If you are like most of us, you think decluttering your kitchen is clearing everything out and having nothing showing. That means shoving those bills in a drawer, or neatly lining them up on the counter, or even having a junk drawer. If you have to say you have a junk drawer, then that is exactly what it is, junk! Your countertops are filling with clutter, then you need to designate a proper space for it. Continue reading →
How to Know When It’s Time For New Countertops
Countertops are extremely important to the functionality of your kitchen. It is after all, the most used room in your home. If your family has most of their meals at home, this is where they will be prepared. Whether it’s day to day functionality or holiday gatherings, this is the room that will offer up the most memories. For this reason, it should be the most maintained. If countertops begin to wear, it could slow down your average routines.
How can you tell when it’s time to replace your countertops?
How to Choose The Right Countertop
Your choice in countertops are drastically important to the look and feel of the room, whether it’s in the kitchen or bathroom. It pulls every other element in your room together from wall color to backsplashes. In addition, countertops have to be durable. They have to accommodate your needs, no matter what those are. It is important to be aware of when you need new countertops in your kitchen or bathroom.
How to Begin a Home Control Project
A smart home uses technology to make your life easier by bringing different home systems together so that you can control them with one simple device. Security, lighting, audio, video, temperature, pool/spa and even appliances that are also considered “smart” can be connected via the control device in your home. This offers the ultimate in convenience, control and energy savings.
How to Measure Your Kitchen
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.
NOTE: If you are remodeling, do not include in your measurements current cabinetry or other furniture that will not be kept, such as kitchen tables.
NOTE: All of your measurements should be in inches. For example, if you measure a wall that is 10 feet, write it as 120″
How to Install a Level Countertop
Installing a new countertop can be a challenge, and here’s how you can do it successfully.
Materials and Tools:
Nippers Block of Wood
Hand Plane Towel
Circular Saw Paintbrush
Hammer Pencil
Router Level
Choose The Best Brands of Dishwashers
Dishwashers are a vital part of your kitchen. They help to complete the look of the kitchen, but most importantly, they help make the chore of washing dishes seem not so bad. Picking out a dishwasher is a big deal and there is a lot to consider. Would you rather have a low-cost dishwasher that may not be up to the standards that you have for a dishwasher or a high-end, expensive dishwasher that may break the bank? What is the best dishwasher for you? Keep reading to find out.
KitchenAid
KitchenAid has many good dishwashers that can help keep your dirty dishes clean. With almost 20 models to choose from, it is likely that you’ll find on that fits both your kitchen and your personal needs. While KitchenAid dishwashers are typically more expensive than other dishwashers, they are well worth the price given their high capacities, powerful cleaning cycles, energy efficiency and quiet running.
Bosch:
A German company that produces some of the best dishwashers available on the market today. They’re well designed, handsome, and get your dishes as clean as, or cleaner than, machines made by other manufacturers. They are also some of the quietest dishwashers you can buy. No matter if you have a small, large, or medium sized kitchen, Bosch likely manufactures a model that fits your family’s needs.
Frigidaire:
Frigidaire dishwashers are both economical and efficient machines. The company manufactures a variety of models that range in price from just over $1,000 to less than $400, which makes them some of the least expensive dishwashers. These dishwashers are also the most basic. If you don’t need a lot of extra features and want to save some cash while still getting your dishes clean, Frigidaire dishwashers are worth your consideration.
GE:
General Electric (GE) is the creator of hundreds of the electronics, appliances and other devices we use every day. It currently makes more than 80 dishwasher models ranging in price from nearly $1,700 on the high end to $299 on the low end. These dishwashers also come in a variety of sizes, capacities and styles. You can choose from a built-in, under-the-sink, and portable models. So, no matter what your needs are, you can likely find a GE dishwasher that meets them.
Samsung:
You may associate Samsung with consumer electronics like smartphones, tablets, televisions, and computers, but it also makes excellent household appliances, including some of the best dishwashers you can buy. Samsung dishwashers have several unique technologies that ensure your dishes are clean and sanitary. Each of the dishwashers are Energy Star certified to help protect the environment. Although the selection is slim, you can probably find a model that’s in your price range.
LG:
LG, best known for its high-tech electronic devices like smartphones and tablets, also manufacturers high-quality appliances. Like its smart TVs and surround sound speakers, LG dishwashers are among the best you can buy. They feature powerful cleaning technology and high load capacities. They are also quiet, LG’s selection of dishwashers is relatively slim-there are only 24 available- but you should still be able to find one that suits you and complements your kitchen.
Maytag:
Maytag has been a heavyweight brand name in household appliances for more than a century Unfortunately, there aren’t that many Maytag dishwashers to choose from anymore. They have powerful cleaning tools, easy-to-use control and high load capacities.
How to Create the Perfect Cottage Kitchen
Nothing says inviting like a cozy cottage kitchen. With these few easy tips, you can create the perfect space to make friends and family feel right at home.
Open and Airy
Do away with bulky cupboards. Instead, consider placing open shelves where your upper cabinets would be. Proudly display your dinnerware on these shelves. If your dinnerware consists of mismatched items, that’s okay. It only accentuates the cottage look.
9 Gorgeous Galley Kitchen Designs
Make a U-Turn
This U-shaped galley kitchen takes full advantage of its ceiling height and the available light. The location of the sink provides views outdoors, while glass-front, white-painted cabinet doors help make the space feel open and generous. Continue reading →
Top Kitchen Design Styles
From contemporary to cottage, today’s most popular looks inspire beautiful kitchen designs.
Long gone are the days when kitchens were dreary workspaces, hidden behind closed doors. Today’s kitchens are central to everyday living and special-occasion entertaining, often doing double duty as family rooms, offices and media centers, as well.
“The kitchen is truly the focus of the home today,” says New York-based interior designer Andrew Suvalsky. “A great kitchen design will give essential clues to how the rest of the home can and should develop.”
To meet the growing demand for showstopping kitchens, manufacturers now offer cabinets, countertops and fixtures in all of today’s most popular design styles, from Old World to modern, city chic to country cozy. And your options aren’t limited to what you’ll find in the kitchen showrooms, either. Andrew and many other designers also turn to antiques stores, high-end furniture makers and salvage resellers when sourcing kitchen projects.
Whether you’re designing your kitchen to match the decor of other rooms, or planning your whole home’s look around the kitchen, you can make it a beautiful reflection of your personal style.
Country Farmhouse
Open and inviting, country kitchens allow you to enjoy the feeling of a weekend getaway right in your own home — even if you’re smack in the middle of suburbia (Check out our Farmhouse Style Sinks by Bates & Bates). Farmhouse tables and furniture-like cabinetry are popular conventions, and an eclectic mix of finishes helps create a comfortable, lived-in look. Country colors range from primary red, yellow and blue to aged tones of cream and pale yellow; whatever hues you favor, mixing rather than matching is the country way to go.
Cozy Country Kitchen Designs
Modern
Sleek, sexy and sophisticated, the modern kitchen is designed to keep clutter to a minimum. Reflective surfaces and high-tech materials are central to the most modern kitchen, and exotic woods add a touch of luxury without frills or fabric. Iconic midcentury seating, including Bertoia stools and chairs by Eames and Cherner, are often chosen for a classically modern look; seating made of Lucite and highly polished woods is often chosen for a more current interpretation of the style.
Add Modern Style to Your Kitchen
Cottage Charm
Whether the space is large or tiny, cottage kitchens are designed to feel cozy and enveloping. With their homespun touches and imperfect finishes, cottage-style kitchens are always one of a kind and serve as the perfect backdrop for offbeat art and collectibles (Check out our country style Kitchen Island by Lyn Design). If you’re an avid flea marketer, this style will allow you to turn your weekend finds into everyday pleasures. To marry serious cooking with whimsical style, look for high-end appliances in white or retro colors.
Kitchens With Cottage Charm
Contemporary
Where function meets family friendliness, you’ll find the contemporary kitchen. The look is a carefully curated mix of materials: new and old, casual and polished. And because cooking with company has replaced cooking for company as the entertaining ideal, today’s kitchen has plenty of room for hosts and guests to work and interact. Add gourmet cooking equipment, comfortable, durable seating and lots of open space for a kitchen perfectly suited to 21st-century living.
Design a Contemporary Kitchen
Mediterranean or French Country
Imagine a small hotel in the South of France, or a contessa’s villa on the Amalfi Coast. The colors are sun-dappled. The surfaces are elegantly timeworn, and the atmosphere is pure romance. To replicate that Mediterranean ambiance anywhere, look for Provencal fabrics in rich tones of russet, cobalt and ochre, warm-toned wooden cabinetry, and handmade ceramic accessories. Rough-hewn textures, copper pots and rush seats add the final touches.
Mediterranean-Style Kitchens
Coastal
Whether you live at the beach or just wish you did, you can count on cool shades of blue, green, white and sand to create a vacation-time mood. Seagrass and wicker seating are casual, comfortable and coastal. Fabrics and flooring (Get the look! Check out our natural stone flooring by Agora!) designed to stand up to wet bathing suits make coastal-style kitchens easy to care for, and window treatments that allow for maximum sunlight will have everyone in let’s-get-to-the-beach mode bright and early.
Coastal-Inspired Kitchens
Old World
If you yearn for a time when materials were solid and craftsmanship was king, Old World design will embrace you in history and luxury. Look for dark mahogany finishes with lots of carving and detail, countertops with ogee or bullnosed edges, and stone or wooden floors. Add historical accessories and heavy fabrics, and enjoy time travel comfortably in your own home.
Design an Old World Kitchen
Traditional
Turkey on Thanksgiving, ham on Christmas Eve and chocolate chip cookies after school. A traditional kitchen is the perfect backdrop for a life that centers on family, friends and holidays — but its clean, comfortable look is welcoming 365 days a year. Paneled or glass doors on cupboards contribute timeless style, and latched or icebox hardware is often added for period detail. White tiles add a clean look and help reflect light, and artisanal or vintage-look light fixtures add special touches.
Design a Traditional Kitchen
Ready to start your next kitchen project? Let the Experts at PlumbTile Help! Give one of our experts a call at 1-866-369-8180 and receive a discount on your purchase! Also visit us at www.PlumbTile.com!
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