Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Tips for your dream Kitchen

Are you building your kitchen and are looking for advice. You would by now realize that the core of any kitchen is the cabinets, appliances and worktop. Identifying these would take a bit of skill. A search on the internet would give you a wide range of varieties, the costs offered by various companies and even retailers of the product.
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� In case of entire kitchen; check the company. Ask for contacts of previous customers as they would give you a better idea about the product.
� Get a person from the company visit you rather than some one from the showroom.
� You have a vision for your kitchen; then tell it to the designer. Collaborate with the designer on the requirements and design you visualize. Get it incorporated into the plan.
� A good show room gives you good items and will not talk you into getting things that they have on display.
� Good items come at a cost. Your search on the internet could lead you to a good deal as well.
� When you get the items; verify and see if there are any damaged or missing items. In case of damage ask the retailer to replace it.
� Do not pay them the entire amount. With hold 20 percent of the fee till the entire process is complete.
� For the work; draw up a schedule and synchronize the work. Whenever there is a concern about the work; raise the concern to set things right again.


Cabinets
Aesthetic sense of a kitchen depends on the type of cabinets you choose. Options are colored/stained; Maple/Oak or any other wood and Stock/Custom made.
� Stock cabinets will be delivered to you within a week of placing the order.
� Semi-custom cabinets would require changing a few features like handles, hinges and other items. This would take around two weeks of time
� Fully custom cabinets would take around six to ten weeks of time. The advantage of a fully custom cabinet is that it can fit into the architectural work and design of an old kitchen.

Worktops/Counter Tops
It is wise to select a material that will withstand years of use; with the least maintenance requirement. It should also be easily repairable if an accident occurs.
� Combine two or more counter top materials in one kitchen. This could be varied colors or textures placed adjacent to each other to create a visual interest. It could also complement with the cabinets, floor, wall paper or paint selections.
� Consider the combination of decorative materials like granite, marble or tiles with solid surface for visual effect, durability and easy maintenance.
� If you have budget constraints; use the highest quality material for areas that will be used the most. For the other counter areas you could go for less expensive materials.

� High cost materials include Granite, Stainless steel, Marble (slabs), solid surface media and wood blocks. The cost is because these are smooth surfaces, do not scratch easily, are heat resistant, and in some cases do not absorb stains or oils. Among these only solid surface medium can be easily repairable.
� Solid surface media and wood blocks can also be obtained in budget rates. Other budget materials include solid surface laminates, Tiles, and plastic laminates. Plastic laminates, wood blocks are not heat resistant and plastic is not repairable.
� The quality of the counter top edge treatment is also important. Choose materials that will withstand constant exposure water and other house hold chemicals.

Appliances
Present day kitchens are not what they were years ago. Making a choice of an appliance depends on its utility in the present day kitchen. In fact you should design your kitchen keeping in mind the various appliances and the space for them.
� Energy efficiency is the key to most appliances. Costs have reduced drastically. Design and durability has been possible with newer technologies.
� The type of energy (Gas or Electric kitchen accessories ) determines the rate as well.
� Size of the appliance and usage matters. Kitchen appliances have been made for hotels and houses as well. Choose electric ice cream maker , sandwich makers, and food processors according to your need. Just as you get best deals on food processors from the internet, you can also get sandwich maker recipes.
� Know your appliance; performance and maintenance are major criteria.
� Wooden kitchen utensils and porcelain utensils make appear aesthetic but may be a problem with dish washers.
aptkitchen.com is a site that caters to the need of kitchen d�cor and appliances. It features both the traditional and modern accessories a kitchen would have. Wooden kitchen utensils , sandwich maker recipes, etc�The various electric kitchen accessories only server to lighten the burden on the modern house wife.

By : Sarah Brawn
http://www.a1articles.com

Do Custom Kitchen Cabinets Make Economic Sense?

Now it’s true that when one talks about custom made anything, it immediately rings dollar bells; making people presume that it is something really expensive we are talking about, something that does not make much economic sense. Yet when you give it some thought, it is easy to see why custom kitchen cabinet make eminent sense; in terms of convenience and comfort of use as well as in terms of affordability. This is because a custom cabinet does not by definition mean something that is designed and built for you from scratch; it merely means a custom cabinet that has been altered or modified in a way that bests suits your requirements, your purposes and as importantly, the dimensions of the room that you want to furnish. The benefits of custom furniture are obvious and many:

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No Compromise: You don’t have to compromise when it comes to the furniture that you want. Whereas readymade furniture will have some or other aspect that fails to please, or which is superfluous or which quite simply does not fit, with custom built items you have no such problem. For instance if you require the drawers to be just so, and have the specifications that you cannot find elsewhere, you can make sure that you can get items made to your specification. If you want that your kitchen cabinets should have x number of drawers of a particular kind and x number of drawers of another, then when you customize, you will have precisely what you require, as against having to make do with what is available.


Custom Cabinets Fit Perfectly: Sometimes we have an unusually large or unusually small space within which we are required fit a particular piece of furniture into. Or you have a room with an unusual shape, an uncommonly shaped alcove or section for which you may find it difficult if not impossible to find furniture. With customized furniture you don’t have to bother about finding the furniture to fit the room and its dimensions. With furniture that is made to order, you can be sure of finding the exact match for your particularly requirements.

You can make sure that you get exactly what you want; what you need: Sometimes you need to buy only some of the furniture and want that the new furniture that you buy matches and blends in with the existing pieces. Now this is difficult to do, since finding an exact match may be difficult. However when you order one or more custom cabinets you have full say in the color, style, trim and molding details, the kind of wood or raw materials chosen, and the finish style as well.


It is Unique: When you order custom cabinets, you can be reasonably sure that no one else has anything that is exactly like that. You can be sure that what you have is unique, and one of a kind; none of the mass produced, generic variety of furniture for you; which can all look like peas in a pod!

This is why custom furniture makes good economic sense and in the long run may even end up saving you money!

Among the many furniture stores in Michigan, this is where you will get the best custom made furniture. The range and variety is breathtaking. They are especially famous for their dining tables.
sarika kabra
http://www.a1articles.com

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Moroccan Interior Design & Moorish Architecture: Lavish Style of Living

The Moroccan home is a palace of the imagination and a poetic harmonizing between man and the natural world. Walls borrow their hues from the earth and desert sand – muted reds and honeyed yellows. Tedelakt, the ancient technique of rendering smooth waxed surfaces using a colored limestone paste and black soap, give walls and floors all the appearance of clay ceramic. Interior structuring takes on organic shapes. Bends and arches complement geometric zellige tiles and curvilinear vases, set with fresh roses from the garden. Floaty, gossamer curtains in place of doors give a pleasing open feeling to the living space, while allowing breezes to circulate freely.

The Moroccan style home is a unique blend of African, Berber, and Islamic aesthetics. Plush cushions in richly textured fabrics are set upon carved ebony-stained pine and cedar moucharabi furniture. Casting the afternoon sunlight in abstract patterns are pierced metal and brass lamps standing on tables or hanging overhead. Seating, tables, and accessories throughout the home are patterned and shaped by beautifully crafted hexagonal, octagonal and arched forms. The total effect is a private visual playground and a welcoming museum-like showland that is at once masterful and inviting.
The scents of cedar and roses eddy with the aroma of lamb and apricots. Guests have arrived with a tap-tapping of a brass knocker on a heavy wooden door. The setting sun fires the purple-pink of jasmine and bougainvillea in the garden outside, as Tajine simmers a last few minutes in the oven. Domestic architecture in Morocco varies greatly according to regional climate and personal wealth. There are the simple stucco constructions of the poorer townsfolk, and there are villas of such magnificence as to lure the wandering soul across several continents for the mere occasion to stand enchanted outside their gates.
In Moroccan homes irrespective of means the blind indented arch is a most charming feature, one whose inspiration is taken directly from the mihrab, or prayer niche constructed on the qibla wall of the mosque. The interior courtyard, or riad, is another characteristic element of Moroccan architecture and of Islamic architecture in general.
Situated most often at the center of the home, the riad is a tool for privacy and practicality. Since often the main door off the street opens onto the courtyard, visitors are directed from the patio into a salon used especially for entertaining – and this without ever passing through other the living areas of the home. The riad allows for plenty of light and needed shade, since the sun’s rays and also cooler air can permeate the whole of the dwelling, while at the same time the harsher elements of wind and direct sunlight are kept out.
Interior decor is essential to Islamic architecture. Vaults, cupolas, and arched doorways are principle features which serve both functional and aesthetic purposes. In some village homes, recessed walls and benches set in cement stucco offer simple detail.
More elaborate elements may include geometric and floral motifs carved into wood beams or plaster walls. Ceramic tile, known as zellige, is also used, and may be applied to any and all surfaces, and not limited to walls, floors, roofs, and ceilings. Creative and surprising patterns, molded organic materials, and the intriguing lines of Moroccan structural motifs make the Moroccan home an extraordinary visual playground. Imagine coming home after a long day's work and slipping into a living room oasis where you're bathed in soft reds, yellows and oranges while resting on a plush cushion, next to a set of mini palm trees, breathing in the scent of Jasmine incense, listening to light jazz flutes. Selecting Moroccan furniture isn't just about functionality anymore; it's about creating a comfortable habitat where you can relax, de-stress and enjoy your downtime.
Finding the right lighting is the key to creating an ideal atmosphere. As early as 5,000 BC, the Chinese have been building homes in correlation with the sun to provide optimal light, warmth and energy. Historically, Morocco has hosted groups of diverse people from all directions - Phoenicians and Carthaginians from the East, Sub-Saharan Africans from the South, in addition to Romans, Vandals and Andalusians from the North. This Diaspora of culture comes together and can be clearly seen in these colorful Moroccan lamps and lanterns.
What makes Moroccan lamps truly unique is that they're not mass-produced in a sterile factory -- but rather, each shade is made of sheep or goatskin and is then dyed and stretched over a solid iron frame, where it is hand-painted with a needle in brilliant colors, in the decorative tradition of Henna tattoo artistry. Dating back to the Bronze Age, Henna design mimics the Henna plant, which has a plethora of long, thin stalks and tiny blossoms. Much like the tattoos, the lamp designs showcase fluid black lines and shapes, outlined by tiny dots.
Moroccan lamps, varying in shape, size, color and mood offer the opportunity to turn your living room into a stunning art museum. The African Berbers were primarily an agricultural people, so the curved "Berber" floor lamp is painted with a classy, simple style in neutral colors. Tall, slender styles like "The Pharaoh's Light", "Red Sun" or "Orange Magical Arabian Nights" capture one's imagination, while dazzling with dancing patterns, vibrant colors and swaths of vacuous space that instinctively pulls the eyes toward it in wonderment. End table lamps like "African Sun" or "Fez Sun" provide multifunctional use, emanating a soothing glow, while the glass top holds a piece of art, a plant or a tea set for entertaining guests. When you behold a piece like "Ocean Sun," breathing moonlight into the room with its purple hues and oceanic design, you know that this lamp is not just for providing light, but is a piece of art that will compliment other furniture and themes in the room.
Moroccan lanterns made of stained glass resemble the sort of Church decor that pervades the Holy Land. The shapes range from a rounded hot air balloon design, to a diamond-shaped street lantern style and they can be hung from the ceiling or mounted on the wall. Traditionally, the stained glass panes are subtle, soothing colors - an olive green, a periwinkle blue or a hint of gold. Handmade and framed in black wrought iron, Moroccan lanterns can bring that one unforgettable, warm summer night into your home.
Moroccan lamps and Moroccan lanterns will add an air of magic to any room. When paired with Moroccan rugs, plants and other Moroccan furniture, these handmade Moroccan lights really put the finishing touches on a relaxing, unique escape.

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