A granite counter top may be just a dream to many people who desire one. The cost of granite counter top can run as high as $120 a square foot, and this may not even include the cost of installation. Only those with deep pockets and little involvement should be involved with this type of granite counter top. There are many ways you can get exactly what you want when you shop for a granite counter top online without paying prices that would even shock a millionaire.

The reason that granite counter top is coveted, is not just because it is only a beautiful surface, but is has a hardiness that is long lasting, that makes granite one of the best material to use for counter tops in quite a few of your rooms. When you have a growing family with children of all ages, whether they be your own children or the precious children of your siblings, you will need a rough and ready surface that can take all the abuse a normal family makes. You don’t want to worry that someone is going to drop something and all you build will be ruined.

You can rest assured that when you install granite counter tops in your kitchen, it will be easy to clean up after, it will allow you to place a hot plate on top without consequence, and it will keep the mood of the kitchen light and bright, which is quite important to the cook. When you install a granite counter top in your kitchen, you can be assured of a few generations coming after the present one. A granite counter top is nothing like flimsy board or linoleum, granite is a solid and stone surface on which you can rely.

You family may want to help you choose what type of counter top they think will be the best and will give you and your family the best value for years to come. Well, as a woman, you must realize that whatever project you spend a large amount of money on, if you don’t like it, it’s tough for them. In the end, it is your home, you know your family’s habits and you know how much you really can spend. You and your significant other do your shopping online when you are alone. You may find without interference you come to a better compromise, for a price that is attractive to you both.

For more Information about Granite Counter Tops, feel free to visit us at: http://www.aboutcountertops.net/Articles/Granite_Counter_Top.php

Even if you only make a cup of coffee in your kitchen, chances are there’s one place you interact with in your kitchen more than any other. That place is the kitchen sink. The lowly kitchen sink is now being recognized for its daily contribution to living. The style of sinks is also changing with the times – and it’s no longer the ubiquitous double-sink variety, either.

No longer divided

One of the key changes in kitchen sinks has been the move away from the double bowl. Once the standard for dishwashing, the double bowl sink in today’s kitchen looks almost as old-fashioned as the ice boxes of yesteryear. Over the past ten years, sinks have moved to the one bowl style. The standards include the farmhouse or apron style sink and the single bowl stainless sink. These work the way people cook and clean today. The double bowl was originally designed to allow for filling the individual bowls with soapy and clean water respectively. Few, if any, people do dishes this way anymore. Most dishwashing falls to pots and pans and pre-rinsing before putting the dishes in the dishwasher. Small saucepans would fit in the double bowl sink but few large pots would.

Short on space

The problem with the double bowl sink is that there’s not enough room to wash large pans well. And because of that, it’s easy to bang, scratch, and nick your sink. The idea of updating double sinks was just to make them deeper. That really didn’t help, either. It just meant more bending over to wash the dishes at ever-deeper levels. No, the need was for width. Unlike the double style sink, a large, one bowl can easily handle large cookie sheets, frying pans, and cutting boards without all the scratching and with room to spare.

To the trough

The farmhouse and one bowl sink has now made even more headway in the kitchen with the recent trough-style sinks. These longer, narrower sinks allow more than one person to clean dishes side by side. Some select trough sinks for tandem dishwashing, some for cleaning crafts and cleaning side by side, others just for their unique appearance. Many of the trough sinks look like sinks from the turn of the century – you may have even seen them in older homes. Will you see more of these? Probably. They’re interesting and if you do a lot of dishes, you might just need one.

More than dishes

A sink now does more than clean up after cooking. A sink can become a focal point in the kitchen. Put in an interesting-looking sink and it can make a statement. If a single bowl would work for you and you want to update your kitchen, a kitchen sink is an easy and affordable improvement. Most home centers carry single bowl sinks in the $200-$400 range. If style is the key concern, try a hand-hewn stone single sink for about $1,700 at Sinksgallery.com. They have copper, stone, and stainless sinks with beautiful detailing. But never choose a sink based just on looks – or what you’re used to.

A client of mine wanted a one bowl apron-style sink for her kitchen renovation (which would be a great choice design-wise), but her friends insisted she go with the double bowl because that’s what they had. We discussed the pros and cons of both sink styles. That’s how you should choose, too, because the sink needs to work the way you wash not what the styles dictate. I chose a one bowl style for my home and I’ve never been happier doing the dishes.

Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter feng shui e-zine and is dedicated to helping her readers develop successful, prosperous, and supportive environments with feng shui. To subscribe, logon to http://www.redlotusletter.com and receive this Special Report FREE 16 Feng Shui Secrets for Greater Prosperity

The white kitchen was extremely popular for about ten to fifteen years way back in the nineties and eighties. However, in the years since the turn of the millennium, the white kitchen fell out of favor and took a decidedly back seat to stained wood. Yet the versatility of a white kitchen with it’s clean appeal and soothing look has never really gone away. Instead, the white kitchen is making a return with some new twists that make it look fresher, up to date and more appealing than ever.

White vs. white

The first place to change in the white kitchen is the kind of white used on the cabinets. White is no longer just white. Now, white cabinets range in whiteness from bright white to antiqued white. Both look fresh and current, but with a different appeal. If the bright white kitchen appeals to you, then the whiteness, just like it was in the eighties and nineties, is the key. Sheer white cabinets look especially good in vintage style kitchens. White cabinets with Craftsman style frames look beautiful in bright white. Cabinets with old fashioned cup style drawer pulls make a beautiful pairing. Add the nostalgia of white marble countertops and you have a winning combination.

To keep the kitchen extra vintage-looking, have appliances such as the dishwasher and refrigerator dressed with cabinet doors and this will make them blend into the kitchen and not detract from the look. But if a fresher, more current style is what you’re after, add shiny stainless appliances and your kitchen will be up-to-the-moment gorgeous with a slight contemporary feel. It’s this pairing of stainless with white that creates a nice contrast of color with sparkle. Having stainless appliances with white cabinets makes the white kitchen up to date versus the monochromatic – and dated — look of white cabinets with white appliances. If you have a white kitchen in need of updating, adding new stainless appliance might be all it takes to bring your kitchen out of the nineties and eighties and into the 2000’s.

White with color

Another way to update that all-white kitchen is to add a touch of color to your cabinets. If you have an all-white kitchen and a white island, consider replacing the island with a wood cabinet island or simply paint the island a contrasting color. Another distinguishing feature of the white kitchens of today is the attention to detail. Cabinets today have more detail and much, much more moulding. The crown moulding at the top of the cabinets makes the kitchen more current and is a mark of quality cabinetry. Adding crown moulding to the top of older cabinets is an inexpensive option that will help make the kitchen more current and the cabinets more substantial, but the cabinets still need a finishing touch. This can be done with a toned down shade of white paint on the cabinets and a wash of stain in the crevices of the design. Adding the layer of stain brings out the details in the cabinets and makes it look more today and not so bright.

A standard

White kitchens are gorgeous. If a new kitchen is in your remodeling plans consider a white kitchen for their overall appeal and interest. And, if you’re updating a white kitchen, simply creating more attention to detail – such as adding new pulls, changing old solid surface and laminate counters to natural stone, adding mouldings, and some color, can make about a twenty year difference in the look of your kitchen.

Kathryn Weber is a home and decorating columnist who publishes the Real Home E-Zine. She welcomes your comments and questions. For more information, go to http://www.kathryn-weber.com or email questions to Kathryn@kathryn-weber.com.

These days, kitchen sinks are becoming more and more of a central focal point in kitchen design. In the past, sinks are only seen to be the area where you clean up, but designers and DIYers have realized the impact that kitchen sinks create through their visual and functional appeals.

Here are the most popular kitchen sink styles today:

Vessel Sinks

Vessel sinks, also known as basin sinks, have become popular in contemporary kitchens. These types of sink are slightly recessed from the counter, and usually placed slightly above the counter top, instead of below it as in traditional sinks. Due to its recessed nature, a vessel sink is largely visible so that it makes a major design statement.

There are a variety of vessel sinks available and they are made of various kitchen-friendly materials such as stainless steel, natural stone, metal (copper or aluminum), glass, and wood. Since they are raised above the counter top, it can be convenient to use as home owners need not bend over while working, so it will expectedly be easier on their postures and on their back. The cost of vessel sinks largely depends on the material.

Farmhouse Sinks

Farmhouse sinks, also known as apron sinks, are becoming quite a trend as well nowadays. They are named so because they imitate the rectangular, deep look and visible front that is very common in vintage and rural houses. They can either be mounted or placed on top of the counter top, and these basin-style sinks usually do not have a deck on its exterior so that faucets and other accessories can be installed directly onto the counter top, or somewhere beside the basin.

Most farmhouse sinks are made from enamel or white porcelain, but a lot of manufacturers have started to use other modern materials such as stainless steel, fireclay, natural stone, copper or wood. They are available in single and double basin styles.

Prep and Entertainment Sinks

Many home owners have recently discovered the advantage of having a slightly smaller, secondary sink. These auxiliary sinks create a huge difference in terms of the kitchen workflow. These prep or entertainment sinks offer an additional workspace for other minor functions such as for wine to chill, for someone to assist in chopping onions or for washing the hands before eating a meal.

Trough Sinks

For kitchens which are rather crowded, conventional rectangular or square sinks can be a problem as it offers only a limited space. Trough sinks have been developed to accommodate two, three or four drains and faucets, so that there can significantly be enough elbow rooms for big families who look to cook. These are best for big kitchens, restaurants, and so on.

Seamless Sinks

Nowadays, sink styles have evolved into seamless designs. People have realized how difficult it is to clean the spaces and crevices between the sink and the countertop. In seamless sinks, the sink and the counter top are put together in one single piece so that pushing food, dirt or spills right into the drain is as easy as 1, 2, 3. With seamless designs, it is a lot easier to maintain a clean kitchen.

Kitchen sink designs slowly evolve to fit the needs of home owners. Thus, if you are choosing yours, make sure that you choose one that fits right into your functionality needs, as well as the overall kitchen design you want your kitchen to be.

Purified water is in higher demand than ever before, and under sink water filtration systems are a way to ensure that the water your family drinks is as pure and healthy as it can possibly be. Similar to countertop and faucet filters, systems located under the sink tie into your plumbing system and clean your water before it enters your drinking glass. There are many different options on the market. Doing some research on the various products available will help you choose a system that works best for you.

Under sink water filtration systems installed throughout your home are the most efficient and effective way to filter the water you and your family consumes. Remember that the kitchen is not the only place with a sink; you also ingest water when brushing your teeth. As such, bathroom water should be filtered as well. For the most comprehensive protection in your home, water filtration systems sink based are ideal.

Some people consider installing a system that will filter all water at the point that it enters the home, rather than installing individual systems for each faucet. This whole house filtration option is not the best choice if you are very concerned about the safety of the water you drink. This is because some contaminants in home drinking water, specifically lead and vinyl chloride, can come directly from the pipes in your home. Water filtration systems sink based will be able to filter even these local contaminants from your water.

One of the benefits of using under sink water filtration systems is that they do not take up counter space like their faucet based counterparts. Hidden behind cabinet doors under the kitchen sink, for example, this type of system doesn’t crowd the often limited space around the sink and it won’t need to be wiped off as stray splashes and food particles escape. And since under sink water filtration systems are installed in cabinets, they can be larger and contain more filtering processors than smaller countertop models.

Effectiveness, availability, and prices vary for water filtration systems. Sink systems can be compared by using data that should be provided within, on the packaging, or on the manufacturer’s website about the proven effectiveness of the filter to remove specific toxins from your water. If you can find nothing with the products that certifies the effectiveness of the under sink water filtration systems, consider another manufacturer. Companies that have designed a quality product should be proud to share with potential customers the evidence of the effectiveness of the systems they sell.

Beware, though, of water filtration systems sink based that claim to remove all biological contaminants, chemicals and minerals from your water. This may not be what you want. Trace minerals, naturally present in all water, are essential to human health. Studies have shown, for example, that people have developed mineral deficiencies and related other health problems from drinking only distilled water, which is water that has no mineral content at all.

Under sink water filtration systems are a smart choice when it comes to ensuring that your family’s drinking water is clean and safe.

When you’re ready for that new kitchen there are three things to consider in order to make your kitchen remodeling ideas a smash hit. This informative article will discuss the many options available to you for your kitchen remodeling ideas. Learn how to add some flair to the next project with a sink, some counter tops, and a few stylish pots and pans.

How Much Space Do You Have?

When creating your kitchen remodeling ideas you should think about the available space you have and then get creative. If you have enough room you may want to consider adding an island to the middle of the kitchen. This will add terrific value, not to mention a new dimension that most high end kitchens have. Once you have determined your space requirements you can look at other projects.

Not Just Another Sink

The looks and feel of your sink will incorporate two factors. The faucet and the design of the sink are the two primary considerations. When choosing a sink you should visit a local showroom to see the many shapes that are available. When establishing your kitchen remodeling ideas you should consider a double sink if space allows. Having a sink with two bowls is a very nice feature. Usually the two sides provide altogether different functions. One may be for rinsing while the other side may have a disposal and be for vegetables and such. Now once you have a sink chosen you need to consider the faucets.

The faucets are such an influential aspect to the innovative design of your project when making your kitchen remodeling ideas. An attractive faucet can cost a few hundred dollars, but the longstanding benefit is almost always a worthwhile investment. Not only will you enjoy your scouring chores more, but the economic savings may be worth the additional money invested.

Now that you know what type of sink and faucet you will be adding to your kitchen it’s time to choose the counter tops. If you want to add value and enjoy the convenience of cleaning too, then you may want to consider stepping up into granite counter tops. This is a project that may require you to hire a professional. You can hopefully find local contractors who specialize in these types of counter tops. The added value and beauty of granite counter tops will make your kitchen remodeling ideas a real winner.

Pots and Pans Can Make All The difference

Now if you’re looking to spice things up a bit and save some money at the same time, you may try adding some attractive pots and pans. If you have the area in your kitchen remodeling ideas for adding a center island you may want to hang these above the island. Now it’s time to put your kitchen remodeling ideas all together and have some fun.

Does your home have a small kitchen that you want to redecorate? Below you will find some decorating tips for a small kitchen which will hopefully help you achieve the desired result.

When redecorating a small or compact kitchen it can be quite a challenge as not only do you want to maximize the space you have available, but you also want the kitchen to live up to its full potential. The real key to making this work is to simplify as much as possible and hopefully the list below will help.

1. Only use smooth lines and simple patterns as they will help to create the illusion of space in the kitchen.

2. If at all possible align the appliances flush with cabinets so that you have one continuous unbroken surface and reduce the number of visual elements in the room by using simple cabinet styles. On the top cabinets, think about replacing the plain doors with glass fronted ones or do not have any doors at all. This can help to reduce the feeling of being boxed in those solid wood cases.

3. When choosing a color scheme, go for something in a neutral or pastel tone and limit the number of colors and patterns that you use in the decorating. Where at all possible keep the color of the cabinets, walls and floors similar as this also helps create the illusion of space in such small areas. Use bolder colors only as accents in the room.

4. Also, if at all possible, make sure that you have shiny work surfaces and diagonal patterns on the floor as these also create an illusion of space.

5. Remove all clutter. Do not place anything on the surface of your refrigerator. Some kitchen companies can make panels to match cabinet doors for your refrigerator which will make it almost disappear. If you want to display items, then place them on top of cupboards rather than on the counter tops. Any small appliances, recipe boxes and spices should be placed inside cabinets.

6. To expand the volume of the room further using light and windows. Certainly a kitchen full of light is more appealing and easy to work in. Expand this further if at all possible by placing either opposite or close to the window in question a mirror which will help to reflect more light into the room.

As you can see just a few simple changes will soon help to make your small kitchen look bigger and brighter and thus more welcoming to the user.

The cost for your kitchen remodeling project should be based on the value of your home. Investing too much could lead to a poor return on investment or a home valued outside the local market expectations. 15% of home value is a good rule of thumb for a kitchen remodeling budget. Following 15% of home value, it is not inconceivable to get 80% to 90% or more return on investment.

Usually you can expect a lower return on investment for more major remodeling projects due to the increased cost involved in a major remodeling project. If a kitchen has been neglected or is dilapidated you can expect a lower return on investment because much of the cost is consumed by bringing the kitchen to a livable standard rather than actual improvements.

A 100% return on investment is possible. But rather than working designing towards that figure, consider livability as a major component in your kitchen remodeling project budget. Especially if you plan on living at the home for some time to come. You might even love your new kitchen so much that you forget about any notion of selling and moving out.

New kitchen appliances can often be all that is needed in a kitchen remodel project, and can be relatively inexpensive since there is no labor involved other than delivery and installation. Plus, since new, good quality appliances are pleasing to prospective buyers, they can have a favorable return on investment.

Your homes size and your neighborhood should be considered too. If your improvement or remodeling project are extensive compared to the rest of the neighborhood or size of the home, then a high expectation of return on investment may be unrealistic.

You can also consult a local real estate agent to get a good idea of how extensive of a kitchen remodeling project to fund. A good real estate agent with knowledge of your neighborhood should be able to give a good indication of your remodeling project ideas effect on the value of your home. Even if your remodel project is for your own satisfaction, and you have no intent on selling and moving, a real estate agent will usually have a good idea of how much previous clients spent on their kitchen remodels, and the resulting increase in home value. Consider offering the agent a flat fee for their opinion if you have no intent on selling.

To summarize, a kitchen remodeling project can greatly increase the value of your home, and make it sell faster. Return on investment may, or may not be important to you depending on if the project is for your own satisfaction or for selling the home. But do be carefull that your project does not price your home out of the neighborhood.