Modeling Your Kitchen After A Ship’s Galley

Most houses and condo units have a small kitchen as modern design philosophy favors space maximization. If your living space follows this trend, you can opt to have your kitchen set up like a ship’s galley. In a nutshell, a galley maximizes space by having cabinets, cupboards and countertops facing each other divided only by a narrow working space. This space is usually meant only to accommodate at the most two people. Having a narrow corridor to work in means that everything will be within easy reach.

Even those with large traditional kitchens would stand to benefit a lot by implementing design elements from a ship’s galley. For one, you will be able to get the most out of what’s available and conceivably double your kitchen’s existing capacity. Also, being able to use storage space that performs double-duty is a nice feature to have. In a real ship, every last bit of space has to be used wisely and having worktops that double as something else will be a great convenience to any housewife.

Apart from the undeniably practical aspect of a galley kitchen, anyone can also benefit from an aesthetic standpoint. A nautical theme is both eye-catching and novel enough to really grab people’s attention and have them talking. It’s relatively easy to get small items like spice racks that have a nautical design. Also noteworthy are the galleried tabletops present in all ships. You can duplicate this design at home and have a functional as well as stylish piece.

You can extend this look into wall shelves that hold frequently-used items. Have your coffee, sugar, and milk all displayed in a brass and wood assembly for a great look. You can build on this look by having every jar match. Look for matching containers in home improvement stores that carry them. Brass is a good material for the lids since it complements the whole nautical look.

You can apply the nautical theme in your choice of decorations as well. You can find small knick-knacks and accessories in garage sales and flea markets that follow your theme and go to town with those. You can also look for pictures or paintings of ships and marine life and hang them on your kitchen walls. Another great and simple way to flesh out your theme is changing your cabinet handles. Look for handles that are clearly designed with a nautical theme in mind: anchors, ship’s wheel, propellers, even pirates’ skull and crossbones, all can be used to great effect. The only challenge with oddly-shaped handles is that they are generally a pain to fit. A good way to g around this problem is to take one of your existing handles in the hardware store with you so that you can compare it with the ones you are planning to buy. This way, you lessen your chances of taking home something that would not fit. If you do your homework and pay attention to details, your kitchen space can become the topic of conversations for years to come.

8 Creative Ways Of Saving Money Through Kitchen Design

There are countless kitchen design ideas out there – from the most basic and spartan, to the elaborate display kitchens you see on cooking shows. When redoing your kitchen there is no doubt that you want to have the latest and greatest. Unfortunately, bells and whistles cost additional money and when dealing with a budget, the more you save translates to more money you can use to actually stock your kitchen with supplies.

Whatever theme you choose to go with, the following are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing. They are also meant to steer you in the right direction towards frugality and being practical:

1. Before driving in the first nail, do a through assessment of the current condition of your kitchen. Do you really need to rip out your kitchen cabinets or can a fresh coat of paint give them a new lease on life? Weigh your wants versus your needs. More often than not, you don’t have to spend all that much to get a new look.

2. Next to get the critical eye are your kitchen appliances. Old ones, even if they are still working fine, tend to consume more electricity. Old fridges eat a lot of juice just to get to the right temperature. This additional expense, added over the span of a year, is enough to get you a brand-new refrigerator that is more energy efficient. Get the right one and it can pay for itself in electricity bill savings.

3. Second-hand items can be a great buy. Especially things that have no moving parts that can get broken, getting them used at a low price are a good option.

4. Even if your refrigerator is relatively new, check the rubber seals going around the doors. If these are already old and brittle, it will let the cold air escape and make the motor run overtime translating to higher power bills. You can easily get them replaced if the rest of the refrigerator is still in good shape.

5. Instead of having your fridge and freezer as two separate units, buy one that combines the two. Running on just one compressor, this configuration is the best blend of convenience, space-saving design, and efficiency.

6. People often overlook the fan in their convection ovens. Use this feature as it makes air circulate and transfers heat better, cutting cooking time and energy consumption.

7. If you need more storage space, instead of having new cabinets put in, try to see if you are maximizing your old cabinets. People tend to hang on to junk and your cabinets might be stuffed with useless things. Throw out boxes, wrappers, and expired cans and jars. You can do a mini garage sale and earn a little from all the stuff you hoarded over the years. You can do this over a weekend and gain back a large part of your storage.

8. Don’t go cheap on things that are supposed to last. Buy quality and keep to mind the adage that: “You get what you pay for”. Save yourself from the aggravation of having something break and constantly replacing them. Buy a good appliance and be done with it – years of use without any downtime are more than worth the extra dollars you pay upfront.

Making Your Kitchen A Safe Place For Kids

Many of us have heard of the frightening statistic that more accidents involving children happen right in the home than anywhere else. This is partly due to more time being spent in the home and partly because of inadequate safety practices. The kitchen is a place where in many dangerous things can potentially lead to a nasty injury: sharp implements, open flames, slippery surfaces, and sometimes even dangerous chemicals make this room very treacherous to navigate for the curious and restless.

Many responsible parents have no problem going through every nook and cranny in their child’s nursery and child-proofing every electrical outlet, step, doorknob, lock, and even fixing loose tiles and bunched carpets. Unfortunately, this kind of treatment is harder to do with the kitchen – partly because you alter its functionality once you go in and put all these fittings and gadgets.

If your kids are still small, you shouldn’t have any problems with the things located on your worktops. Small kitchen appliances, cutlery, glassware, and other breakables will be fine as long as you don’t place them near the edge or have tablecloths hanging over them. Be careful when placing chopping boards and pots of boiling liquid. always have their handles turned safely inwards to prevent curious hands from grabbing them and causing accidents.

You don’t really have to worry about things placed high, the real danger lies beneath. Cleaning chemicals and other hazardous substances are often placed in cabinets located underneath the sink and these are very accessible to small children. Consider having locks or at least safety catches installed. They are relatively easy to put in and someone with minimal experience with hand tools should be able to do it in a couple of hours. You do have to consider your usage when choosing as it will greatly affect your convenience. Locks with proper keys are the best when it comes to keeping the little ones out but you have to be careful and organized with the key as well as all spares that came with the set. If you manage to lose all, you will be in a dire predicament. If you think that you are not organized enough, opt for safety releases that will deter children while giving you easy access at the same time. Another option – perhaps the best one – is simply moving all hazardous chemicals to the topmost cabinet in your kitchen. Apart from being free, this option is the most convenient and effective.

Chemicals are dangerous, but they are not the biggest threat in the kitchen. Cookers can injure anyone but they are especially risky to children who have no idea on how much a burn can hurt. Make sure oven doors are secure and that the windows are insulated so that they stay cool enough not to burn. If your oven is due for replacement, consider placing the new one at eye level. Not only is this setup safer, it also allows for easier monitoring of what you are cooking and makes putting things in and taking things out of your oven gentler on your back.

Simple Water-Saving Techniques

Water has near infinite uses and because of this, it’s imperative that we do our part in using it wisely and making it last. Even just around our home, we can do little things to help this cause and also to lower our utility bills. The kitchen is one place where a lot of water is being used – hence, saving water in the kitchen can have a lot of impact on our overall consumption. The following are some techniques that should help you cut down on waste:

Use Sink Faucets Wisely
This is a no-brainer but it is easier said than done. Whenever you need hot water, there is usually a short wait for the water flowing out of the tap to get to the right temperature. If you just let it flow, you’re wasting a lot over the course of a year. Instead, use a bowl or basin to catch this flowing cold water. It is basically fresh and unused, just the wrong temperature. You can use it for other things.
When you need cold water, just place hot or lukewarm water in clean, covered containers and let them cool. If you really want them icy, place the containers in the refrigerator. There’s really no sense in letting the tap run just to get to the right temperature.

Aerators make the water running out of your tap more useful than without one running at full blast. You save water this way because you do the same jobs with much less. Installing pipe insulations is also a great way of saving water and electricity.

Break the habit of thawing out meats at the last minute. More often than not, if you’re in a rush you will use running water to hasten the process. Instead, plan your meals ahead of time and just let frozen meats thaw out on the counter.

Again, change your water consumption habits gradually. You have to make a conscious effort at first, but with enough practice, you will get to a point wherein you do it naturally. You can catch water that you used to rinse vegetables and reuse it for watering plants around the house. You can wash your garage floor with the soapy water left over from hand washing dishes or delicate clothes. There are lots of kitchen ideas like this where you stand to save a lot.

Ease Up on the Dishwasher
When buying one, make sure to consult consumer reports as well as official ratings on water consumption. Nowadays, manufacturers try to compete based on how economical their offerings are to run. Make sure that you factor in the running cost of keeping your dishwasher for several years.

Wait for a full load before running it. When all you have are some used tumblers and several plates, it’s better to just wash them by hand and reserve the dirty work for your dishwasher.

Garbage disposal units use a lot of water to get rid of solid food wastes. Instead of going this route, consider greener alternatives. You can make a compost pit if you have a garden and enjoy the benefit of free organic fertilizer.

Stop Leaks ASAP
Even the smallest leak can add up over the course of a year. Deal with a faulty tap as soon as you notice them and every couple of years or so, have a professional test the whole plumbing system for hidden problems that are costing you money.

Easy Kitchen Planning Guide For Working Moms

Setting aside enough time between career, family, and housework is a challenge every working mother must face. And, more often than not, housework takes a back seat as you simply don’t feel like wiping down countertops, cleaning out the leftovers from your fridge, or putting away the contents of your grocery bags after a long day. Simply put, you don’t have enough time if you want to do each of these tasks without a game plan.

For one, you have to adopt a mindset that housework is as big a part of your everyday schedule as tasks assigned to you by your boss. By thinking this way, you never tend to put off tasks that are quite easy when addressed immediately but get very tedious if left to build up – cleaning and maintenance are two things that quickly come to mind.
By treating housework as you would your job, you will go about it in a more organized manner. Like you would schedule meetings, calls, and fieldwork, you can organize what needs to be done at home in chunks ordered according to urgency and importance. You can test and fine-tune this new system in the kitchen as it is the one room in your house that is always bustling with activity. This sample kitchen planning guide will help you get started.

1. A good starting point in being organized around the house is getting yourself a daily planner like the one you have at work.

2. Take the time to sit down and plan an efficient schedule, complete with tasks and their descriptions, as well as the time needed to finish them. Be sure to include essential tasks like:

- Leftovers and produce older than two weeks must be cleaned out of the fridge to make room for fresh supplies.

- Don’t overlook the upkeep of your kitchen cabinets. Clean the doors as they tend to accumulate dust and splashes. Keeping them clean will make them last longer.

- Once a week, take the time to do an inventory on one cupboard. Throw out expired items and wrappers.

This allows you to monitor how much food supply you have left and shop more effectively. By cleaning out your cupboards, you can also plan more creative kitchen storage solutions. By knowing what you have and where they are, all tasks will be made easier.

3. In addition to jobs that you do semi-regularly, you have to also make a schedule for your day-to-day activities. By setting aside a specific time for cooking, cleaning, and garbage disposal, you make more efficient use of your time and also ensure that you don’t forget anything.

Also, be sure to:

- Wash all dishes to prevent them piling up and for hygienic reasons.
- Wipe down and disinfect your countertops and work surfaces.
- Sweep the kitchen floor to prevent slips and accidents.
- Throw out the garbage and line the bin with a fresh bag.

Making sure that you perform the above without fail will go a long way into making your kitchen cleaner, safer, and more pleasant overall.

The only downside to shifting to this system is the initial confusion as you get yourself used to working on schedule. When the tasks become second-nature due to repetition and you getting the hang of it all, things will seem effortless and even fun.

Put in Some Kitchen Island Lighting

The choice of lighting for your kitchen plays a huge role in its functionality as well as visual appeal. Besides looking good, lighting needs to be practical for you to eat and prepare food properly. As a large part of a typical family’s day is spent in and around the kitchen, it has to perform various functions.

The different kinds of kitchen island lighting available today can often be confusing. With the sheer number of possibilities, a visit to a website or large home improvement center can overwhelm someone without a clue as to the kind of lighting they need. A good idea is to use several kinds so that you have different functions and situations all covered when they arise.

Pendant lights have reached a certain level of popularity because of their versatility. With a huge array to choose from, you are sure to find a design or two that suits your kitchen’s existing theme. Aside from the designs, you also have different hanging options. You can opt for cord-hung, chain-hung, or rod-hung pendant lights – with each having its own set of pros and cons as far as look and function goes.

As a kitchen is a place for work, you would want to be able to clearly see what you are doing. Task lighting allows you to light a certain area of the kitchen brightly without wasting electricity lighting other areas intensely – think reading lamp but for your kitchen. These are best installed under overhead cabinets allowing light to fall directly over your countertops.

Don’t forget to put in ambient lighting to set the mood for your kitchen. Using soft light for that warm glow, ambient lighting gives a soothing effect.

You can spice things up with decorative lighting but be careful when choosing what pieces to use. It is extremely easy to undermine all the careful planning you did with the rest of your kitchen lighting if you choose the wrong kind. A chandelier would look good on a traditional looking kitchen but would look really off if used in combination with modern utilitarian designs.

If you want people to notice a particular area of your kitchen, consider using accent lighting. These lighting fixtures are designed to draw people’s attention towards a certain spot and offer great choices. You can go with pin lights or track lighting. Energy-efficient LEDs have become popular as of late. Give them a try.

If you are looking to reduce your electricity bills, you can install florescent lighting. These tubes, when used alongside reflectors and diffusers, offer a lot of bright light for relatively low running costs. You have to be aware that they do become harsh depending on where you sit.

You should do your planning way ahead of buying lighting fixtures. Survey the kitchen space that needs to be lit as this will give you a good idea on what kinds to get. Consider having a professional install the lights in groups – with individual switches controlling clusters of lights. This will enable you to turn on only those that you need and keep your energy consumption low.

Ten Ways You Can Remake Your Kitchen

Whenever someone does their kitchen, they have to consider sound kitchen design ideas – and so should you. When looking to change things up, you don’t have to go overboard and rip out your kitchen cabinets and replace perfectly good countertops. Small changes can have huge effects if you know what you’re doing.

The following are just rough guides on what to do as every home is unique and you have to tailor every remodeling project to suit the space and existing furnishings. But they will be helpful in giving you ideas and pointing you towards the right direction, so here goes:

1. Everybody wants the whole home makeover scenario – with everything new and shiny. But before you even drive in the first nail or do the first stroke with your paint roller, you have to set a budget. Consider how much you are willing to spend and compare that with the things you want to do. Be realistic for an accurate assessment.

2. If you find out that you can’t spend a whole lot, you must prioritize. See what needs to be fixed immediately and what you can put off for a few more months. This way, you can maximize your resources and do your kitchen bit by bit.

3. Every kitchen can use extra storage space. Storage solutions readily available now may not have even existed when you last had your kitchen done. Consider putting in modern storage systems that make clever use of space and materials.

4. Do a quick inventory of all your kitchen appliances. Do you need new ones? Are your existing ones old but still functional. You might have gone for a new kitchen theme and your old appliances look off with their new setting. You have to assess this and make a decision.

5. Can you do the work yourself? If you are handy around tools and can set aside a few weekends, you stand to save a lot by doing things yourself. However, if you find it difficult or simply don’t have the time, you better factor in the fees you have to pay a professional to do the dirty work.

6. Are you willing to do something entirely new? How about putting in a kitchen island for added functionality as well as a fresh new look.

7. When the kitchen is finished, will you be able to devote the necessary time for its upkeep. Busy people have to have kitchens that require little to no maintenance. If you can’t set aside a few minutes to an hour every day, choose a design that doesn’t require constant cleaning and maintenance.

8. Choose quality materials. Everything in a kitchen has to function and perform aside from looking good. You must base your decision on function as well as form. Be sure that your new kitchen counters and sink can stand up to abuse as well as exposure to heat, chemicals, and moisture.

9. Safety should always come first. Electricity, slippery surfaces, sharp implements, and fire are all present in the kitchen and you have to design it in a way to minimize the danger. Consider also child-friendly solution if you have kids.

10. Protect yourself by availing of guarantees for all new purchases. Appliances and materials have to have full backing and support from their manufacturers.

Selecting Kitchen Appliances For Use In Your Kitchen

When you're making up your kitchen design plans, you should also include the appliances that you need to buy, and decide which among them is the best and on how and where you could store them in your kitchen.
For those large appliances, like your refrigerator and stove, most kitchens already have the spaces intended for them. However, for some other things, deciding on where to put them is not always easy. This would depend on a lot of things, especially on the amount of space that you have on your kitchen. Storage space can be a major problem in small kitchens, so depending on which appliances you intend to purchase, you should be able to look for the most effective solutions to store them.

Let us consider these situations and find out the best possible ways to solve them:

If you plan on buying an additional oven without a stovetop, the best place to store it is to build it with your kitchen cabinets, instead of placing it on the cupboard. This will only take up one cabinet space, so you won’t really lose that much space for storage. In the same way, if you need some extra burners, you may store them on your countertops, or place on top of a kitchen island, that is, if you still have some space to build one.

• As for the microwave, the problem that is usually associated to this is that it could take up more space on your counter, and this is not really practical to those with small kitchen. The solution for this is to make use of your kitchen walls. If possible, try building a shelf on your wall, where the microwave can sit on, or maybe set it unto the cabinets, such as those mentioned above. But before you build the shelf, consider the height on the wall, if you want your children to also have access to it.

• Dishwasher? No, this is not about your husband, nor the maid. If you do not have the space to put a dishwasher on, well, you better sacrifice one of the lower kitchen cupboards in order to fit the dishwasher in. Carefully consider if you could really afford to give up several cupboards for this purpose. Because if not, then it is probably better for you to put the washing machine on a utility balcony, in your bathroom or on the corridor, so you won't lose a lot of storage space.

And if you're wondering where and how you could buy kitchen appliances? This would actually depend much on your budget. If you have enough funds to buy new ones, then this is the best option to do. But remember to buy those that come with insurance. If you do not have enough funds though, you better consider buying those reconditioned refrigerators and ovens, although you need to make sure that you only buy them from reputable places that would show you some certification that such appliances were repaired well enough.