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Blog FiltersCounter Balance: How to Choose the Best Kitchen Countertop Surfaces
Friday, November 20, 2020
With all the various materials available for kitchen countertops, we figured you could do with some pointers on how to choose the most appropriate surface to suit your needs and your décor, so we gathered our team of experts and let them loose in our kitchens to help us put together what has turned out to be the internet's most definitive guide on materials for kitchen countertop surfaces.
Kitchen countertops can be formed out of completely natural or synthetic materials, or even some combination of both - all presenting different challenges. Your choice of material may be dependent on its colour and appearance, or what that selection says about your personality - but a forward-planning homeowner should also consider cost, availability, workability, durability, and maintenance needs before settling on a choice of a particular material.
Designer: Craftsmen ValleyFirst of all, before settling on a particular material for surfaces that may become permanent fixtures in your kitchen, one should view and feel samples or mock-ups in person rather than depending on images to be accurately representative - as camera lenses, photo filters, and imaging algorithms sometimes do unpredictable things when reproducing real-life examples.
Laminates Since Formica® was popularized in Europe in the 1950s, laminates have made reappearances in the 1970s and in modern times to affect vintage interiors. Being a material largely composed of sheets of textile or fabric soaked in plastic resins, laminates are easily the most affordable material for kitchen surfaces. Various colours and textures are easily attained with the addition of pigments or thin sheets of natural materials into the compositions, meaning that the availability of laminates is likely the highest among all other materials. However, laminates will fade in direct sunlight and despite their highly synthetic composition, they do not stand up well to excessive moisture or corrosive chemicals such as some cleaning fluids. Although reputed to be susceptible to scratches and to scorching at high temperatures, laminates using modern formulations of resins have greatly increased their resistance to burns and scratches, as well as other forms of wear and tear in recent years.
Designer: IKEA
Wood The warming tones and grains of wood are ideal for creating a rustic or country atmosphere, working equally well when set within modern décors as accents. Wood is simple to work with, a fact that any high school student who has been subjected to woodworking classes can attest to. Wood is also highly workable, enabling curved surfaces that cannot be matched by the majority of engineered materials. Due to their natural origins and versatility in a wide range of interiors, wood is highly priced and limited in availability, meaning that finding large amounts of matching tones and grains may be a challenge. This much sought-after natural material requires a greater degree of care to maintain on account of its relative softness and porosity: wood is easily scratched, although the damage can be removed with sandpaper, but water is perhaps a wooden surface's worst enemy - requiring coats of varnish and regular doses of wood oil to seal gaps and prevent water from seeping in, which would result in the wood rotting from the inside and smelling of a wet forest.
Designer: Casa Indah DesignConcrete Countertops composed of cement and aggregate have been spotted making a resurgence in modern interiors ranging from minimalist to industrial. Relatively low in cost and high in availability, concrete surfaces can be customized in a wide variety of ways. Due to their initial liquid-like slurry state, concrete surfaces can be dyed with pigments, trowelled to form seamless curves, stamped with designs, pressed for marbled veins, or polished to a smooth finish. Concrete surfaces are highly resistant to scratches when fully set, but care should still be taken around this material as it can warp or even crack with extreme fluctuations in temperature, it also discolours with moisture and is susceptible to etching by mild acidic solutions. Due to their porosity when cured, concrete surfaces must be maintained with coats of sealer regularly applied every few months to prevent staining.
Designer: Nevermore DesignStone Natural stone such as granite, and softer stone such as marble, limestone, or soapstone have been popular in the last few decades, due in part to their timeless beauty and unique patterns. Natural stone has to be quarried from the handful of locations around the world known to be fortunate enough to have these beautiful materials thrust through the crust - as a result, the cost of acquisition is relatively high and dependant on the stone's origin and appearance, with availability being almost never guaranteed. Granite is the most durable, but like the rest of the popular stone materials, their natural porosity requires regular maintenance in the form of sealing coats.
Designer: FIX Design SolutionsSolid Surface Typically composed of two-thirds mineral dust and one-third polymer resins, solid surfaces are perhaps the most versatile of all stone-based materials. Solid surfaces can be dyed with pigments and shaped into seamless curves in the same manner as concrete. Due to their composition being based on a by-product of quarrying activities, solid surface materials entail a reduced environmental impact, and they are relatively affordable in comparison to natural stone. Softer than granite, solid surfaces can be scratched - but the damage can be removed by sanding and polishing. Unlike natural stone, solid surfaces are non-porous and do not require sealing at the manufacturing level and little to no maintenance. Availability and installation may be an issue with this material, as the ownership of the high-technology facilities required to manufacture and install solid surface countertops are restricted to a few select entities.
Designer: Havana KonzeptQuartz On the most durable end of the scale is quartz - often called engineered stone, which is composed of crushed stone that would otherwise have been discarded but is instead mixed with pigments and polymer resins to bind them together into the toughest possible material for your countertop. Quartz has been often touted as the material most resistant to scratches and heat, due to the high proportion of stone relative to synthetic materials in the composition of kitchen countertops. The dependence on unwanted stone rather than quarrying new materials makes quartz a more eco-friendly choice when compared against natural stone. The challenges with quartz are few, but considerable in importance: due to their manufacture being dependant on supplies of crushed stone, their cost is likely the highest among all other materials, availability in particular colours or styles may be limited, and by virtue of their hardness - quartz is the heaviest and most difficult material to install without professional assistance.
Designer: CaesarstoneSteel The preferred choice of serious chefs everywhere, steel stands up best to scratches and chemicals - especially when provided with a protective coating composed of polymers or carbon molecules. Various grades of steel are churned out from all corners of the globe, making this material one of the most available - but the heavy equipment and high level of expertise required to work steel into the forms necessary for kitchen countertops makes for relatively difficult and costly custom installations.
Designer: Officine GulloDetailing and Finishes Once you have juggled all the various considerations that go into selecting the material for your kitchen countertop, its appearance, cost, availability, workability, durability, and maintenance needs - you cannot forgo putting some thought into the kind of detailing and finishes you want. Consider details such as bevels or curves to soften hard edges, and polishing the surface smooth for a reflective sheen, or dull for a matte finish to downplay the surface's prominence. You could even take things to the next level by mixing materials together: think a wood block framed in stone, for example.
Click here to see some more kitchens!Alfresco Furnishing: How to Choose Outdoor Furniture
Friday, November 20, 2020
If you're in the midst of designing your outdoor spaces - or if you've just come across our ideas on what to do with your urban garden space, and now find yourself wondering how to go about furnishing your outdoor sanctuary, then this is the guide for you. To help you find the right furniture, we studied a selection of outdoor spaces around the country and arrived at the following list of pointers to keep in mind when looking for your garden furniture.
Function As with any other space, consider the intended purpose of a space before setting out on your search for furniture. Whether your aim is to create a solitary seating lounge or an additional area for communal dining, the function of your outdoor space will help you to determine the kind of furnishings required. Also look to whether your outdoor space is dedicated or shared: a dedicated seating lounge will be able to host furnishings of greater weight and size, while a shared space containing both dining and seating areas may require discrete furnishings that can be moved or stacked in storage as needed.
Size Is your outdoor space wide or compact? A narrow outdoor space would not typically benefit from the placement of furnishings with hefty frames, often making for cramped quarters that contradict the expanse of the outdoors. A more balanced composition could be achieved in narrow outdoor spaces using furniture of sleek designs, with robust furnishings being more suited to wide and uninterrupted spaces.
Image Credit: Les AsiaAs we mentioned previously in our guide on selecting dining tables, there are rules-of-thumb that decorators use to achieve comfortable arrangements of furniture within a defined space. These guidelines suggest that the space typically required between dining furniture and walls would be around 900cm and 1.3 meters, while each seat should be afforded around 60cm to 70cm of space on both sides for adequate elbow room. This same guideline would be applicable for outdoor spaces surrounded by lush greenery, with greater distances afforded if the outdoor space comes with uninterrupted views.
Interior design by: Zids DesignMaterial The consideration of the kind of material that your outdoor furniture should be composed of: wood, stone, metal, or plastic, is largely dependant on the style you want to affect, but it would be vital to keep in mind that the material choice will have an effect on the visual weight and longevity of your furniture.
Interior design by: Sky CreationOutdoor furnishings composed of stone or wood are ideal for arrangements paying homage to traditional styles, but they tend to be bulkier in design, requiring more space as a result so as not to appear overly imposing. As we found with kitchen countertops: stone and wood materials are naturally porous, requiring specialised treatment and dedicated maintenance with sealing waxes or oils to keep their lustre.
Interior design by: Latitude DesignA greater variety of styles may be achieved with outdoor furnishings constructed out of metal or plastic due to their relatively higher strength - even in designs with narrow profiles. With the clear exception of wrought iron furniture, the tendency apparent in metal or plastic furnishings is a lean toward modern and minimalist designs, making metal and plastic furniture ideal for smaller outdoor spaces or for complementing contemporary interiors.
Click here to see some delectable outdoor arrangements.Curtain Luxury: How to Choose The Right Kind Of Curtains for a Luxurious Ambience
Friday, November 20, 2020
Nothing gives your living room a more sensual and luxurious look than high quality curtains. Functional yet decorative, the right kind of curtains can transform any room almost instantly. Here are some tips to keep in mind when choosing curtains to glam up your living rooms. Style and Colour Factor Are you going for a classic look or a breezy one? Starting off with a key style helps to narrow down your curtain fabric choices which play an important role in creating the ambience you desire. It's a good idea to create a moodboard, pairing your chosen colour palettes with fabric samples. For ideas, you can browse through magazines or drop by a curtains showroom like Curtains Place to check out the window treatments on display. Image from Curtains Place Fabric that Fits Most rooms would benefit from cotton and linen, but if you want an opulent ambience, heavy fabrics like suede and velvet are the ideal choice. Think about the level privacy that you desire - for more private spaces, heavier fabrics are suitable. If you want to bring in light or have a hint of the views outside, opt for sheer curtains that are made from lightweight materials. Heavier fabrics offer a blackout effect, and create a more formal, sophisticated ambience, while lighter materials give off a casual and airy vibe. Most importantly, always go for high quality curtain fabrics so they are longer lasting and give you a more elegant look. For instance, Curtains Place provide a wide variety of both and light and heavy curtains that are made from a variety of eye-catching, quality fabrics. Image from Curtains Place Image from Curtains Place Curtain Types There are many types of curtains out there to suit your space requirements. One of the popular ones are panels with rings from which ringed curtain panels hang from rings that are attached to the top of the fabric panel or inserted into the fabric near the top part. As the rod is exposed, it's important to use an attractive wooden or metal rods with beautiful finials at the end of the rod. Box and pinch pleats are also great choices for a more tailored and formal look. Image from Curtains Place愛下廚的你絕不能錯過!最新廚房廚具設計|Top Trends In Kitchen Design 2019
Friday, November 20, 2020
新年前,网路上的热搜空间——厨房,成了大家的焦点词汇。“什么样的厨房设计,你最喜欢?”Balancing Tones: Decorating with Blue and Grey
Friday, November 20, 2020
Blues and greys are a wonderful combination to create a modern and sophisticated interior. To show you how to work with these colours, Curtains Place's latest interior collection, Senses offer a good example on how to add on the essence of comfort and design with a stylish sense of simplicity that can be achieved using this palette. Natural colours combined with rich tones of blue and lavender grey are used in this inspired decor using the Senses collection. The blue in this look is complemented with the raw hues on the walls and floors. Colours get their depth in the textures of the materials. The contrast of white in the patterns, walls and accessories add light to the look. The denim look of the two-toned Arezzo range for the upholstery enhances the natural balance of the colour palette. Styling Tips:- Combine the softness of lavender grey with the intensity of ink blue for a colour combination that creates a restful vibe.
- Natural colour palettes create a feel of relaxed cosiness.
- Leaving a wall exposed or unfinished can add an interesting element to your room can create great backdrop for decoration. You can also opt for a raw textured wall covering. Linen and linen-mixes have inherent properties of insulation and drape excellently.
- Colours translate naturally on linen creating beautiful shades.
- Add chic metallic tones with linen-mixes.
- Nature-inspired patterns make for a simple elegance with their subtle colour palettes.
- Textured and natural upholsteries are the must haves for 2018 in upholstery. Combine it with pillows in rich tones.
Urban Oases: 5 Outdoor Garden Ideas for Urban Homes
Friday, November 20, 2020
The possibilities that come with large gardens are limitless: you could put in a pond for fish, a pool for yourself, a water feature to sit by, wooden decking for large gatherings, a farm so that you never have to go grocery shopping ever again, and a meandering rock path or flowing brook surrounded by lush foliage for a meditative sanctuary. But for most of us living in the city, our options are limited by the space between the substructures of our homes and the edges of our property lines, so we peeked into some yards to list the following ideas for decorating your small garden spaces.
1) PlantersIf you're living in a high-rise structure, your outdoor garden options are probably limited to the balcony. But don't let that dishearten you, as these deceptively narrow spaces can be transformed into lush gardens with the addition of some pots, bowls, boxes, and improvised planters adorning the railings, floor, or walls. If your balcony does not receive much sunlight, consider planting some shade-loving varieties.
This balcony goes a step further towards an immersive garden space with the use of artificial grass carpeting on the floor. Designer: X-Two Concept 2) HardscapingPerhaps gardening is just not your forté and you would prefer to devote your garden to additional space for hosting gatherings instead - implementing wood decking or some other form of hardscape provides a functional platform while reducing some of the landscaping concerns. With a hardscape deck as the centrepiece of an outdoor space, plants become more of an optional adornment that can be replaced by furniture, lighting, or other forms of decoration.
The wooden deck of this home leaves a fringe of grass around the edges for a striking contrast between the green and the wood tones. Designer: IDS Interior 3) Rock GardenWhile hardscaping makes for functional spaces, the act of replacing garden space with architectural finishes does not allow much room for creative expression. For those seeking to unleash their inner artist, we highly recommend the meditative exercise of creating a Zen space in a garden of any size, using your own curated selection of fine or coarse sand, gravel, pebbles, and larger stones. Restrict the shape and size of your rock garden with wood and moss-covered stones - or let it flow freely, then plant herbs or other small plants and maybe even some decorative sculptures among the stones to complete the arrangement.
Image credit: ScapeXpert 4) Water FeatureA significant component of a home with favourable “Feng Shui” - the water feature is almost always expected of both residential and commercial properties in Asia. It is generally a positive thing to have a water feature facing a window or doorway into the home, more so with some varieties of Asian carp (鲤鱼; pinyin: Li Yu) living in it and Chinese Evergreen (萬年青; pinyin: Wan Nian Qing) or other plants around it.
What would have been an insignificant side yard is turned into a meditative corner complete with the sounds of falling water. Designer: Homlux Interior Furnishing 5) FurnitureAny avid gardener will tell you that the best way to enjoy the result of your yard work is with a lawn chair and a cool drink in hand. Placing seating and table surfaces in and around your garden makes for a pleasant change from indoor seating rooms, that and it serves as an excuse to show off your garden. Select ready-made lounge furniture with frames made of natural materials such as wood and stone, or engineered materials such as carbon-coated steel, wrought iron, and UV-cured plastic to better endure the elements, or even construct your own out of reclaimed materials for a bespoke arrangement.
As this outdoor lounge has the benefit of a roof, the ratan weave furnishings will last significantly longer. Designer: Space Living Figure you have the space for a pool? Read our guide on pool design considerations here.5个必看多功能家具
Friday, November 20, 2020
在这个倾向智能化的时代,就连室内设计这回事也无法逃脱。随着 3C 的进步,Smart Home System 也逐渐受到市场的欢迎。但如果你的居家已有一定的年纪,要立刻植入 Smart Home 却不被上一代接受该怎么办?
Creative Home Malaysia 为你重点整理出 5 个你可以下手的新发明,可以协助你达到智能化的家具。- 墙上折叠式餐桌
6 Ways to Cosy Up Your Chill-Out Spot
Friday, November 20, 2020
If you have extra room in your living area, it's good to have a quiet chill-out spot. Perfect for reading your favourite novel, taking a nap or simply having a quiet moment, this spot should be beautifully decorated with cosy materials to create a comfortable ambience. Here are five ways you can blend cosy style with fashionable furnishing in your cosy corner. 1 Calm Composure Keep calm and paint the area with soothing colours. Choose neutral tones for your furnishing but spice it up with brighter details to uplift the space. SQFT Space Design Management2 Haute Seat Your choice of seating furniture is key here. Choose one that truly fits the way you would use your chill-out spot. Interior design: Yong Studio
3 Lounge Luxe If your chill-out spot is in the study, always include a lounge or sofa bed for those days when you need a power nap. Interior design: The Roof Studio
4 All Together Just because it is meant for quiet moments, you don't have to use your chill-out space alone. Dedicate a corner in the dining room for peaceful quality time with your loved ones. Interior design: Surface R
5 Memento Magic Decorate the space with items that hold sentimental value for you. For instance a favourite armchair or family photos on the wall. Interior design: Living Space Creative Design
6 Inside Out Don't limit yourself to spaces inside the house. Take your cosy spots outside too. The fresh air and green views will definitely put you in a better mood. Interior design: GI Design
Post by Lily Wong
Airy Aesthetics: 5 Open Plan Living Room Ideas
Friday, November 20, 2020
Perhaps you started out with an open layout in new your home, or maybe you are about to take a pnuematic hammer to your non-load bearing walls. Either way, you may find yourself bewildered by the vast range of things that can be done with the enlarged space. To help you narrow down the options and decide on a design approach that suits your needs, we assembled our panel of designers and came up with this list of the top five decorating ideas for large spaces.
1. BorderlessIf you have a surplus of square-footage in your living room, and are not keen on acquiring more furnishings to fill in the space, we recommend flaunting it. Try arranging living and dining furniture in their respective corners, with plenty of walking room and a sprinkling of subtle decorative features in between to demarcate the spaces. Since urban living became the norm for most of us, nothing speaks of luxury as much as wide walkways bordering expansive spaces - being generous with empty space is probably going to be your first approach if extravagance is the vibe you are aiming for. There is a caveat to be wary of however: leaving too much empty space makes for unpleasant acoustics and an uncomfortable living space - solve that by including additional soft furnishings such as carpets or drapery, and building up wall façades to absorb sound.
Designer: Beverly Home 2. Division by FurnishingIn the event that the space for wide walkways is lacking, consider arranging your living room furniture so that the largest piece (typically the sofa) serves as a divider. This enables the room to be visually subdivided, and for the additional space to serve a different function in close proximity. This arrangement can be accomplished with a conventional sofa, or an L-shaped living room set with slightly more space, resulting in an effective division without other visual cues. The colour of the dividing furniture will affect the visual weight of the separation when compared to the palette of the room - so go dark for prominence in a predominately white space, or light for subtlety to preserve the sense of air volume.
Designer: Pocket Square 3. Decorative WallsA more commonly seen method of dividing spaces can be spotted on walls. Easily implemented wherever space is at a premium, different textures and shades can be presented on thin façades or wall projections to serve as visual cues between spaces. Even though walls are typically missing from an open layout, we recommend building up false wall projections or retaining a portion of existing projections to form small corners in areas with less foot traffic - if there is adequate space. While these projections will deduct from the open layout experience depending on their size, they can often be made to serve both visual and practical functions - such as providing additional shelving space and better acoustics while acting as demarcation.
Designer: Design Base 4. Faux ArchwayTie together disparate shades and textures on walls with the formation of a non-structural and purely aesthetic archway. In addition to serving as a visual cue, even an archway of minimalist design creates another plane that can be adorned with decorative features such as reflective panels to visually enlarge the space.
Designer: Metrics Global 5. Demarcating Ceilings and FloorsIn lieu of any other dividing elements, details on the ceiling and the approximate size of those features being mirrored on the floor in the form of tiles or an area carpet, will result in your separate spaces being distinctly defined. Because of their visual prominence and requisite size, these features work best in an adequately large space decorated with a unified colour palette. If you have the space to spare, aim for lighting in oversized geometric shapes on the ceiling and a large deep-pile carpet on the floor to envelop your seating lounge in cosy light and textures.
Designer: Q1 Interior Concept Is your seating lounge the kind with an extra-high ceiling? Read about how to select lighting for these cavernous spaces here.