Posted by Amanda Clarke, May 8, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Permits nearly in hand, contractors lined up, cabinets on schedule, appliances ordered—we are finally about a week or two away from beginning the actual construction on our new kitchen. With that in mind, this past weekend was a whirlwind of last-minute decision making and ordering and the realization of a potential snafu: tile.
The Tile Design
Though we had selected cabinetry and appliances with decidedly clean, modern designs, much of our initial design inspiration had come from the aesthetics of old apothecary shops and the pre-war details of our building. Thus, we had decided early on that we wanted to use small hexagonal tiles Though the majority of the floor was to be tiled in one color, we were going to incorporate a band in a complementary color, around the perimeter of our kitchen and the adjoining hallway, to echo similar bands in the hardwood floors throughout our apartment.
The Tile Type
In several stores we’d found sample boards from two companies displaying just the type of tile we were looking for, in a range of colors. These were unglazed "color body porcelain" tiles, meaning that they were colored throughout, not just coated with color, as is the case with glazed ceramic tiles. We liked the idea of the unglazed, matte finish to reduce glare, provide some slip resistance and to add a subtle warmth and texture, and our research assured us that the rate of absorption for porcelain tile was so low that we’d have to let something like red wine or tomato sauce sit on the floor for quite a while before it left a stain. Also, because these tiles are colored through, chips and scratches only reveal more of the same color, making them virtually undetectable. So it seemed, we’d found a great functional and aesthetic fit.
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Posted by Emily Koh, April 15, 2008 at 5:00 PM
It's from the weekend, but there was a lot of great info in the New York Times's special kitchen issue. Here's a rundown of what you may have missed.
Posted by Robyn Lee, April 15, 2008 at 12:00 PM
The kitchens of 1999 didn't turn out as advanced as 1967 would've hoped. All a busy mother had to do was punch a dinner choice into the computer and a few seconds later a pre-portioned frozen meal would pop out of a conveyor belted microwave oven fully cooked. (Asshole husband and ODC son hopefully not included.)
Watch the video, after the jump. [via Bitten and TreeHugger]
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Posted by Robyn Lee, March 19, 2008 at 11:00 AM
What goes on inside the vegan kitchen of musician Moby's New York City apartment? Watch Epicurious' video tour to peek into his refrigerator, look at his favorite kitchen tools ("If you're hungover, [the microwave] becomes your best friend"), and learn how to make vegan blueberry pancakes with spelt flour, oat bran, and wheat bran.
Posted by Amanda Clarke, March 6, 2008 at 10:30 AM
An example of kitchen cabinetry from Veneta Cucine.
It has been more than a month since my last post about our kitchen renovation, and unless one counts an evening of hasty plaster removal, the physical work has yet to begin. Nonetheless, we’ve made progress.
As we had more or less expected, the lynch pin of the project, effecting overall scheduling, design and budget, has been the kitchen cabinetry.
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Instead of focusing on losing weight by watching your diet, maybe you need to watch your kitchen. The New York Times's Well Blog gives an overview of Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?, a new book by Peter Walsh that explains how to de-clutter your home for a healthier lifestyle. If you want to start "stripping away the excess 'fat' from your kitchen," get rid of those kitchen appliances you don't use anymore along with anything that's broken, stained, or chipped.
Posted by Lia Bulaong, May 9, 2007 at 5:01 PM
I can't place my finger on it, but there's just something I really love about this illustration of a dream kitchen circa 1944. LR Monkeytoes found it pasted into one of her mother's scrapbooks from back in the day: "She not only cut out these types of photos but also ones of fresh fruit, a glass of orange juice and other foods not readily available in rural Canada in the 30's! "
Posted by Lia Bulaong, April 5, 2007 at 8:28 AM
Tomorrow, April 6, is the last day to enter Apartment Therapy's Smallest, Coolest Kitchen Contest 2007, for "people with kitchens in apartments under 65 square feet and living in the U.S. We are seeking the 20 most ingenious and beautiful submissions of kitchens along with all the tips and resources we could all use to improve our own kitchens."
