Turn Your Kitchen Into An Island Paradise

Just as holiday-goers dream of the perfect tropical island in the sun, those of us who are obsessed with kitchens dream about the perfect kitchen island in a stylish and well designed kitchen.

An island is essentially a cabinet with a worktop surface on it which is located in the centre of your kitchen. If you have enough floor space to add one, they can increase your counter and cabinet space by more than 25% as well as giving you more electrical outlets and more sink options. You can design a kitchen with an island or it can be added later after the fact.

If you feel like your kitchen could benefit from a well-placed island, here are some tips from My Beautiful Kitchen to keep in mind:

Creating An Energy Efficient Kitchen

At a time when energy prices seem to rise monthly, it’s more important that ever to make sure your kitchen is energy-efficient. After all, it’s in your kitchen where you consume most power. In fact, the two most power-hungry appliances in your home are probably your oven and your kettle. Here are some tips on how you can save energy and money in the kitchen.

Going Green In The Kitchen

Becoming environmentally friendly in the kitchen is about more than simply cutting your energy costs. There are plenty of things you can do to help look after the planet’s resources, reduce your carbon footprint and save a few quid while you’re at. Here are Tommy Welsh’s top tips for going green in the kitchen:

Do You Play The Triangle In Your Kitchen?

In every efficient kitchen, there is a work ‘triangle’. This ‘triangle’ is made up of three components: the fridge, where you keep your food, the oven or hob, where you cook it, and the sink where you do the dishes. If there are any obstacles between any of these three, then your kitchen becomes less efficient. This principle operates in any kitchen, regardless of size. So if you’re planning a new kitchen, or redesigning an old one, you should incorporate this idea into the fundamentals of your layout.

CONTINUE READING

Be ‘Appy In Your Kitchen

In previous blogs, we talked about integrating technology into the kitchen.  This week we are looking at the best apps for your Smartphone or tablet to make life easier in the kitchen.

Cooking up a storm

As you might expect, the most common apps you’ll come across for the kitchen are cooking and recipe apps and there are literally thousands out there. Which one suit you best will depend on your level of skill and the type of food you like.

Tapping Into Taps

When it comes to kitchen taps, not many people give them a lot of thought when planning their kitchen. Yet they can make a big difference in how easy your life is in the kitchen. So plumping for a pricey kitchen sink without giving any thought to the taps, and how you’ll use them, could be a false economy.

At My Beautiful Kitchen, we can provide traditionally themed taps, perfect for a farmhouse style kitchen, modern mixer taps for a more contemporary kitchen, or something that lies in-between. Of course, your choice will largely depend on the type of kitchen and sink you opt for.

Growing Herbs In The Kitchen

Nothing adds more colour or life to a kitchen than some plants, especially if you can those plants can be used to improve your cooking. Here are some herbs every aspiring chef can grow easily in the kitchen. If you don’t have room, or a use for them all, simply grow the ones you use most.

Getting Efficient In The Kitchen

Being organised in the kitchen can save you time, hassle and help you enjoy your kitchen more. As every good chef knows, efficiency is key if you want to get a meal on the table fast and leave yourself with less clearing up to do afterwards. Here are a few tips to get your kitchen working better for you.

Your kitchen floor is unlike any other floor in your home. It’s prone to more traffic and spillages than any other. If that wasn’t enough, your kitchen also has to deal with as much moisture as your bathroom – so choosing the right flooring requires serious consideration. That may mean budgeting more per square foot for your kitchen floor than any other room in your home.

Installing A Washing Machine

In an earlier blog, we talked you though replacing a leaky tap – a job that could otherwise be very expensive if you were to call out a handyman or plumber. Here’s another job you should be able to do yourself and save a few pounds into the bargain – installing a washing machine.

Get someone else to do the hard work

Probably the most difficult thing about installing a washing machine is getting it into position, so it’s a good idea to get the delivery person to bring it in and put it into position for you. If you can arrange in advance for them to uninstall and dispose of the old machine away, then all the better. Take a look at how they do it and you’ll have a better idea of how to install the new machine.