Kitchen Design Options: Accessories, Countertops, Flooring, Ventilation

Laminate is easy to clean and durable. It may be easily scratched or burned, and difficult to repair if there is major damage.

Butcher block/wood works well for food preparation areas. It is hard to clean, however, and may be susceptible to water damage.

Solid surfaces may be manufactured, or from a naturally-occurring source, such as marble. They are resistant to heat and humidity and easy to clean.

Ceramic tile is resistant to heat and humidity, and is durable. You must take care to ensure that the grout between the tiles is kept clean.

Flooring

The kitchen is the most popular room in the house. Floors must be durable, and made to withstand moisture. Popular options in kitchen flooring include sealed hardwood, stone, ceramic tile, cork, vinyl, painted concrete, or stain-resistant carpet. Hardwood floors accompany an elegant cabinetry set nicely, whereas ceramic tiles work well with most contemporary styles.

Lighting

Lighting sets the mood and ambiance of a room. Various lighting systems can be installed to provide different types of ambiance at different times of the day.

Task lighting highlights a certain area of the kitchen to aid you in tasks such as baking or chopping fruits and vegetables.

Ambient or general lighting floods the entire room with light so that all areas are visible.

Decorative or accent lighting serves to highlight certain features, such as display pieces, or to create a dramatic mood with kitchen elements such as moulding, structural elements, and custom carvings.

Different kitchens require different lighting set-ups. Size, wall colour, and personal needs are all assessed by one of our architects to ensure optimal lighting conditions for your home.

Ventilation

All kitchens must be equipped with a proper ventilation system. They remove odours, smoke, and other air pollutants that may make your kitchen difficult to clean.

One choice in the kitchen is an updraft system, where an exhaust fan is installed over your range or cooking oven. This is one of the most common ventilation systems – it sucks air up from the range and sends it outside, deferring odours and smoke from the air.

Another choice is a ducted range hood, which works much different from an updraft system. Ducted range hoods carry most air pollutants from the kitchen, as they are downdraft systems – air is drawn to the floor and removed via floor ducts. This is a popular option for island-based ranges.

There are many options available for mouldings, valances, and fretworks in your kitchen. Our custom cupboards and mouldings can be made to match perfectly. Brackets may also be installed to achieve a dramatic sense of architecture.

Beyond the refrigerator, range, and sink, other specialty appliances may be installed to enhance the convenience and functionality of your kitchen. Win racks, insets, appliance panels, sliding refrigerator or cupboard panels, dishwasher panels, and angled cabinets are a few of the options. Do you want to watch television while you eat? No problem, Flexwood can install a wall shelf to hold almost any size television.

Do you want something special like a custom dish rack, bread board, chopping block, cookbook holder, or pull-out cart? We can make those as well. At Flexwood, we conveniently take care of all the little extras so that you don’t have to.