colours Archives - Simply Trini Cooking

Small kitchens, Great Peace

August 27, 2013 by Felix Leave a Comment

“Small rooms or dwellings discipline the mind, large ones weaken it.” – Leonardo Da Vinci

If you own a small kitchen, you have the opportunity to showcase your own personality and individuality in a space that can be very comfortable and efficient. Small kitchen are easy to clean, but can be difficult to keep organized. However, this task is made easier when the workspace is organized as zones so movement between these works paces are easy. Therefore, an effective small kitchen has three basic elements: organization, storage, and space. A small kitchen therefore has a lot of potential and can also reflect the homeowner personality and character through the use of colour and design elements.

Generally, the colour white is used in many small kitchen, with a little black (for a minimalistic feel). However, you can add flair and personality to your kitchen with the splash of a bright colour.

Here are some ideas on how your personality and character can shine through your kitchen.

The Refrigerator.

The size of the refrigerator should fit your needs and the space of your small kitchen. A small refrigerator will mean you free up space for an extra counter, cabinet and workspace. Let your personality shine with the color of your refrigerator. The Smeg Style Refrigerator is one of the brands that come in many colours; one might suit your kitchen.

Eclectic Refrigerators And Freezers

Cooktop and Oven.

Your cooktop and oven can become your central focus. Again a smaller-sized two- or four- burner stovetop works best in a small kitchen. Select a stove with a visual appeal. The Bertazzoni Professional Gas Range suits any contemporary style. This attractive gas range comes in a wide range of beautiful colours. Its compact design is perfect for small kitchens. Another is the Stoves Mini ranges. Their brilliant makeover is available in selection of gorgeous shades from Day Break, Wild berry, Icy Brook, and Hot Jalapeno,.

Contemporary Gas Ranges And Electric Ranges by Other Metro homeeverything.com

Richmond 55cm Mini Ranges are now available in selected shades from the Colour Boutique collection.

Colourful stoves like the New World Colours Collection of built-in ovens can become the central focus in your kitchen.
Photo from: www.appliancist.com

The Kitchen Sink.

The kitchen sink has the potential for keeping the small kitchen organized and clutter-free. Select a kitchen sink that has a deep sink, however not to deep to strain your back. Also consider the size of pots you already own and how you cook to help you select the kitchen sink. An apron front sink such as the Kohler single basin is perfect for a small kitchen which is deep enough to provide ample space to hold dirty wares until you are ready to wash them.

The kitchen faucet. Making things easy in the small kitchen is important. Thus, a high-arc faucet, with a single handled faucet lever, helps to wash large pots and pans that are placed in the sink easier.

Above is the Delta Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet with Touch2O Technology and Soap Dispenser.

The Pegboard.

This ingenious idea was inspired by Julia Child’s husband. This is a chic way to keep regularly used utensils organized, and other kitchen items. The organization makes an attractive wall. The pegboard is a hassle free storage idea and the mounting hardware is versatile, durable and attractive.

A Round Table.

A round table in a small kitchen provides maximum leg room There are a number of styles and colours you can choose. Some round tables can be complemented brilliantly coloured chairs.

This Retro Nostalgic Style Chrome Plated Round Dining and Red Finish Dining Chairs are perfect for homeowner who love designs that reflect the 50’s

This white LexMod Dining Table adds a sleek look to a small kitchen and can also be complemented with colourful chairs and stools.

Accessories.

Some accessories can make bold statements in a kitchen and also have high quality craftsmanship and durability for use. Here are some examples.

Finally don’t forget to place some colourful dishes on those open shelves. They can add beauty and interest to any room.

How to Paint a room

May 29, 2011 by Felix Leave a Comment

Painting your kitchen can change its mood, so choose the colour carefully. However, before you run off to paint your kitchen here is some information on how to paint a room. You will find this information handy to help you avoid any slip ups in creating a professional looking finish in your kitchen.

Step 1. Gather your tools for the job.

You will need the following tools:

Paint brush and the roller: Choose a brush with a size scaled to your hand and strength. Brush strokes should be from top to bottom if you are right-handed or from right to left if you are left-handed. This is the same for painting wooden surfaces.
Paint tray: They come in various sizes, choose the one appropriate to your brush and roller.
Roller sleeve
Spackle paste or any type of paste to fill the holes, cracks, or minor surface defects on the wall.
5 in 1 painters tool or putty knife
Mud pan
Pot hook
Sponges
Fans
Yellow tape
Duster brush or rag

Step 2. Ensure the room is well ventilated.

Step 3: Prepare the surface

Before you begin to paint, you should ensure that the wall surface is well-prepared: strip old paper or lining paper from the walls; allow the the plaster to dry first (it should not be greasy, crumbly, or flaky), and fill the cracks or holes on the walls. This also includes covering any dark marks from stains, ink, and even dark paint with a stain-blocking primer.

Note: Wooden surfaces will have to be rub down and wiped with a tack rag. Preparatory activities helps ensure the finished job is done neatly. It also encourage an economical use of paint later on.

See the video below for instructions on prepping.

In this video, Chicago area muralist and painting contractor, Ray Akers, of Green Apple Painting shows how to prep a room for paint.

Step 4: Apply about three coats

Apply an undercoat. If the surface is unpainted this undercoat will be a primer. Allow the undercoat to dry first. Then apply one or two top coats to finish. The number of coats will depend on the finish you want. Again allow each coat of paint to dry before you apply the next. To get the paint to dry quickly you can thin the paint.

Start first by painting the corners (including where the ceiling meets), around doors and windows, and around any trimmings or details with a 2″ or 3″ paintbrush. Now you can paint with the roller. See the video below for instructions on developing your technique like a pro.

In this video, Chicago area muralist and painting contractor, Ray Akers, of Green Apple Painting shows how to paint a room.

There are several faux glaze techniques for painting a room. These techniques create unique effects in a room. Most of these techniques require patience, practice, and sometimes hard work.

The video below is an example of some of these techniques.

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Using colour as therapy in the Kitchen

May 27, 2011 by Felix Leave a Comment

Colour can have an effect on our mood. Some studies have confirmed the effect of colour on the perception of individuals. For this reason, your kitchen can become your private place to unwind, revamp, and re-energize.

Colour therapy is nothing new, for we have all, in some way or another, been aware of the effects of colours on our physical health, moods, and attitudes. This is why it is important to think about the type of colour or two, if you are seeking a complementary colour, for your kitchen.

Eight Colour Theraphy

For this reason it is good to understand which colour is best to use in the kitchen. If we refer to colour therapy, we would focus on eight predominant colours: red, orange, yellow, green turquoise, blue, violet, and magenta. These colours are known to energize, inspire, and excite.

Blue

The blue in this kitchen helps create a cool, calming effect. Blue is known to help people feel happy and safe. Blue is also a colour that gives us the impression of expansion and space.

Green

This green colour is easy on the eye. It also has a livening effect on the mind. Green represents nature so the room seems calm and refreshing.

Yellow

Yellow complements this room. It adds a color of sunshine and helps to create a feeling of happiness. Yellow can be an uplifting colour, however its limited use here helps keep the mind positive.

White

White and black are neutral colours. Neutral colours are neither warm nor cold. They are contrasting colours. however the predominant white exudes a feeling of purity, innocence and cleanliness; the black stove adds a stylish and timeless feel to the room and creates a focus point for the stove in this kitchen.

Brown

The predominance of brown in this room reflects the colour of earth. Even though there is much artistry in this room through the use of patterns, the brown in the room helps keeps the room seeming simplistic and organized.

We welcome you to view our photo gallery for more kitchen ideas on the use of colour.

All photos courtesy www.photobucket.com

A little bit about colours

May 22, 2011 by Felix Leave a Comment

Primary Colours

Here are some basic principles about colours:

Primary colours are blue, red and yellow. They are the basis for every colour on the spectrum.
Secondary colours are created by mixing two primary colours. These colours are orange, green, and violet.
Tertiary colours are created by combining all primary colours or one primary colour with one secondary colour. They are orange-red, orange-yellow, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet.
Neutral colours are hues and are created when two complementary colours are mixed. They are beige, taupe, and grey.

These colours are represented on a colour wheel. A colour wheel is a useful decorating tool which portrays the relationship between colours and explain why certain colours work better together. A Colour wheel, such as this one, is available at craft stores.

Click on the picture to enlarge.

The Colour Wheel

The colour wheel shows complementary colours, or contrasting colours, that lie opposite each other on the colour wheel. Example: green complements red.

The following are your options of the use of colour in any room:

Monotones is the use of one colour in a room.
Analogues is the use of a wider variety of colours, some contrasting and some not.
Monochromatic is the use of a single colour and its variation in terms of its tints and shades.

Options have create the mood of the kitchen. They can be group as cool colours or warm colours.

Above, a light blue colour makes this room seems soothing like a clear blue sky. Cool colours such as blues, blue-green, grays, violets on the the colour specturm helps portray a room with a quiet space that promotes deep and pensive thoughts. As you can see above, cool colours also make a room feel larger.

The above room is inviting. A r0om with warm colours such as shades of yellow, red, orange, beige, and cream, seems to stand out to the eye and create feelings of energy. These vivid colours remind us of the colours we see at sunset, they are stimulating, exciting, and fiery. Such rooms are perfect social spaces. If your family likes to gather for regular meals, or you like to entertain these are the colours you should consider for your eating area. Also, warm colours can enclose a space and make a room seem smaller.

Colour in decoration

May 22, 2011 by Felix Leave a Comment

Colour is an important element in design and decoration because it helps create the desired mood for your kitchen. Colours are inspirational, because we tend to associate some thought to particular colours, and colours also reflect the natural world, for instance, the many shades of blue paint reflect the sky or sea.

The choice of colour would reflect individual preferences at the time. However, you should note that colour is affected by light (natural and artificial); natural because large windows will give rooms high illumination, and ample artificial lighting from more than one source can offer good illumination as well. Also, the colour of the wall during the day would look different at night.

Colour can add vibrancy to your task areas.

Colour can be achieved in paint, fabric or print. There are so much colours available that the kitchen re-modeler could become quite confused. For this reason, many think white is the safest colour for any room, especially the kitchen. However, don’t choose a colour in isolation; your colour should relate to the following: the mood you want to portray, the quality of light (both artificial and natural) in the kitchen, the surfaces and finishes (that is the texture and gloss or flatness of the finish of furniture, cabinets, and flooring), and the type of furniture and pictures in the room.

Many decorators believe this is the great age for colour in decorating, and your kitchen and eating area can come alive with the use of warm, cheeful colours. There is no need to have your kitchen in a dull neutral colour.

Colours and light

April 27, 2011 by Felix Leave a Comment

Light is affected by reflection of light, window and skylight.

1. Reflectance levels.

The amount of light reflected in a room is affected by the various coloured surfaces in a room, such as a tile floor, painted wall, and fabric’s texture and colour. It should be noted that light colors are very reflective and dark colors are light absorbent. White, on the extreme, will reflect 80% of the light in a room, and black, on the extreme, will reflect 4% of it.

The surface texture also affects the reflectance levels. Surfaces that have a mirror-like quality will reflect as much as 90% of light in a room; whereas surfaces with a satin or glossy white or pale will require less light than one with deep toned walls.

Finally, the size of the room can also affect reflectance levels. A high ceiling will require brighter lights to dispel the shadows. A low ceiling room will not need a high level of brightness, because the light will bounce off the ceiling and walls.

2. Windows and skylights.

Rooms with large windows and skylights have natural light to illuminate the room.

Note:
Keep in mind the various activities you intend to perform in the kitchen and the type of ambiance you want.

Photo courtesy:www.photobucket.com