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I absolutely love this sort of tile! I think if one was not wanting to make such a large commitment to it financially or for a big room, this would look wonderful in a powder room/half bath. I feel like half baths are a great space to push the boundaries with design. I know my grandmother, who was an interior designer, loved to put wild and crazy wallpaper in powder rooms, and they always turned out well.
I agree. I think the powder room is a great place to make a statement, and have some fun and drama going on.
When we were relocating and searching for a home in Raleigh, we did a home exchange with someone who had an island installed microwave. LOVED the look and the 'idea' of it, and decided that if we ultimately bought new construction or renovated a kitchen, we wanted it in the island.
Fast forward ten days to the end of that exchange, and thank goodness we actually used that kitchen. That microwave was such a PITA to use. Functionality really sucked. Didn't put it in our new construction home.
When we did our remodel in 2012 we put the microwave in the island. Sometimes it is annoying to have it that low, but when my aging grandmother was alive it was helpful for her to have it low versus mounted high. Our kids like the low microwave as well.
Yes, we could have had it out on the counter, but we wanted our kitchen surfaces to be as clutterfree as possible, and the only "hidden but open" area we could have put it was planned to house our rotisserie, which we use frequently and therefore wanted it to be "out."
When we were relocating and searching for a home in Raleigh, we did a home exchange with someone who had an island installed microwave. LOVED the look and the 'idea' of it, and decided that if we ultimately bought new construction or renovated a kitchen, we wanted it in the island.
Fast forward ten days to the end of that exchange, and thank goodness we actually used that kitchen. That microwave was such a PITA to use. Functionality really sucked. Didn't put it in our new construction home.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nuts2uiam
Maybe not a trend, but my niece a CIA grad, put it low, think like top of dishwasher = top of microwave. Her reasoning was sound, she had seen too many people get burned taking things out that were bubbling over and she wanted to "see" how things were progressing. She is on the shorter side about 5'1.
I've noticed this new trend of putting the microwave in islands, mostly when the kitchen has a double oven in the wall, and therefore had a separate range with one of the large hoods over the cooktop. So, because of that large hood, there wasn't a place for the microwave over the stove (which is where our microwave is located). That left the options for microwave placement either on the counter, or in the island/in the lower cabinet area. We are in temporary housing now for a move, and the temporary home has the microwave in the lower cabinet area. I have to say I hate it. I much prefer the higher placement. I hate having to bend down or kneel to push all the buttons or get a good look at the food. (I'm also 5'1, and I'd rather stand on a stool rather than have to sit on the floor to see the food.) It is true that it is easier for the kids to reach/use the microwave, but my personal preference is the higher placement and the kids can use a stool.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gentlearts
What do you think about the microwave in the cupboard thing? It sort of reminds me of crocheted covers for toilet paper, but I'm not sure why.
I think this is silly. It reminds me of hiding the television. A microwave has become a pretty standard kitchen appliance. And although kitchens today are centerpieces of the home and quite a bit of money and energy is expended in making them beautiful and welcoming, they are, at heart, a utilitarian room. They are a room for cooking and storing food, and as such, the appliances are an integral part of what they are. It makes about as much sense to me to hide a microwave as it does to hide the oven, or refrigerator, or sink, or dishwasher. Those items are what kitchens are for. I don't understand hiding them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gentlearts
I have also noticed a trend in gold colored plumbing fixtures. Much too much like the old dreaded brass for me.
I've noticed this coming back too, and I HATE it. We are moving into a new house and I will never put in gold plumbing fixtures. I saw a couple homes with them and assumed they were 80s brass. Horrible looking then, and horrible looking now. I hate most gold-toned things, such as picture frames. To me, it looks like someone is trying to make it look like they have everything encased in gold itself, to evoke wealth. But that attempt is so ubiquitous -- so truly everywhere, that the result to me, is that it looks cheap. A wannabe evocation of wealth, that instead conveys the opposite. To me it looks cheap, old, and crappy. The only brass and gold toned stuff in my house is stuff I haven't gotten around to replacing yet. The silver/nickel/pewter is a MUCH preferred look to me. More refined, more toned-down, less ostentatious, and just more classy overall. Plus it works so much better with most colors.
Since the original topic was encaustic tiles - yes, I saw them ripple through the home improvement shows, which I found amusing. One day I had never heard of them (by name, I had seen them before) and a few weeks later I'd seen them in three shows.
Microwaves - It depends on how much counter space vs cupboard/built in vs floor space you have. Mine sits on a cart because I don't want to give up my counter space - that belongs to the (much smaller) espresso maker, which gets multiple daily uses. The microwave might get used once a day or so, hence it doesn't get the prime counter space.
I've noticed something in the real world. There is a shift in cabinet purchases to frameless cabinets most of the time. Also many cabinet manufacturers have added frameless lines because they are seeing the same thing.This does not mean it all looks contemporary. A frameless cabinets can look traditional or any other way.
they are only 50 years late catching up on that. Europe shifted to them circa WWII....
We purchased frameless a good decade or more ago and there was a limited choice of product.
Maybe not a trend, but my niece a CIA grad, put it low, think like top of dishwasher = top of microwave. Her reasoning was sound, she had seen too many people get burned taking things out that were bubbling over and she wanted to "see" how things were progressing. She is on the shorter side about 5'1.
that has been going on for a few years now. We have dealt with a bunch of people who like it.
Part of the real reason it started was to allow room for high end exhausts over cooking areas.
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