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Once the only place you would
see stainless steel cabinets is in an office or a
restaurant kitchen. Nowadays they can feature
heavily in modern kitchen designs as an integral part of
a new kitchen.
Stainless steel
is a practical and extremely useful material. Not
only does it fit a modern or contemporary kitchen
design, it can be incorporated in most other kitchen
designs too, with a little imagination.
The last few
years have seen a significant increase in the amount of
stainless steel items available for the kitchen.
No longer restricted to cutlery and toasters, you can
now get almost any kitchen cabinet or appliance in the
metal. In some settings it can look stark and
clinical, but used correctly can slip in seamlessly to a
design, modern or otherwise.
In a light room
it can appear bright and gleaming, whereas in a darker
room it will seem more muted or even toned down.
If the shiny finish isn’t to your taste then you could
always try a brushed finish. Despite being polar
opposites as far as material goes, stainless steel works
well with wood. Wooden carcasses with steel doors,
wooden cabinets with steel worktop, or wooden everything
with steel handles and metalwork. All of these and
everything in-between can work well in any design if
done right.
Not only can
stainless steel work well visually, it also offers many
practical advantages. Stainless steel cabinets are
very strong and are bacteria resistant. They can
be cleaned quickly and easily and are relatively
inexpensive. Steel countertops are also very
practical. The anti-bacterial properties also
enhance the practicality here, but it is also heat
resistant, stain resistant and can take a lot of use and
punishment in a busy kitchen.
The downsides
are that it is relatively easy to scratch, looks messy
unless cleaned regularly and can look cold and clinical
unless care is taken with the design. When
considering using stainless steel in a kitchen design
consider warmer colors and the use of wood or fabrics in
other things around the kitchen. This can soften
the steel so it doesn’t stand out so starkly in a design
and can mute the effect quite a bit. Steel can
also be restricted to use in the ironmongery.
Steel cabinet or drawer handles can add a modern twist
to a traditional theme, so can a stainless steel sink,
drainer or plate shelf.
Stainless steel
sinks are popular because they are inexpensive and
almost indestructible. Sharing the same
anti-bacterial and stain resistant qualities as counter
tops and other stainless steel items, it is also easy to
clean and use. As steel can be either moulded,
cast or pressed, it can come in any shape or size.
This adds versatility to any steel item, and allows
steel sinks to come in any shape and size. They
can include a single bowl, double, a drainer, or any
combination, in any size.
Using stainless
steel in a kitchen doesn’t have to be restricted to
modern designs. Careful consideration of
materials can allow you to use it with any style in any
way.
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