Translate:
How to Measure Your Kitchen
Drawing and Planning Tips
Measuring your kitchen can seem a daunting task. Our handy step-by-step guide takes you through the process and identifies the various elements you'll need to measure in order to get accurate dimensions.
If you are remodeling, do not include in your measurements current cabinetry or other furniture that will not be kept, such as kitchen tables.
All of your measurements should be in inches. For example, if you measure a wall that is 10 feet, write it as 120".
Kitchen Design
Like clothing or furniture, kitchens come in many styles. Since a new kitchen costs the most and last the longest, choosing a kitchen style requires serious thought.
Speaking broadly, it helps to know if you prefer a more classic or more modern look. Making that decision will help you start to narrow down choices on everything from wall color to cabinet doors.
Picking a very specific design theme, such as French Colonial or Art Deco, gives you even more of a design road map. Mixing and matching styles typically is called eclectic, while a look that blends traditional and contemporary elements is considered transitional.
Kitchen Styles
Contemporary
Contemporary
Contemporary
Contemporary kitchens tend to be described as modern, minimalist and geometric. The characteristics include horizontal lines, asymmetry and a lack of molding and other ornamentation.
Traditional
Contemporary
Contemporary
Traditional kitchens have a formal, elegant look characteristic of American and European homes of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.
European
Contemporary
European
European kitchen cabinets are generally defined by a sleeker, more contemporary look than their American counterparts. One of the chief facets of European kitchen cabinet design is that they generally do not feature a frame, which is a trademark of American cabinets.
Country
Transitional
European
Country kitchens are cheery and welcoming, with light and/or bright colors, painted and glazed cabinets, woven baskets, floral motifs, and decorative shelving and molding.
Transitional
Transitional
Transitional
Transitional kitchens include elements of both traditional and contemporary design. Eclectic in nature, they mix natural and man-made materials as well as finishes and textures.
Rustic
Transitional
Transitional
Rustic kitchens often have a regional American flair: Adirondack or Pacific Northwest, for example. Others resemble a lodge or log cabin.
How to Use Color
The Basics of Color Theory and Usage
Color makes a huge impact on the space it fills. The right shade or texture can make your kitchen look bigger, smaller or even cheerier. Knowing how your color choices will affect your kitchen design can help you develop a color scheme that improves your room's overall design while also filling it with your favorite hues.
Depending on what you want to accomplish with your space, the colors you choose can help you achieve it. The effects of color can create the illusion of a changed space. Cooler, lighter colors can help make a room feel bigger while warmer and darker colors can make a space smaller or bring a high ceiling down farther. Similarly, the textures you choose will change the look and feel of your kitchen.
The texture effects of stainless steel with its sleek visual interest will vary from the impact of wood's natural warmth. Meanwhile, a combination of the two will lead to an entirely different design. Finally, nothing makes a big impact in your kitchen like bright colors. A splash of orange or turquoise brings a bold look to your design when done right. Discover where the best spots are for your favorite saturated shades.
Closet Tips
How do you design a closet?
When it comes to custom closets, if you apply these key rules of design logic, the end result will surely meet your every need:
- Anchor the space with a hutch. ...
- Maximize floor to ceiling closet space. ...
- Include deep drawers. ...
- Use a closet hutch surface as a catchall. ...
- Use all the closet space provided.
A Closet That Fits Your Needs
No matter what kind of closet you're planning, take the time to think ahead and really consider what you need to store and where you want to store it. Taking a hard look at what you have will help you understand the kind of storage you need.
Closets For Every Needs
What Women Want In a Closet
- A tie rack can display long necklaces and keep them from tangling.
- Shallow drawers are a great storage solution for delicate undergarments, but also consider deeper drawers for storing packages of new pantyhose.
- Sleek, long dresses work well on a pant hanger. This keeps the dress from stretching out and saves you vertical space.
- Shelves with adjustable dividers or cubbies work for many different kinds of purses.
What Men Want In a Closet
A man's closet needs efficiency. For example, you can double storage space by folding their pants over a hanger (instead of hanging them long).
Shelves are great for keeping men's shoes off the floor. Tie and belt racks make it easy to find accessories on busy work mornings. Drawers with dividers also work for both tie and sock storage, and you can use clips, hooks or top shelves to store sports caps.
A collection of caps can actually create a nice decorative feature for your closet. Slide-out baskets are a great tool to store items for dry cleaning. And a cube organizer can hold folded sweat pants, athletic shoes and sports accessories.
Closets for Kids
Since kids grow quickly and their needs and sizes change often, the experts say creating a flexible closet is the way to go.
Help your child establish good organizing and storage habits early by installing rods low where they can reach clothes and help pick out outfits. Using different-colored bins for storing toys really helps kids visualize where things need to go.
A combination of baskets and cubbies provides lots of flexibility and storage options for kids of all ages.