This gorgeous cottage kitchen wasn’t always this stylish and functional. With no room to cook, cramped counter space, its owners knew they needed to renovate the kitchen of their 1935 cottage in upstate New York.

So where did they start? From scratch! Since any upgrades would be a waste of money unless the quite bad layout was replanned, they began discussing the kitchen layout. The first step was to alter the floor plan in the 8×10-foot galley kitchen to add the space they needed. Continue reading →

Euromobil’s new IT-IS kitchen furniture line embodies the urban kitchen for the modern home. Made in Italy, the kitchens come in different colors and configurations to suit any scheme from the  playful to the elegant or even sharp.

The look is quite unique and very urban. What they all have in common are confident, flowing lines, exquisitely rounded corners finely crafted details and state of the art technologies. (however, I’m a bit worried about cleaning those rounded parts…)  The drawer fronts have an oblique edge for easy grip, patented by Euromobil themselves. They are built functionally and strongly and they look amazing. What a joy it would be to work in such a kitchen. Learn more at Euromobil.

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Yellow might be an unusual color for a kitchen, but if you want something punchy and vibrant, there are few other colors that stand out like it. Below are just a few examples for your inspiration.

Italian kitchen manufacturer Snaidero has recently released their striking new kitchen concept Venus that will give your kitchen a bold, modern look. Based on the Yellow Venus installation in Long Island, this kitchen offers  several vibrant hues that are very alive and eye catching.

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Whether it is washing your hands or washing your dishes, the humble sink is thought of as utilitarian rather than attractive, eye catching or even innovative! Sinks have reinvented themselves and the materials, shapes, and even the way water flows in and out of them now could even enhance your room.

If you are trying to add interest to your home, look what eye catching sinks will do for yours.

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Kitchen is a place where you spend many hours cooking different, tasty meals. The design of the kitchen becomes important if you want to save time and be comfortable yet efficient at the same time. Marcello Zuffo designed a futuristic kitchen for the 2008 Electrolux Design Awards. Although the furniture and the kitchen equipment seem to have their own place normally, in this design you will find all them in one place. It’s not entirely obvious at the first sight, but this kitchen is quite compact too – You do not need to move yourself away while you are cooking, so you will save more time for your own personal interest and move faster. Continue reading →

In the next part of the series, I show you four more ideas to refresh your kitchen on a budget.

Replace the kitchen floor

Besides the countertop and the cabinets, the floor is the third element which determines the look of your kitchen. You need to be careful on floor choice though – kitchen floors need to be durable to resist to the tear and wear you will subject it to. If you don’t have a ton of money to spend, you can choose stone (again, local sourcing will help you), tiles or vinyl. If you like wood better, get laminate or engineered hardwood floor. Probably hardwood is   better, as laminate does not really like water that much.

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As house values are down across the board and loans / mortgages are harder to get, homeowners are finding few easy-money options for grand remodels. But hey, you probably should not do that anyway! Instead, why not go after projects that cost less, or even garner practical savings and keep their value much better when it comes time to sell.

This is very true for kitchens: usually oneof the (if not THE) most expensive room in your home, a remodel can even cost anything upwards of $50.000 – which can be as much as 10% of the value of your home.  Instead of spending a ton of money, let’s see a few options on modest, practical, recessionproof improvements that build a home’s long-term value while conserving energy or just allow you to rest and enjoy your kitchen.

If you’re like me, you’ll love this modern kitchen I’ve just found. It’s called Isola and comes from Italy, made by a company called LISA. Why LISA? It means: Luxury IS an Attitude. Now that’s a name! Now let’s see the kitchen:

The Isola kitchen is entirely made of steel which – besides being beautiful (if a bit difficult to keep clean off fingerprints) – makes its sleek shape possible. The Isola kitchen has a cooktop, some work-surface and a sink built in and comes with a matching hood.

Where would you put this? Surely not next to a wall, this piece of furniture (shall I say art?) is made to be on display. Also, you’ll need a quite sizeable kitchen for it to look best. It might not have the practical tidbits (like, er….. drawers?) its more boxy counterparts do, but if you have the kitchen this piece of furniture fits into, this is probably the last thing to worry about.

But wait, there’s more….. Continue reading →

Are you bored with the standard, run-of-the-mill hoods you can find in every store? No designer could yet create something you _really_ like?

Here is the answer: create one for yourself! At least one homeowner in Brussels, Belgium had done so, to make her kitchen look original and appealing. This great-looking (and not really-hood-like, which is I think the best part) range hood was developed by architects Lhoas & Lhoas as part of an interior redesign.

The common but practical kitchen object was transformed into a beautiful abstract sculpture with an elegant, minimalist but still bold shape and a white finish. The design contrasts nicely with the rest of the of the kitchen furniture and manages to draw attention.

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Are you considering building a new kitchen or remodeling your existing one? If so, it makes sense to keep up with the latest trends, if for nothing else, to check what you’re likely to find in the stores this year.

Here is a list of kitchen trends for 2011

1 Curved shapes become the ‘new minimal’

Kitchen designers starting to introduce curved shapes to the kitchen, just like other parts of the house. Gone are the days of sharp and straight and blocks look, as it’s now being replaced by soft appearance. The easiest way to add curved shapes and bump up your kitchen with a contemporary look is through the introduction of rounded sinks, maybe bowed cabinet, curved faucets. If you can afford a bit more, think about adding a curved kitchen island (be careful though, it better harmonizes with your kitchen still). Continue reading →