kitchen designer

Aster Cucine Stunning and innovative designs from Europe bring a whole new approach to thinking about work space in the kitchen The Aster look is clean with defined lines and hidden hinges. Revolutionary hardware made this type of cabinet possible. The use of full overlay doors draws your focus directly to the door’s style. Often European styles have a more contemporary look. However, traditional door styles can still offer the sophistication of European styling. Aster Cucine bring three things to design in general: innovative design, unusual materials and innovative technology.Because they are so passionate about food, European designers really focus on function and ergonomics. 

Aster Cucine is one of the unique and luxurious Italian kitchen cabinet manufactures in Italy. our Kitchens is an Italian crafted cabinet design company Established in 1983, Aster is today a young and dynamic company, always ready to interpreter the new trends in the market in terms of product and service.The firm is deeply pervaded by a “service oriented” philosophy that has developed a comprehensive company-product-distribution system geared to meet fully the aesthetic and functional requirements of each individual customer.     

Cabinets your options

The Box
 

First you should understand what lies behind the cabinet door—the cabinet box. Your response may be a smug, Duh! But cabinet construction can get complicated rather quickly. There’s more going on than you might think. It breaks down by:
• Framed construction 
• Frameless construction
 In framed cabinets, wood joinery holds the parts together. Horizontal rails and vertical stiles secure the door to the box. In frameless cabinets, special hardware fittings do both jobs. Because no rails or stiles block the way, frameless cabinets offer slightly easier access to their interiors.

You might be surprised to learn that solid wood rarely forms the cabinet box. It’s more often used in face frames and doors than in the larger side panel parts. That’s because it tends to warp—a special concern in the kitchen where the moisture level changes frequently. But in the doors, using multiple strips of lumber in a variety of sizes can reduce the warp factor. A “floating” panel might also be used. The panel floats because instead of being glued to the doorframe, its edges sit between wooden grooves, allowing the wood to move more freely with changes in the kitchen’s humidity.

Box materials typically contain wood chips, other wood by-products, and synthetic additives to make them especially strong and warp resistant.

Your options for box material include:
• Plywood
• Particleboard or furniture-grade flake board
• Medium-density fiberboard
All have solid reputations for durability and screw-holding power, particularly plywood. Medium-density fiberboard has gained a following for its ability to be formed into door and drawer heads and other decorative features. Furniture-grade flakeboard offers a stronger alternative than particleboard, which you’ll pay the least for.

Often the door and box will be constructed of different materials. A cabinet door might be solid maple and the sides plywood covered with a maple veneer. The same finish would be applied to both, unifying the look. Or you may decide you want different tones on the door and the sides to add contrast.

You’ll want to make sure you know if the finish you like requires a certain base material, and you’ll want to check out examples of your manufacturer’s work. Beware of staples! Staples will pull apart. You want cabinets with thick panels that have been corner blocked and glued or fastened with screws.
How the cabinet door fits over the cabinet box determines its basic type.

Your options for door type include:
• Inset
• Lipped
• Partial overlay
• Full overlay
Inset doors sit within the rails and stiles and lay flush with the front edges of the cabinet box. Truly inset doors are only available with a framed construction, but designers can achieve the same look using vertical pilasters on frameless cabinets.

Lipped doors are routed with a slight wooden groove to fit over the face frame. Partial overlay doors somewhat conceal the frame, while full overlay doors have less than one-eighth of an inch between them. Frameless cabinets have full overlay doors but some framed cabinets have them as well. You can tell for sure whether a cabinet is framed or frameless by opening a door and checking for rails and stiles.

Besides door type, you’ll want to consider different door shapes. One cabinet manufacturer may
 
Door Styles
 
How the cabinet door fits over the cabinet box determines its basic type.

Your options for door type include:
• Inset
• Lipped
• Partial overlay
• Full overlay
Inset doors sit within the rails and stiles and lay flush with the front edges of the cabinet box. Truly inset doors are only available with a framed construction, but designers can achieve the same look using vertical pilasters on frameless cabinets.

Lipped doors are routed with a slight wooden groove to fit over the face frame. Partial overlay doors somewhat conceal the frame, while full overlay doors have less than one-eighth of an inch between them. Frameless cabinets have full overlay doors but some framed cabinets have them as well. You can tell for sure whether a cabinet is framed or frameless by opening a door and checking for rails and stiles.

Besides door type, you’ll want to consider different door shapes. One cabinet manufacturer may offer hundreds of door styles in an endless array of finishes.

Your options for door style include:
 
Recessed panel
Raised panel
Curved panel
Beadboard panel  
Flat slab  
While the door’s type and shape may supply the backbeat, its color and decoration add rhythm and harmony. A flat slab, oak door stained with a light color, for example, will sing a much different tune than a flat slab, MDF door covered in stainless steel.

Like the finest furniture, the highest quality cabinets are finished in multiple steps, which might include hand sanding, rubbing with steel wool, and hand buffing. Compare it to painting: You want to apply several thin layers so that if it chips it won’t all peel off. The multiple steps also help create a smoother texture and a deeper color.

Your options for how to decorate the door include:
• Stain
• Wood veneer
• Paint
• Polyester
• Plastic laminate
• Stainless steel
• Glass
Stain
Manufacturers use all different names for stain colors. One company’s “amber” may not look anything like another’s with the same name. Think in terms of tone. Choose the wood you prefer and then decide whether a stain with a light, medium, or dark tone will best achieve the effect you’re after.
Your choice of wood will have the most impact on the cabinet’s ultimate look. If you want a light look, for example, you might start with a light wood like ash, beech, birch, elm, oak, maple, or chestnut. In the mid-range, consider cherry with a natural finish. Or you can stain maple to be darker than its natural color.

For a dark kitchen, you’d want to start with a wood that has a little color to it. But don’t start with a dark wood like walnut and try to lighten it. You can always darken the color of lighter woods, but it’s hard to go the other way.

You can also consider clear finishes rather than stains on cherry, walnut, and other woods rich in color, such as butternut, mahogany, rosewood, and teak.

A stain shouldn’t be confused with a finish. A finishing coat is applied over the stain to protect it. Typically, a stain will be coated with a catalytic-conversion varnish to give it durability and sheen—whether matte or high-gloss or anything in-between. When it’s baked on, the varnish catalyzes into a hard, protective finish. You don’t want to top the stain with oil, lacquer, or wax because those substances won’t hold up and will yellow over time. Glazes can be used as an overcoat to achieve certain effects, such as an antique look.
Wood veneer
Wood veneer is made from peeling strips of wood off a tree like you pull paper towels off a roll. As a result, it’s much thinner than solid wood and is typically applied to plywood or particleboard to give it strength. It has two main advantages over solid wood: It can cost less and its grain can be more consistent.

You can stain wood veneer to match a solid wood door and use it on the side panels. Make sure both the veneer and the door are made from the same wood species.

Wood veneer also makes an attractive option for cabinet interiors visible through glass doors.
Paint
With paint you certainly have an endless palette of colors to choose from. You can also achieve a range of special effects. Paint can look smooth and glossy or it can be sanded, rubbed off, or dented with rocks to look distressed. But you should be aware up front that hairline cracks will appear at the joints of solid wood doors as the wood expands and contracts. You can avoid cracking if you apply paint to MDF, a solid material that doesn’t move with humidity changes.
Polyester
It isn’t that big of a leap to cabinets from cars, on which this finish has been commonly applied. The same durability and quality needed on the road is also appreciated in the kitchen. There, polyester can be found on appliances as well as modern-style cabinets, in a glossy or matte finish. It fills the pores of the door more fully than paint, giving it a solid look and feel.

The technique might involve more than 20 steps of sanding and finishing. There’s even a step where a special topcoat is applied in a dust-free (!) room. The finish goes through numerous oven curings and hand sandings with extremely fine abrasives. Special glazes and polishes applied at the end help achieve the final, mirror-like sheen.

Perhaps not surprisingly, all that elbow grease makes this one of the more expensive finish choices.
Plastic laminate
Plastic laminate comes in all kinds of colors, patterns, and textures. It’s durable, stain-resistant, and easy to clean. But it can be hard to repair if it chips because it’s made of layers—sheets of kraft paper (like that used in grocery bags), a decorative paper, and a plastic coating. The layers are all pressed together under high heat.

The kraft paper leaves a brown edge that can be covered and dressed up with a stainless steel, brass, or wood trim. Solid-color laminate offers a slightly more expensive alternative that uses plastic sheets of the same color throughout so that no dark edges show.
Stainless steel
Stainless steel can be found on just about every design element in the kitchen these days. On cabinets, it’s typically formed around an inner core material to give it substance and keep it from sounding tinny. While you can get a very sleek look from stainless steel, it shows fingerprints and scratches.
Glass
Glass presents yet another option for the look of the cabinet door. Mixing glass in with other door fronts in the kitchen can add interest to any design, particularly to stock cabinets that might otherwise lack unique touches. Some glasses are ribbed or etched so that the colors—not the messy details—of the dishes or cereal boxes sitting behind them show through. The ribbing may be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. Other glass doors may be clear or colored
Drawers
The drawers will likely be made of solid wood or MDF; have framed or flat slab fronts; and be held together with either dovetail, mortise-and-tenon, or butt joints.
Your options for drawer slides include:
• Full extension
• Ball bearing
• Track and roller
• Wood
 Full-extension slides attach to the bottom or the sides of the drawer and provide full access to the drawer interior. Their ball-bearing system adds stability and strength. Stronger versions can be used to store heavier items, such as files or cookware.

Ball-bearing slides attach to the bottom of the drawer sides. Usually standard on high-end cabinets, they offer smooth, quiet operation. Their concealed runners mounted to the bottom of the drawer don’t get as dirty as those mounted on the

side. They allow for a wider drawer box with a more usable interior space.

Track-and-roller slides attach to the drawer sides. Their epoxy-coated steel tracks and nylon rollers offer quiet operation but are less stable than ball-bearing ones.

Wooden slides work as slots in the drawer sides or bottoms and move the drawer along a wood runner. This option has fallen out of favor because the drawers tend to stick as the wood expands and contracts
Pulls & Knobs
Even the most beautiful, most expensive cabinets won’t be worth much if you can’t get into them. That’s where the hardware comes in. But it doesn’t have just a practical value. Regarded as the jewelry of the cabinets, it’s a detail that can make a strong statement.

You’ll find hardware in all different kinds of materials and finishes, from brushed chrome to plastic to ceramic to glass to forged iron, and in all shapes and sizes. You’ll want to decide if you want your pulls to blend in with the cabinets or become a decorative accent. Or you can make them virtually disappear: You can select a touch-and-release style or doors that hang slightly below the cabinet so that all you do is pull on the lower edge to open them.

Practically speaking, make sure your choice:
• Doesn’t pinch your fingers
• Attaches firmly to the cabinet
• Is in proportion with the size of the cabinet doors
• Is easy to grasp, especially if located above the refrigerator or vent hood
Accessories
You don’t have to be an organized person to have an organized kitchen. The right interiors and shelving accessories can do most of the work for you.

 Spending some time up front thinking about how you use your kitchen and what space and storage needs you have can save you time not only during the installation of your new kitchen but also during the preparations for your first dinner party in the new space.

With a little planning now, you won’t have to think twice about where to find the ice tongs or the corkscrew. Consider everything that’s in your kitchen now and where you would put it in your newly configured space. Note on your new-kitchen blueprint what you plan to store in each cabinet and drawer.

Don’t be content with just adding rollout shelves in your base cabinets. Check out the growing number of options for how to make drawers give you more storage space. They’re being used now to store plates, pots and pans, and snacks—not to mention all the appliances, including refrigerators, wine chillers, and dishwashers, that now come as drawer units.

 You can also gain storage space with the narrow, 4-inch-to-10-inch wide slide-in shelves that look like posts when they’re pushed in. They can give you extra room without taking up whole sections of the cabinets. They can hold spices or soups by the range, cleaning supplies by the sink, or wine bottles by the glassware.

And remember that the standard dimensions for cabinets are becoming less and less so. Find out from your designer or cabinetmaker how much you can push it. Maybe you can add 6 inches of storage to your base cabinets, making them 30 inches instead of the standard 24 inches deep. Or you could make your upper cabinets a foot taller and add 3 to 4 inches to their standard 12- to 13-inch depth.

Your options for storage solutions include:

Shelves
• Rollout shelves
• Foldout banks of shelves
• Swingout shelves
Baskets
• Pullout wire baskets
• Under-the-sink pullout wire baskets
Bins
• Pullout trash and recycling bins
• Trash receptacles under butcher blocks with cutout holes
• Grain storage bins
Drawer dividers
• Cutlery compartments
• Spice drawers
• Utensil dividers
Other
• Tiltout panel in front of sink
• Lazy Susan shelving
• Corner wall cabinet with open shelving
• Diagonal wall cabinet with rotary shelves
• A spice door rack
• Vertical slots for trays and baking sheets
• Open shelving for decorative or commonly used items
• Undercabinet wine rack
• Plate rack over sink
Cabinetmakers
Once you get some ideas for the style of your cabinets, look for a manufacturer that can deliver your dream door. The main types are:
• Custom
• Semi-custom
• Stock
The decision often comes down to:
• Your design requirements
• Your time frame
• Your budget
Perhaps not surprisingly, you’ll wait longer and pay more for special sizes, finishes, and decoration. Custom offers the most choices; semi-custom provides some flexibility in the cabinets’ dimensions and finishes; and what you see is what you get with stock.

Be sure to consider who will be using the kitchen. As one cabinet expert noted, “When the kids pull the drawers out and use them as a ladder to the cookie jar, they won’t last long whether they’re custom or stock.”

 HOW TO CHOOSE A KITCHEN SPECIALIST

Try googling kitchen designers and you’ll get over 15 million listings—so many names, so little time. 
To find a specialist who is right for you, you’ve got to do your homework.  Ask friends, relatives— there’s nothing like word-of-mouth from satisfied customers.  If you’ve moved to a new state and don’t know anyone, then study websites/yellow pages for local kitchen designers and visit their showrooms. 

How do you tell a professional from a salesman ?  Look at their portfolios and ask for customer referrals from photographs that you find appealing.  Clients happy with their results will be thrilled to showoff their kitchens and a professional designer will have phone numbers.  Scam artists may have wonderful pictures of dream kitchens but they will NOT have actual customers to go with these photographs.

Do you feel comfortable with the designer?  If the rapport between you isn’t good, don’t expect your new kitchen to be either—go with gut instinct.  Get three-to-four references and check them out.
Get information about a kitchen specialist’s reputation.  Ask to see professional certification and state licenses.

Though Internet prices may seem lower, do you really know from whom you’re buying?  Will they be there if a part is missing or if you have a problem?  Websites can be extremely attractive but did they actually design those gorgeous kitchens or download pictures from other sources.  Also, reputable manufacturers sell to authorized dealers with actual showrooms.

Get bids from several kitchen designers. If their price ranges are in the same ball park, you can be assured that they are honest…if one of the bids is too low, do NOT do business with him/her—in the long run you will wind up paying way too much for a substandard job.

If you cannot understand your designer/contractor do NOT hire that person.  Residential construction can easily be explained to the lay person.  Clear communication and interaction with the design professional is crucial.  A kitchen specialist understands all the intricacies and hidden booby traps that can undermine any project.  Once your kitchen is under way, the designer will effectively communicate with vendors, installers, contractors and, most importantly, you.

  After                                                                       Before

Location:    Manhattan NYC                                                                              Cabinets : Custom 
Countertop : Granite .
Backsplash: Ceramic tile.

Redesigning a 1920s kitchen
This pre-war kitchen was so cramped and inefficient; the client was barely motivated to make a cup of coffee in it. The client wanted a new kitchen that would also reflect the architectural style of his 1920s apartment. The budget did not include the expense of knocking down walls, so we moved the doorway instead, which became the key to the renovation.  Centering the doorway on the tiled wall created more of a balance in the room and allowed the new refrigerator to fit neatly behind the passage that extends from the doorway.  Without changing the layout, the out-of-date appliances and plumbing fixtures were removed and replaced with stainless steel models. This kitchen features custom, yellow-painted cabinetry with custom glass-pane doors, similar to the kitchen’s original style. The counters are honed black granite that contrasts with the 3×6-inch ceramic white tiles on the walls. Lighter colors on walls and ceiling draw the eye upward making the room appear larger.  

Location: Loft midtown Manhattan
Designer: Urban Homes kitchen showroom NYC 
Cabinets : Luxor
Countertop : stainless steal / stone.
Backsplash: 1” x 1” stone.

“Originally a textile factory built 120 years ago, the building was converted to residential several years ago. The original kitchen had four walls and a door. The client wanted a more contemporary, open feel, so we removed one wall, opening the space toward a living room with a sitting area perfect for entertaining. With a more open flow, we concentrated on getting the maximum  space. We used two levelsof cabinetry that reached 9 1/2 feet. The white cabinets and commercial lighting add brightness and whiteness, which opens it up. Because there is so much cabinetry, we used frosted glass to further emphasize the open look and to provide a break in the white. The client wanted stone countertops, but based on the amount shecooks and entertains, stainless steel was a more practical choice. Stone was used in the peninsula with bar sink, under which additional
 

Source: How to Choose a Kitchen Designer 

Unless you’re a designer yourself, you’ll need to hire one.
Kitchens are far and away the most complicated room in any house;
a good guide is worth more than money. 
   
Steps:  
1.   Take some time to educate yourself and refine your tastes.  
  
2.   Learn what goes into a kitchen. Research magazines, books, television shows and Web sites.  
  
3.   Learn as much as you can first. The more you know, the easier the process will be.  
  
4.   Ask for referrals from friends, contractors and craftspeople.  
  
5.   Look for designers among the following groups (listed in no special order): kitchen cabinet showrooms, architects, interior designers, kitchen design companies, design/build general contractors and local cabinetmakers.  
  
6.   Ask for qualifications - how much experience they have and what references they can provide.  
  
7.   Ask to see photographs. You can gather a lot of information just by looking.  
  
8.   Hire someone you feel comfortable with. You’ll be spending time together for the next several months (at least), and not all of it will be fun. Like any relationship, it requires mutual respect.  
  
9.   Be prepared to pay well for a design, from several hundred dollars (for minimal plans and no follow-through) to several thousand dollars, depending on the scope of the project. As with anything else, you often get what you pay for.  
  
10.   Pay separately for the design. Many designers work in showrooms; if you want to commit to buying the cabinets from them, fine, but if you have a separate contract for design, you can go somewhere else later if you want to.   
      
Tips:  
 
Many local schools offer classes on kitchen building and remodeling. These can be a great introduction to the process.
  
 
When interviewing designers, ask the following: how long you are in the kitchen and bathroom business?  What are the payment arrangements? How many drafts of a plan will they provide? Do they use sub contractor or the own employees ?  Will they help pick out appliances, floors, countertops, plumbing fixtures, wallpaper? Will they supply electrical, plumbing and lighting plans? 
   
Warnings:  
 
If a designer - or anyone, for that matter - tells you the process is easy, stress-free and will be complete in two weeks, they’re either lying or stupid. Or both. Don’t hire that person.  
  
 

Kitchen Styles - Color

Your surroundings can affect you physically as well as emotionally, and can alter your outlook on life. For example, studies have shown that blue reduces aggression, that pink reduces stress, and that orange increases one’s energy.

Your bathroom is among the first things you see when you wake up in the morning, and it could set the mood for your whole day. Generally speaking, bathroom colors should be light and airy to keep the walls from closing in, but there are opportunities to add vibrant colors in accent pieces.

Red

the color of Fire, signifies Summer, symbolizes Fame

Mood: Energy, Passion, Power, Excitement

In various cultures, red represents energy and intelligence, authority and power, or leadership and confidence.

In color therapy it represents courage, self-reliance, and vitality. It carries a maximal state of energy.

People who like reds tend to be generous, to appreciate order, and develop keen sensitivities to the arts.

Prolonged exposure can leave one agitated or even aggressive as it increases heart rate and blood pressure. It is a color best used for accessories.

SECONDARY COLORS:

Pink (red + white) is the color of partnership, marriage. In color therapy it is love, truth, and beauty. People who like pink display forgiveness and compassion. Pink: is used in diet therapy as an appetite suppressant; it relaxes muscles, relieves tension, and gives the feeling of gentle warmth and nurturing. It reduces aggression, and alleviates over sensitivity. In decorating, pink is considered a romantic color, best used in dining rooms and bedrooms. Orange (red + yellow) is a color of energy. Mood: Happy, Confident, Creative, and Adventurous Orange will have a gentle warming effect if used lightly. Like red, it should not be used for too long. It stimulates appetite and is not a good color for people who are easily agitated. It is a joyous color; it releases emotion and alleviates feelings of self-pity, and lack of self worth. It stimulates the mind, renewing interest in life; it is a wonderful antidepressant. Apricot/ Peach is good for nervous exhaustion

Yellow

signifies Indian Summer, symbolizes Health 

Mood: Wisdom, Playful, Satisfying, Optimistic

Yellow represents balance or neutrality and long life. In color therapy it encourages meditation, tranquility, and wisdom. It represents energy in balance. People who like yellow tend to be cheerful. Yellow fosters personal power and inner harmony. It is the color of intellect and it is used for mental stimulation. it can be very stimulating though, and it could cause exhaustion. Yellow: energizes and stimulates conversation. It is best suited to daytime rooms that get a lot of traffic.

SECONDARY COLORS:

Brown

is the color of Mother Earth. It brings a sense of stability. However it also relates to retreat from and a fear of the outside world. Beige works well to tone down bolder colors, but works well alone to bring attention to a room as a whole.

Green

Green, the color of Wood, signifies Spring, symbolizes Family

Mood: Health, Regeneration, Contentment, Harmony

Green represents life, love, and youth. In color therapy it is used for balance and self-control. It represents a growing phase of energy. People who like green tend to be patient and persistent. Green is the color of harmony and balance. It is good for tired nerves; it is a good healing color. It is soothing, relaxing both mentally and physically, and helps those suffering from depression and anxiety. It is considered a neutral color that blends well with other colors, and is best used in daytime rooms that get a lot of traffic. Dark green, aquamarine, represents the release of stored energy, called ‘Heaven’s laughter’. People who like dark green tend to trust in intuition, be frivolous and playful. We instinctively seek out this color when under stress. It creates a feeling of comfort and relaxation, calmness, and soothing of emotions. Dark green is used to create drama in decorating and to create an intimate space. Lime and olive green can have a detrimental effect on both physical and emotional health.

Yellowish green is associated with envy, resentment, and possessiveness.

Blue

Blue, the color of Water, signifies Winter symbolizes Knowledge

Mood: Honesty, Integrity, Trustworthy

Blue stands for wisdom, confidence, and independence. In color therapy it brings knowledge, and good health. It represents Energy on the decline. People who like blue tend toward creative self-expression. It is the color of serenity and harmony; it cools, calms, and protects. It will help feverish conditions, and lower blood pressure. It is very good for burns. However, too much blue could leave you cold and depressed. It is a good color for rooms with abundant natural light.

SECONDARY COLORS:

Indigo is a powerful, psychic color; it stimulates intuition and imagination. It is also a strong sedative. Turquoise We associate blue green with the refreshing and cool ocean. It is therefore invigorating, cooling and calming. Like green, turquoise is good for mental strain and exhaustion. It is an elevating color that encourages us to make a sparkling fresh start. Turquoise is also helpful for feelings of loneliness; it heightens sensitivity, and creativity

Purple

Purple, also the color of Fire, signifies Summer, symbolizes Wealth

Mood: Regal, Mystic, Beauty, Inspiration

Purple represents dignity, wealth, and power. In color therapy it is creativity and spiritual inspiration. It represents energy at its maximum dormancy. It is good for mental and nervous problems, and helps connect you with your spiritual self. It aids in the treatment of pain and has been used in psychiatric care to help calm patients suffering from nervous disorders. It is often used in decorating to create an ambiance of luxury.

SECONDARY COLORS:

Violet is a color of transformation at a very deep level, bringing peace and combating fear. It is connected with artistic and musical creativity, sensitivity, and compassion. Purple and Violet can exert strong psychic influences, however, and a person attracted by it has to guard against living in a fantasy world.

Magenta When we are feeling despondent and worried about our condition, or feeling angry and frustrated, magenta draws us out of this attitude and lets our spirits soar. It is a spiritual color but it’s also associated with compassion and kindness. Like violet, though, it can be too relaxing. So avoid magenta if you are chronically depressed or introverted.

Black / White

Black

Signifies Winter, symbolizes Career

Black represents dignity, aloofness, and solitude.  In color therapy, it is mysterious comforting, and protective. It is associated with stability, reliability, and peace, but also Death.

Black is considered stark. In large doses, it can be unsettling - even depressing

Black painted walls should be limited to powder rooms, or rooms that are seen but seldom used.

Black accents lend an air of sophistication and openness.

SECONDARY COLORS:

Gray is associated with independence, self-reliance, and self-control. However, gray generally has a negative feeling i.e.; thick gray clouds, fog, and smoke. Grey is the color of evasion and non-commitment since it is neither black nor white.

It is best used mixed with white, and with dark colored accents (reds: burgundy, mauve. blues: navy. green: forest)

Silver is the color of the moon, which is ever changing. It relates to the feminine principles and the emotional, sensitive aspects of the mind. It balances, harmonizes, and is mentally cleansing.

White

White represents determination, leadership, and innocence. In color therapy it stands for peace and comfort, and cleansing of the spirit. It represents a declining state of energy.

People who like white are alert, communicative, and openhearted. White is an all-round color. It is the best reliever of pain, and can give a feeling of uncluttered openness. Too much white, however, can be cold and isolating. It tends to open up spaces lacking natural light.

SECONDARY COLORS:

GOLD: is the strongest color to help cure all illness. It is so strong, however, that people have to be conditioned to gold over a period of time.
 
 
 

This is the winner at the Chrysalis Award competition for 2006 Best Design Build Kitchen Remodel Under $40,000: Urban Homes Inc. Remodelers of New York. They won the prize for this project:

The client wanted a new kitchen that would also reflect the architectural style of this 1920’s apartment. The budget did not include knocking down walls, so we moved the doorway instead, which became the key to the renovation. Centering the doorway on the tiled wall created more balance in the room and allowed the new refrigerator to fit neatly behind the passage that extends from the doorway.

KITCHEN BEFORE

KITCHEN AFTER

The award can be found here.

What makes a kosher kitchen? It’s the way the kitchen is used and maintained, rather than the design or materials, although some materials may be preferable. Ritual Jewish law and practice dictates separation of meat from dairy, and this extends to having entirely distinct sets of dishes, silver, cutlery, cookware, sinks, appliances and countertop areas. During the week of Passover dishes are changed again, and it’s clear to see that observant Jews – particularly those with sufficient space – are in the market for additional cabinetry, as well as all of the other accessories that make a kitchen convenient and appealing. In the real world not every home is large enough to accommodate doubling or tripling of the kitchen space, nor is every customer wealthy enough to handle such a large investment. Those with severely modest means may have to box up Passover tableware and utensils and store them in closets for the other 51 weeks of the year. Sometimes a double sink will have to stand in for two separate units (even a single sink can be permissible, provided it is not of porous material and is properly cleaned before switching from meat to dairy or vise versa). A single dishwasher also may be acceptable to some authorities provided it has a stainless steel interior and the racks are changed depending on what dishes are being washed. Under the circumstances, it’s obvious that any kosher customer with the means id going to want to make their kitchen as large and as workable as possible. Other clients may also want large, easy to use kitchens and more than one dishwasher or sink, but for the kosher observant, it is almost a necessity. One of the more significant differences between a kosher and non-kosher kitchen is that most conventional kitchens are predicted on an invisible work triangle defined by the placement of one sink, one refrigerator and one range. In a kosher kitchen we have two overlapping triangles and, ideally, two sinks, two refrigerators and two ranges. There is more to designing a kosher kitchen than just adding extra appliances. Our Urban Homes designers have designed many kosher kitchens, and as with conventional designs, we realize that the ability to make every inch of space count is a highly valued skill. Accordingly, our designers advise customers to:  

• Eliminate soffits and run cabinets all the way up to the ceiling. Use “magic corner” wire basket drawers to open up dead corners and facilitate cleaning in those corners. 
• Recommend appliances that feature a Sabbath mode. With refrigerators, for example, this means a unit that allows the automatic fan to be turned off from Friday sundown to Saturday night (or to stay in a constant “on” position), thus releasing the residents of a household from inadvertently causing initiation of power usage during the Sabbath period when such activity is prohibited.
• Recommend stainless steel sinks and steel or granite countertops and work surfaces for customers who can’t or won’t have fully discrete areas for meat and dairy. Make sure that the material is a pure granite or stone. Sometimes they are really composites and cannot be kashered. These surfaces can be used for both, provided that they are thoroughly cleaned and that boiling water is poured on them in between meat and dairy operations. 

  According to Star-K, which provides kosher certification, wood may also be kashered as stainless steel if it has a smooth surface and no cracks. Kosher law does not, however, allow kashering of plastic or materials with plastic components. When it comes to choosing appliances, whether the kitchen can accommodate two sets or not, it is important to keep kosher belief in mind. Case in point, according to Star-K, kashering a glass, Corning, halogen or electric smoothtop range can be a difficult process, as it is hard to kasher the area surrounding the actual burners. On a gas range the cast iron or metal grates upon which the pots sit may be inserted into the oven after they have been thoroughly cleaned. The grates can then be kashered simultaneously with the oven, making this and easier process (and possibly a better choice) for the homeowner. Of course, if there are any questions that arise during the design of kosher kitchen, we suggest that customers should be encouraged to ask for rabbinic guidance.