KITCHEN FAVORITES GUEST POST

Today’s guest post is from Susi, a writer for Arcadian Lighting, a must-shop resource for beautiful light fixtures.  Susi is sharing some favorite kitchens, from traditional to contemporary, cottage to penthouse. There is a wide range of styles, fixtures, cabinets, flooring and lighting in these kitchens. We hope you see something that will inspire you. What is your favorite kitchen?

Pinterest via

Love the greenhouse feeling to this kitchen. The cream cabinets and countertops blend seamlessly with the architecture. Pantry & appliances are tucked further back so they don’t disrupt the view.

Pinterest via

This cottage kitchen is one of our favorites because of the island that feels like a farmhouse table. Classic white subway tiles are classic for a reason…they’re timeless.

Apartment Therapy via

Small doesn’t mean unstylish. Love this eat-in-kitchen that is small on space but large on style. High gloss cabinets reflect the light to make the room feel bigger. The pendant light over the table adds a stylish touch.

Fresh Home via

Colored cabinets are not a new trend but we love the high gloss aqua on these metal cabinets. Everything feels sleek and polished in this contemporary kitchen.

House and Home via

Luxury finishes and quality materials make this kitchen a favorite. Dramatic dark cabinets and contemporary lighting make this kitchen feel sophisticated.

 

Abode Love via

This white kitchen is anything but sterile. Grey veined white marble, dark floors and punches of orange from the counter stools keep it lively. Love the kitchen pendant lights.

Shatter Boxx via

While many of our favorite kitchens are light and airy, we do love the drama of dark cabinets paired with dark floors. The island sink also makes this a fave, as does the professional range.

A Note on Design via

This contemporary farmhouse kitchen is a gorgeous blend of new and old. Love how the design incorporates the stone wall with contemporary cabinets and pendant lightsContent provided by Arcadian Lighting, a site that specializes in top quality lighting fixtures at extremely affordable prices. If you like this post, be sure to stop by the Arcadian Lighting blog and let us know you saw us here!

ALL THAT GLITTERS COULD BE GLASS!

You've heard me talk about glass before and it's place as a progressive material used in all sorts of innovative ways in the 21st century kitchen.  The following is a press release I recently received for a company called Think Glass."One of the coolest products just unveiled at the National Kitchen Bath Show in Las Vegas was a stunning 4-inch glass countertop that looked like the luminescent ocean and actually glowed from within. The powerful LED lights embedded inside gave the glass countertop a radiance. ThinkGlass offers a variety of light colors and even the ability to create a “light show” via remote control with special effects such as flashing and fading lights to create an ambiance.ThinkGlass has quickly become a leader in the thermoforming industry by pioneering a versatile technique that allows the creation of new or repetitive textures at a very low molding cost. This process allows the creation of glass slabs without thickness constraints opening the door to all kinds of design possibilities that far exceed anything that can be accomplished with stone, granite or marble."This truly is a revolutionary break through.  Previously the thickest counter top any sane glass expert would offer is 3/4".   When glass reaches a thickness of 1.4" it becomes hard as stone and it is naturally antibacterial because of its totally nonporous nature. ThinkGlass has been around for about 11 years and here's how they do it.  The process begins with 8' by 11' sheets of 1/2" glass which is cut to size according to project specs.  The glass is stacked and placed on a bed of sand in an oven.  Any desired texture or design is drawn into the sand before the glass is placed on it.  The glass is then baked for one day for every 1/2" of thickness.  The finished product is then polished by hand.  Pretty cool, huh?  The sand is even reused so there is no waste.The addition of LED lighting for illumination really takes glass to the next level and is sure to deliver lots of  "wows".  Glass is easy to clean and the addition of a texture is a crafty way to hide finger prints.If you'd like just a little wow that's good too and can be enough.  How about a raised glass top on your island?  If you go this route make sure to employ a qualified professional who will know the best way to install and secure your top.  Last but not least, don't forget that if you are a follower of  Feng Shui, glass is a great way to add the water element to your kitchen.  The element of water is said to attract wealth and health!

A LOOK AT LOOX BY HAFELE

Hafele is one of my favorite resources for kitchen hardware and functional, fun accessories.  Known for quality and efficient German engineering it seems they are always coming out with something "wow-worthy".  Our ever faithful local rep, Pat Flatley, keeps me in the loop on their latest products.  I just found out about this one which I'm dying to share with you.  It's call Loox.  Does it sound like a Dr. Seus character?  Sure.  Is it a seriously kick-ass lighting option for your home?  Definitely.   Whether it's task lighting or just an ambient after glow you're looking for, Loox has the answer.  Loox is a low-voltage LED lighting system.  You can read about the technical details here.What I love is the great functionality of having a light inside a drawer or in the nooks and crannies of the closet.  Check out this handy Loox Room Configurator.  Simply click on the type of room you want to view and you can turn on and off all the various light fixtures that illuminate the room.  Hours of fun!  (Ok maybe not hours)  When you're a kitchen designer it's the little things that come together to make a fantastic whole!

5 TIPS TO IMPROVE THE LIGHTING IN YOUR KITCHEN

Friday afternoon I had the pleasure of sipping a Starbucks pumpkin spice soy latte while chatting with my favorite local lighting expert Marcia (that’s MAR-see-uh) Exelrud .  (Click here for previous guest post by Marcia.) As we discussed how to save the world from poor kitchen design and bad lighting , I asked her to come up with  a list of the TOP 5 Lighting Fixes for your kitchen. Here's what she had to say:

1. Replace trims and bulbs in existing recessed fixtures. New trim will give you a fresh updated look.  Replace bulbs so that they are all the same type for uniform and even lighting. Remember that the most up to date fixtures and bulbs will usually also be more energy efficient.  The initial investment is greater but they more than pay for themselves and save you time and aggravation in the long run.

2. Move or add fixtures to add direct light where you need it. Take a moment to study your kitchen both during the day and at night with the lights on.  Does your current arrangement work or do you need to make some changes?

3.  Add cove lighting with an LED or xenon strip light fixture. Do you have space above your cabinets?  This is a perfect opportunity for cove lighting.  LED or Xenon strips are perfect for this area.

4. Remove unsightly dropped ceilings.   You know what I’m talking about, those plastic squares set into a metal grid concealing fluorescent tubes.  Yeah that’s them.  Remove them and you instantly create an open feeling!  Replace those tube lights with some recessed high hats for better light. Welcome to 2010!  A word of caution, if you have a concrete ceiling you may have to lower it just enough to recess lights.  If that’s not in the budget consider a surface mounted fixture.

5. Install lighting under the upper cabinets and above islands.. Never install open fixtures such as pendants, spot lights or recessed lights witout lenses directly over cooking areas.

If you have questions about any type of lighting you can contact Marcia at

http://marcia@brightlightdesigns.net/

You can also find her listed under LOCAL RESOURCES  at Kitchens for Living

THE GREEN LIGHT ALTERNATIVE

I want to welcome guest blogger Marcia Exelrud, expert on lighting (see previous post).  In this post she enlightens us on one very good option for energy efficient lighting in the kitchen.

“Everyone talks about energy savings nowadays. If there is one area of the home that makes those electric meters whirl it's the kitchen. Today our  kitchens are not only for cooking but for entertaining. People like to gather in the kitchen, talk and drink while the host is preparing the meal.  Why not put together two very important things: energy savings and creative architectural lighting. LED lighting is the new source that allows you to save energy and create different effects and colors without producing more heat in the room. 

LED stands for "light-emitting diode." An LED is a semiconductor diode that emits a single wavelength of light when charged with an electric current. LEDs have many practical applications and are already used in many products we use everyday. LED lights are energy-efficient and produce almost no heat in comparison to incandescent and fluorescent lights. They usually have a lifetime of 50,000 hours and are available in a variety of styles and wattages. LEDs allow you to install lighting in any area allowing you to be creative with  your lighting design as shown in this kitchen from kutecat.com."