Take a second look at the after pictures. Often, the outdoors is filtered out. This could be accomplished by putting a reflective coating on the window, or photographing the room at night and then ‘imposing’ the outdoor scene back in the window.

Graphic artist play a major role in creating those perfect rooms. A careful look at some rooms may show that the artist put a blue, gold, or beige film over the picture. While this cheating can result in a major disappointment for most home decorators, it does not mean that you cannot recreate the same effect in your home by playing with light, changing light shade colors, exchanging direct light for ambient light.

Many rooms can be improved by eliminating the ceiling light, or drastically changing it. Think mood when looking for a ceiling light. Most decorators think of ceiling fans, or decorative ceiling lights.

Color should be the first focus when purchasing a light. The room defines the type of light. A bedroom should have the lowest lamination in the light. The dining room and kitchen should have the brightest.

The shade has a major impact on the light’s ability to create mood. Many rooms can be improved by removing a clear glass, or white gloss, ceiling light for a dull, gold shade.

Lampshades that refract light add color to the room and highlight dull areas. Smooth, mute shades blend the colors in a room, letting the eye rest and creating warmth.

Before changing the furniture and lighting, take a look at the walls. The slightest color change on the wall will change a room dramatically. Many ‘perfect’ bedrooms have textured walls that absorb the light instead of reflecting it back into the room.

There are several easy ways to add texture to a wall. Adding a thin coating of stucco and sand to the wall, then painting over it, will destroy a large wall’s ability to reflect light. This type of treatment is used in rooms that need to be dark – even when illuminated.

The opposite is true for bright rooms. Use gloss paints, bright colors, and glass or metals that will twist and refract the light, breaking up the colors, and adding an almost invisible brightness to the room.

Patricia Taylor
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/using-lighting-to-create-the-perfect-room-110902.html

We have 12 foot ceilings, honey colored cabinets, formica countertops. Our kitchen isn’t very big and I want something simple. My brother in law is an electrician and able to install them but I don’t know where to begin. Also, we’re on a budget so I don’t want to most expensive. Maybe something I can find at Lowe’s or Home Depot.

I would go with a 6" recesses can you can get them from home depot. the tall ceiling will allow you to use a 6" can. If your appliances are stainless or you faucet is nickel they make brush nickel trims that would look nice and tie the space together. also consider a pendant hanging over the sink as an accent light. below is the link to the brand home depot carries

Trying to match the dacor of a new home. Should the bathroom and kitchen fixtures match the finishes of the door knobs and/or lighting or can you mix and match. We are looking into having brushed nickel fixtures and door knobs while having oil rubbed bronze pendant lighting and wall sconces.

Separate rooms in a home do not have to match and you can play with the fixtures within rooms. They just need to be within the same family of styles. For instance if you are choosing a contemporary look, you would not want to choose a victorian style regardless of the finish. We have stainless kitchen appliances, brushed nickel knobs, handles, and faucets, but deep bronzed drops over the island and chandelier over the breakfast area. Your bathrooms definitely don’t have to match your kitchen choices so have some fun.