7 Necessary Features of a Kitchen Design for a Great Cooking Experience

Cooking has to be convenient and fun at the same time. A great kitchen design features ample workspace; convenient layout; appropriate cabinetry and counter tops; efficient appliances; substantial lighting; safe and clean flooring; and proper ventilation.

A great kitchen varies from one household to another as different households have different kitchen needs and sizes. There are standards, though, that help you decide on your kitchen details to come up with the most convenient and multi-functional kitchen for your home. Here are the best features a kitchen design must have to make cooking a convenient and fun experience for you and your family:

Ample workspace

Kitchens do not need to be spacious; however, they must have enough room for you to roam around and do your chores. Arrange movable appliances in such a way that they do not get in your way when doing daily kitchen routine. There must ample workspace for your cooking and food preparation needs for you and your family. There are a lot of remodeling contractors in your area that can help you design your kitchen. Delaware kitchen remodeling contractors, for example, can help you utilize every inch of your kitchen space.

Convenient layout

When you think of a great kitchen, what comes into your mind is something that is convenient, organized, and even stylish. Choose a layout that is perfect for your needs and pleasing to your senses. Put into mind the appliances and utensils you have, the drawers and cabinets you need, as well as your breakfast nook. If you have a big kitchen space, consider putting an island to save yourself from crossing one side to another. It also gives you more space for storing your utensils and your goods, as well as more seating space. Furthermore, think of where and how to conveniently put your cook top, your exhaust system, your faucet, and everything else you need.

Appropriate cabinetry and counter tops

Along with planning for the layout of your kitchen, think of the cabinets and drawers you will need for all your kitchen stuff. Do you want to display your utensils and gadgets or do you want them kept in drawers? Would you consider a solid wood for your cabinets where you stock your formal party plates and glasses or would you go for glass cabinets? Not only will you need to regard the style of your fixtures, but the also how many of them you're going to need. Consider also the type of counter tops you're going to use on different areas of your kitchen.

Efficient appliances

How do you want to work in a kitchen with lots of appliances, cluttered everywhere, consuming a lot of your time and energy cooking? Modern kitchen designs, feature multi-function appliances that help you save not only space for your kitchen, but also energy and time. Get rid of those outdated appliances that do not cooperate with your electric bills and leave you behind the fast-paced trend. Find appliances that are also user and environment-friendly, as well as those that are safer to use and easier to clean and maintain.

Substantial lighting

There are three types of lighting you need to consider to make your kitchen more efficient and elegant. These are overall lighting for ease in overall food preparation routine, task lighting for specific tasks like cook top lighting , and ambient lighting for a cozy kitchen feel. Make sure your kitchen is well-lit to make cooking easier and more convenient for you.

Safe and clean flooring

Kitchen floors have to be slip-resistant to avoid accident when preparing food. Put non-slip rugs on areas that are prone to water and other spills, such as near faucets, refrigerators, and dishwashers. Choose flooring that is easy to clean and maintain and one that will last long.

Proper ventilation

A great kitchen finally possesses good ventilation system, from kitchen windows to exhausts systems. Make sure your kitchen does not suffocate you and does not cook your sweat out while preparing your meals. Check out modern exhaust systems for different kitchen designs, including downdraft exhaust system that can be placed in your kitchen island with your cook top for a more pleasant-looking and efficient kitchen.

Your kitchen design need not be state-of-the art and outright expensive. What is important is that all the important features should not be left out to make cooking more convenient for you. Be aware of your specific needs so as to choose the right kitchen details. Do not let those alluring designs in magazines and on the Internet dictate your design, but rather let your instincts work for a guaranteed great cooking experience.

4 Important Lighting Tips for a Functional and Cozy Bedroom

To achieve a functional and cozy bedroom, proper use of lighting is essential. Simply follow these tips: combine general lighting and task lighting; emphasize the attractive spots in your room; get to know the different lighting types; and, ensure a correct placement of tasks lighting.

Your bedroom should have ample light source coupled with the right choice of lighting. Your choice of bedroom lighting depends greatly on your needs and regular activities. Proper lighting provides a great place for relaxation and rest. Here are some tips on lighting to give you a comfortable bedroom:

Combine general lighting and task lighting

Your bedroom lighting should be able to provide enough light source for general activities and other specific tasks such as reading and doing some crafts such as sewing. Lights with dimmer controls are highly useful since they provide some variety in the amount of light they provide. Here are some ways of combining the use of lighting in your bedroom:

• a bedside fixture such as a swing-arm lamp can be used to brighten your bedtime tasks. If you wish to illuminate your room with too bright lights, you can add some soft light sources like candles or a fireplace maybe.


• if you want your bed to be the focus of your room, you can use a recessed lighting near or over the head portion of the bed to create some dramatic effect.


• if you are an active individual and would want your room to be flooded with bright yet warm lights, you can use a combination of overhead and uplight fixtures.

Emphasize the attractive spots in your room

To emphasize the beautiful decors and attractive art works on your walls, you can use some lights to specifically highlight them. Moreover, make sure that your dresser should not have distracting shadows around it. You can do this by using some side lights or a head light.

Get to know the different lighting types

Basically, there are four types of lighting. They are as follows:

• ambient lighting - this light is the most practical type of lighting that imitates a natural light. This lighting envelopes the whole room space uniformly. Its light comes from an overhead and central fixture.


• task lighting - this is intended to brighten a particular task or area. Generally, it should have the capacity to provide sufficient lighting that focuses on one spot only.


• accent lighting - is also called point-source lighting. Its purpose is to provide strong light to a particular focal point. This lighting is utilized in illuminating a vase or a wall art in your room.


• kinetic lighting - this is a type of light that is designed to be in motion such as flickering and dancing. This is intended to create some dramatic effects. You can have mirror balls, candlelights, and lava lamps.

Ensure a correct placement of tasks lighting

Proper placement of your tasks lighting should be carefully considered. You should be mindful that every specific task light has its equivalent placement measurement which you should follow.

• your dressing table should have two lights that are 36 inches away from each other. And, the height of the lights from the base of the table should be about 15 inches.


• if your dressing table reaches your waist, make sure that your lighting's height is about 22 inches from the top of the dresser.


• if you go for some lamps for bedside reading, just see to it that the bottom part of your light is about 20 inches above the level of the bed.


• a desk lamp should be 15 inches from the desk surface regardless of whether it is mounted on a wall or not.

The right choice of lighting will definitely create a snug ambiance. Choosing to have custom lighting fixtures in your bedroom would spell a lot of difference. These will surely make your room look even more fantastic.

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Home Addition

Home addition presents its own advantages and disadvantages. It adds space to your house; it increases the value of your house; you can design the room addition yourself; you can choose between custom-made or prefabricated room addition. On the contrary, it lessens your lawn or backyard space; it increases household expenses; and you would have to deal with the hassles of an ongoing construction in your own home.

Adding a room in your house requires a lot of consideration. The question is, are you really willing to add a room in the current home you're living in? Here are the benefits and disadvantages of room additions you may want to consider:

It adds space to your house

Unlike simply remodeling your house or trying to find means to utilize some rooms in your house, a room addition practically adds more space to your house. It helps avoid overcrowding and inefficient arrangement of household furniture and items.

It increases the value of your house

Because something new is added to your house, it follows an increase in your home value. If you're planning to sell your house, the selling price would be considerably higher than your original place. It does not, however, guarantee you from recovering the costs in adding your room.

You can design the room addition yourself

The good thing about room addition is that you can design the room yourself according to your specifications, with the help of your home designer or architect. The room addition will be able to meet the needs and desires you specify. This is especially rewarding when the house you live in is already built when you bought it.

You can choose between custom-made or prefabricated room addition

Unlike building a new home, you can either choose between custom-made or prefabricated room addition. Aside from giving you more freedom to choose among different designs and styles, a room addition is more friendly to your budget. If you want a more economical room addition, you can resort to prefabricated room additions. Browse the Internet for different contractors on room additions, as well as manufacturers of prefabricated room additions. To make your search easier, do a search according to location. If you are located somewhere in Delaware, then look for contractors specializing in Delaware home additions.

It lessens your lawn or backyard space

Though a room addition offers many benefits, you need to be aware of its disadvantages. It lessens the space in your lawn or backyard, not unless you are planning to build another floor level. Make sure you are willing to give up that space in your backyard that may be gone forever.

It increases household expenses

With additional room comes additional expenses. Expect higher electricity bills, as well as other expenses related to the maintenance of the new room. You will also be paying higher property taxes with your room addition.

You would have to deal with the hassles of an ongoing construction in your own home

When planning to add a room in your house, be ready for loud noises starting early in the morning that come with demolition and room construction itself. You would also have to deal with dust and all the mess in your area.

A room addition is practically the best option if your current house is still sturdy, but limited in space. Make sure you know the conditions of adding a new room to your house to fully enjoy the new look and feel of your house.