More on Improving Your Kitchen's Air Quality

Your kitchen is a vital part of your home, and a part of your life. The practices you put into play can affect how your life transforms in other areas, too. At Eli Custom Cabinetry we are not just concerned about quality and craftsmanship, but also about the safety of the materials we use. In an attempt to provide our clients with healthier choices, all the finishes we use are low or cero VOC. As mentioned before, VOCs or volatile organic compounds are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids such as paints, lacquers and glues. They are also found in many of the household cleaners we commonly use (more to follow on this topic.) VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. As with other pollutants, the extent and nature of the health effect will depend on many factors including level of exposure and length of time exposed.

At our shop we focus on decreasing the amount of off-gassing chemicals we use in order to improve the air quality in your home.

A Kitchen for the Entire Family

Kid SpaceYou may have a top-of-the-line playroom, but kids, especially little ones, want to be where their parents are. That's why it's often a good idea to include a "kid's cabinet" or cubbie space in your design. An easy-to-reach set of base cabinets can make it a snap for kids to access (and, hopefully, clean-up) their crayons and paper.  Additionally, you can keep items that there for easy access like snacks and paper-ware for them to serve themselves.

It's an all-too-familiar medley: "I'm hungry" meets "what's for dinner?" meets the endless open and close of the refrigerator door. Give kids a bit of autonomy and accessibility with a designated area for them to prepare meals or snacks. A breakfast area, for example, could allow for access to cereal, plastic bowls and spoons. Rather than grapple with milk set on a high shelf, a refrigerator drawer installed in an island provides easy access.

The microwave is a safe and simple way to get your child excited about simple meal and snack preparation, from making popcorn to heating up oatmeal in the morning. It allows them to sidestep the need to use the oven …so don't do something as unsafe as installing a microwave over a range. Sharp recently introduced a microwave drawer that can be installed into an island. A user-friendly interior control panel makes it simple for the kids to heat up mac 'n cheese—and eliminates bending and reaching for mom and dad as well.

One smart pairing is a higher island that features a raised counter top for the adults to work on, with a lowered second tier that's kid height but still close to the action. But be careful not to get the little ones too close to it all—it's best not to install a cook top on an island if you have young children, as they can grab for a hot pan.

Impact of Proper Lighting in a Space

Let There Be Light
by Michael Lichtenstein of  The Lighting Gallery
http://www.thelighting-gallery.com/

A well designed lighting plan will ensure the room is properly lit, adds visual interest to the space, provides flexibility to respond to different lighting needs and even saves the home owner money by eliminating unnecessary fixtures.  There are two key components to the design and implementation of an effective lighting plan - using the design technique known as Light Layering...

By using multiple sources of light you ensure the room will be properly illuminated; create visual interest within the space; provide flexibility to create multiple lighting moods of looks and eliminate unnecessary fixtures.

Task Lighting - helps you preform specific tasks.  Optimal fixtures include recessed, track and under cabinet lighting.

Accent/Architectural Lighting - adds drama to the room by bringing attention to a specific decorative or architectural detail.

Ambient (general) Lighting - provides general illumination to the area filling in the shadows left from the other two layers.  This is accomplished with ceiling or wall mounted fixtures.

It is critical to begin discussions about the lighting plan during the initial design conversations.  By incorporating your lighitng plan into the overall design concept you will ensure that the various design elements support each other.