kitchen – KAREN MILLS

Interior Design: 5 Mistakes to Avoid in a Kitchen…

March 11, 2021March 11, 2021

Tips for Creating a Functional and Beautiful Kitchen Design

If you’re thinking about remodeling or designing your kitchen read on to learn about some of the biggest mistakes homeowners make when designing a kitchen.

Work Area Not Functional – Creating a functional layout is the first step to kitchen design whether you’re designing for a new home or doing a kitchen remodel. Here in this kitchen a work area with the stove, refrigerator, and sink easily accessible within a few steps of each other makes cooking easier and less frustrating.

2. Wasting Potential Storage – Countless storage options exist so there’s no reason to waste space in the kitchen especially with the adaptive kitchen storage units that make drawers and cabinets more functional from trash pullouts to roll out shelves. Here in this fabulous historic Walnuts condo where space is at a premium, we added pegged drawers under the stove for pots/lids, hidden pop open storage under the island. and used the extra space we gained straightening out a crooked back wall to create a coffee bar and pantry cabinet that’s draws you into the space.

3. Work Area Too Crowded- As an interior designer I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve walked into a home that didn’t have enough work space. Even though the recommended distance between an island and wall cabinetry is at least 42″ I usually I find that the minimum required distance of 36″ is often the reality of existing kitchens which creates a cramped space that’s not very functional. Other issues I often encounter with interior design clients who have existing kitchens already are drawers or refrigerator doors can’t open fully to function correctly.

Here in this kitchen we widened the walking area and made sure counter space was provided where needed whether to set down groceries, place dishes from the dishwasher or a space to simply bake a pie.

4. Lack of right lighting – If your new kitchen doesn’t have a mix of general, task, and accent lighting, it will tend to be a little lackluster in appeal and possibly function too. Here in this kitchen design, I created a kitchen with can lights in the ceiling for general lighting, puck lights tucked away inside the glass cabinets for accent lighting, plus introduced mini chandeliers over the island that not only provide accent lighting but also task lighting for working in the kitchen.

5. Not bringing in a professional – Hiring a professional kitchen designer with experience who creates kitchens and bathrooms for a living can help you avoid costly mistakes, free up your time, and create the space of your dreams, while ensuring your space is functional. In this kitchen refresh where we reused most of the existing cabinetry, we were able to introduce new elements that created a wow factor – bigger airy light fixtures open shelving, counters that continued up the wall, a mitered edge island counter top, and bold cabinetry colors. The result? A fresh new look that showed off our client’s creative spirit while ensuring the space would function well for them.

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Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 5 Tips for Refreshing Kitchen For Less

August 15, 2019August 15, 2019

Ideas for Bringing Your Kitchen up to Date Without Breaking the Bank

If a kitchen remodel isn’t in your future because of either lack of budget or not recouping your investment in your current home, then why not consider what I like to call as an interior designer a KITCHEN REFRESH! Read on for my 5 tips for giving your kitchen a budget friendly makeover below.

1.Paint both your kitchen cabinets and walls to give your entire space a fresh new look. In this kitchen refresh we repainted darker cabinetry and walls a much lighter version of white to lighten up the space and visually expand it, while also swapping out dark counter tops for light ones.

To save money and not waste perfectly good granite our client re purposed the darker counters to a new basement bar where they were a perfect fit! Then to bring in more light we installed an existing chandelier the client wanted to incorporate and added new mini chandeliers over the eating area where we re purposed a tabletop made out of a door by gray washing it and having slip covers made to hide existing dark leather dining chairs.

2.Replace back splash along with counter tops – After working on over 1200 interior design projects a huge problem we’ve noticed is that homeowners planning a budget kitchen remodel typically omit replacing their back splash. Unfortunately an old back splash screams dated so as an interior designer I recommend to our clients that they replace it at the the same time to create a wow factor when you walk into the room.

In this playful and creative kitchen makeover, we replaced the dark granite with white mitered quartz tops on the island and ran the quartz up the walls behind the cabinetry instead of traditional tile to add drama and interest. We painted the cabinets three different shades of gray, added new mini chandeliers, and replaced a few wall cabinets with live edge shelves to create a fun focal point.

3. Introduce new bar stools In addition to the new live edge shelves the client in this kitchen purchased contemporary counter stools that really pop against the gray and white color scheme while adding a little warmth with the wood. New stools that contrast against your island or peninsula can completely have a huge impact on your kitchen without a big investment.

4. Replace dated chandeliers or pendant lights – By updating your light fixtures you can make a great impression walking into your kitchen where the fixtures are usually front and center over an island or table like shown here.

To help these new mini chandeliers and the drum shade beyond in the hearth area blend seamlessly with the existing chandelier the client wanted to use in this space, we went with lighter finishes – champagne on the mini chandeliers and silver on the drum shade.

5. Layer in accent color with accessories, rug, or art – When styling a space for an interior design project, especially a kitchen, I love to introduce a fun accent color that can be layered in on everything from napkins or a rug to platters and art. In this photo the client styled their live edge shelves to showcase their beautiful collection of red and turquoise dishes which creates a real showstopper in this kitchen, while also providing storage.

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https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/80705354/list/ideas-for-refreshing-your-kitchen-without-remodeling

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 3 Ways to Design Smaller Kitchens to…

January 5, 2018

1. Open up kitchen to rest of the house

In this kitchen we took out the wall to the former dining room and the wall to the maid’s quarters on the opposite end to create a space that lives large and even has enough room for a sit down island. Once the walls were removed we matched the wood floors of the dining (now hearth) in the kitchen which also visually expands the kitchen so it lives larger.

2. Use lighter colors on walls and cabinetry

By selecting colors that are similar in hue and lighter in color, this kitchen becomes more cohesive and ultimately feels larger because the lighter colors bounce light around the room.

In this kitchen by designing a lighter white/gray color palette including the table/chairs, back splash and wall color, the room seems to visually expand also as light is reflected throughout.

3. Add great lighting

Great lighting can make or break a room, especially a kitchen. Here in this kitchen we not only added great under cabinet lighting, beautiful chandeliers, extensive general lighting. and lit glass cabinetry but we also coordinated the lighting to be the same color temperature so it flowed together beautifully.

Here’s another example of a smaller kitchen where we layered lighting to create a wonderful ambiance and a happy place to spend cooking or entertaining.

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Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: Why White Kitchens Stand the Test of…

September 29, 2017

If you’re like the majority of homeowners around the world, you love the ethereal feel of white kitchens, especially warm inviting ones with layers of texture and interest like this kitchen photo where the table top, formerly a door, was refinished in gray and leather chairs were slip covered in a washable fabric.

Some of you I know will disagree about the appeal of white kitchens but this kitchen has been featured repeatedly in the news, both in national print and on television, plus its a favorite of our clients. And I think its because of its simplistic, light, classic design and marble counters even though existing cabinets weren’t replaced during the remodel.

As an interior designer who specializes in remodels I believe we secretly crave these airy white spaces to work and play in because they not only feel clean and fresh but also reflect light from outside and around the room, enhancing the way we look and often feel when entering the space.

One of the other reasons I believe white kitchens are popular is because can go with almost any accent color and can easily be changed to another color scheme when we tire of the original one.

Interior design by Karen Mills

But if you’re looking for something different besides a simple white, you might consider having your kitchen cabinets painted with a white that has been tinted with a favorite color like this photo where cabinets and walls have a hint of green.

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