INTEGRATE EXCELLENT, ENERGYEFFICIENT LIGHTING IN TO YOUR KITCHEN DESIGN
The Recipe for Perfect Lighting There are four types of lighting to consider when designing a functional kitchen: task lighting, ambient lighting, accent lighting and finally, decorative lighting. Consider lighting under your cabinets, over a centre island, or to highlight a special piece of artwork or a set of dishes. The right lighting can bring a beautiful kitchen to life, says Splinter Flynn. “We live in a northerly climate where we rely on artificial light oftentimes for meal preparation and also want to maximize our ability to harness natural light in the summertime. Take time to integrate excellent, energy-efficient lighting in to your kitchen design.”
Cabinets: The Detail is in the Doors Cabinets can make or break your kitchen’s function and design, so it’s best to carefully plan how it will all come together. Be sure to not only consider the overall design, but how you plan to use the cabinets, which are always best if they are designed for the user and for the space provided, says Splinter Flynn. “Some people want the freedom of traffic flow around and through the work area, whereas others prefer to have work completed on one side and traffic on the other side,” she says. Are there shift-workers in the house? If so, soft-close doors and drawer hinging is a great idea, she suggests. Meanwhile, cabinets themselves can be maximized for storage with high-sided drawers, roll out shelves and various other small accessories to fully use the vertical space within a cabinet. It’s important to note that the finish on the wood cabinet ends and the doors are equally important, so the cabinetry maintains its beauty over time. “The wood on the finished end of a cabinet should be real wood, not imitation,” says Splinter Flynn. The construction of the cabinet also needs to be solid — that means no plastic or staples. The hardware used for drawer slides and hinges should be of the highest quality. Be sure to look for lifetime guarantee on hinges.
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