Kitchen Flooring II - Still Light Colored

I've been meaning to show you this picture of another light floor. I simply love the feel of the light floor and the light cabinetry.

I like the horizontal dark element of the counters and I like the "important" or strong, feeling of the island in wood. 

The island, to my eye, does not overpower the other light colored elements. The reason it looks balanced to me is that there is so much MORE light colored elements in the room, balanced with just a few areas of the dark color. In other words, it makes sense proportionately in regard to color and tone balance. 

I also think this image goes a long way toward being serene, don't you? It has great interest, yet it is easy on the eyes and looks very spacious. The light floor, walls, and cabinetry, and understated backsplash, go a long way to achieve this quiet elegance. 

The floor...I think this type of floor, being quite textured, is fine in terms of being "busy enough" so you don't see every crumb immediately (unless you bake a lot of brownies.) The recent popularity of super dark wood floors is no better for spots, dings, dust, and so on. The best floor is a medium tone. But, to me, something REALLY speaks to me about a light floor. And, yes, for me, it would have to be textured. I'll have one, one day, in some form. This floor is limestone by Walker Zanger. Yes, limestone needs sealing and nervous care. I'm usually a conservative type, so I do not recommend it.

As seen in the June issue of Veranda.

What do you think of this combination of tones?

Attention NYC Kitchen Remodelers

This Old House is coming to New York City...get your submissions in by July 4! They're looking for an historic home and a dynamic family. I nearly messed it up and said historic family and dynamic home! This Old House NYC

Anyone from New York City who has a fabulous kitchen renovation? HGTV is looking to shoot a commercial on Monday, the 7th of July! Email me your info and I'll pass it on.

Over The Range Microwave - My Love/Hate Relationship

It's funny...I looked through my project images, and I think I knew right away that I didn't have an image of a project I'd designed with an over-the-range microwave. I may have used this type of microwave a handful of times, possibly many, in builder projects I've done, but, I've always had a huge bias against them...and I bought one yesterday!

Let me just make it simple and do a pros and cons evaluation:

PROS

1. A space saving appliance. For an apartment-sized kitchen, it's no less than a God-send.

(I honestly cannot think of another "pro" to the over-the-range microwave...geez.)

CONS

1. It is typically situated at an uncomfortable height. If one is short in height, or a child, it can be difficult to reach in and out.

2. Along with #1, of course, comes the possibility of danger, first, if the container becomes hot, and one is taking it out at this uncomfortable height, but also, if there are items cooking on the stove and one reaches for the microwave. Take care!

3. If the microwave cannot be ducted out, the fan is nearly useless, as it becomes a recirculating fan.

4. Most microwaves are approximately 12" deep, which only cover the rear two burners if the ducted fan is turned on.

5.  The typical 300 cfm fan capacity is a poor performer in terms of ventilating power.

6. Due to the height of the microwave, very tall pots pose a problem in cooking comfortably, including being able to see the contents of the pot.

I mentioned the reasons that I bought one of these in this post. It's definitely a love/hate thing, I'm sure, for many of us.  Image is from GE, which has a whole lot of choices in microwaves. Kelli, in a comment from the original post mentioned, asked, "What's the alternative?"

ALTERNATIVES

1. Do you REALLY use a microwave, do you really need one? A good question to ask, in general. 

2. Can you find any other space to build in a microwave? If built in, remember, you must have a trim kit for proper ventilation around the appliance.

3. Can you simply place the microwave (perhaps a small one) on the countertop?

4. Check out GE's Trivection range...not a microwave, but a speedy oven, with microwave technology inside.

5. Perhaps a microwave drawer?

6. Are you rich? Buy a TurboChef.

Much of this discussion depends on if the kitchen is being designed from scratch, or, simply, as in my case, a space is open, and now that space will be filled again with this type of microwave. I can deal with this solution for now.

Microwave Must See

Have you seen this LG microwave, below? It came out last year. I did not cover it in this blog, and I rarely have a need for over-the-range microwaves in my design practice, until now, for myself!

You may have read about my apartment kitchen remodel.  Well, to get you up to speed, quickly, while some improvements continue to be done, we're putting the bulk of the renovation on hold for now. The basic issue is that we are undecided on what should drive certain important decisions...resale or personal wants and needs. Plus, since our son will be staying there for at least a couple of more years while in college, there is not an urgency to do the renovation.

SO...in the course of having to remove the existing over-the-range microwave this weekend, due to its extreme venting inefficiency and age, we stopped at Best Buy to pick up another one, a 400cfm model by Samsung, since we were told by our super we could duct it through the existing path in the ceiling. We found most new models were 300 cfms.

BUT, while in Best Buy, all of a sudden, we saw this LG microwave and immediately had a WOW reaction. It's very sexy, it's a few inches deeper than normal, it's taller, which we needed, and best of all, it has a 470 cfm fan, which was very impressive. Our son and his girlfriend cook up a STORM  in our NYC apartment, nearly every night, and the gunk of small airborne particles that settle all over the apartment is not a pretty sight. So, THIS appliance seems to fit what we need for now.

As I've said before, I'm not a fan of the over-the-range microwave in general, for several reasons, but, in this case, the spot is open for it, so we'll fill it. This is the most powerful over-the-range microwave cfm rating I know of, which leads to healthier living in an open kitchen!

I LOVE the lift up door, the cfm capacity, the depth to better cover the burners, and the very cool look!

Viking Range Color - What To Do?

Here's a question from Maryann:

"We are remodeling our kitchen.  The look we're going for is whitewashed custom cabinets with chocolate glaze and a large black  island.  We planned on stainless steel appliances - 42" fridge and 48" viking range.  We were considering the 48" white viking range - would that color work in this kitchen or would a white range be better suited in another style kitchen?"

Maryann

Maryann, right off the bat, it sounds to me like you will be dealing with two different whites...a bright white (if that is what you are referring to) for the Viking, and a glazed white cabinet color, which will be somewhere in the ivory/cream family.

I'd be very careful when mixing whites. Some whites have a pink cast, some a green, some, a yellow, for example. It is critical that you see the actual Viking color samples alongside of your cabinet color, preferrably in your own home during different times of the day and lighting conditions. Pay attention to the tones.

I'll tell you what you may consider. Check out the Oyster Gray. I've used it before. It's deep enough to be enough of a contrast with your cabinets, but only you will be able to tell if the tones work well or not. It's a great neutral shade.

I will also tell you that a lesser used, but beautiful combination IS using white and cream colors together. You may want to carefully think through using white and cream elsewhere in the room as well so that it is viewed as a theme of sorts, rather than one item white and one item cream. Done well, I actually really love this look.

I hope this was helpful!

I'm (Kitchen) Floored!! (Again!)

Had you there for a minute!

I've talked lots about the lightness in Scandinavian kitchens. Light tones are seen in many kitchen materials such as walls, cabinets, countertops, backsplashes and so on. But, I think what is, really, a very cool look, and one that is very UNcommon here in the U.S. are super light floors as are often seen in Scandinavian kitchens. There is SOMETHING about a light floor, and I'm not even sure I can express what it is, but I'll try.

I think light toned floors contribute a number of interesting attributes to a kitchen design:

• The space appears larger than it really is.
• If the walls are light as well as the floors, the space seems to float, almost suspended, and there is a flow to the space that, in all light tones, almost defies description.
• If the large elements such as cabinetry, are dark, the expected contrast is reversed and is a very cool look.
• The space looks clean! One may want to choose an imperfect light floor, so the inevitable nicks and spots are not so offensive.
• In my opinion, it is, at once, modern and elegant.
• The light reflecting work of a light floor contributes to well being, especially in the winter months 
• A light floor helps reduce the need for artificial lighting, a good green solution.

What do you think of light floors? Me, I'm crazy about them! If I didn't have red oak in my kitchen/family room area, I'd definitely bleach it, but it comes up pink. MAYBE, I'll paint them. Here you go, what do you think of light flooring?