Let’s face it, there are great kitchens, and there are normal ones.  Most people don’t put a whole lot of thought into their kitchens, but doing even a few things can have an enormous impact on the look and feel of your house.  Designing a luxury kitchen doesn’t have to cost a fortune either.  There are some relatively simple solutions that go a long way towards giving you the luxurious kitchen that will amaze both your family and your guests.

Luxury Kitchen Design

Luxury kitchens usually begin in the design phase.  When you are planning your kitchen, it is wise to keep in mind that a large, spacious kitchen is usually better.  The more room you have, the less crowded the kitchen will feel.  Allow extra room for a kitchen island, which serves as both extra counter space and gives you extra storage space.  When you are in the design phase, make sure you think about what kind of appliances you want to get.  These days some luxury kitchen appliances such as French door refrigerators are larger than standard units, so you will need to account for the extra room they will take up.   It often helps a lot to look at luxury kitchen photos from a website like this one for inspiration and ideas.  I find that looking at what other people have done in their kitchens really inspires me.

Choosing Luxury Kitchen Cabinets

One of the most important parts of the kitchen is the cabinets, so this step is crucial when thinking about luxury kitchen designs.  There are so many cabinets available to choose from.  Some handcrafted cabinets cost a small fortune, but you don’t need to spend that much.  Because the outside of the cabinet is the only part that is actually seen, there are many reasonably priced cabinets available that have great looking doors and trim, but cheaper insides.  There are all sorts of styles that cabinets can be made in as well.  Choosing a unique cabinet style can go a long way towards making your kitchen look special.  You really need to look at many luxury kitchen pictures to get an idea of what you want in your own kitchen.

Luxury Kitchen Style

Sometimes the style of the kitchen is what makes it feel luxurious.  The truth is that most people have pretty boring kitchens.  If you try a little bit to choose unique and original items, your kitchen will almost surely look fabulous.  There are different styles that you can choose from.  Here are a few of them:  Old-fashioned farmhouse, contemporary, rustic back-woods style, cutting edge.  One way to put a unique and personal touch is by using wall decals quotes.  You can choose from any of the many designs available.  Another way to make an impact on your kitchen is by looking at some of the small things.  Kitchen items like luxury kitchen sinks with fancy faucets or designer toasters and coffee makers on the counter can add to the style of the kitchen.

Tags: Carts and Islands, Kitchen Accessories, Kitchen Cabinets by Jeffrey
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Nearly every kitchen needs a little bit of extra storage space.  One of the best ways to increase storage space is to get a kitchen cart.  While there are countless styles of these carts and islands, most of them are too expensive for many people.  Luckily, there are some great discount kitchen carts available for those of us who want a nice cart for a small sum of money.  Here are some of the kinds of cheap kitchen carts you can get for discount prices.

Discount Wooden Kitchen Carts

The most common type of kitchen cart is made out of wood.  It is easy to see why many people prefer wooden carts.  They match the cabinets, and wood just looks nice in the kitchen.  While most wooden kitchen carts tend to be quite expensive, there are some great deals as well.
For $45, you can get a wooden cart that has a countertop, a pull-out cutting board, two storage shelves, a knife block, and a towel rack.  If you have a small kitchen, and need some extra room to prepare food, these little racks are great.  Take a look at it here.

Discount Metal Kitchen Carts

There are kitchen carts made out of metal that can be had for a cheap price as well.  Kingsun makes a chrome microwave kitchen cart that sells for only $50.  This cart is designed to free up some of your counter space by letting you put your microwave on top of it and store other appliances under it.  It would also work fine to put a portable dishwasher on it, which would allow you to easily push it close to the sink.

Discount Kitchen Cart Sets

One of the best deals I have seen for small kitchens is the Winsome breakfast bar cart set with drop-leaf table and 2 stools.  This cart is truly an all-in-one solution for people who have studio apartments or need a simple solution.  It actually has two stools that fit right inside the cart when not in use.  The top is rectangular, and one side of it folds up to increase the table size.  You can just pack this little set up and push it in the corner or closet when not in use, or if you need a quick solution to a kitchen that doesn’t have a table or chairs, this would be perfect.  The best part is that it costs less than $80, which is as good of a deal as you can get. Take a look at it here.

Tags: Carts and Islands, Kitchen Furniture by Jeffrey
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Although there are many different types of kitchen carts and islands available, one of them really stands out as something different.  The butcher block kitchen cart has a unique look all its own and can give your kitchen style and functionality.  While most kitchen carts and islands tend to be large and bulky, butcher block carts are normally small.  In addition, they often feature and open layout as opposed to an enclosed cabinet layout like many other kitchen carts and islands. There are a few different styles of these butcher block kitchen carts, so let’s take a look at some of them a little more closely.

Square Butcher Block Kitchen Carts

What gives these carts their name is the heavy duty wooden top that is placed on them.  Wile other carts have a thin wooden, stainless steel, or composite top, butcher block carts have a really thick top that is meant to be used as a cutting board.  Most of them are at least 1 ½ inches thick, and are built strong enough to stand up to lots of chopping and pounding.
Home Styles makes a nice square kitchen cart with butcher block top.  It is nearly square (19 X 20 ¾ inches) and has wheels on the bottom.  Underneath the thick top, there is a single shelf, an open space for storage, and then a small cabinet on the bottom.  The sides also feature hooks for convenient hanging of items like kitchen spoons and strainers.

Round Butcher Block Kitchen Carts

The same company, Home Styles also has a very unique look round butcher block cart.  It has a solid chopping block on top, and the bottom has lots of little nooks and crannies for storing kitchen items that you need on hand. It features a single small drawer on top, a wine rack on the bottom that that can hold up to 9 bottles and side shelves that will also hold open wine bottles or other things.  This little cart looks like it would be perfect for use on the patio or deck next to the barbecue.  It has rubber wheels for easy moving around, although you need to be careful if you have wine bottles in the rack that they don’t fall out.

If you are looking for something with a bold wooden look, take a look at the Proteak end grain rectangular butcher block cart.  It is constructed of the finest teak wood available and has super-thick 5 inch top on it.  It really has a rustic appearance, and is built strong enough to stand up to heavy chopping.  The teak top is also resistant to to knife marks. take a look at it here.

Tags: Carts and Islands by Jeffrey
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It is no secret that stainless steel is one of the best materials to use when cleanliness is important.  For this reason, many people choose to use a stainless steel kitchen cart.  Although some people use them in their homes, these carts are also commonly used for commercial kitchens.  Many home kitchens have kitchen carts, but they are commonly constructed out of wood, which matches kitchen cabinets.  Commercial kitchens on the other hand usually have lots of stainless steel equipment in them, and a kitchen cart made out of this material fits in well and serves its purpose.

Stainless Steel Kitchen Carts for Home Kitchens

The majority of carts that are intended for home use are only partially made of stainless steel.  A stainless steel top kitchen cart is usually made out of wood and has a stainless top that works great as extra counter space.  You can get them in a variety of styles, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem to match your cabinets and other kitchen furniture.  Whether you are looking for a natural wood finish like oak or cherry, or a color like black or white, they are easy to find.  Unlike kitchen carts, which usually come with tops already on them, kitchen islands normally don’t have a top on them when you purchase them.  You can get a nice kitchen island, and then have a stainless steel top placed on top of it.

Home Styles Stainless Steel Top Kitchen Cart

One of the biggest producers of this type of kitchen cart is Home Styles.  They make many different styles of the kitchen cart with stainless steel top.  Nearly all of them have wooden bases and have wheels on the bottom allowing them to roll.  Their carts come in many different layouts as well.  Some have 2 drawers on top and an open bottom.  Others are fully enclosed with drawers and shelves.  This company produces some very versatile carts that incorporate many functions.

Commercial Stainless Steel Kitchen Island Cart

Unlike those meant for the home, commercial models are usually completely made out of stainless steel.  Commercial kitchens demand cleanliness and sanitary conditions, and stainless steel can be sprayed with water and cleaned off easily in a way that wooden carts can’t.  Commercial stainless steel carts also usually have an open layout as opposed to an enclosed drawer and cabinet structure.  Finally, carts and islands meant for use in industrial settings are built tough enough to handle the harsh conditions of commercial kitchens.

Tags: Carts and Islands by Jeffrey
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A great way to increase storage and counter space in your kitchen is with a cart or island.  There are many, many of these carts available, but nearly all of them come with natural wood finishes.  These days many people are choosing to incorporate different colors into their kitchens, and black is a great color to use.   For this reason, the black kitchen cart is gaining popularity.   Here is a guide to some of the most popular black kitchen carts available.

Dolly Madison Black Kitchen Cart

One of the most common styles that you can find is the Dolly Madison kitchen cart.  These carts nearly always have wheels for easy mobility.  You can get one that is solid black, but they also can have a black base with a wooden top.  Many people like the contrast between natural wood and a color like black. 

Black Kitchen Islands

Though the names are often interchangeable, kitchen islands are a bit different than kitchen carts.  The main difference is that they tend to be bigger.  Kitchen islands are often quite large and can take up a good portion of the open space in a kitchen.  In addition, a black kitchen island cart will come without a top installed on it sometimes.  You can either buy one finished with a countertop already installed, or you can put your own one on once you get it.  Many people like to match the island to their counters, so they use the same materials for both of these.  

There are many kitchen carts and islands that have a top that is different than the base.  You can get a black kitchen cart with a wooden top, a stainless steel top, or a composite counter top.  One style that looks great if you want everything to be the same color is to get a black kitchen cart and have a granite counter installed on it.  This way you will have a solid and durable countertop that matches its base.

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Although there are many different kinds of carts that can be used in the kitchen, kitchen utility carts can be a great choice.  If it seems like you just don’t have enough room in your kitchen for things like appliances or dishes, a kitchen utility cart is for you. They come in a variety of styles and can be constructed out of a few different materials.
The major difference between utility carts and kitchen islands is that they don’t have drawers or cabinets.  Their open interior allows easy access to items stored on their shelves.  While kitchen islands are designed to match your kitchen and provide enclosed storage in cabinets, kitchen utility carts are designed simply to hold items that you need to keep close at hand.

Kitchen Utility Cart Uses

There are two main users of kitchen utility carts:  Home and commercial.  These carts come in different styles, and it is pretty easy to see which ones are made to be put in home kitchens.  They are the ones that look nice, are usually made out of wood, and will be a nice fit in your kitchen.  Commercial kitchen utility carts on the other hand, are designed to stand up to the wear and tear that most commercial kitchens inflict on these types of items.
Home kitchen utility carts are designed to be stationary most of the time and just hold items.  Commercial kitchen utility carts are often moved from place to place, loaded with heavy gear.  For this reason, they are constructed with heavy-duty materials and are designed to stand up to constant abuse.
A good example is the Rubbermaid Heavy Duty 2-shelf utility cart. It is made out of structural foam, and therefore won’t rust, chip, or peel.  Despite its lightweight construction, it can be loaded with 400 pounds of gear on its upper and lower shelves, and still easily be wheeled around.

Tags: Carts and Islands, Kitchen Furniture by Jeffrey
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In many homes, there just isn’t enough room in the kitchen for everything.  It seems like these days we have so many appliances that we have run out of counter space to put them all.  In addition, filling up the counter with stuff doesn’t leave much room for other important kitchen tasks like preparing food.  If this scenario seems all too familiar to you, then maybe you should consider getting a kitchen cart.
Kitchen carts come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and styles.  Here is a guide to help you choose the right one for your home.

Types of Kitchen Carts

The good thing about having a kitchen cart is that it serves multiple functions.  It provides extra counter space to prepare food or do other things in the kitchen.
A rolling kitchen cart has wheels attached to the bottom.  Many carts come with wheels on them, and the advantage of this is that you can easily push it around the kitchen to whatever location you want.  This comes in very handy when cleaning.  A cart without wheels can be very hard to move, especially if you are trying to do it by yourself.  You can attach wheels to the bottom of your cart yourself if you are handy.  It is easy to find small wheels that easily screw into wood if you want to give this a try.

A second type that is very common is a kitchen island cart.  By definition, an island tends to be larger than other carts.  These carts take up a lot of space, so make sure your kitchen is large enough to accommodate one.  You can either leave it in the center, or push it against a wall.  You can take a look at kitchen carts and islands online at stores like Amazon.com or other websites that sell home furnishings.

A third type available is kitchen utility carts.  Utility carts tend to be a lot smaller than islands.  They generally have a flat surface on top and open shelves underneath.  Many people use these to put a large appliance on, such as a microwave.  Doing this frees up counter space for other things, and the lower portion of the kitchen microwave cart is great for storing other items that you want to keep handy.

Styles of Kitchen Carts

Kitchen islands and carts come in a variety of styles.  Many are made out of wood, but some are made from stainless steel.  Unlike the open style of the utility cart, most kitchen island carts are enclosed.  Most have either one large or two smaller drawers and cabinet space underneath.  When it comes to matching the other objects in your kitchen, such as the cabinets, you have a few choices.
One way is to choose a cart that closely matches the color you want.  Some manufacturers of kitchen carts & islands will let you customize the color of the model you buy.  There is another option available as well if you don’t mind doing simple home improvement jobs yourself.  You can purchase an unfinished wooden cart.  You can purchase a wood stain in the color that you want (there are many, many colors available), and stain the wood yourself.
These days, many people are using more stainless steel in their kitchens.  You can get a stainless steel kitchen cart to match other large appliances and cabinets that are made out of this material.  In terms of colors, they come in the range of the different natural wood colors.  In addition, a white or black kitchen cart is popular as well for people with modern style kitchens.

Kitchen Cart Prices

The price you pay depends on a number of different factors, including the size, materials used, and the reputation of the manufacturer.  Many people are quite surprised at how reasonable prices are for such a large piece of furniture.  You can find nice looking open style kitchen carts starting in the $80 price range.  These tend to be smaller in size.  For full sized kitchen island carts, expect to pay at least $200.  More expensive models will give you plenty of counter space as well as lots of storage room in drawers and cabinets below.

Tags: Carts and Islands, Kitchen Furniture by Jeffrey
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