Put some Bling in your Kitchen

Beautiful cabinets and stainless steel appliances combined with granite countertops add to a lovely kitchen space. However, what if you want something unusual and uniquely yours?

How about building some bling into your backsplash? This kitchen provides just one example of what’s possible when you take some chances and add some tiles with personality and shine.

The space behind your range naturally shapes an opportunity to create art in your kitchen. The image-shaped rectangle benefits from some creativity. In this case, small metallic tiles provide an eye-catching display. Adding a few tiles at the corners of the 12-inch stone squares carries the theme throughout the rest of the backsplash.

Carefully-placed lighting catches the brilliance of the simple mosaic with long thin glass pieces acting as a frame. For a minimal cost, this kitchen has moved from nice to stand-out with the kind of wow factor that is irresistible in a new home.

Be sure to add accessories that complement your backsplash choice to integrate it with the rest of the room. Notice the appealing bowl to the right in gold and copper metallic tones. The variety of colors in these tiles open up the kitchen to almost any metallic choice. They connect to the stainless as well as the warmer shades in the granite and cabinets. When you choose your backsplash option, look for versatility as well as personality so that you can make adjustments to your kitchen’s look more easily.

It’s worth taking some extra time and spending a bit more to create a backsplash that will set your kitchen up to be remembered. Enjoy finding just the right choice for you and your home.

Choosing your Countertops

Think of your countertops as serving two purposes. You want them to look good, but first they need to be functional. Do you want the rich sturdy characteristics of granite? While it may require sealing once a year or so, overall its strength and durability make it an ideal surface for someone who is more than a casual cook.

Perhaps you want something that is totally maintenance free? Quartz and other manmade solid surfaces mimic stone or provide other inviting looks with no sealing or special treatment. This choice is both practical and beautiful.

If granite is your preference, just take a look at a few of your options at the Fulton Homes Design Center. Would you prefer darker tones or lighter? Do you want a consistent design or one with lots of changes in color and personality? The samples in this room are large enough to give you a good sense of each variety and help you decide how you want your countertops to add drama and style to your kitchen.

At Fulton Homes, you have the opportunity to choose your own granite slab. Since every piece of natural stone is somewhat different, this gives you the chance to find one that suits you. Be sure to bring in a sample of the cabinets you chose along with your flooring. You may want to wait to choose a backsplash until after you select your countertop so that you can make sure everything works well together.

If combining all of these selections seems overwhelming, don’t worry. That’s why you have a designer assigned to work with you. This way you benefit from their years of experience and knowledge to ensure that you achieve the kitchen of your dreams.

Dark Cabinets Enrich Kitchen Design

You have many decisions to make when designing your kitchen and one of the most important is selecting the right cabinet finishes. If you want a kitchen that feels luxurious, consider dark cabinets. The rich tones make the space inviting and the contrast with other features provides a high style look.

This kitchen blends modern choices such as the simple cabinet fronts and the stainless pulls with more traditional features such as the crown molding and the tile medallion displayed over the range. The glass fronts on several of the upper cabinets allow you to bring some color and contrast in those areas depending upon what you place on the shelves.

When you choose dark cabinets, it’s smart to look for contrast with the other options. This floor is a mid-tone light brown porcelain tile with the look of stone. It provides a beautiful and low-maintenance choice for flooring in a kitchen, and also helps the cabinets stand out.

The countertops are white marble with grey veining. This provides the greatest contrast with the cabinets, creating a pop of brightness. The backsplash is a tile mosaic that combines light, dark and mid-tones, pulling all of the elements of this kitchen together. Once again the look is contemporary without being overly modern.

Wrap this kitchen up with stainless appliances, but notice that the refrigerator matches the cabinets rather than carrying through the metallic look. This option has become more common as people realize that the large expanse of metal can be a distraction in a kitchen space. It also eliminates the constant need to wipe fingerprints off the most used door in the kitchen.

If you have a flair for the dramatic and want your kitchen to reflect that, consider dark cabinets as your design starting point.