Posts Tagged ‘Choosing’

Choosing Functional And Decorative Kitchen Lighting

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The kitchen is among the most important areas of a house, it is not just the place for cooking or eating, it also becomes the center for social and administrative matters. As such, the kitchen is known to consume a lot of electricity for lighting, and it is thus important to install good lighting in this room to ensure productivity and efficiency.
Lighting a kitchen involves three important goals – to create a lighting scheme that encourages productivity, to choose the appropriate types of lamps for energy efficiency, and to install the right lighting controls for efficient light management. These three elements are quite essential for ensuring the kitchen is well lighted.
Good lighting design is essential for kitchen productivity. Here are some tips for kitchen lighting:
1. Use fluorescent lights for most of the kitchen – fluorescent lamps are very efficient lighting fixtures. They consume less energy than incandescent lamps and they provide more lighting coverage. A kitchen needs ample light for long periods and thus it would benefit from the energy efficiency and the large light output that fluorescent lamps can provide.
2. Begin by installing lighting on work areas – work areas need the most light and it would be economical to concentrate lighting on these spots. Mount large fluorescent lights under cabinets so that they can provide light directly to the counters. Some cabinets however may not be able to accommodate fluorescent lights, they need some space to hide the lamps. You can have a carpenter add a few more inches to the cabinet’s face frame so that the lamps can hide easily behind them.
Normally, T-8 lamps are narrow enough to fit in most cabinets, but if the spaces are more cramped, you might need to get a T-5 lamp. You can also use recessed lights over the counters to illuminate them during kitchen tasks.
3. Install general background lighting once all the work areas are done – having good task lights in the kitchen, you probably would not need general background lighting, but it would still be good to have one if you still have money left. Again, fluorescent lights are best for this purpose as they provide good coverage. You would only need one or two large lamps installed in the ceiling, and perhaps with reflectors to increase the lighting range.
4. Use incandescent lights sparingly – incandescent lamps are very inefficient, especially for functional lighting in the kitchen. An incandescent lamp uses only 10 percent of energy for lighting, and the rest it uses for heat production. Thus it is not advisable to use incandescent lamps in the kitchen, where light is needed all the time. They should only be used as accent lights.
While halogen lamps may be more efficient compared to incandescent lamps, they are still not good for kitchen lighting. Light form halogen lamps are too focused, and one would need a lot to achieve good coverage. They may be good, however, for lighting specific spots for certain tasks in the kitchen.
5. Use several light switches – It is important to be able to control which light you would want to turn on at a particular time. Thus it would be good to have different switches for different lights on the kitchen. Have at least a switch for general lighting and then another one for task lighting.
6. Use dimmers for incandescent and halogen lamps – these lamps are known for their inefficiency in energy use, and thus it would be advisable to use dimmers for them to control their energy consumption. It is not recommended to use dimmers for fluorescent lamps as they are quite expensive and can easily damage the lamps.
7. Figure out which light is best serve as night lights – you would need to have some light on through the night in case you need to go to the kitchen late. A fluorescent lamp under the cabinet by the sink might be good for this purpose.
Lighting is an essential component of kitchen design. Good lighting can encourage productivity and efficiency in this very important part of the home. With a good lighting design not only can you ensure a pleasing kitchen that is easy to work on, but you can ensure that your electricity bills would not go beyond your budget.

Choosing Kitchen Countertop Materials

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Deciding Kitchen countertop material choices is not hard, but it is full of more choices than ever before. You now have a range of new countertop materials choices and applications that have expanded choices in patterns, colors, and textures. While, mixing and matching different countertop materials and elements has gained in popularity.

 

For instance you might pair one counter top material for the island countertop and pick another to pair with the cabinetry that runs along the walls. Or, you could use stainless steel adjoining the cooktop with a marble insert for a bake center and solid surface material around the perimeter. When looking at choices for your countertop material give some thought also to them as a matching or completely different backsplash

 

Besides enhancing the function of your kitchen work surfaces, counter top materials that you choose can be the anchor for your kitchen design and decorating theme.A natural choice for a rustic or country style kitchen is wood, while a concrete countertop looks at home in a contemporary setting. Concrete is gaining in popularity as a kitchen counter top material because it is becoming available in a wide array of colors and the relative ease of acquiring it. You can get concrete prefabricated or it can be poured into a mold on site. Then you have the flexibility to add the color of your choice to the concrete and/or create a personalized inlaid design by adding shells, glass, china, stones or whatever your imagination can come up with.

 

When it comes to choosing kitchen countertop materials your personal taste and the function it is intended for will ultimately determine your choice. Really, there are no hard and fast rules to apply to the countertop material you choose. However the one factor that it is important for you to consider while choosing is the maintenance required. Before you make a final choice remember that some materials require more care than others. It does not matter how perfect a counter top material fits into your kitchen design if it requires more care and attention than you are are able or willing to give it. For example marble countertops are beautiful but they must be sealed periodically. Because it is a soft porous stone sealing must be done so that it does not absorb liquids, even water can leave a mark, which could stain it.

 

In essence the new counter top materials and applications give you options that did not exist in the not so recent past. This can be a good thing. You now have more choices in colors, pattern and textures than ever before when deciding what material will best fit your kitchen’s design. Whether choice of kitchen countertop material is wood like butcherblock, laminate, stone such as granite, solid source, man made engineered stone or any of the other choices keep this in mind. Just make sure that the material you pick is practical for the area it is to be placed in to ensure longevity. And, be aware of the maintenance and care required to keep your choice looking as beautiful as the day you chose your kitchen countertop material and had it installed. To help you select the best countertop material for your kitchen Click here  http://Kitchen.Countertops-And-Cabinets.Com, see what is happening in kitchen design today go to http://Countertops-And-Cabinets.Com