Category Decor

The kitchen wall is an area of the apartment with its own specific characteristics. It is constantly subject to temperature fluctuations, changing levels of humidity and concentrations of all kinds of dirt.

The specifics of the room require a responsible approach to the choice of finishing materials. Which of them are best suited for use in the kitchen – we will understand in this article.

Criteria for choosing a material for finishing

In order not to scrape off the remains of worn material from the walls of the kitchen after a short period of use, you should familiarize yourself with the criteria that determine its competent choice:

• Resistance to sudden changes in temperature.
• Moisture resistance. Exposure to water should not spoil the appearance and shorten the service life.
• Resistance to mechanical damage and exposure to aggressive environments. When this criterion is not taken into account, the material becomes worthless after several cleanings with caustic cleaning agents.
• Antibacterial properties. If fungus settles on the surface of the material, it will look very unaesthetic, and, in addition, pose a threat to human health.

Below we will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the materials most commonly used for kitchen walls.

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Decorative plaster

A method of finishing walls, very much loved by designers because of the ease of application and the ability to create a variety of unique textures.

Decorative plaster spreads evenly on the wall, quickly and without gaps.

This material withstands high temperatures, no fungus colonies form on it, it owes it to the mineral impurities in its composition.

Decorative plaster is durable and can be cleaned both dry and wet.

The main disadvantage of this finishing material is the high cost.

Ceramic tile

The use of ceramic tiles in the kitchen is comparable in scale only to its use in the bathroom area.

Tile is in such demand because of its long service life and variety of designs, of which patterned aprons are most often formed.

The advantage of ceramic tile, which is rarely written about – fire safety: open fire will never react with this material.

Tiles come in both very expensive and very budget-friendly, so you can find an option for any purse.

Care for it, too, does not give any special difficulties.

Wallpaper

Buying an ordinary paper wallpaper in the kitchen will not recommend any person versed in finishing works. They will immediately fall into disrepair and lose their appearance.

The ideal option in the case of the kitchen – vinyl or vinyl-vinyl wallpaper.

There are a lot of advantages of these materials:

• They are not afraid of bright light, direct sunlight, do not burn out.
• Resistant to moisture and amenable to wet cleaning.
• They can be painted over and over again, which contributes to a simple and uncomplicated renovation of the interior.
• A huge number of designs, drawings, prints, etc.

Now about the disadvantages of such wallpaper:

• On fleece wallpaper are clearly visible scratches.
• Vinyl wallpaper requires a lot of glue, and the very process of pasting them is very laborious and time-consuming.
• If there is relief, both types of wallpaper will cling to all the kitchen dirt.

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Decorative brick

This material is made from plaster or stone.

The most organic brickwork will look in a loft kitchen. It is important to remember: if the room is small, you should not decorate its entire perimeter with bricks, it is enough to accentuate one wall.

Modern production technology protects decorative bricks from various kinds of damage thanks to a special layer that prevents the material from falling apart.

You can decorate the walls without inviting specialists, just watch video tutorials on the Internet.

The disadvantages of brickwork are not very many, but they are there.

The material made of natural stone will cost a pretty penny.

And you will also need to regularly clean the wall, because dirt will linger on the embossed surface.

If you carefully calculate where you spend most of your active time at home, you will find that the kitchen comes in first place by a wide margin. Cooking, dishwashing, breakfast, lunch, dinner – all this is half, if not more, of our home time. That’s why the electrical stuffing of the kitchen, including the design of kitchen lighting, needs to be approached with particular care.

Zoning lighting in the kitchen

What’s there to light, you might say. Big deal, six or eight squares: a lamp or a chandelier in the center – and that’s it. But as it turns out, a “bigger chandelier” is not so handy. Cutting onions or other vegetables on the tabletop, for example, makes us squint and strain our eyes. And not because the onion stings, but because the source of light is behind us and our own shadow falls on the work surface. The same story will be with the dining table if it is not in the center of the kitchen.

So what do you do? That’s right, divide the kitchen into zones and light each zone separately. Even the smallest kitchen can be divided into three areas:

• The work area. This is usually a wide and long worktop with a sink. This area also includes a gas stove or cooktop.
• Dining area. The table at which we eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Storage area. Cabinets, drawers, shelves, refrigerators and freezers.

Each of these areas is used in a different way, and for each of them it is necessary to arrange convenient lighting.

Tip: Only plan your lighting after you’ve put all your furniture in the kitchen. That way you’ll know exactly where you need to direct the light and how much light you’ll need for each area.  

How to light your work area

In a kitchen set above the countertop, or above the work area, there are usually cabinets for storing kitchen utensils. Great: Use them as a place to mount light fixtures. There are many variations of special furniture light fixtures on sale that simply attach to the underside of hinged cabinets. If you want – buy LED lights on batteries: you will have to replace the batteries only once a year, and you will save on the installation of outlets for the kitchen.

There, on the wall under the cabinets or shelves will fit perfectly LED strip. True, it will need a separate socket and switch

Tip: Ordering a kitchen set, immediately ask to build in wall cabinets or shelves with lights to highlight the work area.

If there are no cabinets or shelves above the work area, install fixtures with directional light on the wall, 70 to 80 cm. from the countertop, or on the ceiling directly above it. For example, several spotlights.

A gas stove or cooktop is usually illuminated by a standard light fixture built into the hood. If you’re not using a hood, consider finding room for a small spotlight above them. Do the same with the sink: washing food and dishes in semi-darkness is not the most pleasant thing to do.  

Dining room lighting

Good lighting promotes digestion and mood. So, at least, say nutritionists and psychologists. Let’s take the word of experts, and let’s make sure that the dining table was bright and comfortable.

If the kitchen space allows – put the dining table in the center, directly under the main ceiling light. If it doesn’t – move the ceiling light to the side, and, yes – hang it over the table. It is good if the length of the suspension of such a light fixture can be adjusted. By lowering and raising the plafond above the table you can create the desired lighting and mood. Lift it up – the light became bright and solemn. Lowered – the light became more chambered, homely and cozy. The main thing is that it didn’t bathe your eyes, but illuminated the table and food.

As a suspension you can use not only cords, but also, for example, chains, as it was realized by our designer in the project of the kitchen for a country house.

For a rectangular or elongated oval table, use several pendant lights in a row. The same technique will be ideal for the bar, if there is one in your kitchen. You can read about how to organize lighting in other rooms of the house or apartment in this article.

A table standing against the wall can be illuminated with sconces or spotlights. However, with this kind of lighting, the part of the table, especially the part closer to the wall, will be worse illuminated. In addition, the sconces will not fit into any interior. If you want privacy and not too bright light – this is your option.

Storage area lighting

Automatic storage area lighting is by default implemented only in the refrigerator or freezer. Why not do the same inside kitchen cabinets, drawers or drawers? Small LED lights or LED strips that turn on when you open the cabinet doors would make it much easier to find what you need.

The same small lights or LED strips illuminate the shelves. You’ll kill two birds with one stone: get illuminated storage areas and decorative lighting in the kitchen.

What bulbs to choose for your kitchen

In addition to conveniently zoning out your kitchen lighting, it’s important to choose the right bulbs for your light fixtures. Any electrical store today has such a huge selection of light bulbs that it’s hard to keep your eyes open. In fact, there are, more often than not, three types of bulbs: LED, fluorescent (or daylight) and incandescent. Everything else is different modifications of these three types.

Incandescent bulbs

Classic incandescent bulbs range in wattage from 40 to 200 watts. For the kitchen, especially for the working area, bulbs of at least 100 watts are suitable.

Suitable for all types of lamps with a screw socket. The main disadvantage – high power consumption. But with the help of such lamps and a dimmer switch, you can smoothly regulate the lighting in all areas of the kitchen.

Fluorescent lamps

Modern fluorescent lamps, which we use in apartments most often – a twisted spiral bulb with an inert gas, which glows when voltage is applied to the electrodes of the lamp. E14 and E27 light bulbs can be screwed into all kinds of chandeliers and lighting fixtures. The power required for lighting is 18 – 36 watts. Depending on their color temperature, they are divided into warm, neutral and cool colors. For the kitchen (and for any living space), warm or neutral daylight lamps are best.  The minus of fluorescent bulbs – they require special disposal. In addition, they are not suitable for the smooth control of light.

LED bulbs

The most popular and economical type of lamps. LED lamps, as they are also called, can be used with all types of luminaires. LEDs are also installed in LED strips for conventional and decorative lighting. As well as fluorescent, LED lamps are available in different light temperatures: warm, neutral and cool light.

The most significant advantage of their use is the minimum power consumption (6 – 10 watts) and a huge service life. Some manufacturers claim a warranty life of LED lamps up to 20 years. That’s cool. Minus – they are still more expensive than simple incandescent bulbs.

Lighting in the kitchen is easy!

As you can see, creating the right lighting in the kitchen is not that difficult. You just need to think hard, get inspired and do it. 

When the surrounding reality does not bring moral satisfaction, a man, tired of the noise, bustle and dust of the city, wants after a hard day to be in a place where he will be able to rest his soul. Country style in the kitchen interior will transform almost any room, turning it into an island of tranquility and homeliness that you need.

Country style has many faces and international, combining the idea of country life of representatives of very different cultures, at the same time allows you to create a comfortable and modern functional interior. And all the elements of the furnishings are of high quality, solid, made as if for the century and reliably, and useless knickknacks here simply have no place. Therefore, the interior of the room looks very appropriate and organic.

Varieties of

Having come to us from the American countryside, over the years, this direction has acquired many varieties. 

Interior in the spirit of the Wild West

Rough, as if untreated, massive wooden furniture, floor beams on the ceiling, Indian decorative elements, leather inserts, walls are decorated with images of endless prairies, in flower pots, decorated with Indian boots or a cowboy hat, cacti grow.

French Provence

Characterized by soft lines and warm, pastel colors. Favorite Provence colors are soft lavender, lettuce and cream. An obligatory element is the open china cabinet, where housewares and porcelain dishes are displayed.

Mediterranean

The shades are natural, the interior design uses light monochrome or striped fabrics, the dishes are ceramic, and the accessories are marine-themed.

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Characteristics

Whichever of the varieties you have a preference, the design of the kitchen in the country style implies a number of unchanging parameters, which are similar to each other:

• in the finishing of the walls dominated by natural materials – textiles, wood, stone;
• a touch of antiquity, deliberate light wear and tear, is not only appropriate, but even desirable;
• the color palette is not garish, mostly light, natural shades;
• handmade furniture and decor elements are welcome;
• in the finishing used national ornaments, floral or plant motifs;
• Country style kitchen reflects the cultural identity of the country that inspired its creation. For example, having created a rustic interior, you can safely complement it with restored samovars, matreshkas, openwork napkins, etc.

Advantages 

It is worth noting that this direction in design is not a pleasure for everyone. Young people, most likely, will consider such a design somewhat boring and outdated. However, older people, who have learned to appreciate calmness and comfort, will definitely appreciate the undeniable advantages of this direction.

1. Comfort and a sense of peace, put at the head of everything. To provide it and create an atmosphere of a rural idyll, natural materials, original ornaments, convenient household appliances and utensils are used;
2. Only environmentally safe and non-toxic materials are used;
3. Soft, smooth and natural forms help to turn away from external cares, and relax the soul;
4. Substantial, comfortable and monumental furniture, an abundance of cabinets and shelves, allowing housewives to place any necessary items within reach;
5. The use of natural wood in the manufacture of furniture and finishing allows you to significantly extend its life;
6. The effect of artificial aging of furniture helps to give the interior an antique and noble look.

Color

We hasten to notify fans of screaming shades, that the kitchen in the style of country is not for them. This island of tranquility in your home should be painted in pastel soft tones. Creamy, milky, soft yellow, classic white, light purple, sky blue, pale pink will not only create the right atmosphere of coziness, but also visually expand the walls, make the room more light. Furniture fronts also can not boast a riot of colors, they are usually in a soft, natural palette with a matte finish. Dark colors are assigned the role of accents, they highlight and emphasize certain zones and areas of the room.

Materials 

Design of the kitchen in the country style provides for the use of eco-materials. Now your stay in the “temple of food” will always be accompanied by the smell of wood and the coolness of natural stone, creating an aura of peace and quiet. The main materials for finishing:

• roughly treated wood (at most, its worthy imitation);
• red brick;
• natural stone;
• hand-painted ceramic tiles;
• roughly worked, homespun textiles such as linen and cotton;
• wicker vine products;
• decorative plaster in light pastel tones imitating whitewash.

Finishing

For the design of the room, the finishing of the walls, ceiling and flooring is of great importance. If they are done in accordance with the intended design – you will get the most real kitchen-country.

Walls

The decoration of the walls should be made without forgetting that all the elements of decoration and furnishings should be harmoniously combined, reminding with their appearance of the rustic way of life. Therefore, forget about the fleece wallpaper, plastic and drawings, abstracts.

The options for decorating the walls can be as follows:

• Painting. Shades of warm (cream, creamy, vanilla, light pink, light gray or basic white);
• The feeling of repair with their own hands will strengthen the decorative plaster on the walls, the kitchen in the country style will acquire a touch of simplicity and old-fashionedness;
• Covering the walls with wallpaper of pastel colors with a pattern in a small flower, checkerboard or with an ethnic ornament;
• Ceramic or porcelain tiles for decorating the work area;
• Cladding the walls with wood will help to recreate a rural life;
• Simple, laconic and natural looks decoration of the walls with brick, that’s just in rooms of small size, this option of decoration is combined with painting or wooden panels, as completely brick kitchen with all its beauty will visually decrease in volume and will look gloomy.

Flooring

Modern materials such as linoleum or carpeting will not look appropriate. A classic option is the laying of wooden boards, natural stone or ceramic tiles on the floor. Because of the technical complexity of laying and reducing the overall height of the kitchen, the first two options are preferred for private homes. 

In apartments, they are usually replaced with laminate flooring that imitates natural wood or stone, or ceramic tiles. And when it is laid using the largest possible plate size, the joints on the floor should be a minimum amount. If the floor is lain wood, it is treated with minimal, which ensures preservation of all its properties, allowed the painting or varnish coating.

Ceiling

Beamed ceilings – a traditional variant of finishing the ceiling for the kitchen. However, conducting repairs in urban apartments, this option is often not appropriate, so it is safe to change it to whitewash or paint the ceiling in white or beige, and its surface does not have to be perfectly flat. 

Some roughness and imperfection are elements of the country style. The installation of a matte stretch ceiling will be appropriate in both country houses and apartments, as it absolutely fits into the chosen style and hides only about 4 cm of the total height of the room.

Doors and Windows

For the kitchen-country doorways and the canvas are most often painted in light colors and specially aged. To increase the inflow of natural light into the room, even the entrance doors include glass inserts.

If desired, to contrast with the bright walls, doorways can be decorated with unpainted natural wood of dark species. Window openings are preferably made of wood, painted white. Installation of the so-called “French window” from floor to ceiling with a few sections of sashing is appropriate.

In the kitchen in the style of American ranch often window and door openings are framed with natural or artificial stone, the same as the lining of the work area.

Lighting 

The country style kitchen is sunny and bright. To strengthen this effect, the natural light coming from the windows and doorways is combined with artificial light. A chandelier is suspended over the dining area, and the work area and kitchen shelves are separately illuminated. 

If space allows, on the walls are installed decorative sconces, designed in the form of antique lanterns, gas burners. For the hut are appropriate lamps, made in the form of lamps and candles with lampshades of simple shape.

Furniture

This is what your imagination can play with, because it is easy and pleasant to be here. Everything breathes with a sense of antiquity, comfort, identity and peaceful simplicity. Superfluous pomp and pretentiousness is simply inappropriate.

1. The fronts of the kitchen set are wooden or veneered. May have glass, carved inserts;

2. Massive or lightweight kitchen cabinets with open shelves, where will be decorated the pride of every housewife – beautiful and practical dishes, a variety of household sundries, boxes with spices and tea;

The dining area massive of raw wood or more like garden furniture, lightweight rattan with forged elements and a glass top.

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Appliances

Since country is an old-fashioned style, all modern appliances, which by default contradict the rural life, if possible, it is better to “hide” behind the doors of cabinets and drawers. Hood, kitchen stove and sink are chosen in a retro style, such a range can be easily found in any major store of household appliances.

Decor and accessories

Textile elements are chosen from simple, rough, monochrome fabrics, dyed in natural colors or with unobtrusive patterns, plaid, lace, depending on the general direction of design.

Clay pots with plants or wide wooden boxes with fresh herbs like dill, parsley and basil would adorn a wide windowsill. Decorate the interior with accessories cute for heart and eyes:

hand embroidery;

clocks;

wicker baskets, boxes of wicker or metal;

pottery, earthenware, or wood utensils in cabinets and porcelain dishes hung on the walls.

homespun rugs, crocheted tablecloths and napkins.

Combined living room with open kitchen dream of many homeowners and it is not surprising – in such a space the whole family can gather and here you can meet guests.

In this article, I will talk about how to properly plan the living room-kitchen and how to avoid frequent mistakes. How to make the living room-kitchen ergonomic and organize several functional zones in it.

Legitimate unification

Often the area of the kitchen in apartment buildings is insufficient and the question of increasing the space arises. Before making a remodel, you need to make sure that the remodeling is legal.

You can increase the kitchen by joining non-residential part of the apartment (pantry, corridor).

In some cases, you can combine the kitchen with the next room, but here it is important to respect the conditions.

You can combine the kitchen with a room, provided that there are at least two rooms in the apartment, and one of them remains isolated. It is necessary so that the apartment has a living area (after combining with the kitchen, the room will not be considered a living area). For example, such a merger in a one-room apartment will not agree.

It will be also difficult to agree to unite in a gasified apartment. According to the regulations it is not allowed to have sleeping quarters in rooms with gas equipment.

It is strictly forbidden to increase the kitchen area by attaching the toilet – such redevelopment will be immediately rejected.

No engineering errors

When the redevelopment is coordinated, then you can begin to plan the space.

The main mistake in the planning of the living room-kitchen is the transfer of engineering equipment. Let me explain: in order to ensure the operability of utilities, you should not move the kitchen far away – this will require the lengthening of pipes. There are no special problems with the water supply – the lines have high pressure, but there is a problem in the sewer line.

For sewage, it is important to arrange a slope so that the waste water would go into the house mains. If you move the sink far away, it will require a serious lifting of the sewer pipe and raise the floor level.

The slope of the sewer pipe must be at least 4″, otherwise sewage can remain and provoke breakdowns.

It is important to pay special attention to ventilation in a combined living room-kitchen.

Plan in advance for additional air intake points – this is important to ensure that exhaust air is removed, and to prevent odors from spreading throughout the space.

Of course, installing new air intake points will require lower ceilings, but it is a worthwhile decision. The ceilings will be 5-7 cm lower relative to the upper floor slab.

Zoning the space

In the kitchen, ergonomics is important, and in the living room, comfort and convenience, so we will have to look for the best placement of furniture and equipment.

According to the regulations, it is unacceptable to move the sink to the added area – it must remain within the original kitchen. Therefore, the most rational solution is to arrange the kitchen area in the old place, and on the added area organize a dining and seating area.

Picture the furniture on the plan and divide it into conditional zones: here is the cooking area, here is food storage, there is the dining area, and there is a place to relax with a sofa and a TV.

All these zones should not overlap and there should be no overlap. Each part of the living room-kitchen should work independently: the person in the kitchen should not interfere with those watching TV by the sofa or those who dine.

Proper zoning is when the functional zones are autonomous, but united in meaning and style.

Ergonomics

When combining multiple functional areas, it’s important to follow ergonomic standards.

Pay special attention to the placement of kitchen equipment and do not settle for half-measures. There should always be a working part of the countertop, as it is not convenient to cook on the dining table. If space is scarce, then use a serving table or arrange a folding tabletop.

Stylistics

In order to maintain a sense of space, I recommend sticking to a unified style in the interior. The kitchen-living room should not have many accents – it should make a unified impression.

Hide the kitchen cabinets by using local color – so the kitchen set will not stand out and will not turn the space into a “kitchen with a couch”.

Lighting Scenarios

The role of lighting should not be underestimated – with competent lighting you can emphasize zoning, and you can spoil everything.

Each functional area should be endowed with its own lighting. In a living room-kitchen there should be several lighting scenarios, in addition there should be a general technical light in case of different incidents.

Technical light will evenly illuminate the entire space – this is necessary for cleaning, but no more. In each area provide its own light scenario: dim light from the floor lamp in the living room, chandeliers over the dining table, work lights in the kitchen and general light.

The inclusion of light should be independent, for example, if you are resting, then turn on the light only in the living room area, and leave the other parts in a pleasant semi-darkness.

In this article I will tell you how to plan your future kitchen yourself, what you need to pay attention to when planning, as well as tell you what materials to order the kitchen, so it would be stylish and relatively inexpensive. The article will be useful to those who are planning to order the kitchen by themselves without a designer. Let’s go

During the repair of the apartment, many people sooner or later ask a common question: “how to plan their kitchen, from what materials to order it and where to buy it?”

In fact, there are a lot more questions in the mind of customers, but today I’ll share tips that will help you to plan the kitchen yourself in advance, as well as help to decide on the kitchen materials based on your budget, so that the purchase of the kitchen will not “eat up” half of the planned budget for the entire renovation.

Buying a new kitchen unit is one of the most expensive furniture purchases, so in order not to overpay and save your budget, you should first of all start with planning the kitchen.

In fact, everything is not as difficult as it may seem at first glance, and by the end of this article you will see for yourself.

List of all necessary appliances

In order to plan the kitchen yourself, first of all we need to write out a list of all the necessary appliances for us. The fact is, not everyone uses dishwashers, double-barrel refrigerators, choppers and other appliances, so making a personalized list ahead of time is very important.

A common list of appliances:

• Refrigerator;
• Cooktop;
• Oven;
• Oven;
• Microwave oven;
• Dishwasher.

Room layout

Of course, everyone has a completely different layout, so there is no single pattern on which you can plan the kitchen, but in order to make it simple and understandable to you, I’ll show you all the steps on one example, based on which you can repeat all this yourself.

After we have written out a list of all the appliances we need, we need to arrange the furniture in the room. To do this we simply take a tape measure, measure our kitchen and transfer all the dimensions to the printed layout, there is absolutely nothing complicated about it.

If, for whatever reason, there is no layout in the apartment, then simply draw with a ruler and pencil to plan the kitchen on a simple sheet of paper in scale. You can take, for example, 1 square cell in a notebook for 10 cm, so you will understand the scale even easier.

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Expose the boundaries of the modules.

Here everything is very simple. In most cases, the kitchen modules are used width 60cm and 45cm. For those who do not know what modules are, I will briefly explain, a kitchen module is a part of the kitchen set, divided by partitions of chipboard, of which in turn a kitchen is assembled.

On the printed or drawn out layout, we simply draw the boundaries of the proposed modules of the kitchen set. For simplicity, you can draw squares along the walls of 60×60 cm and if necessary apply modules of 45×45 cm.

Arrange the appliances that we wrote out earlier

Since the width of the refrigerator, sink, hob with 4 burners, oven, built-in microwave oven in most cases is 60 cm, we simply sign the household appliances in the resulting “squares”.

In case the kitchen is quite small, you can use the modules 45 by 45cm for a small sink, a dishwasher with a width of 45cm and a cooking surface with 2-3 burners.

Of course, to correctly arrange all the equipment at once most likely will not work, so it is better to print out several layouts for convenience.

A few simple tips:

• Before you “install” the sink, make sure whether it will be convenient for you to wash dishes. Don’t put the sink in the corner of the kitchen, or set it up close to the refrigerator and cooktop. Ideally there should be work surfaces on both sides of the sink. In this case, it will be much easier for us to put the food that needs to be washed on the left and stack the washed food on the right of the sink.
• The dishwasher is better to “set” in one straight line with the sink. In case we set the dishwasher through the corner, it will not be very convenient to use it. In the open position, we will block ourselves access to the sink.
• If the kitchen is small, you should not install the oven in the furniture “column”, that is, at a height of 850mm from the floor. In this case it is better to install it under the hob and give 60cm for the work surface.

Choosing the materials and style of the kitchen

Of course, everyone’s tastes are absolutely different and everyone will have their own ideal picture. In order to determine the style of the kitchen, we simply open many people’s favorite “Pinterest” and make a selection of those interior solutions that are close to you. Based on these selections, the kitchen manager will have a much easier time figuring out what fronts and colors to offer you.

Scandinavian style kitchens

If you are close to the Scandinavian style, the most successful will be the facades with panels, gray or white. The fronts themselves are worth choosing from MDF with enamel. Thanks to the enamel, we can choose the color that we like and that fits the general color scheme of our interior.

The most successful facade handles in this style will be exterior handles. It is this solution will be the most budget-friendly compared to the integrated handles, besides it is just convenient.

The tabletop should be chosen with imitation of wood, and the most budget-friendly and aesthetically advantageous option would be a plastic tabletop based on chipboard.

Modern kitchen style

If you are close to modern style, the most stylish solution would be a combination of monochrome facades and facades with wood grain. Monochrome facades can choose MDF with enamel, and facades with imitation wood, with a plastic coating.

Of course the facades with PVC film will be much cheaper, but in time the film can come off the base of the facade, so such facades I would not advise to use.

Tabletop you can also choose a plastic based on chipboard. In fact, plastic tabletop with a quality coating does not look cheap, especially if its edge is equal to 90 degrees. If the budget does not allow you to buy a quartz countertop, then do not worry that the kitchen will look cheap, this is not the case.

Kitchen handles can be considered profiled metal or milled from the façade itself. Such handles visually blend in with the facade and generally do not catch the eye, but it is quite convenient to use them, if of course you have a luxurious manicure.

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How to buy a kitchen?

In most cases, kitchen showrooms divide themselves into economy and premium segments. From my experience, I can say that the materials used in most cases, if not the same, then very similar.

For example, MDF fronts with enamel in a premium salon and a budget salon, in principle, will not differ. Therefore, if your budget is limited, then you should not pursue the brand and overpay, besides the kitchen is quite an expensive pleasure, even in the economy version.

Before you buy a kitchen, it is better to visit 2 or even 3 kitchen showrooms and get a proposal from each showroom on the price and timing of production. It is also worth clarifying the cost of assembling in advance, since this point not all managers sound out at the conclusion of the contract.

The cost of assembling the kitchen on average varies within 10% of the total cost of the kitchen, so this cost should also be considered when planning your budget.

Do not be shy to ask for a discount on the kitchen before buying. Many showrooms go out of their way to meet their customers, but if you do not ask for it, the likelihood that the manager himself will offer it is extremely small.

To plan a kitchen yourself is not as difficult as it may seem at first glance. You just need to take your time and not rush into buying it, especially if the budget is limited.