The next big thing

We all dream of starting our mornings off quietly and calmly. Enjoying a cup of coffee or hot tea. Or perhaps we like to end our day with a glass of wine or cup of coffee. Maybe your dream can become a reality. The next big thing in home design is a breakfast/coffee/wine bar. A small space designated for coffee, tea or wine drinking.

 

These spaces are typically found in or near the master bedroom or bathroom, right outside the kitchen or in an upstairs bonus room for guests to use. It can be a built in space with custom cabinets, built in refrigeration, sink and storage, a closet turned  coffee bar with storage and a coffee maker or simply a piece of furniture that houses a coffee maker, maybe a microwave and the associated accoutrements.

 

Whatever the space you may have to work with here are a few essentials you need to include.

• Coffee maker-full size or mini
• Coffee
• Cups
• Sugar and creamer
• Tea bags
• Spoons
• Napkins

 

Want to get more elaborate? How about including a microwave, popcorn, undercounter refrigerator, sink, bottled water and soft drinks. If you are including the space in your master bedroom, consider adding some details to make it look more like a piece of furniture instead of utilitarian cabinets stuck in a corner. The ideas are limitless and maybe this was just the piece of “calm” you were looking for.

Under cabinet lights: A must do!

Whether you are getting ready to do a complete kitchen remodel, build a new house or add a tile backsplash, now is the time to think about under cabinet lights. Mounted on the bottom of wall cabinets, these small fixtures add an amazing amount of task lighting and ambiance at night.

 

Xenon, LED, halogen, florescent. Puck, strip, rope, tape. The style, sizes and light color are endless. Florescent is old school and the bulbs and ballasts are not very reliable. Halogen is popular but can get hot. Xenon is newer and does not produce as much heat. LED is the new kid on the block. While expensive, the technology is improving and the cost is coming down. Look at each of the options and decide what will work best in your kitchen and for your budget. The hard part is getting the wiring in the right spot. The fixtures can be changed down the road.

 

The best way to install them is to have one switch to control all of the under cabinet lights. That requires a wire under every wall cabinet that is controlled by one switch. When you are building a new home, remodeling your kitchen or before you add a tile backsplash, that is the time to wire for it. Once that tile is on the wall, you don’t want to tear into that to get the wires in the right location.

 

            Yes, they may be nice but how much do they cost? Depending on the type of lights you use, how many fixtures you need and if you decide to do it yourself or hire someone to install them for you, you could be looking at a couple hundred dollars or a couple thousand dollars. Didn’t budget for this? Take my word for it and spend the extra money to include this. Maybe that means saving up for a couple more months before you begin your project or going with a less expensive range. Just do it. You will not be sorry.