The Kitchen Pantry Makes a Comeback

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There was a time when many homes had a separate food pantry, or a larder as it was called, located just off the kitchen. They were a way to store food and utensils and a place for storing extra food during long winters.

About 100 years ago a food pantry or larder that was separate from the kitchen was the norm. Often the pantry was located near the outer edge of the home where they could be at a lower temperature than the kitchen. The kitchen pantry continued to be a standard feature in the home up until World War II. But as kitchens became larger and more modern, the kitchen pantry fell out of favor.

When you have many families now purchasing their groceries in bulk they often find that they simply do not have enough space. Many typical kitchens do not have enough room for storing these bulk items. Many people when planning a kitchen remodeling tend to overlook the problem of storage. This is why in the age of warehouse buying the kitchen pantry, either the walk in type or a large pantry cupboard located just off the kitchen, is starting to make a big comeback.

Whether or not you are a professional chef or you just love cooking, you could certainly use a place for all of your cooking supplies and equipment. Kitchen pantries today can provide many storage solutions regarding everything from food and food preparation and paper products. A well designed kitchen pantry can meet the needs of you keep your family organized, and help to increase the resale value of your home. Also kitchen pantries are helping reduce the need for have so many kitchen storage units located within the kitchen itself.

When deciding on a kitchen pantry design, there are two questions you need to answer first: What will your proposed pantry be used for? Exactly how much space will you have to work with? If you have a small home you may just have room for wall cabinets and put out drawers, or install built-in hutch style cabinetry for storage solutions. Larger homes can accommodate a walk-in pantry, which can be a good thing to have if your kitchen lacks enough cabinetry. Also walk-in pantries are as popular today as kitchen islands as a new kitchen design trend.

Of course you need to think about exactly where the pantry is to be located. Kitchen pantries should be located between either the kitchen and garage entrance into the home or in passageways going from the kitchen and the dining room.

Kitchen pantries generally measure less than 100 square feet with good overhead lighting and electrical outlet for appliances.

Many of the pantries being designed now use custom cabinetry every bit as beautiful and creative as those you would find in the kitchens themselves, including details such as solid-wood cabinetry and sleek state-of-the-art hardware. This creativity can even extend to the design of the doorways of many walk-in kitchen pantries as well.

Having a functional and beautiful kitchen pantry requires some careful planning. Your kitchen pantry should be well designed and well organized to be better able to meet the needs of your family, and providing good storage solutions.

The Joys of A Southwest Style Kitchen

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When you think of family gatherings, either normal daily meals or events for larger family groups for special occasions; when you host a special time of entertaining with friends, usually your kitchen comes to mind. So much time is spent in the kitchen. To many of us the kitchen is the central focus of our home so naturally, we want our kitchen to be a tool of warm hospitality.

A wonderful style of decor that is sure to welcome and charm is a colorful Southwest kitchen. Bringing with it, many different styles of decorating, the use of color and texture are main key elements. Creating a Southwest style kitchen will vary from home to home. Some think of a country style with rustic touches and designs of cows, roosters or sunflowers and checked curtains when they think of the Southwest. Others want more of a Mexican style Southwest and draw decorating touches from arches, pottery, bright colorful paintings, baskets, tile and wrought iron.

The pieces a Southwest kitchen is accented with, plays an important role in the total overall look. Baskets and pottery are as useful as they are decorative and are a wonderful way to add a touch of the warm Southwest. They can be purchased inexpensively and are available in many sizes and pleasing shapes.

A unique way to display a special collection in your kitchen is to have shelving installed around the top portions of your room. There, many special Southwestern objects such as Native American hand drums, prayer fans, dough bowls, hide racks, Indian pottery and baskets can be displayed. The choice is up to you and will make your room unique. An important thing to remember is that there are no set rules. Surround yourself and your loved ones with items that are special to you with the ultimate goal of creating a room that reflects the warmth of your personality.

If you love things of the west, use western cowboy or ranch objects. If you have a spiritual mindset, the placement of wooden, tile and wrought iron crosses would be suitable. A Southwest kitchen can be created many different ways and there are no particular design rules to follow. Keep in mind, warm and cheerful when designing your kitchen.

Your Southwest kitchen accessories will be as unique as your personality allows. However, the focal point of the room will usually be the table. A table made of chunky wood either painted a bright color or left natural would be ideal. To adorn your table, place fun colorful Southwest place mats or a table runner. To soften the look, a brightly patterned area rug may be used. If your room has a bar or island, a great addition would be to use saddle style wooden hide covered bar stools. This pulls the Southwest kitchen look together and becomes an excellent place for extra seating.

The items you choose to use as accessories in your Southwest kitchen may change from time to time as well as the people whom you entertain. The one thing that will remain the same throughout time, is the warmth and welcome emanated from your Southwest kitchen.

The Interior Designers In Bangalore Can Create Your Dream Home Within Your Budget

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Dcor Panda is one of the best interior design Bangalore Company that comes up with unique and highest level of designing solutions to transform a house into a home for the customers. They thoroughly understand the versatile and individual needs of each customer before designing the home to infuse their style, character and personality in each and every room to meet their particular choices and demands. The company has expert interior designers in Bangalore along with architects and planners working on a number of residential, commercial and public sector projects. With their years of experience and expertise in the industry they can easily understand your needs for designing your home and come up customised designs that suits to your interests within your budget. They handle all kinds of work whether small, medium or big and you can be assured about receiving the best quality services within your budget as they have tie-ups with premium suppliers and also a team of in-house contracting services.

The interior design Bangalore Company shall offer you CAD drawings and 3D views of the interior designing process so that it becomes easy for you to visualise the transformation of your house through their job and if necessary can offer your inputs in case you need any changes in the designing work. The company shall utilise the available space to the maximum to enhance the ambiance of every room and reduce reliance on energy. As the company has an in-house team to execute Masonry, tiling, carpentry, electrical, painting, plaster and false ceiling, polishing etc you can be assured about the best coordination among all these services to bring out the best designing output to your home. Along with designing they also offer their services on helping you with the furnishing and styling of your home to make the right choice of fixtures and fittings, fabrics or curtains, art pieces or accessories, home electronics or appliances for the selection, setup and placement that would further the look of your home.

The interior dcors in Bangalore come up with innovative design ideas and use the best craftsmanship and materials that come in the best price and quality to deliver their projects that are designed to exceed your expectations. You can also go through their previous projects to understand their unique designs for each room in a house and accordingly avail their services to design your home within your budgets. As they believe each home is an individual entity that represents the clients personality and interests they make sure to come up with unique designing work for each and every project they undertake.

The interior designers in Bangalore has breathed life into many buildings and you can actually go through their gallery to have an idea regarding their designing process or take cue for your designing work of the bedroom, living room, kitchen etc to transform them into a space of your desire and choices. The designing project costs offered by Dcor Panda are very competitive and you can surely have a dream home of your choice within your budget by availing their services.

The History Behind Probably The Most Famous Carpet In The World

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You don't have any idea what is this all about, right?

It was just a silly question that just popped up in my head. And it all started with a TV show presenting celebrities on the red carpet from last year's Oscar ceremony. So "the red carpet"... I dug a little bit and found not one, but several facts behind this popular byword.

First, I would like to tell that I'm not really sure that the Red Carpet is the most famous carpet of them all. If you think about it, there are many carpets that have somehow come under the spotlight or received attention for their unique histories.

Let's take the Magic Carpet for example. Although    this is a fictional object there are so many stories and tales with the presence or appearance of a magic or flying carpet. We just have to admit that it has become popular among more than one generation. Only the story of Aladdin (and his adventures) has been issued hundreds of times (as a part of The Book of One Thousand and One Nights /"The Arabian Nights") and brought to the big screen as well. Personally peaking, Carpet, from the 1992 Disney movie Aladdin, is one of my favourite characters.

Turning back to the real life, we can mention the Ardabil carpet (which can now be seen in Victoria and Albert museum, London) and the Portland International Airport carpet.

The first is considered one of the most important pieces of carpeting in the world for its history, craftsmanship and preservation. It was woven around 1539-1540 in one of the royal factories of Safavid dynasty (Persia). That was a time when the royal court was searching and recruiting skilled artisans for the factories, so all Persian rugs woven during these years are considered to be a form of art.

The second one got a cult following. I'm not exactly sure what is the main reason for that, but it somehow happened. The carpet has its own hashtag and thousands of photos on Istagram. The only fact that's interesting to me is that the shapes in the carpet pattern were designed as a an abstract depiction of runways. The runways which air traffic controllers had been seeing at night from the tower.

If you are interested you can see the new design of PDX airpotr carpet explained here - >

So there are many famous carpets, but in my opinion the first place still goes to the red one. And here are some facts about it:

The first known mention of a red carpet was in a play written in 458 BC - Agamemnon by Aeschylus. The scene: The wife of the main character greets her husband when he returns from Troy with offering him a a red path to walk upon.
Very often in Renaissance painting the carpets laid on the steps of a throne or at other places connected to important figures are red or with a dominant red background colour.
However, the origins of the phrase "red-carpet treatment" are believed to be in the new world, or with other words the USA. It's all about trains. There was a time when railway transport had its golden ages and the competition between the companies in that field could be easily called a war. In 1902, the New York Central Railroad inaugurated 20th Century Limited or "The Most Famous Train in the World". The first passengers of the train were directed by plush crimson carpets to board the train in New York and Chicago. The company used the red carpet as a one more way to make the event look more luxurious and the passengers to feel valued and important.
Once it became a byword for an upper class, respect and importance, the Red Carpet was used for the arrivals of many monarchs, presidents, popes, celebrities, etc.

Nowadays the Red Carpet can be seen in different shades of red, in different designs and patterns and made of different materials. Pictures of it can be seen in the fashion and celebrity magazines. Hours of TV time are dedicated to the events where the Red Carpet is the gorgeous background of the occasion.

But when the event ends and the people of high importance have walked their way, the famous carpet stays there, alone and dirty. As a high traffic area, for its colour and texture to be preserved for the next glamorous event, it need to be taken care of. So in the end it is the carpet cleaning experts (ordinary people) who help the legend to be what it is. One more proof that small things matter even when its all about a carpet.

The Charm of French Country Kitchen Design

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A kitchen can be more than just about its role in function, organization and efficiency. Kitchens need a personality and a look and feel that can liven up the senses in addition to being a functional place for the preparation of food. The French Country Kitchen design is one of many classic kitchen design themes that you could consider. It can provide your kitchen with a traditional look that has its roots in the hillsides of rural France. It is a style that can fit into both rural farmhouses and in the grandest chateau.

French country kitchen design conjures up images of the Provence and the French countryside with its pastoral settings, lavender fields and rustic French farmhouses. The French country kitchen represents country living that is uniquely French. In designing your French country kitchen design you discover that the French country look is always very rustic, old and warm.

There are many elements that go into the French country kitchen including the use of large pieces of furniture made mainly of light colored woods and can be decorated with ornate carving.

Color and French Country Kitchen Design
Color is an important place to start the design process. You can draw inspiration from some of the principle French impressionists like Monet and Renoir, Van Gogh. Colors that are used in the French country kitchen style can include sunny yellow or soft gold, bright red and rust, grass green, cobalt blue and soft ocean tones.

You can decorate in the style of the French country kitchen design by using vivid colors - poppy red, sunflower yellow, bright blue, meadow green, and sunset purple. Your walls and cabinets and large furniture can be painted in off white, ivory, light beige, and taupe. Cabinets can be painted a glossy white to brighten light-filled spaces in the kitchen or they can be left as natural wood. These colors can provide a light, airy feel so you do not want to use strong colors here. In fabrics such as curtains and seat cushions you might also add paisley, stripes and floral prints to your French Country Kitchen theme.

Natural Materials
Natural materials are an important element in walls, cabinetry and furniture that is used in the design of French country kitchens. The materials used in creating a rustic French country kitchen look include natural stone floors, granite counter tops and tumbled marble back splashes. These natural materials can be used on walls and beamed ceilings, and can be rough stained or painted plaster, or wood painted in natural colors. Floors can be made of stone or brick and covered with wool or cotton rugs, a fireplace made of stone with a heavy beam that can serve as a mantel, and wooden shutters as window coverings. Furniture and cabinets can have a rustic or even a distressed look. Countertops can be done in ceramic tile with tile back splashes.

Accent Pieces
In French country kitchen design you will find that tile, rustic urns, hand-painted European ceramics and pottery accents are used extensively. Ceramic tiles and terra cotta pottery pieces are used wherever possible. Add copper pots and a French country kitchen can can encompass many old world decorating colors.

A kitchen can be more than just about its role in function, organization and efficiency. Kitchens need a personality and a look and feel that can liven up the senses in addition to being a functional place for the preparation of food. The French Country Kitchen design is one of many classic kitchen design themes that you could consider. It can provide your kitchen with a traditional look that has its roots in the hillsides of rural France. It is a style that can fit into both rural farmhouses and grand chateaus.

The materials used in creating a rustic French country kitchen look include natural stone floors, granite counter tops and tumbled marble back splashes.

Stop Procrastinating - Get Started Now!

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How do we get started when we have a task we want to - or need to - complete? Well, the hardest part is getting started. Once we actually get started, it's a lot easier to keep going.

But oh, my goodness! Getting started can really suck sometimes, can't it!!

It's a lot easier to get going when you "set the bar low" and here's what I mean by that. The principle is to set small, very achievable goals, and chain them together, one after the other.

Why is "goal chaining" so effective?

First of all, it's a lot easier to deal with feelings like dislike or boredom if we tell ourselves we only have to put up with it for a very limited amount of time.

Secondly, every time you achieve one of your small goals, your brain rewards you with a pleasant hit of dopamine. Not only does dopamine feel yummy, it is the neurochemical most responsible for motivation - making it a lot easier to keep going!

And as an added benefit, dopamine regulates our motor movements making it easier and smoother to "do" anything! And it improves attention too! Dopamine ROCKS.

Ridiculously Simple Step Strategies!

I call the little "micro" goals in the goal chaining process, Ridiculously Simple Steps!

Because of our natural processing style - the unique way we make sense of the world - one of the following ways of thinking about Ridiculously Simple Step strategies may resonate more easily for you, and therefore it will be more likely that you'll remember it and use it make your life easier. So here are several ways to think about using Ridiculously Simple Step strategies:

Limit the scope of the task

In this version of the Ridiculously Simple Step strategies, you decide to work for a limited amount of time, or you decide to do a limited number of actions. Here are two examples:

Limited time approach

Promise yourself you'll work on the task for an "honest" 5 minutes (or other suitable amount of time), which means eliminate distractions and bring your thoughts and attention to the task.

At the end of 5 minutes, you can choose - to continue completing the task or choose to quit. By that time dopamine will have been released and you very well may be cruisin' on to completion!

Limited number of actions approach

In this version of the limited scope approach, you promise to complete a certain number of actions. A good example is clearing up a room. Commit to putting away 3 items, or 10 items, or 1 item, whatever number you feel comfortable with. After that is completed, you can choose to put away another 3 items, or you can choose to stop.

The "If X, then Y" Strategy

In this version of the Ridiculously Simple Step strategy, you will be adding another motivational dimension into the mix. This is the principle that you know for sure you can accomplish the step you define for yourself - you have the certainty of being able to complete it. You capitalize on your self-efficacy and your knowledge of prior achievements. These are small achievements to be sure, but this approach often resonates with people in a different way than the other Ridiculously Simple Step strategies. Try it for yourself and see if you like it!

Let's say for example that you are composing a memo, report, essay, whatever - it's something you need to write. You say to yourself, "If I can sit in this chair, then I can turn on the computer." Now you are capitalizing on the fact that you are sure that you can sit in a chair, and further that you can turn on a computer! You know that you have the skills to do the task, so you don't have any doubts. Capitalize on that certainty! Feel the power of being able to handle that.

Sure it's ridiculously simple, but knowing you can do it, will help generate serotonin (the significance chemical) and that will feel nice and it will get you going! Hack into your brain chemistry in a strategic way. Make it work for you.

OK, let's look at a full chain of "if X, then Y" strategies to get going in writing this report.

"If I can sit in this chair, then I can turn on the computer. If I can turn on the computer, then I can open the document. If I can open the document, then I can read what I wrote last time. If I can read what I wrote last time, then I can write one new sentence. If I can write one new sentence, then I can write a second new sentence." And so on and so on.

You don't need to continue defining the small tasks any longer than necessary. You just need to keep yourself going until you are involved in the task and the natural rhythm of the activity takes over.

Eat an Elephant Strategy

Here's another example of breaking a larger, "dreaded" task into mico-small bites so you can push past the initial hump of getting started. I like to think of this as the Eat an Elephant Strategy. It's just like the other Ridiculously Simple Step strategies - it makes uses of precisely the same principles. It just takes a different slant on the challenge of large tasks.

Think of it this way, how would one eat an elephant? An elephant is very, very large! So naturally, we'd need to eat it one bite at a time. A task that seems overwhelming is very similar to an elephant. It looms large and daunting. So you'll "consume this task" one bite at a time!

Feeling overwhelmed by a big task will stop you in your tracks, but you can focus on a process of step by step actions. The larger task is made up of many tiny action steps. You'll just chain the pieces together one after the other to create the overall task.

We chain together a series of very small, ridiculously easy tasks, one after the other. Here's an example. Suppose you need to "clean the kitchen." Ok, that doesn't sound fun - and it doesn't give me any place to start and get my footing. I need that task broken down into chunks I can swallow easily!

Instead of focusing on the outcome - the kitchen being clean - let's focus on a process that will lead to the outcome. Let's break it into a series of steps we can take. We can make these steps as small as necessary so we feel that we are able to get rolling on this task.

We could break it down like this:

1. Take the clean dishes out of the dishwasher and put them in cupboard
2. Put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher
3. Wipe the counters
4. Sweep the floor
5. Take out the garbage

Each of these steps could be broken down as small as necessary to make the "elephant" easier to swallow. For example, let's break down step number 1 - take the clean dishes out of the dishwasher and put in the cupboard - into a series of mini steps:

1. Open the dishwasher door
2. Pull out the top rack
3. Pick up one dish
4. Put that dish in the correct cupboard

You see, any step can be broken down into a set of ridiculously simple smaller tasks. The point is to make the steps small enough that you feel comfortable taking that action. I could even break down the first mini step - open the dishwasher door - even further if I needed to. Ok so let's break down that step into smaller steps:

1. Enter the kitchen
2. Go over to the dishwasher
3. Face the dishwasher
4. Bend over and open the door

So now we eat our elephant in an easy manner, and as we eat each bite, we feel a sense of accomplishment and we remember how much brain chemistry is on our side!

We remember we are free to choose to stop at any time, and since we are successfully accomplishing a task we care about doing, we know that we are living closer to full expression of our values! And that generates more positive brain chemistry for us to enjoy!

Make the steps as small as necessary to get moving forward!

Remember, we are focusing on the next step, not the outcome. "Put your blinders on" - don't think about the entire task. Think only about the next step.

The power of all of these Ridiculously Simple Step Strategies is that you can get an uncomfortable task cut down to size to the point where doing it isn't overwhelming. You also realize that you can stop at any time - so you don't feel disempowered!

You have the power of brain chemistry behind you as you accomplish each easy step - increasing the fluidity of the movements of your muscles, increasing your motivation to continue, and rewarding you with a pleasant burst of a "chemical high" that comes from accomplishment!

Try one or more of these strategies for pushing past that initial hump of overwhelm, or boredom, or fatigue, or any other feeling or thought that has you stuck and not wanting to do what your values say you want to be doing.

If you have passionate dreams and brilliant ideas, but youre frustrated by procrastination, lack of focus and difficulty following through, its time to get in the drivers seat once and for all! I help women take charge of their out of control lives women who feel scattered, overwhelmed, and out of their depths trying to keep their heads above water in their careers and personal lives.

 Get started right now!

Grab a copy of my FOCUS Strategies for Women with ADHD - A proven system to stay attentive, on target and in control. I share a few of my best tips for getting focused and I even show you how to combine them into a successful system so you can stop the cycle of overwhelm and blame, get control of your time, and feel good about how much you accomplish.

Some Small Kitchen Design Tips

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If you have a small kitchen to design then the problem of designing a great kitchen boils down to just what you can fit and where. There are many different cabinet designs and surface patterns that can help you provide your small kitchen design with a sense of space.

To create the small but efficient kitchen design, you need to work on three major areas of small kitchen design: storage, lighting, and appliances.

Small kitchens may seem to be a very difficult design challenge, but they can also be functional, beautiful and efficient. Even with a small budget and building restrictions, you can find that there are many options open to you to transform your kitchen into something more ideal for your needs.

To create a more spacious look for your small kitchen design the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) recommends designing more unique storage solutions, mixing natural and ambient lighting, taking advantage of more space saving appliances, and adding personalized touches.

A small kitchen design requires creativity in coming up with storage solutions. Some ideas to try include:

Putting an island in the center of the kitchen that can provide freestanding storage that is also convenient from any spot in the kitchen.
Using a galley kitchen design in which the cabinets and appliances line up on either side of a corridor can work out very well for a small kitchen space.
Today's appliance manufacturers have come up with more compact space-saving appliances make small kitchen design easier, such as refrigerators that are 24 inches deep instead of 30 inches deep, as well as appliances that can be hung underneath cabinets like microwaves.
Other small kitchen design tricks to create an eating area in the kitchen include using a drop table or a small sized round table with two small chairs that can be tucked into a corner. Or a built-in counter along the wall with chairs to provide an eating nook.
Another interesting challenge in small kitchen design is creating an illusion of space with under cabinet lighting or under the counter. With the proper type of lighting the kitchen can be made to appear larger and more pleasing.
The use of light colored cabinets with glass doors.
Installing deeper counters that can accommodate more appliances and increase work space.
Flooring tiles can be placed on a diagonal, and in a galley style kitchen hardwood flooring can be run the length of the kitchen.
For storage you can hang up pots and pans. This is a perfect way to free up cabinet space, and they add a certain charm and character to your small kitchen design. The insides of cabinet doors can be used to hang up everything from utensils, oven mitts, and other miscellaneous items. Pantry storage with units that go all the way to the ceiling with the upper cabinets to provide more space for seldom used items while making the lower cabinets more accessible with rollout shelves, lazy susans, and tilt-out bins.
Install a large kitchen sink, since larger sinks are considered to be more practical than small sinks when it comes to cleaning pots and pans.

Remember most kitchens are small. When you look in kitchen design magazines you naturally notice that the kitchens featured are large and so you might think your small kitchen in inadequate. But good small kitchen design means being able to create space and incorporating ample storage facilities and being able to fit in all the necessary appliances.