Dining | Kitchen Cabinet Guide

Modern Dining At Las Vegas World Market 2011

I saw some great pieces, continuing my dining theme from Las Vegas World Market that I need to share with you. Some dining tables and chairs were simple and clean, some super innovative yet elegant, with very exciting decorative details.

Many of these sets are quite affordable. In some cases, it might be advisable to add on a glass top to protect the surface of the table. In some cases a frosted or other patterned glass top could look great and add protection. Oversized glass is also an option, which adds area for dining as well as a nice aesthetic statement.

Take a look!

Bermex Bermex Bermex Diamond Sofa Diamond Sofa Tip Top Furniture Aspen Home Temahome

Las Vegas Market – Dining Inspiration

Earlier this week I walked through the Las Vegas World Market Center, the enormous gravitational center for residential furnishings that struts its stuff twice a year. Vegas is a place that makes me smile, so I’m happy upon arrival.

Rossetti

I came with a “kitchen context” unlike most interior designers, architects and buyers; a context in which I think about the transition, stylistically, of the kitchen to surrounding spaces. The dining area is a critical element of kitchen design and what a great place to dream of the ideal dining experience. Following are dining tables seen at the Las Vegas Market.

Rossetti

I always put a strong emphasis on the dining area in the earliest stages of designing a kitchen. Unfortunately, I often see it, if already designed within preliminary floorplans presented to me by my clients, as almost an after thought. I find nearly always, the dining area needs more space devoted to it.

Bramble

Making space available for friends and family to travel easily around the dining area and designing adequate space so that lingering at the [...]

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Curly Fry Cutter Keeps Hands Away from Knives

Tired of getting your hands even near a knife when making curly cut french fries? We are. With the Curly Fry Cutter you simply place your potato or other vegetable inside the Curly Fry Cutter and turn the crank. The threaded rod makes slicing easier, and the Curly Fry Cutter’s closed design keeps fingers safe while minimizing countertop mess. You can make both slices and continuous spirals with the Curly Fry Cutter, perfect for both casual and fancy dining. The Curly Fry Maker has a 3-cup capacity and is top rack dishwasher safe.

At Random Good Stuff at Curly Fry Cutter

OGGZ Color Morphing Accent Lighting for Your Kitchen

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We love kitchen accents (our Flip Flap is still going strong), and think this color changing rechargeable egg will make a nice addition to our window sill of fun kitchen stuff. The OGGZ is completely rechargeable, comes with its own recharging station, and the OGGZ light changes colors and morphs on its own. You can place the light anywhere you want, and it’s also great for the dining table, parties, bedrooms etc.

At OGGZ (Single) Color Morphing Accent Lighting by Can You Imagine

Music for Elegant Dining – Beethoven is Best

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We’ve been looking at finding something different than just contraptions here at Kitchen Contraptions, and happened upon a thought – music for dining. Yep – what music should you choose for after you’ve created that masterpiece in your fully loaded kitchen? Might we recommend Beethoven? With pieces like moonlight sonata and others you should really give the old guy a shot. Even if you don’t want to listen to this dining, we think it also makes a great record to enjoy while cooking.

At Beethoven For Elegant Dining

New Bulthaup mobile hood with wing canopy and fluorescent light

Bulthaup combined the idea of a floating horizontal line of light and a slim aerodynamic shape, equipped with the latest energy-efficient air recirculation system. The two steel cables holding this mobile hood, can be easily repositioned over cooking areas, dining tables and kitchen islands, perfectly responding to your individual needs. The adjustable light function in the form of a T5 fluorescent tube can be switched independently of the extractor. Bulthaup.

Previously, Bulthaup kitchen island Bulthaup gas hob Bulthaup kitchen island extractor hood Bulthaup slatted extractor hood

Pottery Barn Lighting

I just saw this new fixture from Pottery Barn. It is showcased in their newsletter that I received. At first glance I really didn’t care for it. Too…something. Contrived? Uninspired? Too much like other lighting fixtures that incorporate common objects like silverware or glasses, etc. etc?

Twenty seconds later, I think I like it. While I don’t think I’d buy it, it’s the sculptural quality of it that’s speaking to me now. I think I’m over my initial cynical thoughts. I do like the use of two fixtures over a table, although these should be set further apart. Could be great for a kitchen dining area/breakfast room too.

What do you think? 1) Like it or 2) hate it or 3) a New Yorker’s “eh” (with a smirk and a right tilt of the head-stop, let’s not forget the half closed eyes)?

House Beautiful Kitchen Of The Year 2009

Now I know why someone associated with House Beautiful yesterday said to me “We love bloggers!” This post will have taken me about 6 hours to produce by the time I’m finished. Why? It’s the images! I’m not even going to tell you how how many I took…but maybe I’m the worst editor, or maybe there are just WAY too many inspiring vignettes in this beauitful kitchen/living space. In either case, maybe I was a little obsessive. That’s ok, I surrender to it and you benefit.

Ok, let’s talk about the kitchen. There’s A LOT going on in this kitchen, a lot to talk about. I think I’ll be organized about it. Yes, Susan, that’s a good concept.

OVERALL DESIGN

The kitchen design, by Robert Stilin in close collaboration with Ina Garten, was meant to replicate Ina’s East Hampton kitchen for House Beautiful’s Kitchen Of The Year 2009. The kitchen of the year can be viewed at Rockefeller Center (you can’t miss it) until July 24.

You’re hearing it more and more…the kitchen is the new living room. The drum beat is getting louder. I think we were shocked by the financial [...]

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Kitchen Accessories

Furniture and accessories add the finishing touches to your kitchen and help to enhance its overall effect. Buying new accessories is the easiest way to change the look of your kitchen.

However, it is important not only to choose items that complement the style and feel of your kitchen but also ones that meet your needs.

Appliances and accessories made of stainless steel are very popular right now, such as blenders and toasters, refrigerators and pro-style oven ranges. To get the all-steel look without the price, look for steel finished appliances and accessories.

Kitchen seating and lighting is covered below. Also, there are some hints and tips on kitchen cleaning and suggestions on what to look out for when choosing a kitchen to make these tasks easier.

Tools and gadgets are a personal choice and should reflect your personal taste.

Kitchen Seating

With many people spending significantly more time in their kitchens these days, this room has now become one of the most lived in rooms in the home.

Seat Height Selection

Choosing the correct size stool or chair is very important as there are several seat heights available. Remember, stools and chairs usually come [...]

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Kitchen Layout

Think about what happens to your food and you will get a good idea how an efficient kitchen works. The steps are usually:

Purchase Storage Pre-preparation Preparation Service Dish Washing

Bear all these in mind when planning and you won’t go far wrong. For example, put the fridge near the door where you bring in the shopping (to save you walking acros the kitchen each time), put the baking supplies in a cupboard near the oven, the clean-up materials under the sink and snack items near the microwave, and so on.

The Work Triangle

For maximum efficiency, the kitchen’s three primary appliances, the sink, the refrigerator and the cooktop or range should be located in a triangle and as close to each other as possible. The triangle is measured from the center of the sink to the center of the refrigerator to the center of the cooktop.

Although not a hard and fast rule, the perimeter of the work triangle should measure at least 12 feet but not more than 26 feet. Each side should measure at least 4 feet but no longer than 9 feet.

Most kitchens will have service points for [...]

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Kitchen Shapes

The next big step in the kitchen planning process is deciding what shape the kitchen will be, and determining who will use the kitchen and how often.

Although deciding on the shape seems restrictive, it actually narrows down the possibilities and makes the planning easier. The goal on deciding on a shape it to make your kitchen as efficient as possible, with the food preparation, sink and cooking areas close together. A good rule of thumb is to keep a piece of countertop between the sink and cooktop on which to prepare food.

Another good idea is to place the fridge between the main doorway into the kitchen and the main cooking area so that the other people in the house can have easy access to the fridge (without having to walk through the cooking area). The fridge shouldn’t be located next to the oven/range or cooktop, however, due to the temperature differences.

There are four main shapes a kitchen can have: Single Galley kitchens, Two-way Galley kitchens, L-shaped kitchens and U-shaped kitchens. There are also variations on each with the addition of an island. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Single Galley kitchens

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Kitchen Cabinet Guide

You May Also Be Interested In:

Modern Dining At Las Vegas World Market 2011

Las Vegas Market – Dining Inspiration

Curly Fry Cutter Keeps Hands Away from Knives

OGGZ Color Morphing Accent Lighting for Your Kitchen

Music for Elegant Dining – Beethoven is Best

New Bulthaup mobile hood with wing canopy and fluorescent light

Pottery Barn Lighting

House Beautiful Kitchen Of The Year 2009