The kitchen is the heart of a home, a common meeting place for you and your family and that’s why you should invest in it. Perhaps it’s time to give your kitchen a face lift, but you may be concerned about where to start and what challenges you might be faced with.
Before renovating your kitchen you must decide whether you’ll be renovating your whole house as well. “The ideal end result for a renovation is that the same look is carried throughout the house and also extends to the exterior,” says Kate van Niekerk, marketing manager at Tile Africa.
If you decide to go for the same look, select a base tone for your floor and wall tiles – a tone that will be easy to match throughout the house. “The base tone should then be used to make the selection of floor and wall tiles. Colour can then be introduced in the accents and focal areas with mosaics, glass splash backs and decorative layouts on the floor,” she adds.
Always think in advance of your family’s requirements. Under floor heating in a certain section of the kitchen can contribute to creating a cosy corner and keep your family warm during the cold winter months.
Depending on how old your kitchen is or the layout, you may encounter some problems. The style of the house can restrict modern and creative ideas and applications. “Current floor surfaces can be difficult to remove or be challenging to tile onto,” says van Niekerk.
Two things to take into consideration when renovating your kitchen are; tile underneath the cupboards and make use of cupboards that are mobile and raised. This adds to a more hygienic look and creates the illusion of space. Colour is back in fashion. Introduce it in a unique way through accent colours for doors, on the floor layout, splash backs and mosaic effects.
Tiles are perfect for a kitchen floor and wall as they are durable, water resistant, easy to clean and will continue to look beautiful through many years of use. Kitchens are considered high-traffic areas, therefore select a floor tile with a PEI (Porcelain Enamel Institute) rating of four to ensure that the tiled floor can withstand the normal wear and tear experienced in a busy family kitchen. “Choose a slightly darker coloured tile or a patterned tile for the floor area as these tiles will be more forgiving with spills and dirt of daily living,” she says.
Decorative mosaic tiles are suitable for kitchen walls as well as stove and sink splash backs and allow for a unique style and creativity. Bring warm colours into the kitchen by using, for example, red glass mosaics as a splash back behind a stove.
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