webuser_981374's ideas
Circular If the last thing you want is a range hood that looks exactly like your neighbor’s, you might want to go circular. This innovative, uber-contemporary look tosses simple square designs out the back door. The white Sorpresa Sphera range hood in this midcentury kitchen could double as a mod light pendant.
Not many designers would think to incorporate three color tones from the same family in their cabinet design, but Brian O’Tuama Architects did in this contemporary kitchen. The spectrum effect is truly one-of-a-kind, and that type of creativity can help personalize your own kitchen space and make it yours.
Play with texture. Mix different colors with different textures, as this transitional kitchen does. It combines a midnight blue painted finish on its upper cabinets with a grainy wood veneer on its lower cabinets. Exploring textures like wood and metal along with color can give you a kitchen design that breaks the mold.
Choose a different color for your uppers and lowers. Designating one color tone for your upper cabinets and another for your lowers is a way to inject color into your kitchen and maintain an organized design. Choose a darker color for your lower cabinets to ground the design, then experiment with lighter shades like whites and grays on the upper. This prevents the design from feeling too top-heavy.
Use three complementary colors instead of two. If you’re not satisfied with just two hues for your kitchen cabinet design, keep flipping through the color swatches to find a third color. Not only do three shades give your kitchen more of a designer feel, they also evenly distribute color throughout the space.
Turn your island into an accent piece. It’s a classic way to incorporate a second color into your cabinet design, no matter what the style of your kitchen is. It can spice up clean, contemporary designs without adding unnecessary detail, or it can add another layer of color to complement wall paint and decor in traditional designs. The options are especially endless when you go with white or off-white for your main cabinets. Like the open glass door for drawers in island
cabinet pantry: Storage is more accessible. Having your pantry smack dab in the middle of your kitchen will cut down on the time you spend walking to and from your pantry. Placing it next to your refrigerator and across from your range will create hyperefficient workstations. Inside features can also increase your cabinet pantry’s accessibility. Pullout drawers, for instance, allow you to see every snack and ingredient at once, which reduces the amount of time you’ll spend rummaging. They’re easy on your back too.
Cabinet Pantries Pro: Storage space is more centralized. Whereas walk-in pantries feature several walls of shelves, cabinet pantries confine all of your snacks, ingredients and small appliances to a single space. You don’t have to spend time searching through several walls of shelves to find what you need. Less time looking means more time cooking.
Cabinet pantries aren’t inefficient by any means, but walk-in pantries let you get a little more creative with your organization techniques. You can sort your items by row or column, by food group and so on. Consider dedicating a column of shelves to nonrefrigerated fruits and veggies or your most-used oils and spices. You may even have room to house your baking sheets with built-in tray dividers.
Completing your tool drawer with a built-in power source will keep cords from cluttering your look. These are most easily added during initial construction and installation of the vanity, but sometimes they can be added retroactively by opening the wall behind the drawer or rerouting power from a nearby outlet, depending on your electrical layout and the accessibility of your vanity interior. See more about installing an outlet
Vertical dividers. Have too many deep drawers and need to store some additional small items? Try dividing a drawer up into slim, vertical compartments and storing items standing up. Make-up compacts, razors, lip balms, and other skinny items can be stored this way to avoid having different items piled on top of each other.
Vertical pull outs. It’s quite common in small to average-size baths to have slivers of space on either side of the sink. Rather than breaking this area into many small drawers, consider using a vertical pullout like this one that has a single compartment broken into many interior shelves. This works on the same principle as a kitchen spice rack, presenting all your small products in a way that’s easy to browse. Like vertical pull outs for small spaces in bathroom but would be great for the kitchen too to maximize storage space
Similarly, this example uses a smaller upper tier within the main drawer to use the slim space, but it moves independently so it won’t be in the way when you want to reach into the main compartment. In general, each drawer you add to your vanity will increase the cost but also the functionality, with interior drawers usually costing a bit less than full proper drawers because they don’t need their own proper drawer front or handle.
Shaped, shallow drawers. A third option for working around the sink is to use every inch of space with a drawer that is sized or shaped to avoid hitting the sink and piping. A drawer like the one shown here with a notch in it will wrap around the pipe so the entire depth can be used beside it. Also other bathroom picture had the electrical outlet strip inside the cabinet versus on the wall - an idea
In a small bath with a single-sink vanity, positioning the sink off to one side is a practical solution to allow a larger usable area of open counter on the other side. Notice how in this example, the doored section of the vanity is centered on the sink, with the open shelves on the other end. This gives the whole composition a more structured look because the sink and doors form their own vertical line of symmetry. You can use this trick to take a premade vanity box and extend it to fit your wall by adding floating shelves next to it and then finishing the whole thing with a single top.
Uplights can also act as wall washers when installed in the floor, especially in contemporary homes. The effect of many wall washers and pot lights can be a bit modernist, and even a little cold, so use this effect only if you enjoy a minimalist, gallery-inspired look. Like the idea of uplights from the floor
Decorative lighting can be used to highlight architectural features. Without the additional lighting around this fireplace, it's just a large stone surround. The downlights around the firebox strengthen the contrast between the smooth and rough surfaces, while the uplights on top feature the graceful curve of the entire structure.
Install multiple lighting systems to create a flexible lighting environment. The kitchen is a good example of a space in which multiple, separate lighting systems is necessary. This kitchen has overall lighting (recessed lights), island lighting (monorail system) and task lighting (under-cabinet lights). Different combinations can be used to create different moods.
love the color and the toe-kick lights at the bottom
8. Toe-kick lighting. Don’t think that adding lights to your toe-kicks is a frivolous, aesthetics-only decision. Strip lighting at the underside of base cabinets is a great way to create a night light that looks fabulous.
Turn it up. Don’t limit lighting to downlights. Depending on the location, consider wall sconces or uplighting to create a softer ambiance and avoid potentially harsh downlighting that can cast ominous shadows.
like these lights
Patio details: Backyard gathering area Location: Manhattan Beach, California Dimensions: About 16 by 16 feet (4.9 by 4.9 meters) Material: Decomposed granite Cost: $35 to $50 per cubic yard for materials
Once you’ve chosen your color palette, the temptation is to start off by choosing your paint. “Pick the paint color last,” Caccoma advises. “Many people paint a room and have to decorate around it — which is almost impossible. Select fabrics and rugs first, then you can choose a color which works with the room as a whole.”
example of color in drapes, pillows and wall paint
choosing color and how to apply; best NOT to buy colored furniture. Use accessories (pillows, etc.) and wall paint for accent colors since it is less expensive to replace. Especially if color is trendy.
like the red chairs to make a stmt while most everything else is neutral
like the circular table idea
transition from family to kitchen open space
clear acrylic furniture to 'clear' the area so it does not look so chunky
use of warm materials in an open area
frameless glass door for the shower area
pull out drawers for bathroom
glass walls
love this metal stone glass mosaic tile from Home Elements Distribution LLC
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