Kitchen Appliances Buying Guide : How to Choose the Right KitchenAppliances

Your kitchen appliances in your home make up the one of the largest investments for your pocket, as well as your time, which equates to functionality for your lifestyle in the kitchen. Buying kitchen appliances can be a daunting task when you look at all of the options, from energy saving, to high end designer models, to low cost models, how do you choose? Here are tips to guide your through the buying process and to help you feel informed and confident with your kitchen appliance buying decisions.




Refrigerators: With any appliance, before you get enamored with all the whistles and bells of how beautiful it looks and all of the gadgets assess your lifestyle. With refrigerators consider how many times you and your family cook and eat from home. For larger families, larger capacity units will be necessary, as well as the ability for longer preservation of food. Higher end models that offer dual refrigeration, on-door controls, and energy efficiency may be more important for your families needs. While singles or those who don’t cook a lot may prefer a snazzy stainless steel or built-in model that looks fantastic, but doesn’t need all of the accompaniments. Also consider if your home would need separate wine refrigeration storage, or possibly refrigerated drawers for easy

• Ovens/Stoves: When considering an oven and stove, think about how you typically cook and if you’re a novice or an experienced cook. The oven or stove you choose can have a great impact on how you cook and whether the energy you use to heat them is worthwhile. Convection over conventional ovens tends to use more energy but for expert cooks they enjoy the even distribution over heat and can usually cook their food faster and with more control. For those interested in buying a stove or cooktop, there are several options: induction, gas or electric all have their pros and cons. Most beginning cooks appreciate electric for its slow heat up, while experienced cooks prefer induction and ultimately gas stoves for its fast heat up and ability to cook under precise conditions.

• Ventilation system: One area of your kitchen that is forgotten when considering appliances is the ventilation system. Range hoods overhead, or down draft systems that are integral into the countertop or cooktop are great for unobstructed overhead views. Depending on the size of your stove/cooktop and if you have an integral grill, griddle, burners, and other heating elements may increase the need for higher ventilation systems overhead. Research your favored appliance manufacturer too see what type of ventilation system is recommended for your kitchen.

• Dishwasher: Similarly to your refrigerator, your family’s lifestyle will largely dictate what type of dishwasher will be ideal for your home. Lower end models tend to have simplified controls, while more elaborate ones will have energy efficiency qualities, hidden controls, and noise reduction qualities – especially helpful in small homes or open floor plans. Dishwasher drawers are also available for smaller amounts of dishware and can save water usage when you don’t have large loads to clean.

Choosing kitchen appliances for your home should be a rewarding experience but also fulfill your lifestyle and aesthetics of your kitchen. Use this helpful buying guide before you venture out to choose appliances. Also measure out the clear opening width and height of your space for the new appliances. There is nothing worse than investing on new appliances, for them not to fit in your kitchen!

Candice Olson : Create a Livable Yet Stylish Home

Comfortable and chic don't have to live miles apart. Find simple tips for designing a home that's functional and beautiful.

• By Candice Olson

It's important to make your home both stylish and livable. There is one word that designers either love or hate: function. Personally, I love it. I really believe you can have the right balance of both style and function.
The one thing you need to do when embarking on a design project is to be realistic. Think about this question: How does your house have to work for you and your family? If you're like me with a young, busy family full of kids and pets, you should never have anything white in your house unless you're sure the material is stain resistant.

However, you can find the right mix of function and style. Just make sure you think your design decisions through carefully. If you're a large family that spends all your time doing homework in the kitchen and family room, then a large kitchen island or an open-concept kitchen and family room will probably work really well for you. If you're a retired couple who loves to cook and entertain, your priority might be gorgeous kitchen appliances, so you splurge on a chef's dreamy (and stylish) gas range.
It's important to know what makes the most sense for your lifestyle and home, so don't choose colors, fabrics or even materials that won't work for your family, children or pets. Be realistic about what you can and can't live with because there are some things you might love the look of, that are very stylish, but just aren't practical with a Great Dane. For example, I absolutely love the look of white Carrara marble countertops, but they can be stressful in a kitchen because they stain so easily, especially by red wine or coffee. You don't want to always be on high alert for spills, or be the crazy lady saying, "Don't touch the counters!"

That's not to say if you have a busy lifestyle with kids and pets, you can't have a gorgeous, stylish home. Companies have caught on and now function can be stylish, too. For instance, there are great-looking, durable fabrics that are made to handle extreme wear and tear. Some are even made with Teflon. Sometimes you might pay a little more for a high-performance material that looks great and can stand the test of time. Be smart about it, and if you get a light color sofa (or you had one before the kids came along), consider having a slipcover made that's in a dark, machine-washable fabric.
If you have a hectic home life with lots of activity, think about your choices and always go with the most durable materials you can find. Or tell you kids to stay in their rooms until they're old enough to go to college.

HGTV Dream Home 2014 : Master Bedroom Pictures

Modern style mixes with mountain architecture in this master bedroom, and the result is a comfy room with lots of personality, bright colors and sleek twists on classic rustic style. 

About the Master Bedroom: 

Modern style mixes with mountain architecture in this master bedroom, and the result is a sleek, comfy room with lots of personality. Large windows let in ample natural light, while bright, modern colors and soft textures lend a feminine touch to masculine pieces like the steel fireplace and leather-upholstered bed. 

With a palette inspired by fall colors, the master bedroom combines rustic, masculine details with bold colors and graphic patterns to create a warm, inviting space.

New Ideas For Storage Solutions By Using Baskets

Baskets are storage workhorses. They provide easy organization solutions plus they're stylish and can add warmth to any room in the house.

Grab a Seat 

Create an entryway bench from a coffee table, seat cushions, and a catchall basket. Use the basket to collect keys, mail, books, and other items that pile up by the door. The large basket gives the area a polished look without requiring a lot of organization from the homeowners.

 Baskets in a Row 

Open shelves do more than create a fashionable presentation, they also ensure often-used items are easy to access. Identical baskets are perfect for organizing linens and other kitchen items.

Casual Style 

Woven side chairs, a slipcovered sofa, and crisp white draperies give this living room a casual look. Baskets round out the decor by repeating the texture from the side chairs and bamboo shades. The baskets also add storage to the coffee table.

Underbed Storage 

Create an instant linen closet with a large woven basket. Stack sheets, pillowcases, and extra blankets in lidded baskets that you can stash under the bed. Prevent scratching floors or snagging carpets by adding stick-on furniture sliders.

Task-It Baskets 

Organize household files with flair by trading a clunky metal file cabinet for a woven lidded chest. Be sure the basket's inside measurements will fit your letter- or legal-size files. The interior measurement of this chest is 12x12 inches. To securely hang letter or legal-size files inside, add an adjustable hanging file frame from an office supply store.

Control Station

Corral coffee table runaways with a basket organizer. This simple basket is stylish enough to sit out on the table and it keeps everything in one spot so when you want to change the channel, you'll always know where to find the remote. Look for a basket with compartments, like a utensil organizing basket.

Kitchen Counter Basket

Use a shallow basket to organize cooking oils and spices. Line the bottom of the basket with a metal cookie sheet to making cleaning up inevitable spills easier

 Kitchen Helper 

Baskets can be helpful for organizing kitchen supplies. Place a basket with handles on a pull-out drawer for easy access to contents. Use one basket for different kinds of tea and another for baking supplies.

Wall Decor 

Baskets can be part of your wall decor. In this bathroom, a wire basket adds architectural interest and towel storage above the toilet.

Storage Meets Decor

In the bathroom, storage solutions are often part of the display. Matching woven white baskets hold supplies and coordinate with the bathroom's color palette. X-shape open shelves and glass-front cabinet doors add architectural interest to the vertical storage.

Tidy Shelves

Keep your bookshelves in check with baskets and bins. Use baskets to corral loose items, such as fabric samples, paint swatches, and project folders. Add labels to each basket to identify its contents and give your shelves more personality. To make labels, attach gift tags to each basket with ribbon and use rub-on alphabet decals.

Hamper Basket

Does throwing bed pillows on the floor every night make you cringe? Toss pillows in a wicker hamper at bedtime to help keep them clean and off the floor.

Functional Kitchen Before and After By Candice Olson

When a celebrity stylist needed help making over his kitchen, he called Candice Olson. The divine designer transformed his space from 1980s and old to glamorous and now.

• By : Candice Olson

Before: Outdated and Cold

This outdated kitchen doesn't exactly say "stylist to the stars."

After: Fashionable and Functional

Enter Candice Olson who created a new kitchen that is both traditional and hip. Divine details include travertine floors, a quartz-topped island, crystal chandeliers and a stunning, silver-foil wallpaper.

Color Meanings By Mark McCauley from HGTV

Mark McCauley, ASID is a Professional Member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and is a Registered Interior Designer.

He is the author of four books on interior design, former Editor-in-Chief of Fine Furniture International Magazine, nationally syndicated columnist, and has appeared and currently writes for HGTV.

Mr. McCauley has spoken in public throughout the United States, to both his peers in the industry and the general public. He has appeared on both local and national television and radio, and has been an invited guest speaker at the High Point International Furniture Show in High Point, NC on several occasions. Mr. McCauley also served as Senior Interior Designer for Marshall Field's, Chicago.

Color Meanings
Learn how color affects your mood and how to maximize its impact in your home.

Green

Associated with life itself, the color green represents newness (and naivete) and birth. As with the trees of the forest, green is photosynthesis, the act of turning light into life. Green also has a whimsical, fun nature and is seen as talkative and stimulating to conversation.

Orange

Orange is warming and uplifting, as in the softer energy found in the last rays of sunset. It relates to our entire lifecycle as the color of fall, symbolic of the end of life. Orange, as clay, has a primitive side as well, reminding us of our antediluvian forefathers.

Blue

We're surrounded by blue! We live on this big blue marble consisting of sea and sky. When associated with liquid, blue represents the soft lapping of waves or the running of a clear mountain stream. As the air we breathe, blue is fresh and vital, reminding us of the clarity of a sunlit day under azure skies.

White

White is "up in the air," as in marching clouds. It has associations of an upward "heavenly" motion and is pure as the driven snow, innocent in its ultimate nature. White represents cleanliness and the absence of pain and is as inviting as a pure white cotton sheet on which to lay our troubles and our bodies.

Black

Black is the "forever" color forever night, forever faithful, forever formal. It's a color that can inspire fear through its association with nothingness and earth but can also feel calming due to its solid, orderly and definite appeal. Nothing washy here.

Purple

Purple brings to mind royalty and ancient civilization. It's the color of the Muse, of soothsayers and prophets. It is clairvoyant and psychic, headstrong and powerful. Yet it is also the color of sorrow and passion intertwined, as in the Christian sense, with death and resurrection.

Yellow

Yellow is associated with "higher powers," of things greater than we mere humans. For the Egyptians, the sun god Ra ruled; for the ancient Greeks, Apollo's chariot blazed across the skies. Yellow is the sun, as any child can tell you; it relates to intellectualism, random thought and innocent happiness.

Red

Red reigns! The color that calls on powerful emotions, either love or hate, red is the arbiter of our deepest feelings. It's the dynamic motion of flame and the color of the blood that courses through our veins. It's all of the things that mean so much to life itself. Full of ego and "inner" flames, red is the life force.

Gold

There is an old world reverence and true depth of emotion about the color gold. With gold, we inherently think of wealth, luxury and desire, yet it also relates to satisfaction and intimacy. Gold is the wedding ring, the ties that bind; it's lifelong love. It is the finest we have to offer and often represents our highest achievements.

Pink

Depending upon its strength, pink can make us feel young and joyfully alive or gentle and calm. It's innocent and playful and is often associated with the feminine side of our natures. Pink also represents garishness and a devil may care attitude in its hotter intensities.

Gray

Gray can feel warm or cool or no temperature at all. It represents "the rock," therefore solidity and support. Gray is nondescript, just gray and nameless. Gray is trying to fit in but not bring attention to itself. The color of the wallflower, gray is also the color of wisdom and longevity.

Turquoise

This high-powered blue isn't as restful as its near neighbors on the color wheel. Turquoise is vibrant and spirited enough (as in the sense of American Southwest colorations) to represent a kinesthetic, athletic tension, while reminding us of the opulence of the Tokapi Palace and ancient intrigues and mysticism.

Beige

The great balancing act of neutral beige allows the other colors to come out and play. Beige is the arbitrator, joining disparate ideas together and forming new unions. It is the color of noncolor, the sameness of the desert lulling us into sleep through its unchallenging nature.

Brown

Brown is the Protector, the "Earth Mother" to us all. Security and contentment are found in brown. It's the cozy color, enveloping us in strength and allowing for rest and recovery. Brown shelters us from the storms of life.