Surely, dishes are not the only thing you want to serve from your kitchen? Want to make your kitchen the pride of your home and the target of your guest’s envy. Modern, sleek, chic, contemporary, traditional, vintage, you could create your DREAM KITCHEN from an endless list of possibilities. But just serving looks isn’t going to make anyone jealous. If you REALLY want to be the center of envy, make it look good but make it even more functional and convenient with state of the art kitchen technology. Lucky for you, this article is serving YOU the top 3 kitchen must-haves of 2021 and why they are the top-tier kitchen appliances and finishers that are aesthetically pleasing, functional and convenient too. 

As an average household owner, we typically only have ONE kitchen and limited space, thus, we need to be selective of the type of appliances or finishers we choose to integrate into our kitchen. Furthermore, something to keep in mind while we’re selecting additions to our kitchen is that it should last be able to last for years or decades. If you’re a household that cooks A LOT, planning for the future is important here. And even if you don’t cook very often, when you do cook, it would still be nice to make it a pleasant experience.

Our experience cooking in our kitchen should feel smooth and hassle-free. People don’t think about it but cooking can be very intense. We may have multiple things to do at once and if you’re a parent with young children running around, being the child they are, constantly calling out to you while you’re cooking, it can be overwhelming. Therefore, the tiniest details from shelves to countertops can significantly affect our kitchen experience. Without further ado, let’s get into what are the kitchen must-haves to a pleasant cooking experience. 

#1 Shelves and Drawers by Blum

Image sourced from Blum

Hate how you have to worry about the shelves hitting your head when you open it? Or do you have trouble finding that pot or pot lid you’ve been looking for because you can’t see all the way to the back of the drawer? Now you can forget about having to stoop down to dig through your unlit shelves and drawers.

You could opt for blum’s drawer system for all your above counter AND under the counter cabinet needs. They can be customized to fit pots and pans of different sizes. There’s roll out shelves with 100% visibility where you can keep canned foods, bowls, small appliances and many more without having to worry about accidentally leaving out that one can of beef for over a year only to discover it during cleaning after it has expired. 

There are three things we would like to highlight to you about blum cabinet and drawer systems. The three are (1) motion quality, and (2) space optimization.

Motion Quality: A way to identify a sophisticated and functional kitchen is from the way the cabinets and drawers can open in a way where it’s smooth, and close softly and silently even if there is a lot of weight being contained in it. This detail can really boost up the overall ambience of your kitchen look and feel. So you may be wondering, how does blum open smooth and easy, and close softly and silently?

Firstly, with just a gentle push your drawers and cabinets will easily open and close for you. Imagine you have your hands full or its greasy from oil or from handling meat and you want to get that one spice. You could just use your hips to lightly bump the drawer and it’ll roll out for you as if it’s rolling out the red carpet of kitchen appliances or spices just for you. You take what you need, and just as easily as you opened it, you can hip bump it to close. On top of that, you don’t have to worry about it slamming, it has hinges that let’s it slowdown and close nice and quietly. 

Space optimization: There’s so many factors that may affect your storage needs such as the size of our household, our lifestyle habits, cooking habits, and spending habits. All these factors determine the amount of storage space that you would need in your kitchen and what kind of storage spaces would be most suited to you. Blum has multitudes of different appliance organizers and unique designs to cater to specific needs. For example, a U-shaped sink drawer. But why? We can utilise the space around our sinks and give ourselves extra storage space. We can store our sponges, hand wash, brushes, sink scrubs and so on. 

#2 Countertops by kompacplus

Image sourced from KompacPlus

Surfacing materials that apply advanced technology AND available in all types, colours, and even custom shapes helping you achieve your sophisticated, practical and most importantly, beautiful countertops and many more. Have you been convinced yet?

Strong and beautiful: There is no need for thick blocks of material for durability, you only need KompacPanels’ 6mm of beautiful surface goodness. It is long-lasting and easy on the eyes! With the 2-in-1 experience, you get to make the most out of every square feet of your dream kitchen. Perfect for homes with limited space and in need of practical surfaces that don’t occupy both vertical and horizontal areas. It also comes with KompacSeal which gives your panel a colour-matching adhesive and sealant that enhances the beauty of the seamless experience (less than 1mm wide). On top of that, it comes with a 10-year integrity warrant that offers you a replacement if and when there have been manufacturing defects.

Waterproof: What’s the biggest worry that we have whenever we look for countertops? We worry if it’s waterproof. But KompacPanels are made of multiple layers of kraft paper soaked with resin and compressed under high heat and pressure, giving birth to a strong panel that is airtight and non-porous. For those who love the look of wood, these are amazing alternatives. You can even consider putting them on walls to protect your walls from possible stains or damage on bare walls.

WHY ARE WET & DRY ZONES DESIGNED TO BE SEPARATED?

Image sourced from Hafele

Rubbish bins in kitchens are usually filled up with food scraps and can end up smelling real funky over time. On top of that, it isn’t exactly the most appealing thing to look at. So being able to hide it away yet still be able to make the kitchen look neat, clean, and organised is a huge bonus that we might end up taking for granted.

If you are into recycling, you could even have separate bins and bags to make it easier for yourself when you’re trying to separate waste and recyclables. So then, how do I ensure that I keep my rubbish and recycling bins in a convenient and aesthetically pleasing way? Easy, just enclose them in a pullout cabinet somewhere near the sink and or where you usually do prepping for cooking. That way when you’re throwing away food scraps off of the dirty dishes or peeling the skin off of your fruits and vegetables, your bin is easily accessible and can be put away nice and easy. 

Thank you for reading this article. We hope that this has helped you get an understanding of how you can make your dream kitchen both easy on the eyes and a breeze to cook in.

Your bathroom is also where you spend a majority of your time giving yourself self-care and prepare yourself to face the rest of your day or unwind from it. 

And, if you are looking into how to renovate your bathroom space, you may have come across the idea of a wet vs dry bathroom concept. It’s possible that you may be thinking, “is this just another way for rich people to make themselves feel richer?”.

Well, the answer is NO. There’s a reasoning behind designing bathrooms in a way that sections the dry zones off from the wet zones. It is more than just looking to chase the “luxurious” looking lifestyle with a fancy-schmancy bathroom concept. It is about increasing or maximizing the functionality of a bathroom without having to sacrifice the aesthetics of ideal bathroom space.

WET VS DRY BATHROOM

Image sourced from Backsplashva

In this article, you will learn what is the wet zone, the dry zone, and why it is so important to separate those two. You can also find out what kind of alternative concepts you can have aside from a wet and dry one. 

To start off let’s learn about what each of the terms are referring to.

THE WET ZONE?

Image sourced from firstchoice warehouse

What is the wet zone? The wet zone is referring to the zone where most bathroom activities that involve water typically occurs. For example, it is where you will have your shower or bathtub. You would usually also have a towel rack nearby as well. 

THE DRY ZONE?

Image sourced from Creative Design Studios

What is the dry zone? The dry zone is referring to the zone where the more common activities typically take place. For example, the toilet or the vanity area. This is the zone where you, your family, as well as your house guests will be using. Because of that, it is important to keep it dry and hazard free so that none of you will have to go through the hassle of wiping your feet every time you use the toilet.

WHY ARE WET & DRY ZONES DESIGNED TO BE SEPARATED?

Image sourced from Sassy Townhouse Living

Improved safety: Separation of wet and dry zones can help you protect not only you but everyone who uses your bathroom. This is especially important and relevant to households with the elderly or young children because their motor skills may not be the most agile and thus, they are more prone to slipping hazards. Using the traditional bathroom design, water will almost always splash everywhere during and after shower or bath. And after the bath, the entire floor would be wet with water causing it to be slippery and become a slipping hazard. You won’t have to worry as much about this issue if you separate the two zones in your bathroom as it is the relatively safer option. 

Improved functionality: Simply by separating the wet and dry zones, the functionality of your household’s bathroom can be increased. It means that while one family member takes a long shower, other household members could be in the dry zone to brush their teeth or wash their face and perhaps even go to the toilet without worrying about bothering each other. 

Convenient and clean: When you separate the wet zone and dry zone in your bathroom, you can also make it more convenient for you to clean your bathroom areas. The traditional bathroom design that merges both the dry and wet zones is typically designed in a way that would be very humid. And in this case, the high humidity is not a good thing. When the air in the bathroom is more humid, it also means that it creates the ideal environment for bacteria to breed and multiply all over the bathroom.

The worst part is, you can even see them most of the time but they’re there. Due to this, the traditional bathroom requires more frequency and time to clean it and ensure that the bacteria will not take over the bathroom. The separation of these zones helps block moisture from accumulating and contains the water within the wet area only. This effectively keeps the dry zone dry, thus, inhibits the growth of moisture and bacteria greatly. That is why the separation makes it easier for house owners to clean a dry and wet concept bathroom. 

Extend the life of sanitary items: Similar to how the separation can help make it more convenient for house owners to clean their bathrooms, it also helps extend the life of the sanitary ware that is usually kept in the bathroom through blocking moisture from entering the dry zone. This prevents cabinets (which may be made of wood) from corroding. There are usually also electrical appliances in the bathroom that would break if exposed to high humidity and moisture for an extended period of time. Thus, the length of their service life would significantly be reduced. 

It is important for us to be able to go to our bedrooms to recharge and get away from all the external stress factors in our lives. Therefore, it is crucial for our bedrooms to be both functionally and aesthetically pleasing for us to feel comfortable and at home in our private space.

As the bedroom is a very personal space, the perfect dream bedroom for each individual will vary depending on their lifestyle, personal preferences and so on. Thus, there is NO one formula to the perfect bedroom. The most important thing is for the owner of the bedroom to decide what they would want their bedroom to look and feel like, what should be included and many more. That is why this article will not tell you what YOUR ideal bedroom would look like but instead aim to provide you guidance on how you can achieve your DREAM BEDROOM space.

A MOOD

Image sourced from Principia Design / Instagram

Your dream bedroom should definitely be able to pass your personal vibe check before it can really be considered your very own “Dream Bedroom”. That is why the first step is obviously to ask yourself what you want your personal bedroom space to look or feel to get an initial image in your head as a way to get yourself started.

Ask yourself these questions: How do I want the bedroom to feel when I enter it? Should it be airy and dreamy, simple but luxurious, or moody and sexy? Are there any specific elements of functions that you want your room to have to accommodate your lifestyle?

For example, if you are someone who does a lot of makeup, you may want a huge vanity table to be able to make your face up comfortably. How much storage space would you need to keep all your personal belongings whilst not making your bedroom look as if it is overwhelmed by clutter? What makes you feel the most comfortable? 

Try exploring these questions on your own first before deciding to proceed with any decisions. 

CHOICE OF COLOUR

Image sourced from michellemurphydesign

Thinking back to the initial image that you have in mind in your head for your bedroom design, ask yourself what colour would best convey the image that you had in mind. 

If you don’t have the slightest clue as to what kind of colours you can start to consider, interior designers would usually recommend subtle and soothing colours of monochromatic tones for bedrooms because it is supposed to be a restful and peaceful sanctuary for the room owner. It isn’t recommended for bedrooms to be styled with bold primary colours.

THE RIGHT SIZED FURNITURE

Image sourced from Pinterest

While it is important to find furniture that looks good, it is equally important (if not more important) to find furniture that can actually FIT your bedroom. You don’t want to go through all the trouble of getting all those beautiful bedroom pieces (that may or may not cost A LOT), only to find out that it can’t fit into the space it was meant to be in. So please remember this ladies and gentlemen, furniture should fit the room that it occupies. This is especially emphasised when it comes to bedrooms that are not very big but still want to look well-balanced overall. 

If possible, it would be good to get a floor plan or a measured drawing of your bedroom space. Don’t choose a bed or wardrobe that is too large or heavy for your small bedroom. Choose to put what is important into your private sanctuary. If your bedroom is large, you could also add little pieces here and there to let the room look a little more balanced. And, make sure that the furniture and accessories you choose for a bigger bedroom are not TOO small so it won’t look out of place in the large space. 

LIGHT IT UP!

Image sourced from Artoog_Lighting

The more sources of lighting that you have in your bedroom, the better it is for your eyes and the finishing look or mood of your dream bedroom. 

There is the idea of “layering” your lighting options throughout your dream bedroom. Think about different lightings that can be used for different purposes. For example, (1) ambient lighting that can help light up the whole space, (2) small focus lights that can act as small lamps for reading or other activities, (3) accent lights that can help soften the illumination of the wall’s colours, and (4) natural lighting to make the room look bigger, lighter and airier. It is ideal for the lights to be adjustable from dim to bright or bright to dim. You could also install separately on and off controls to control which light you want to leave on in the bedroom area selectively. 

There are various approaches and interior design styles in which interior designs could be inspired by or combining in its final look. These designs sometimes have extremely unique or distinct features while some may only differ from another with the subtlest of differences. However, there is no doubt that each style has its own story to tell, conveying the history and culture of the style’s origins.

Each style packs its own flavour, its own finishing feel, and overall experience served to all that graces its presence. Thus, being able to distinguish between the wide range of interior designs or styles could help you out a lot in deciding what kind of approach you’d like to take for YOUR own dream space or even just for the sake of appreciating the art of interior design and architecture. You could even develop or visualise your own unique style of interior design to best suit your tastes and accommodate your lifestyle and values. 

We hope that more and more people could inform themselves about the different approaches and styles of interior design to unlock their creativity and facilitate Malaysian’s abilities to express themselves through their home or express their company’s core principles through their office space. Here are 4 styles Malaysians should know: 

#1 – MODERN INTERIOR DESIGN STLYE

Image sourced from home designing

The modern architectural and interior design approach celebrates a common intention throughout the unity of its elements. For example, celebrations of technology, materials, and composition through authenticity, transparency and efficiency. Originating back at the dawn of the 20th Century, The Modernist art movement inspired the Modern style and approach. This introduction of this style had reinvented the way people percepted the relationship between space and aesthetics, allowing us the ability to dig deeper into interior designs and feel more connected with it.

A space was no longer a lifeless and soulless empty area to inhabit but rather a functional and expressive space to truly live our lives. Because of the emphasis on functionality and clarity in Modern interiors, it typically displays a complex overlay of functional programming, careful compositions, and clearly articulated lines and geometry. 

#2 – INDUSTRIAL STYLE

Image sourced from Artiss

The industrial style is one that focuses on the efficiency and functionality of the modernist approaches. The primary aesthetic is created through the transformation of the functional elements of a design’s space. For example, beams, columns, pipes, ducts and flanges are incorporated in the design to convey the message of ‘machine for living’. Because of that, this form of interior largely conveys masculine overtones.

Contrary to most styles, the industrial style distinguishes itself from the way it embraces the worn, recycled or salvaged look and how it gives the sense of weight and roughness to the overall feeling. It resembles the look of a typical warehouse or loft, and sticks to warmer, more neutral colours such as browns or grays to mimic the colours of steels or iron along with exposed concrete and unfinished brickwork.

#3 – CONTEMPORARY

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Contemporary equals current. That is why it is always evolving and changes with the latest trends and tastes in the given time. Because of that it is difficult to describe or characterize the elements of a contemporary style as a concept. However, it diverges from the modernist aesthetic approach by presenting a more balanced and rounded approach. This style aims to create a space that is warm and cozy from its more fluid and instinctive approach. 

#4 – MINIMALIST

Image sourced from artfasad

The Minimalist interior brings out the driving concepts of modernism through an almost always rigid choice of colour palette. The flames of the minimalist style started around the 1960s to 1970s ignited by the Minimalist arts movement. It is heavily inspired by traditional Japanese design and Zen philosophy.

Minimalism strips the interior design elements down to the bare basics and conveys an aesthetic that highlights the way interior designs can be executed while striving for high levels of efficiency. It is a style that hates any form of clutter or distracting elements because it does not want to take away the attention off of the key features in the design. It likes to maximise the impact of bold visuals and the underlying use of space. Everything is kept to a bare minimum. For example, the stories are concealed, colours lean to more muted tones with only one or two accent pieces to be highlighted in each space.