SENSIBLE STYLE - Pet-friendly Kitchens

Curiosity actually can kill your cat. And an old dog's new tricks may leave messes around your kitchen. So how do you make this hard-working space friendly for both four and two-legged occupants? That's what this edition of Sensible Style is all about.

Since this is an area in which I have blissfully little experience-being happily pet-free for the past nine years-I decided to bring in some experts for this post. They include a veterinarian, a custom cabinetmaker and a professional organizer.


About that killer first line...

I asked Dr. Holly Trief, VMD, of San Francisco, a veterinarian for 24 years and my older sister for, well, longer than that, what kitchen-related injuries she sees most often in her patients.

These are the first three on her list, and all are preventable with some changes to your kitchen:

• "Burns to cat paws from jumping on stoves.


• "Digestive upset/obstructions from [eating] items in the trash, such as chicken bones, plastic wrappers, sponges, Brillo pads, and [eating] items off table and counter tops, most commonly seen in dogs but occasionally in cats too.


• "Electric cord injuries, especially in kittens. Dogs will also chew on electrical cords.

Burn free

You can reduce the chance of your cat burning its paws by changing from gas or electric cooking to induction. An induction burner will only heat up when there's a pot covering it. It will also cool faster than an electric or gas burner.

If changing your range or cooktop is not an option right now, and you have a curious cat, you can keep the burners covered when they're not in use.

Protect your pet's paws from burning with a Burner Kover from Range Kleen

Doggone it, Fido's gotten into the trash again

Our childhood German shepherd would do this. So did my lab stepdog, on occasion. What both dogs' kitchens had in common was a tall, open trash can. It was an invitation to mayhem, if you think about it. You can minimize the likelihood of this happening in your kitchen by moving the trash to a closed cabinet. Even if Fido smells something yummy inside, chances are he can't get to it.

Consider a trash pull-out for a base cabinet as a solution. Often, they'll fit in the open space below the sink, which happens to be a very convenient spot. Pull-outs come in various sizes and configurations. A two-can model will hold both recyclables and trash. They're available online and at many home centers.

Stop your dog from trashing your kitchen with a cabinet accessory like this Rev-A-Shelf pull-out

Shockingly-simple solutions

The simplest way to save your pets from electrocution is to unplug your countertop appliances when they're not in use. This will also help save money and the planet by using less electricity. However, that won't solve everyone's problems, especially if the pet chews an appliance cord when it's in use.

Dr. Trief recommends a baby gate to keep pets out of the kitchen while you're cooking. That would greatly reduce the chance of an electric cord mishap, or a cooking burn, for that matter.

If your kitchen entrance doesn't lend itself to being closed off, (as is the case in some open plan layouts), an appliance garage could be an alternate solution. Keeping the toaster oven out-of-sight can keep your pet from hurting itself. (Just be careful not to forget about the appliance yourself if it's in use, and read the manuals for ventilation requirements!) Garages are most often installed during a remodel, and can be factored into your next update.

An appliance garage, like this one from Armstrong, can keep your cat from chewing appliance cords

More vet cautions

Dr. Trief shares these additional pet hazards:

• "Some people bathe their pets in the sink. Be careful about drain traps that have holes that claws can get caught in.
  


• "Open dishwashers can be a hazard, especially if people load them with the knife blade pointed upwards, (particularly for dogs).
  


• "Fumes from overheating non-stick pans produce chemicals (polytetrafluoroethylene) can be toxic to birds. Smoke and fumes from other burnt items in the kitchen are also dangerous for birds.
  


• "Cleaning products and dishwasher detergents can cause chemical burns and digestive upset, (diarrhea and vomiting). This is seen mostly in dogs.

All of these, in my opinion, speak to exercising a level of caution with your pets that you'd give to a toddler. In fact, this experienced vet points out that pet-proofing your home is not unlike baby-proofing it.

Planning around your pet

Pets, like babies, come with a lot of gear and their own set of nature calls. Some, like St. Bernards and Newfoundlands, slobber quite a bit. Others, especially pups, chew like crazy. Cats jump onto whatever they can reach. (We won't even tackle claw sharpening!) Aging pets and cuddly young ones have accidents. How do you factor all this into your kitchen redesign?

If you're planning a remodel, you just build it in. In addition to the components listed above, you have numerous other options available to you. Let me share a few off the top of my own head.

I'd select Corian for its repairability, or engineered stone countertops for their durability and non-porousness as a hedge against jumping cats and large bird claws. After all, you don't want whatever they've eaten on the top to seep into it. Nor do you want permanent damage from their claws.

I'd specify rectified porcelain tile flooring for its durability against large dog claws, and for its minimal grout lines, which also makes clean-up easier.

I would design in a place for pet food, pet bowls and other pet gear you need to keep handy, maybe even a bed if the kitchen is where you want your precious pet to sleep. More about this in the next section.

I'd also choose a scrubbable paint for your walls to easily remove pet marks.

Choosing the right paint, like Sherwin-Williams' Duration Home Interior Latex, can make pet marks so much more cleanable.

Satin and Semi-gloss are both great kitchen paint finishes. Semi-gloss, in particular, is perfect for frequently-cleaned areas like kitchens. It can also be used on cabinets, as well as walls, for an affordable update.

Designing around your pet

Just as you create spaces for your dishware, cookware and glassware, consider creating spaces in your kitchen for your pet and petware. You can achieve this with the help of a professional kitchen designer in your area--find one on NKBA.org--along with good space planning and the right cabinetry configurations.

First, consider which pet products you want to keep in the kitchen, and which pet needs you want to meet there. (Hint: I wouldn't place the litter box within sniffing distance!) Your designer can help you determine the optimum space allowance and location for your pet station. That's going to vary widely from one household to another.

You don't need a custom cabinet line to achieve your pet center either. A skilled designer can weave together elements from a stock or semi-custom cabinet line to create the storage you need.

A talented designer can create an affordable pet center, like this one using Merillat cabinets

Building around your pet

If you are using custom cabinetry, you'll have more options in creating a pet center tailored to your home and animal.

Nadja Pentic of Case 540 in Alameda, Cal. recommends MDF core with a melamine finish for the cabinet's construction. (MDF stands for Medium Density Fiberboard, a very durable, non-warping wood composite.) "I think MDF would be more resilient than particle board to constant spills and messes and give the cabinets more longevity.. Melamine is also very easy to clean."

Pentic suggests glossy laminates for a contemporary kitchen's cabinet exteriors. While laminate can be damaged by pet claws, it's affordable to replace, she notes. She also believes the glossy exterior will have less scratch-appeal. (It's also very 'in' right now for Euro-style, I might add!)
I asked her to design a pet center for Sensible Style readers, which you can see below.

Pentic-designed cat center by Case 540, with space for feeding and storage

Here's a large dog center design by Pentic, as well.

Organizing around your pet

Professional organizer Jessica Barna of Kitchens Resolved in San Diego suggests organizing your pet cabinet to hold medicines and vitamins, toothbrushes and paste, flea and tick medicines, waste bags, grooming tools, treats, food and even your pet's medical records. Locate their food and water dish nearby, too, she suggests.

Barna also suggests:

• "Inside of your pet cabinet, group like items with like. Also, group items together that you use at the same time.
  


• "Traveling supplies can be in a small box in the back of your pet area - they are needed rarely, and they need to be grouped for easy grab-and-go.
  


• "Have a "vet kit" that you can grab when you are headed to the vet (or in case of an emergency). This can be a small folder or accordion file with pet history, list of meds, a few treats, etc.


• "Are you your own pet's groomer? Have a grooming container: store brushes, nail clips and files, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. It will be very easy to pull out your grooming container, groom, and put it away."

Final thoughts from a pet-free blogger

Even though I may never need these tips myself, I'm grateful to my editor for suggesting this topic, and to animal lovers Dr. Holly Trief, Nadja Pentic and Jessica Barna for their invaluable insights.

If you're an animal lover, too, and want to honor your pet with a beautiful personalized kitchen element, consider a custom wood carving or mosaic to celebrate your beastly beloved's fine, furry, finned or feathered self.

A fish lover's stunning mosaic aquarium by New Ravenna

If you have pet-friendly kitchen insights to share, please feel free to comment below. Also enjoy my other Sensible Style posts by clicking on one of the links on the right column of this blog.

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If you enjoyed this post, please check out more pet-friendly kitchen ideas at Kitchen Views, which included quotes from me and other professionals on their informative blog.

SENSIBLE STYLE - Due consideration

So you've been reading this blog for a year now and are still not totally sure what Sensible Style actually means. Let me share some definitions and considerations.

First, Sensible Style means a matching of form and function so that your space works to meet your needs and looks good while doing it.


Kitchen ROI

It also means spending wisely to get what you want at a price point that fits your home's value. It's just as easy to under-spend as it is to overspend, and both can bite you in the resale process. Consider your kitchen remodel an investment in your home. Putting a $100,000 kitchen in a $250,000 home won't give you a good return, as you've majorly overspent. But neither will putting a $30,000 kitchen in a $3 million home.

Even if you plan to stay in your home for 10, 20 or 40 years, you never know what circumstances might arise in your life that could create the need to move much sooner than planned. That's not the time you want to discover that you're not going to get much back for the new kitchen.

Tip: Get advice from local appraisers or Realtors on what buyers in your price range and neighborhood are looking for - e.g., stone tops, built-in appliances - and consider the ones that make sense for your home and family. If, for example, everyone else is investing in quartz or granite, look-alike laminate tops are not going to build any value for you.

Engineered stone tops, like this Black Anubis from Silestone, bring great form and function to a kitchen project.

Open plan considerations

Most of the designs I've worked on in the past five years involve opening up the kitchen to the adjacent rooms. These are usually a great room and/or dining room. Open plan designs are wonderful for entertaining and relaxed family living, but they do involve special Sensible Style considerations.

First, open plan kitchens tend to have fewer wall cabinets. So the designer and homeowner need to consider where the dishes, glasses and other typical upper storage items will go in this new plan.

Tip: Dish drawer organizers are great for storing serveware in base cabinets. They can be purchased through many cabinet brands, or after-market from accessory sources. Also consider siting your everyday dish storage near the dishwasher for more convenient unloading.

Dish drawer organizers like this one from Rev-A-Shelf are ideal for open plan kitchens

Another consideration in open floor plan design is coordinating the style of the kitchen with its neighboring rooms. They should flow together seamlessly and look as though they belong in the same home. When someone goes for a French Country kitchen in a Craftsman home, it doesn't usually work out well. Ditto for a Tuscan kitchen in a California contemporary. What happens when that new off-style kitchen is in place is that everything around it looks out of place.

Here's the Sensible Style approach to open floor plan design... Take your kitchen cues from the surrounding rooms' permanent elements. If you're not going to change the fireplace mantel with its dentil molding, for example, use dentil trim in the kitchen cabinetry's crown molding.

If you have a large furniture piece that's valuable and staying in the space, choose kitchen cabinetry that will coordinate well with it. This means factoring in its finish, as well as its door style. They don't have to be a match; they just have to look good together in the same open space.

Tip: Bring a door from an important furniture piece to your design selection meeting so you can see how the new cabinets will work with what you already own.

Notice how the family room cabinetry in this kitchen I designed coordinates with the kitchen island for a pulled-together open plan design.

Open plan flooring considerations

Flooring can also be an issue in open plan designs. Sensible Style means choosing a floor that is right for your household, not just right for a magazine layout. Considerations include its durability, especially with active children in the home, along with its maintenance requirements, safety and comfort underfoot. Polished travertine is beyond elegant in an empty nesters' pied-a-terre, but can be a nightmare in a busy family home, or for a senior citizen with balance issues.

The other consideration for your new kitchen flooring is how it will look next to the rooms it opens up to. If you're keeping that flooring in place, select new kitchen floors that look good next to it.

Tip: If you minimize the contrasts between the kitchen floor and the adjacent rooms' flooring materials, your space will look larger and more cohesive.

Sensible Style: 10 Small Kitchen Tips

Sensible Style launched last month in this space, and on Kitchens.com, to answer your questions about how to get the most out of your kitchen. This second posting covers the topic of small kitchens, which so many of us have. Written by a professional designer who has worked on hundreds of condo and cottage kitchens, this will tackle the two most vexing issues associated with small spaces.

Part One covers how to maximize your storage capacity. Part Two covers the aesthetic side - i.e., how to make a small kitchen look great.


Part One - How to maximize your storage capacity

Small kitchens never seem to have enough cupboard space for all the items their owners want to store. After carefully culling to make sure you're only storing regularly-used cooking, meal preparation and clean-up gear in your kitchen, you can increase your storage capacity in several ways.

Tip #1 - Use your backsplash

Backsplashes offer dozens of square feet of untapped storage potential. Usually considered only for decorative purposes, these 18 inch spans between your countertops and wall cabinets can be put to great use as zoned, organized storage. For example, you can clear some counter space by installing a backsplash-mounted utensil crock near your cooktop. You could also mount a spice organizer in your meal prep zone, freeing up some cabinet storage.

Backsplash organizers, like these from Ikea, take advantage of untapped space in your kitchen and free up countertops and cabinet space.

Tip #2: Use empty walls or ceiling space

Even small kitchens typically have an unused wall or ceiling space above a peninsula that can be tapped for additional storage. By adding a pot rack to your kitchen, you can free up base cabinet space that would otherwise hold your cookware. There are racks available in almost any style and size to accommodate your needs. Small kitchens typically lack islands, but a peninsula housing a cooktop can be a good spot to tap into added storage potential.

This wall-mounted pot rack by Enclume lets you take advantage of unused wall space in your kitchen for both hanging and shelf top storage.

Tip #3: Use the back of doors

Another way to add organization and storage capacity to your kitchen is to install accessories on the backs of doors. For example, you can hang an organizer for your cleaning supplies on the back of the cabinet holding your sink. Additionally, you can add pantry capacity by putting a canned goods or food wrap holder on the back of its door. There are numerous options that can add to your kitchen's efficiency, as well as its storage potential.

This behind-door organizer by Rev-a-Shelf can be added to your pantry to increase its organization and storage potential.

Tip #4: Get Rollin'

Replace base cabinet half shelves with full-depth roll-out trays. Most builder-installed base cabinets have a shelf halfway between the bottom and top that is only about 12 inches deep. This means that a good amount of storage space is unusable. Replace this half shelf with a roll-out tray and you could gain close to 25 percent more storage capacity in that cabinet. This tip works best with cabinets 18 inches or wider. (Narrower cabinets can benefit from replacing the half shelf with one or two dividers to store flat items like trays, cutting boards, pizza stones or cookie sheets vertically.)

Increase base cabinet storage by up to 25 percent with roll-out trays. Shown here is one you can add to your kitchen from Rev-A-Shelf.

Tip #5: Add baskets

If you have at least eight inches between your wall cabinets and your ceiling, you can add storage capacity - and style! - to your kitchen with decorative baskets. Shelf baskets can easily accommodate small items that you want to keep in the kitchen area, but don't use on a daily basis. They can add a splash of color or neutral texture, depending on the look that works best with your space.

Baskets can add style and storage to your kitchen in a wide range of colors and textures. This selection is available at Michael's.

Part Two - How to make a small kitchen look great

Tip #6: Minimize contrasts

Compact kitchens tend to look smaller and choppier when there are too many colors and patterns running through them. Minimizing contrasts, on the other hand, makes them feel airier and spacious. You can achieve this effect by selecting solid-colored countertops, for example, and maple or painted cabinets, rather than oak, hickory or glazed finishes.

This New York City condo kitchen looks larger because its base cabinets match its flooring and its countertops, appliances and wall cabinet frames all coordinate to minimize contrasts.

Tip #7: Add glass

Replacing solid door fronts on your wall cabinets with glass fronts can also make your small kitchen look larger and brighter. To enhance the space-enhancing effect, you can paint the insides of your cabinets the same color as your walls.

This kitchen by Westlake Village, Cal. designer Laurie Burke looks larger and brighter, thanks to its glass-fronted wall cabinets.

Tip #8: Light it up

Kitchens look better - and bigger! - with great lighting. When I take on a kitchen design project for my clients, I always look for every opportunity to add lights to the space. This includes ceiling-mounted fixtures or recessed cans, under-cabinet lighting and, where applicable, island or peninsula lighting. Sometimes, above-cabinet and in-cabinet accent lighting are also applied. This layered approach to lighting makes working in the space easier and safer. It also enhances the beauty of your countertops, cabinets and flooring.

This small kitchen by Arlington, Va.-based Kitchen & Bath Factory features three layers of lighting, plus natural rays streaming in the large windows, to enhance its beauty and spaciousness.

Tip #9: Open it up

Open shelving can make a small kitchen feel larger, too. It also shows off your pretty serveware, making it a well-deserved element in your room's style. One other organization benefit offered by open shelving is making it quicker and easier to find things in your kitchen!

Small kitchens, like this one from the Kraftmaid gallery, look larger with open shelves, rather than closed wall cabinets.

Tip #10: Minimize countertop clutter

Countertops loaded with accessories and other items will make your kitchen look cramped and cluttered. That's why real estate agents always advise you to minimize what sits on your tops when you list your home for sale. Larger kitchens are more appealing to home buyers - and homeowners! The backsplash system, storage baskets and door organizers will help in reducing countertop population. So will prioritizing the small appliances that need to remain accessible. For example, if you only serve coffee when guests arrive, keep the coffee maker in a remote storage area when you're not entertaining.

Minimal countertop clutter makes this petite kitchen from the National Kitchen & Bath Association Inspiration Gallery look larger!

Visit the Sensible Style box on the right column for links to all the posts in this ongoing series.

AGING IN PLACE: UPGRADE YOUR KITCHEN

As I wrote last week, many Americans are helping their parents cope with aging issues. If you’re one of them, here are some ways to help them function more effectively in their kitchens, without a major remodel. These suggestions will not only increase the kitchen's functionality, it can increase its value to a larger pool of home buyers.

Many of these tips will work well in your kitchen, too, especially if you have lower back issues that make it hard to get into some of your cabinets.

* Replace base cabinet half shelves with roll-out trays. This will also increase the storage of that cabinet by about 25 percent.

* Add roll-out trays to the bottom of base cabinets, as well. This will make it easier to reach items at the back of the cabinet. (Shown above right, Rev-a-Shelf's roll-out tray in wood keeps items organized and accessible.)

* Add a swing-out or lazy susan accessory to hard-to-reach base corner cabinets. Corner cabinets can be the toughest to access, especially those called "blind corner cabinets" that are typically placed next to a range or a dishwasher. Unless you have great knees and a flashlight, you're going to be hard-pressed to reach anything stored in that cabinet! Thankfully, there are now accessory systems that bring the back items to the front and save your back and knees!

* Replace cabinet knobs with easier-to-use pulls. These are especially helpful for older users with arthritis or Parkinson's. You'll probably have to add a back-plate to cover the knob hole, but there are some attractive ones on the market.

* Replace a knob-style faucet with a lever-handled faucet. These are also easier for older hands to operate.

* Replace a gas or electric cooktop with an induction cooktop. Induction cooktops use magnetic energy and only generate heat directly below and next to the pot. They can reduce the chance of someone with vision or memory challenges from burning themselves on a hot surface. For the same safety reason, they're great for kids, too. Induction cooktops offer additional benefits for all of us, too: they use far less energy and, because they don't heat up your kitchen, save on youf air conditioning bills, too.

* Add task lighting to your kitchen by illuminating your countertops with under-wall cabinet lighting. Brighter work surfaces can mean the difference between a perfectly-julienned carrot and a painfully-jabbed fingertip -- especially for those with vision challenges. As an added benefit, under-cabinet lighting can make your kitchen look bigger.

* Treat super-slick floors with an anti-slip treatment. Polished travertine is incredibly beautiful for high-end kitchens, but presents a risk of serious falls to older residents and visitors. To avoid this potential hazard, look into an anti-slip treatment like SureStep.

If more modifications and updates are needed in your home or your parents', please let me know. In addition to being an NKBA-certified kitchen designer, I'm also a Certified Aging in Place Specialist. You can email me or call (813-810-0467).

S IS FOR SEPTEMBER'S SMART & STYLISH KITCHEN STORAGE

Last week, I kvetched about the hurricane and financial market havoc and indulged my retail therapy craving. So I did some shopping for smart and stylish bath storage. I warned that it could be a two-parter. This week, I conclude with smart and stylish kitchen storage. I hope you enjoy! (BTW, if you're interested in this topic, please refer back to my multi-taskers posting for more storage tips.)

Back It Up

Don't let those unused inches between your countertops and wall cabinets go to waste! Put them to work with the Linero Backsplash System that frees up cabinet space with spice, wine, utensil, lid, plate and knife holders. I absolutely LOVE this concept! (Hafele)

Basket Case

Another often untapped storage source is the space above your cabinets. I love tall baskets for those spare inches. Like the Michael's samples shown here, hey look great and hold all those items you need to keep but don't use all that often. Other affordable sources often include: Marshall's, Ross, Pier1 sales, CostPlus World Market and sometimes Target. Shop around!

Top Drawer

If you've ever hunted for a mixing spoon or a particular Tupperware container, only to come up empty and frustrated, you'll love these wood drawer organizers from Rev-A-Shelf. I always incorporate storage accessories into my client projects, and have added them to my own kitchen, as well. Drawer organizers are available for utensils, knife storage, pots, lids and plastic containers and even small spice containers. (Rev-A-Shelf)

Splashy Trasher

This Stainless Steel Compost Keeper will store handsomely under your sink while saving your septic tank and the environment. It looks great and, from what past purchasers say, smells great, too. Plus, it's from my all-time-favorite discount chain -- who'da thunk! (Target)

I Was Blind... But Now I See

I detest blind corner cabinets. You know, the kind where you have to get on your knees with a flashlight to see what's back there? If I absolutely, positively have to use one in a remodel or new construction kitchen, I always go for the unit with swing-out shelves. These Pivot-out Blind Corner Units are now available for existing kitchens, so that you, too, can re-discover the darkest reaches of your most inaccessible cabinet. Note: Be sure to read the specs carefully before ordering! (Knape & Vogt)

Swing Low, Sweet Casseroles

If you have a low ceiling, you probably didn't think you could have a pot rack in your kitchen. And you probably have an older, smaller kitchen that could use this cabinet-liberator, too! Enclume has made several Low-Ceiling Pot Racks that let you have the best of both worlds: ready-access cookware and more space in your base cabinets. (Amazon)

Oh So Pretty Powder Kegs

So maybe you don't have a few thousand spare dollars hanging around the house for stainless steel appliances right now. That doesn't mean you can have a bit o'bling in your kitchen. All-Clad has a nifty set of three stainless steel canisters that will brighten your countertops and keep your flour, sugar and coffee safe and dry at the same, stylish time. (Amazon)


Final Words

As I noted last week, I didn't include page links or prices with this posting. That's because items occasionally go on sale or get discontinued and I don't care to mislead my readers. So, I'm supplying links to the company sites instead and citing related product names.

You may also be interested in knowing that I provide local design shopping services in the Tampa Bay Area. If you need help coordinating your kitchen or bath furnishings, you can hire me to shop with you, (and take advantage of my trade discounts at the same time). E-mail me at jamie@jgkitchens.com if you'd like to know more about this service.