Whiy Fme. Pros, . ckio.clmy, 4n g12,1M95.,Pop 15 A HOME'DESIGN AND IMPROVEMENT FEATURE________ Remodel ng your kitchen B ny.*Marc *Hiil For sethe Idtchen is the nerve centre of the home,Î the place where the day begins and ends. If youre one of the 13 per cent of Canadians Who, accordibg to Canadfian Mortgage and Housing Corporfaon, are planning to renovate your itchien this year, youre proaby wondering where Beoeyou start emptying the cupboards, experts recomnxend you sed mout of -your time planning the fimetion and design of youridtchen. It's great to have a beautiful kçitchen. *But if it's not practical, youve ,wasted yur time and money, says Dona Hrut, 'a certified kiitéhen designer with the Home Depot. Considering the busy nature of the< roomn, mre important elements of design are traffic flow, storage areas and work space. "Thelayout of a kitchen lias to function efficiently. forthe cook 1Design Chat Decorating With a Plan By Arlene Flaro Design Consultant Rousseau Heritage House Ltd. 1) Choose the room you want to decorate first. Somne people choose the Family Roomn because it is wherc they spend their time. Others choose the Living Roomn, their preferred location for entertaining.. 2) Meet with a Designer to discuss your favourite styles and favoured colours. Bring a collection of magazine pictures of rooms which appeal to your tastes. Discuss Floor Planning with your Designer, considering the following questions: How is the roomn used? How niany people do you want to seat at onie timne? Wili there be an entertainment centre in the roomn? These types of questions will enable your Designer to draw floorpians of various layouts suitable for your needs. 3) You now have a colour scheme, a preferred style, and a floor plan. Choose your sofa first. (Ibis is the most important decision you will make as to the colour and style the roomn will take on.) Add chairs, drapery fabric and, lastly, wall colour. If you are happy with your choices, it is timne to make your move. while accommodating the- various activities and needs of the other fami , besaysHiret. Wt most people don't see are the things that make it work wel for you," says Hlirst. She cites the small recycing area and wastebaskets hidden behind doors next to the'sink.' Imuid. cabinets, there should also be a- logi<çal storage plan. Roil-out trays eliniinate the need to empty the cupboard before being able to use heavy po1 sand pans stored at the rear and keep everything within reacli. Tal utility cabinets fitted with swing-out baskets and roll-out shelves provide easily accessible pantry storage. Maimizing the amount of counter space next te work sttions, sucli as the sinl<,. stove and fridge, and planning your cabinet storage te correspond with . your workstation keeps everything close at hand, reduces clutter and provides a spacious work area. "There's. nothing worse than taking a few things out of the fridge and having no counter space te put them on," says IHirst. "1Mospeople are choosing te build ail appliances inte the cabinetry -- even the fridge -- te add extra cupboard spaoe and te gve the kitchen a very sleek lk," she says. Increasingly, says i-rst, homes bave three generations living in them and the needs of thoee three genrations can vary Its important te consider who uses the kitchen, their needs and how you can tailor the design ta bout suit those needs. Your Itchen should function as a faunily living space," says Hirst. For example, she suggests installing a microwave within easy reliof chlfdren and next ta a counter te make it easy for theta ullup steol for aquick mîac. tAswell, te accommodate elderlyfamily members, consider .n-&-j *ng a applianoes and WHEN RENOVATING your kitchen, impor- tant elements of design are tratfic flIow, storage area and work space. A well-desig- counters.at one levelso they don't have te raise and lower their arms and te, make it easy te, move pots from cooktep te, counter. A poular design option for bsfrhmlies is an open concept ldtchen and living area. This concept eases conversation and interaction between family members using both spaces and alo ailows you te supervise younger ehildren while* workcing in the kcitchen. As well, with more people choosing toe etran at hoe, an open deign doesn't cut you off fi-om your guests and lets you show off your beautifully designed itchen at the same time, says Hirst. SThe materials you use will depend on personal teste, but Home show at Iroquois The Whitby Home & Backyard Show will be held at Iroquois Park April 28 te, 30. Local businesses will have dis- plays and- demonstrations in such areas as landscape design, opening and closing a pool, spring fashions, table settings Landscape Contractors and Designers since 1986 (905) 985-9875 1-800-251-LEAF and decorating trends. The show is on Friday, April 28, 4 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Apri 29, 10 a.m. te 9-pm.; S u nday, April 30, 10 a.m.9t P.m Admission is free, and semi- nars are free. For more information, caîl 666- 0212. e Interlocking & Flagstone e Retaining WaIIs & Steps e Shub & Rock Gardens e Fencing & Decks ned ktchen space. H-irst says many people now consider potential resale of their homes when choosing materials and opt for materials and colours with wide appeal. S"ight now, the '90s' version Of the country itchen is in because many elements appeal te a variety of people," says irst. The country, look is characterized by natural wood with a liglit finish or wash finish with the- use of beiges, greys* and taupes; white or black appliances; sleek chrome; dlean limes; tii. floors; and real granite counitertopu. "The country look is also more affordable -these days since the pe 0f granite lias corne down wthin the past few years," she says.j should function as a family living Photo courtesy of Qualltec ltchen and Bath "If you~re having a bard tinie visualizing what your remodeiledl kitchen wiil look like, we offer computer-.generated design layout te help you do the most with the. space you have," says Hiirst. The computer blueprint also shows you te, move thinga aroumd before you have them installed te m lc sur the design will work for you. Hirst recommendu you have your kitchen installed by- ~esoals. "No matter- how dy you are, instaton will make or break your itchen. Therel's no point spending a lot of money on tiles or cabinets if they aren't instiled correctly. "Whatever you decde, the mout important thing is maldng sure the kitchen suits your needa. r--- UTLE 95 CARPET CLEANING SERVICES: Our Difference Cleaner Carpets ls the Time * Last Longer I1TLYU Aek about our a *ALL WORK TELYU >6NErNYour 5 1 GUARANTEED ChIIren '411 THE *BUTJlLERDmDIT." you forlit. *idu Aek about Our I yellow pages Malt-4 5ervice I* DEEP STEAM CLEANUNG * SPrice4 PROFESSIONALS ~IncIud. I - £UgHAM REGION a m * XARDOROUGH - m I..n -- -nmn - n -n -n n - - -n -n - n n n- -i MANY WHITBY REFERENCES AVAILABLE-* FREE ESTIMAE 1 LANNDSCAPING. m 1