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I tend to feel that you cannot have too many windows in the kitchen, but the reality is that you'll want to weigh factors such as kitchen storage space, energy efficiency and quality of the views when determining the quantity and location of your kitchen windows.More: Designing Your Kitchen: Where to Put the SinkTell us: Where did you or would you add a window in your kitchen?
Add an around-the-corner window. Break away from the traditional four-walls-and-windows pattern by incorporating a corner window. Getting rid of the corner makes you feel as if you are part of the view, and this spot is likely to become the highlight of your home. If you have a spectacular view from anywhere in your home, that's where to put your corner window.
Most people store drinking glasses in wall cabinets near the sink and dishwasher, which works well, but drawers designed to hold glassware offer another solution and can make access more convenient. In any case, maintain a location convenient to the sink and dishwasher for your glassware and everyday dishes.
Photos by Stephani BuchmanPowder Room at a GlanceWho uses it: A couple and their two children Location: Central Toronto, OntarioSize: 40 square feet (4 square meters); 5 by 8 feetDesigner: Rebecca Hay DesignsThis couple has a beautiful traditional home with some farmhouse style, thanks to beloved antique hand-me-downs from older generations. “They love to have people over, and they wanted this powder room to be a little gem for themselves and their guests,” says designer Rebecca Hay. They also wanted to pull the home’s style into the room. The couple was in a hurry to get their renovation (which included a nursery and other upstairs rooms) done before their second child arrived, so Hay may have exaggerated the baby’s due date she relayed to the contractor to ensure everything would be done on time.Problems. The existing bathroom had an awkward layout, with a long vanity running across this wall and the toilet placed at an angle across from it in the corner. Between that taking up floor space and the swing of the door, there wasn’t much room to move around. Also, the room was part of a previous renovation and it was cold and drafty with no basement beneath it, which meant the pipes ...
Island. “Given that we were a bit limited with wall space for large appliances, we worked a set of freezer drawers into the island, across from the full-sized Sub-Zero refrigerator column,” designer Emily Karempelis says. “This prevented us from having to step up the overall width of a refrigerator-freezer combination unit.” There’s also a microwave drawer, placed in the island to keep the look of the kitchen streamlined and to have it near the pantry and refrigerator. Other special features. Recessed appliances that sit flush with cabinets. Wall-mounted sconces over the sink. Walk-in pantry. Reclaimed-barn-wood accent on range hood. Designer secret. “As a designer, I am always looking to create balance and symmetry,” Karempelis says. “In this case, we were a bit landlocked, and recessing the appliances into the wall threw off the centerline of the island and the kitchen sink. Instead of drawing attention to this by adding pendant lights over the island, we instead kept can lighting in the kitchen and used some fun wall-mounted sconces over the kitchen window to draw your eyes through the kitchen space while also providing additional lighting for one of the main working surfaces in...
The patios extend the living space and create a seamless transition between inside and out. A fireplace of cold-rolled steel in the living room stretches along the length of the wall, with the fireplace opening on one side and the TV mounted on the other. Cabling for the house’s many audio and visual devices is housed off to the side to keep the walls free of clutter.
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