Kitchen Ideas You Can Use: Inspiring Designs & Clever Solutions for Remodeling Your Kitchen - Softcover

Today’s kitchen is one of the busiest multipurpose rooms in a home. Not only does it see a lot of foot traffic, it also serves many different roles at different times. It may be a place to prepare food in the morning and evening, but can also be a place to eat a leisurely (or not so leisurely) meal, a workroom to tackle homework and bills, and a conference center for family meetings. And, more than ever, today’s kitchen is the home’s social center, where friends and family gather to relax and share down time. The best kitchen design not only accounts for all these different roles, it actually enhances them and makes them more pleasurable.

That’s a lot to ask from any room design, especially one in which comfort is king. Fortunately, you’ve never had a broader range and diversity of kitchen design elements from which to choose. Surface options alone—materials to clad the floors, countertops, backsplashes, and walls—are offered in a headspinning number of variations. Choose the innate beauty and durability of natural quarry stone, the latest exciting versions of inexpensive laminates, or from among a bevy of recycled materials that will ensure your kitchen is as “green” as possible. And green isn’t just a movement; it’s one of a rainbow of hues included as surface options.

The ongoing trend toward more color in this traditionally neutral-colored space has led to all kinds of new and exciting looks. Large appliances, tiles, fixtures, and cabinetry are all offered in eye-catching colors. The bolder hues popular a few years ago have given way to a somewhat subtler palette, but the desire of homeowners to introduce more color into their kitchens continues unabated.

Chris Peterson is a veteran home improvement and design author. Among the many books he has written are 5-Gallon Bucket Book, Building with Secondhand Stuff, Manskills, four books in the Ideas You Can Use series, and many books in Cool Springs Press's BLACK+DECKER Complete Guide series. He has also co-authored numerous home design books with noted media celebrities. He lives in Ashland, Oregon.