by Milcarsky's Staff | Apr 6, 2020 | How To's
Your kitchen is a sanctuary for cooking and eating with your family. However, too much clutter can make your time in the kitchen stressful. It can also make it challenging to perform your best due to getting overwhelmed by your surroundings. When you want to do more with less in your kitchen, embracing the minimalist philosophy can be very helpful.
Use Style to Your Advantage
Minimalist doesn’t necessarily have to be modern. There are many different styles and approaches to minimalism. Different colors and kitchen cabinet designs can give you specific looks, so feel free to choose the look that you like. Your kitchen’s style will spring from your personal preference. Choose from looks ranging from modern to vintage and work your own kitchen design around the theme. From cabinets to countertops, tables to teapots, every inch of your kitchen can reflect your values and the way you want to live your life leisurely with your family in your home.
Put Away the Clutter
There are many organizational techniques to clean up the clutter in your kitchen. Simple items like silverware organizers or hanging pins for your pots allow you to find what you want with ease. Place items in storage in a way you can reach them without being worried about breaking a dish, and keep fragile items away from where children can reach them. Cabinetry is invaluable for this purpose. You also may want to group similar food items together on their own shelves and take the time to toss expired food or donate unwanted products to a charity.
Keep Your Kitchen Separate From Your Dining Room
Many people choose to decorate their kitchen with plants and artwork that can collect dust and dander that could potentially get in their food. If you’re able to, choose to separate your dining room from your kitchen and make a place for your children’s drawings and your own plants that won’t contaminate your dinner or give you more to clean in the kitchen. A lovely dining room with plants can be organized for ambiance so that your cooking area remains clean. It’s also easier to clean the rooms when your dining area and kitchen are separate from each other.
Even if you’re not used to maintaining a minimalist household, you can benefit from the practices of cleaning and decluttering your home to have more space and things to do. The opportunities are endless to invite guests to a dinner party or make a more spacious home for your own family. Look at what makes you comfortable and enhances your day-to-day routine.
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by Milcarsky's Staff | Mar 31, 2020 | Appliances, Outdoor Cooking
When the weather is nice, you might want to head outdoors for some fabulous food and fun. Designing an outdoor kitchen with space for other entertainment may seem complicated, but you can get very creative and bring your wildest outdoor kitchen dreams to life. Here are a few tips for you to follow.
Create Cooking Space
When planning your outdoor kitchen, you should do a strategic layout. There are a variety of features to consider when customizing your own cooking space. Your meal prep area can be separate from the eating space and the entertainment space or it can be an open floor plan where guests can be entertained and you’re not locked away from them. Make sure you plan in enough room to freely move about the kitchen. Keep in mind that you need space for a stove or grill, a sink, and possibly other appliances like a refrigerator or an ice maker. Don’t forget to have plenty of counter space.
You’ll want to make sure you choose a great counter material that can stand up to rain and harsh weather. You’ll also want the material color and design to go well with your yard.
Make It Entertainment-Friendly
Make sure, as you’re designing your outdoor kitchen, that you have enough room for a nice sized table and chair set, plus room for people to roam around and mingle. More importantly, make sure this area is set away from the kitchen. You may want to consider using your counter as the area divider. This way people won’t be in your way as you’re cooking or get injured because they’re partying and not paying attention to appliances.
Go Big or Go Home
Don’t spare any luxuries. When people think of an outdoor kitchen, they expect to see something mind-blowing. Get the best dining set, the best appliances, the most fabulous stone counters, and more. Aim to be the envy of the neighborhood. Another unexpected plus to this is that it will raise the value of your home in case you ever want to sell it. This means that your fabulous outdoor kitchen isn’t only for entertainment – you’re making a long-term investment.
If you live in an area with a lot of beautiful weather, you may as well take advantage of luxurious outdoor cooking and partying. The sky’s the limit when it comes to designing your perfect outdoor kitchen and entertainment area. With proper planning and a decent budget, you can build an outdoor kitchen that will make you forget all about your boring indoor kitchen.
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by Milcarsky's Staff | Mar 25, 2020 | Design
While there is no one set of kitchen upgrade solutions that will appeal to everyone, it is safe to say that a more desirable kitchen is something on the minds of many homeowners. The type of upgrades that interest you will be influenced by the property you maintain and the lifestyle you live. However, most kitchens can benefit from having the following upgrades completed immediately.
Update Your Appliances
One way to positively affect both the appearance and functionality of your kitchen is to update the appliances. One important consideration when selecting new appliances for your kitchen is energy efficiency.
The best way to ensure your new appliances are saving you the most money possible on energy expenditures is to purchase appliances that possess the Energy Star label. These appliances are designed to help protect the environment while saving consumers money on energy costs. Some kitchen appliances that contain the Energy Star label include dishwashers, refrigerators and electric stoves.
Replace Your Flooring
The number of options available when choosing new flooring for your kitchen can cause the process to become a bit confusing. However, your decision can become simpler if you concentrate on the concepts of functionality and durability. According to Floors Direct, traditional hardwood flooring isn’t ideal for kitchens because the amount of moisture kitchens produce can ruin the floors. Waterproof vinyl, ceramic or laminate flooring is great for families with chronically wet kitchen floors.
Lighting
According to YLighting, many homeowners will be shocked to learn what a new lighting scheme will do for their kitchen. Lighting will change how the shapes, colors and contours of your kitchen appear. A surefire way to add a bit of style and personality to your kitchen is to replace traditional ceiling fixtures with ones that have a little more flair. Hanging lights with unique geometric shapes can be installed in your kitchen with nothing more than a screwdriver. Another idea is to place LED light bars beneath the cabinets in your kitchen. These light bars come in a variety of lengths and are installed directly beneath the cabinetry. They are perfect for illuminating prep areas and countertops.
Every homeowner possesses his or her own ideas when it comes to the perfect kitchen for his or her home. The scope and variety of potential kitchen upgrades allow each homeowner to indulge his or her unique vision for the kitchen. However, homeowners who complete the three kitchen upgrades profiled above will only regret they didn’t complete them long before they decided to do so.
If you’re revamping your kitchen, check out these great appliances you could add to it!
by Milcarsky's Staff | Feb 27, 2020 | Design, Uncategorized
Accessibility is important to any space. Whether you’re rehabbing an existing kitchen or building a home, incorporating features that will make life easier as you age is a good investment. Even little changes can make access in a wheelchair possible. Here are some kitchen design tips to consider when accommodating you or a loved one’s physical limitations.
Specialized Utensils
If you have limited finger dexterity or grip strength, investing in pans with helper handles opposite long handles can make it easier to stabilize a pot. Also keep an eye out for pans with silicone grips for comfort and ease. To avoid having to dig through a crowded drawer, invest in magnetized kitchen storage tools so handles are easy to get to.
Invest in Lighting
As we age, our ability to see is slowly reduced. Adding task lighting to your kitchen workspace can reduce the risk of injury when working with knives. To make task lighting even simpler, put these tools on a motion sensor so they come on exactly where you need them. You can also install task lighting that you can turn on via remote control. These tools will save the need to fuss with switches.
Clean and Clutter-Free
Many kitchens feature canisters and other tools that line the back wall of the countertop. However, if your mobility is limited, reaching these tools can be a challenge. To keep things organized, it may make more sense to put storage tools on a rolling rack in a lower cabinet. They would be out of sight until needed but easily accessible when the user is ready to start cooking. Improving storage access isn’t just for those with visible limitations. Studies estimate that over 11% of Americans suffer from chronic pain. Easy access to the necessary features of a kitchen would be a good investment in most any home design.
Bring Things to User Level
For users with limited strength or reach or those confined to a wheelchair, being able to bring tools to their working level is critical. Heavy duty pull-down dish racks and prep surfaces will give users of all heights a workable kitchen. Roll-out storage will also provide easy visibility for spices, tools and canned goods. This way, users can work in the kitchen on their own without having to ask for help all the time. This increases their independence.
Age, illness or injury can seriously impact our ability to function in the kitchen. It’s important to design your kitchen with accessibility in mind. By incorporating design features that allow for users of varying capacities to work in the space, you can design a kitchen that will please all cooks.
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by Milcarsky's Staff | Dec 11, 2019 | How To's
If you love to entertain people in your house, you want to make sure that your home is equipped with the space and the tools you need to host parties. In addition to creating welcoming areas that are conducive to hosting large amounts of people, you want your house to sparkle and shine. Here are three ways that you can prepare your house for hosting parties.
Transforming Space
When hosting people at your home, you need to look at the various spaces in your house and harness the power of the biggest areas. Transforming the largest spaces in and around your home will give you the flexibility that you need to host friends and family with ease. Backyards are an obvious option because they generally have an abundance of room for tables and chairs. An outside grill gives the host a place to prepare food while still mingling with guests outside. A large family room can also be transformed into a party space by arranging the furniture in creative ways to facilitate conversation.
Kitchen Ready
As the natural gathering spot of any party, it is vital that you give your kitchen a little TLC when looking to entertain. There are a variety of ways that you can remodel your kitchen to make it more friendly to guests. For example, be sure to include a big bar area with stools so people can come and go and still have a place to sit when grabbing a drink or a bite to eat. When remodeling your kitchen it’s recommended to get multiple price quotes in order to ensure that you’re getting the best deal. Once your kitchen is perfect, be sure to stock it with a full bar and easy finger foods.
Focus on Important Rooms
When it comes to cleaning and sprucing up your house before an event, you should focus your efforts on the rooms where the guests will congregate. For example, you probably do not need to spend time deep cleaning your master bedroom. Instead, put your energy toward the kitchen, living areas and main floor bathroom. Do not neglect the entryway or coat closet when making everything look its best.
Inviting people into your home and making them feel as if they are a welcomed guest is easy if your house is ready to be the center of attention. It’s important to step outside your own comfort and ensure the people who visit your home will be comfortable as well. Creating inviting spaces and filling them with hospitality will go a long way toward hosting successful parties.
by Milcarsky's Staff | Dec 6, 2019 | How To's
New kitchen flooring can really change the overall look of your kitchen and home. Whether you’ve stuck with something more neutral or you made a leap to something modern, this is a wonderful investment. An updated kitchen can really increase the overall value of your home. Since you’ve spent the money to have something new installed, it’s important that you take care of this surface the right way. This will help protect your investment.
Good Installation
It’s important that you use a knowledgeable contractor to have your new flooring installed. According to Flooring America, proper installation is a key component in how durable and long-lasting a new floor is. If you have someone install your flooring so it has a lot of cracks or gaps, this can allow moisture to become trapped underneath the floor. This can also lead to some shifting over time that will cause the floor to buckle or crack. Always ask for references so you can check to see what other people thought about their final product.
Regular Maintenance
There is routine maintenance that will be needed for your floor over time. According to Carpet Rentals, Inc., different types of floors require different types of cleaning and other maintenance, so it’s important to get the right products to clean it so it won’t get damaged. However, floor maintenance doesn’t just include cleaning. There may be a stain, a chip or a change in the finish of your floor that needs to be addressed. It’s a good idea to have these things repaired or maintained as soon as you know there is a problem going on. If you see that an area is starting to shift in an unsightly way, see if the problem can be repaired now. If you let the problem get worse, this will only lead to bigger problems down the line that will be more expensive.
Use the Right Products
When you’re cleaning your new flooring, make sure that you use the right products to get the job done right. For example, you don’t want to use anything too harsh or wet on a hardwood floor. This could damage the finish or cause water to warp the wood. A wood floor benefits from a dry sweeping or mopping. Linoleum and tile are a bit more robust. They can be cleaned with products that were made for that specific surface.
If you’re spending the money on a new kitchen floor, it’s important that you understand how to properly take care of your floor material. You can talk to the contractor who is installing the product to find out how you should proceed with maintenance and care. After all, the floor in your kitchen is a highly traveled area. You want to keep it looking nice all the time.
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