Kitchen Decorating The Center of Your Home

What part of your home do you and your family spend the most time? In many households the gravitational pull of the kitchen area brings family members together at some point in the day for basic nourishment needs and communication updates.

Whether your meal times include snacks on the run or elaborate multi course settings, there are simple ways to transform your family’s hub space into an inviting and comfortable refuge.

Unless you’ve designed your kitchen space to suit your own specific needs, the placement of built in cabinets and appliances are immoveable without major renovations.

Start with what you have as far as the cabinet’s finish and the flooring and make the kitchen space your own with personalized decorating choices.

For efficient food preparation, lighting is important. A single overhead light fixture in the ceiling is normally all that is provided in the kitchen. Adequate for raiding the fridge at night, but this minimal lighting is apt to create shadows as you work at the countertop. Remedy this dim situation by installing low profile task lights under the upper cabinets. This lighting solution uses minimal electricity, is unobtrusive, and provides bright, directed light where you need it on the work surface.

Now that you can more easily see your kitchen space, notice how unremarkable those tired kitchen cabinets are looking. Refinishing wood doors or painting them is a big job, but may be worth the effort if the finish is seriously marred. A simpler solution is to re-accessorize your cabinet doors and drawers with new handles or knobs. Just as you change your own jewelry, or add an accent scarf, the new cabinet hardware may be just what your kitchen cabinets need for a revitalized look.

Countertop clutter in a busy household can make your kitchen seem small and unusable.

Start by removing any small appliances, canisters or containers that are rarely used. That time saving gadget you had to have is costing you productive minutes if it’s taking up counter space you could be using for meal preparation. Give yourself some elbow room by storing unused items in a cabinet, closet or even another room. Better still, pass the indispensible gadget on to someone else- with more counter space.

Horizontal surfaces throughout the house, and especially in the kitchen, frequently become catch alls. Toss your keys, newspaper, the daily mail and other easily dropped items into a useful countertop basket. A divided basket with a space for each family member is ideal. Make this practice a household rule and you’ll never have to search for misplaced items again. And, you won’t have to clear a space to begin meal preparations.

Increase the cozy factor of your kitchen space by adding an area rug over your hard surface flooring. The rug will cushion the cook’s stance while it adds a dash of color. A printed area rug breaks up the mostly solid colored cabinet, countertop and flooring surfaces of the kitchen. Select a small rug for where you stand the most or a room sized rug to visually expand your space. The colors and design of the area rug will set the tone. Are you looking for a country kitchen, a modern d%26eacute;cor, or traditional mode? You’ll find a delightfully appropriate area rug that describes the look you want.

Carry the colors and designs from your area rug up onto the walls by adding a coordinating wallpaper border above your upper cabinets or in the space between your cabinets and countertops. For a more artistic look, try out a do-it-yourself stencil kit to create your own, one of a kind, decorative touch.

The center of your home, the hub of numerous family activities, can be designed as an efficient and attractive gathering space. Try these simple updates create comfort and livability in your kitchen space.

Sarah has decorated many kitchens over the years. Her number one budget kitchen decorating tip is to buy area rugs for the floor. Try this Rhody Millennium Sunrise Rug from www.HouseOfAreaRugs.com for a vibrant splash in your kitchen.

Ladies…The Ultimate critique of me…rate everything 1-10?

so my name is Drew, i’m 18…19 in April. I am a freshman in college, i am a student athlete…playing soccer and studying pre-med to hopefully become a pediatrician. I am 5’8″ 135, my favorite food is Philly Cheese steak. I like to play sports, absolutely love music (Dave Matthews Band and Foo Fighters), like to watch movies, hang out with my buds, draw, skateboard, and read. My bad qualities: I am shy at times, and can be insecure. I like to be alone and just relax and think about the world and its mysteries. I am obsessed with looking at the stars, and buying shoes. I don’t have any money, but thats because i’m in college. I try to be friends with everyone.

anyways check out my pics and rate my looks, clothes, anything you feel.

http://s344.photobucket.com/albums/p326/andyruss33/?action=view&current=dorm001-1.jpg

here are my favorite bands, tv shows, movies, and books.

Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews Band, Audioslave, The Beatles, The Beastie Boys, Beck, Van Halen, Incubus, Sublime, Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, The Melvins, NIRVANA, Bob Marley, Breaking Benjamin, Santana, Chad Kroeger, Sufjan Stevens, Cold, Coldplay, Creed, Daughtry, Death Cab For Cutie, Disturbed, Dr. Dre, Dropkick Murpheys, The Eagles, Eddie Vedder, Eifel 65, Elton John, Eminem, Eric Clapton, Everlast, Five For Fighting, Flogging Molly, Foreigner, Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leopard, Sammy Hagar, The Who, Godsmack, Goo Goo Dolls, Green Day, Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, Jay Z, Jimmy Eat World, Joe Wlash, John Cougar Mellencamp, John Mayer, Justin Nozuka, Kanye West, Kid Rock, The Killers, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Live, Lupe Fiasco, Marcy Playground, Marlyn Manson, Maroon 5, Metallica, 311, Muse, N.E.R.D., Nelly, Nickleback, Nine Inch Nails, Notorious B.I.G., The Offspring, Primus, The Old 97′s, P.O.D., The Pack, Pearl Jam, Prince, Puddle of Mudd, Queen, Queens of the Stone Age, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rehab, Rob Zombie, The Rolling Stones, Rush, Savage Garden, Secondhand Serenade, Seether, Shaggy, Silverchair, Simple plan, Snoop Dogg, Snow Patrol, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Steve Miller Band, Sugar Ray, Sum 41, Supergrass, Three Days Grace, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Train, U2, Uncle Kracker, Vampire weekend, The Virgin Millionaires, Weezer, 3 doors down, Third Eye Blind…there’s more but my fingers are tired.
Favorite TV Shows:Seinfeld, Scrubs, Viva La Bam, Rob And Big, Sports Center, Around the Horn, Mythbusters, Discovery Channel, History Channel, FUSE, VH1 music
Favorite Movies:Jarhead, Saving Private Ryan, Disturbia, Saw 1-3 (4&5 suck), The Sandlot, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Ferris Bueler’s Day Off, into the wild, step brothers, forgetting sarah marshall, Grandma’s Boy, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Adam Sandler Movies, Chris Farley movies, pretty much andything really…
Favorite Books:Heavier than Heaven, Quiet Strength, DRIVE, Playing for Knight, thats all I can think of right now…

thanks
catknows…I would be glad to tell you all of this in person if you would like.

haha. you’re dumb, but thanks for the opinion.
Catknows: also I forgot to thank you for calling me really cool and put together…everything i stated in the question is 100% true. and the reason i’m on here is because I have no money to go anywhere, and I’m at a small Catholic college so there really isn’t much partying to do here. thanks again for your input, its much appreciated.

Answer
i think you sound like the perfect guy. im only 15, haha, but i think you sound really cool.
i want to be a nurse someday, and i think being a pediatrition would be so cool.

and i know a lot of people who would rather date a shy guy then someone loud and obnoxious.

and i adore the nirvana poster!