Countertops That Will Transform Your Kitchen Into a Sanctuary
One of the best places in the home to make into a sanctuary is the kitchen. Homeowners and guests gravitate to the kitchen as a place of warmth and...
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The countertop is where you and other family members will prepare meals. Great countertops can inspire great meals. The materials you choose for countertops can set the tone for the design of the entire kitchen. Professional design teams have great ideas for you to consider as you choose countertops for your kitchen.
Granite Countertops Provide Protection, Durability, Elegance
Granite countertops, crafted from natural stone, come in many colors that can blend with the color scheme that you have chosen for your kitchen. The durable, polished surface is highly resistant to germs as well as household chemicals, so it makes an ideal choice for a kitchen countertop. Sealing the countertops on a regular basis will keep their surface easy to clean and maintain.
Marble Provides Classic Beauty With a Cool Surface
Also a natural stone material, marble gives your kitchen a classic, clean appearance. For bakers, marble is the material of choice. Marble keeps cool longer, since it is not a material that conducts heat easily. Like granite, it is durable, but its surface does scratch easily. It is, however, available in a multitude of colors to create a seamless blend with your kitchen's design.
Countertops from Recycled Materials Help You Save the Earth, One Meal at a Time
For environmentally-minded families, a countertop crafted from materials that have been tossed out in the trash and repurposed as construction material may be the best choice. Countertops can be made from cement that has been recycled, as well as from glass from soda bottles in a variety of colors. Many countertops made from recycled materials, like granite, must be sealed to provide a durable surface that will give years of service. Our design team can give you even more ideas how you can use recycled materials to create attractive and functional countertops for your home.
Soapstone Lends Texture to Your Kitchen Countertops
If you love the feeling you get when you touch mineral talc, you will love soapstone countertops. Like soapstone, they are smooth to the touch. Generally, this material darkens with age, giving a richer appearance to the countertop. Quartz veins in the soapstone add a touch of luxury to this touch-friendly material.
Stainless Steel
For a contemporary, workmanlike appearance in your kitchen, stainless steel will fit the bill. Stainless steel countertops are a breeze to clean. Their smooth surfaces repel germs and resist corrosion from household chemicals. Its streamlined look and neutral color fits well into nearly every kitchen color scheme.
Your local design professionals can help homeowners feel more at home in their kitchen with upgrades, decoration, and remodeling that can be customized to each family's preferences. To see how you can update your kitchen countertops to make your kitchen a more welcoming place, make an appointment with our design team today.
To choose such a scheme, one does not need to be a design expert, nor have extensive knowledge of color theory. Your own preferences can guide you in your choice. Here are some tips to get you started on choosing your home's colors.
Use a Color Wheel To Help You Choose
A color wheel is a circular illustration that allows you to see the entire spectrum of possible colors-both primary and tertiary-at a single glance. Primary colors are yellow, red, and blue. Tertiary colors-orange, green, and purple-are created by mixing two primary colors together. You can usually pick a color wheel up for free at a home improvement store or an art supply center.
Choose Colors That Appeal to Your Tastes
When you look at the color wheel, which of those main colors appeal to you most? If only one color sticks out in your mind, you may want to go with a monochromatic-or single-colored- color scheme for your home. With such a color scheme, you would choose various tones of your favorite color to decorate your home.
If you like two colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, you may prefer an analogous color scheme. An analogous color scheme, such as purple with blue, or green with blue, usually provides a relaxed, soothing feel in your home.
If the colors that you prefer are across from each other on the color wheel, you will achieve a bold look in your home. Blue and orange, for instance, is a complementary color scheme that will create an exciting feeling when you walk into your home. With a complementary color scheme, you may want to dial down some of the excitement by using the two complementary colors as accent, and then using a neutral grey or cream for the base color.
Once you have selected your color scheme, however, you are ready to choose the wall coverings, flooring, furniture, and accent pieces for your home. If you select them to blend with your overall scheme, you will have a harmonious look all through your home.
Many people, however, like to work in the opposite direction to find a color. If they have a favorite possession, such as a painting, a quilt, or another piece of fabric, they may want to choose a color scheme that picks out the main colors in that piece. That one piece can inspire the décor for an entire home.
Choose Lighting to Accent Your Color Scheme
Lighting can make a huge impact on the color scheme in your home. Natural sunlight from a window or skylight will bring in warm tones of lights-yellows in the morning and oranges late in the afternoon and evening. Regular fluorescent lighting, however, produces cool, blue-toned light. Some fluorescent lights that put out warmer tones, can, however, be purchased. Look for the term "warm" on the box. Incandescent light bulbs usually create warmer tones of light, slightly more red than natural light.
As you look through the choices of light bulbs at the store, be careful to read the information on the package. There are so many choices today in both fluorescent, LED, and incandescent lights. Take care to choose the right bulb to create the right mood in each of your rooms. Work with your colors, and select lighting that best shows off your home's colors.
The surfaces that reflect the lights can also impact the color in your room. Light reflecting off a bluish-white ceiling, for instance, will have cooler tones than that reflecting off a creamy white ceiling, with its warm yellow undertones. If you choose lighting that works with your chosen colors, your color scheme will be well-balanced and harmonious.
Give Your Home a Sense of Continuity With a Harmonious Color Scheme
To provide a sense of continuity, a home's color scheme should flow from room to room. Does that mean that the color for each room must be the same?...
Yvonne Tsakiris, creator and owner of Framey Namey: "In a nutshell, keep the big expensive things white and use the small inexpensive items to create the colour scheme and personalise."
Dressing the walls
Forget about painting or wallpapering the walls blue or pink. These colours might look great in the short-term, but they will have to be updated after a couple of years. If you want a long-lasting look, you will have to go for a more intricate palette or for a neutral spectrum of colours that subtly combines a spark of colour. For instance, select a wall with pink accents that has matching accessories which can be modified in time.
Also think about temporal designs. Everyone knows that children change their minds very often. As he grows, your child might want to change the farm animal theme that you chose for his room with a superhero one.
Lucky for you, this is not difficult to achieve. There are lots of temporary décor options that will help you get what you want: stickers, wall decals, various textures, patterns, etc. Photo frames in particular, are a great accessory as the photo insert can be changed so easily.
Yvonne Tsakiris adds: "The walls form the biggest surface area of any room, but are often overlooked. Avoid wallpapering or painting different colours. Instead consider buying wall hanging décor which can be easily changed. A great alternative to wallpapering a whole wall is framing wallpaper cut-outs. Dress a wall with 8-15 such frames to create an incredible 3 dimensional feature wall.
No changing table
It is true that you need a place to change your child, but you shouldn't opt for a changing table because they become useless in a very short period of time. You can replace this with a dresser that can be turned into a changing area. For this, just get a changing mat that has raised sides and allows you to secure it to the top. Then add some baskets or bins to store diapers and you will have everything you need in one single space.
Storage room
You will be surprised of how much storage space a little baby might need. They need lots of things, and with every year, their needs grow bigger and bigger. This is the reason why you must have sufficient storage room.
Don't be afraid to improvise and select storage bins that can be kept under the bed or crib, and always pay attention to the latest ideas in terms of saving room for a baby. In addition to this, you can use hooks or shelves in order to show off your baby's outfits or accessories, but at the same time, keep books or toys as the child grows older.
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