Summer Cool: A Kitchen Remodeling Lookbook

The summer solstice is three days away, but the Philadelphia area is feeling the heat: last week we hit the mid-90s (near 100 heat index) and this weekend promises more of the same. To beat the heat, most of us retreat inside to cool, air-conditioned rooms; some take a trip down the Shore, where the water temps are just now nearing 70 degrees (just watch out for sharks).

Despite the heat (and the sharks), many people love the carefree feeling of summer. After all, it's hard not to agree with the sentiment of Olaf, the carefree snowman from Frozen: 

"Just imagine how much cooler I'll be in summer!"

Cool, indeed. At MKBD, we believe the best remodeling projects conjure a certain feeling for our customers. Some customers like the feeling of luxury. Some want to feel stylish. But many like the easy-going feeling of summer.

Ahh: Clean and cool, this light and bright MKBD project evokes a sense of elegance and leisure, a perfect combo for our cool clients in Holland, PA.

A "Cool" Feeling

The evocation of a certain feeling is obviously not the only factor the guides our design process, but we've found that this simple question can inspire ideas: What feeling would you like your kitchen to evoke? A one word answer is often enough to set you on the right direction.

Whatever your answer, to facilitate inspiration, MKBD posts occasional "Kitchen Lookbooks" with photos and details from our prior projects. Last November, for example, we focused on wooden floors and cabinets.

Today, with a nod to summer, we're thinking about the escape from the heat: to "cool" remodeling projects that evoke a sense of carefree leisure, from the Mediterranean (see above) to the light palette of summertime dress (think whites and cremes) to the easy luxury of vacation resorts.

Light and bright: the right palette can certainly evoke a sense of coolness.

A Light Palette

Many homeowners prefer the stoic luxury of wood cabinets stained a suitably dark color, like burgundy or brown. But for a sense of summertime cool, nothing beats light and bright colors. When spread throughout a kitchen (like the MKBD project above) a light palette can speak of elegance and leisure at once.

Think of the elegant simplicity of a white linen button-up shirt or a white sundress.

In this sort of atmosphere, accessorizing is as simple as a bouquet of flowers or a bright hand towel. Note how the blue really pops in the photo below.

A simple blue hand towel illustrates a simple point: with a light palette, accessorizing with color is easy.

For a light palette think about white cabinets, creme countertops and light flooring, like light granite floor tiles or natural wood flooring.

Smoke white granite flooring brightens this creme kitchen.

Natural Light

Far too many homeowners toil away in dim kitchens with lackluster lighting. To avoid this, of course, you must prioritize lighting from the very beginning of your project--especially natural light. At MKBD, we believe an abundance of natural light is a crucial element of a well-designed kitchen layout. Of course, we recommend installing quality kitchen lights with your full-scale kitchen renovation. But your first priority, especially if you're looking for a cool, summery feeling is natural light.

The light palette in this MKBD project, with a creme backsplash and brandywine-stained cabinets, is complemented by a large window, which floods the room with light.

Natural light can come from windows, skylights, and when feasible, an adjacent room. If your kitchen layout is short on available window space, consider opening the kitchen with an open floor plan, like this MKBD project below.

An open floor plan lends an expansive, airy feeling to most spaces; it also offers the opportunity for more natural light--a perfect solution if your kitchen window options are limited.

FREE Kitchen Remodeling Estimate

If you're planning to remodel your kitchen, talk to the experts first. MKBD is currently offering a FREE Kitchen remodeling estimate, FREE design, and FREE custom layout to all new customers.

Call now! 215-355-4747 or visit us online at www.masterkitchendesign.com. 

How to Choose the Best Lights for Your Kitchen

The installation of efficient and ample lighting is a key element of any kitchen remodeling project. Unfortunately, homeowners and kitchen remodeling professionals alike often overlook lighting in favor of the big-ticket renovations: new floors, appliances, and cabinets.

The result? Too many homeowners toil away in dim kitchens with inefficient lighting. To avoid this problem, of course, you must prioritize lighting from the beginning of your project. At MKBD, we understand: proper lighting is a crucial element of a well-designed kitchen layout. We recommend installing kitchen lights with your full-scale kitchen renovation.

Like floors, appliances, and cabinets, the kitchen remodeling industry offers seemingly endless lighting options. To narrow your choices, we suggest focusing on lighting that is both fashionable and functional.

Whatever you do, don’t skimp on the lights! It simply does not make sense to spend your entire remodeling budget solely on big-ticket items. Lights might not be your biggest expense (thankfully), but they might just be your most strategically important expense.

So save some money for the lights.

And if you're looking for knowledge, check out MKBD's illuminating tips below!

For this Bucks County project, MKBD installed multiple layers of light (from recessed lights to elegant pendants and more) to illuminate each aspect of the new kitchen.

Recessed Lights

Recessed lights should provide the bulk of lighting for your kitchen, so the strategic placement of recessed lighting is a crucial design element. To illuminate all prep and cooking areas, professional kitchens might employ an abundance of bright recessed lights, but a home kitchen requires a degree of subtly. To avoid the industrial feel of a professional kitchen space, opt for several strategically-placed recessed lights instead of one larger light.

In the above MKDB project, the homeowner chose to install recessed lights directly over the center of the cooking action: the oven and surrounding prep space. We love this choice. We routinely advise new customers to consider a similar lighting option.

Of course, you'll want to adequately light your prep and cooking areas. Yet perhaps you'd also like the ability to soften the lights for entertaining. If you wish, you can control the intensity of recessed lights by installing a dimmer.

Recessed lights do not add appreciable expense to a kitchen remodeling project. However, just remember, since the lights are so high, you might need to purchase a ladder or stool to change the bulbs! Unless, of course, you're this guy.

Pendant Lights

The above kitchen also utilizes elegant pendant lights. Low-hanging pendant lights can contribute a relaxed contemporary feeling to your space. As such, they're best reserved for your kitchen's entertainment zone: the bar (as in the example above); or perhaps the kitchen island.

When searching for pendant lights, you might become bewildered by the options. At MKBD, we guide our clients to simple, yet elegant pendant lighting solutions that utilize unobtrusive cables to anchor the lights to the ceiling. If you're feeling more extravagant, however, you might choose a chandelier-style light anchored to the wall with decorative chains.

For this MKBD project, we installed three beautiful pendant lights over a granite counter meant for serving drinks and entertaining.

Cabinet Lights

Cabinet lights can provide subtle enhancements without appreciably changing the lighting scheme of the kitchen. They also function perfectly as "night lights" for those who like to sneak to the kitchen for a midnight snack.

In most home supplies stores, cabinet lights are generally referred to as "under-cabinet" or "above-cabinet."

Under-cabinet lights softly illuminate your counter-top cooking areas. You might install overhead lights above your cooking areas for broad illumination, but under-cabinet lights can offer a more precise spot of light for the tedious (or joyous, depending on your view) work of peeling and chopping onions.

Above-cabinet lights create an extra layer of light on your kitchen wall or ceiling. By softly illuminating certain aspects of the space, above-cabinet lights can enhance the warmth and beauty of a kitchen. 

AT MKBD we often use the same fixtures for both under-cabinet lights and above-cabinet lights—both provide similar enhancements to different elements of the kitchen.

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If you're planning to remodel your kitchen, talk to the experts first. MKBD is currently offering a FREE Kitchen remodeling estimate, FREE design, and FREE custom layout to all new customers.

Let's talk lights, and more!

Call now! 215-355-4747 or visit us online at www.masterkitchendesign.com.