home design software
Kitchens: The heart of a home
There are many ideas to consider
Now more than ever, kitchens are the heart of the home. People are not just cooking there, but socializing as well. Kitchen entertaining is becoming an increasingly popular mode of relaxing with family and friends. "Americans have an obsession with their kitchens, and because we spend so much time in them, it’s not surprising that most people want to renovate this room," says Ron Gagnon, Wilsonart’s director of design and marketing. Yet, just 15 percent indicated that they plan a kitchen renovation within six months. And, for a whopping 68 percent of these Americans, renovation plans will not take place for up to five years. So what can you do to spruce the place up in the meantime? Wallpaper represents an ideal solution for all 97 percent of those surveyed.
No other decorating component so significantly alters the ambience of a kitchen as wallpaper, regardless of the scope of that room’s renovation or redecoration. Furthermore, wallpaper represents a fraction of the cost of new cabinetry or appliances. So, for those who are delaying a kitchen renovation for reasons of cost, and for those who want to give their renovation a stunning finishing touch, here are some ideas to stew on and help bring your dream kitchen to the front burner.
Many collections from SA Maxwell Co. offer a stunning tribute to the importance of kitchens and the changes that are taking place in kitchen decor. Once limited to fruit-drenched designs and kitschy novelty prints, kitchens now take on a sophistication of pattern previously reserved for parlors, grand entryways and living rooms. Witness, for example, how a zebra print from Maxwell’s British Colonial collection complements the stainless steel appliances, sleek black countertop, and modern accessories of a contemporary kitchen. Two different wood finishes on the cabinets and white moldings warm the room, and a tropical monkey wallpaper border removes any vestige of hard-edge modernity while preserving the overall contemporary style. Wallpaper can dramatically alter perspective. Three very different, yet coordinated patterns and a border from the Maxwell Kitchen & Bath collection combine to transform the eating area of a more traditional kitchen into a seemingly high-ceilinged special family enclave.