Capitol Design | Award Winning Kitchen & Bathroom Design In Austin, TX

Archives for January 2016

Kitchen Lighting Options

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Selecting the Right Kitchen Lighting Options

So, you’re ready to remodel your kitchen? You’re probably thinking of your flooring, cabinets and appliance options right off the bat. But, have you considered your kitchen lighting options? Lighting is what makes your kitchen cozy on dark winter days and allows you to sit up late with your kids at the kitchen table helping them with homework. You definitely don’t want to overlook your kitchen lighting options and that is when an experienced kitchen designer can help.

Kitchen Chandeliers

Are you remodeling your kitchen for a very expensive look? Why not hang a chandelier above the kitchen table for a real wow-effect? Vintage or new chandeliers will give your kitchen a look of elegance and refinement. Your dinner guests will certainly be impressed with your kitchen remodeling project and your lighting choice.

Decorative Kitchen Pendant Lighting

Decorate pendant kitchen lighting options will give you a nice ambient glow, while also mimicking the classy look of a chandelier. Decorative pendant lighting comes in all shapes and sizes, as well as all price ranges. So, take time to chat with your kitchen designer about which options may be in your price range.

Kitchen Lamps

Who says a kitchen can’t have some lamps? Yes, we commonly think of lamps as living room, or bedroom lights, rather than kitchen lighting options. However, you’d be surprised how a few lamps can really add a sense of style and class to a kitchen. Why not add a lamp with a country chic shade to your kitchen counter? You’ll love the homey feeling this will give to your new kitchen. You can also try a standing lamp in a corner that lacks illumination. This is a great low cost method for lighting your kitchen.

Kitchen Track Lighting

Track lights will give you a bit more flexibility in terms of lighting all the areas of your kitchen. Yes, you might be used to seeing track lights in museums, but they really do look great in a kitchen. Track lighting will allow you the flexibility to point each light in the direction of your choosing. This is great for illuminating darker areas. However, you can’t switch one light on and another one off with track lighting options. Unfortunately, it’s all or nothing with track lights.

Kitchen Flush Mount Lighting

Flush mount lighting comes in a tremendous variety of styles. Some styles are bulbs, while others mimic the style of chandeliers. The real defining factor in a flush mount light is that there is little to no gap between the fixture and the ceiling. The flush mount light is mounted directly onto the ceiling. This type of lighting is extremely versatile and will provide ambient illumination throughout the entire kitchen.

Under-Cabinet Kitchen Lighting

If you love cooking, you’ll probably love under-cabinet lighting, as well. This kitchen lighting option will provide you with excellent illumination in all of those hard to reach places. Now, you can cook any time of day and be able to see everything flawlessly. Once you install under-cabinet lighting, you really won’t be able to live without it.

Recessed Kitchen Lighting

Recessed lighting is a very modern form of lighting in which the light fixture is actually recessed into the ceiling. This unobtrusive and modern type of lighting is a great kitchen lighting option for your redesign. You can easily have a dimmer attached to your recessed lighting, which will give you the control of dimming or illuminating your kitchen with the touch of a button. Additionally, recessed lighting can be wired individually, which will allow you to illuminate certain areas of the kitchen when needed.

Which kitchen lighting option will you choose? Let the kitchen design experts at Capitol Design help you select the perfect kitchen lighting options for your kitchen.

Kitchen Flooring Options

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Kitchen flooring options for your kitchen remodeling project

Are you getting ready to tackle a kitchen remodeling project? Flooring will definitely be one of your main concerns, as the floor is a huge component of any kitchen. Proper kitchen flooring must be of a durable material and a design that matches your overall kitchen design. Choosing the wrong kitchen flooring can really spell disaster, so you’ll want to make sure that you think through and discuss all of your kitchen flooring options with a kitchen designer.

Hardwood Kitchen Flooring

You really can’t go wrong with hardwood. Hardwood is a classic and timeless kitchen flooring option for any home. Hardwood kitchen flooring will bring a sense of warmth and coziness to your kitchen with either a light or deep stain.

If you treat your hardwood properly, it can really last over a lifetime. However, hardwood can easily be scratched with shoes or pet’s claws. Therefore, if pets or shoes in the house are priorities for you, you may want to consider other kitchen flooring options.

Cleaning your hardwood kitchen floor should be a breeze. Simply sweep, vacuum, and use a damp mop on the floor regularly. Sprays and waxes from oil should be avoided, as well as cleaners that are not intended for wood surfaces, as they can be rather harsh.

Concrete Kitchen Flooring Options

You may think that concrete is only for sidewalks, but you really couldn’t be more wrong. Concrete is a very environmentally-friendly kitchen flooring option for your home. Concrete may even help you save on your monthly energy bill, as it helps to absorb and retain your heat. It’s also a great kitchen flooring option for the summer, as it helps to keep the cool in your home.

Concrete can be styled in a wide variety of ways. You can stain the entire floor, or create various stained patterns within the concrete. Concrete can be stamped, scored, polished, and stained to create a wide variety of kitchen flooring options. The possibilities are endless.

Concrete flooring options are also super simple to clean. You can easily clean with gentle cleansers, or even vinegar, paired with regular sweeping and vacuuming.

Laminate Kitchen Flooring

Perhaps concrete and hardwood are a bit out of your budget. That’s not a problem, as laminate comes in a wide variety of styles. Some laminate styles even mimic hardwood or tiles. If you have pets, kids, or frequent spills, laminate kitchen flooring may be the best option for you. Laminate is incredibly durable and very easy to clean. It can withstand frequent kitchen traffic from people and pets. Why is laminate so durable? It’s made up of four layers that are fused together to provide the ultimate in strength.

Laminate is a low maintenance and low cost kitchen flooring option. With laminate, you won’t need to polish or stain the floor over the years. And, there are plenty of environmentally-friendly laminate options these days, as many laminate kitchen flooring options now use recycled materials.

Tile Kitchen Flooring Options

If you’re considering tiles for your kitchen, you’ll want to be sure to consult your kitchen designer. Tiles come in a wide array of materials which leaves you with boundless kitchen flooring options for your upcoming kitchen redesign project.

Travertine tiles are made from a byproduct of limestone and is formed in hot springs. Every piece of travertine is unique and will give you an earthy and natural look for your kitchen floors.

Ceramic tiles are another kitchen flooring option. Ceramic tiles are made from natural clay.

Porcelain tiles are a bit denser than ceramic tiles, as they are made from more refined clay. Porcelain tiles are so durable that they can be used both indoors and outdoors.

But this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg in terms of tile options. You also have slate, marble, faux wood, granite, onyx, and quartzite options, just to name a few.

Are you ready to remodel your kitchen? Are you looking to remodel your kitchen? Contact our kitchen remodeling experts to get advice today.

Kitchen Appliance Options

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Selecting the right kitchen appliances is a huge component of any kitchen remodeling project. After all, the main purpose of a kitchen is to cook. Even if your kitchen remodeling project’s main priority is to update your kitchen for a modern look, you’ll still want to update your appliances. You’ll be surprised at how efficient and productive new kitchen appliances can be, in addition to looking stylish.

Have a chat with your kitchen designer to see how you can select a range of kitchen appliances from all of your options so that your kitchen is both stylish and functional.

Kitchen Cooktops

Cooktops come in a variety of styles including gas, electric and induction. Induction is the best way to minimize heat loss, while also bringing a pot to boil incredibly quickly. Stainless steel cookware will work best with induction heating, and you’ll want to make sure that your pots and pants don’t have any dents, as that can undermine the heat efficiency of induction heating.

Another type of cooktop is gas burners. Gas burning kitchen appliance options will allow you to quickly turn the heat up or down with a very high level of control. However, a gas burner will typically take longer than an electric burner to heat a pot of water.

Electric cooktops are a great kitchen appliance option. Electric coils are able to heat quickly and thoroughly for an all-over heat. However, cleaning those coils can be quite a hassle if you’re a messy cooker. If you prefer a quick and painless cleanup, go for the induction heated tops.

If you’re out looking at different kitchen appliance options for your cooktops, be sure to ask the sales associate about the BTU for each one. BTU stands for British Thermal Units and the best cooktops should be 9,000 BTUs and up.

Kitchen Ovens

When looking at your kitchen appliance options, you definitely won’t want to overlook an oven. Ovens come mainly in convection and conventional style heating. Convection ovens use a fan to push hot air into the oven. This allows your food to cook more evenly—even if you’re using both the top and bottom rack.

Conventional ovens don’t have a fan, which means that food may cook unevenly if you are using both racks. However, people have been using conventional ovens for years. It’s really up to you to decide if you prefer the modern or more traditional choice. Both conventional and convection ovens can be hooked up with either electric or gas power.

Kitchen Range Hoods

You won’t want to forget range hoods when considering your kitchen appliance options for your upcoming kitchen redesign. Range hoods are incredibly functional and help you to reduce moisture and cooking smells from your kitchen. If you’re a novice cook, you’ll definitely want a range hood, as it will protect your kitchen from the ghastly smells of burnt food. Even expert chefs demand range hoods—they’re stylish, functional and completely utilitarian.

Under the cabinet range mounts can fit into your cabinet work. Talk with your kitchen designer and contractor to see if an under the cabinet range hood would work best with your custom cabinetry.

Wall mounted cabinet range mounts often have a decorative chimney and can add a real touch of style to any kitchen.

Finally, island range mounts can sit above an island in your kitchen. If you plan on having your stove top on an island, this one is for you.

Which kitchen appliance options are for you? Let the experts at Capitol Design help find the right kitchen appliances for your kitch.