2012 Candice Olson's Kitchen Design Ideas From HGTV

Candice Olson, a leading designer in the United States and Canada, began her career in commercial and residential design after graduating from the School of Interior Design at Ryerson University in Toronto. Candice received accolades and media attention for her distinctive and exceptional work before moving her design career to television. In fact, earlier in her career, the New York Times identified her as “one to watch.”
Candace Olson is a genius when it comes to total renovations and overhauls. When it comes to kitchens, she is definitely the queen. If I were to choose any designer to build my dream kitchen, it would Candace Olson hands down.
Her signature trademark for many of her kitchen countertops is quartz which is beautiful and more durable than granite. Granite will stain and so having really light colors for granite counter tops actually takes a lot of work to upkeep.

Create your own divine kitchen with Candice Olson's top 10 kitchen design and decorating tips.

Creative Backsplashes

Backsplashes add character to the kitchen. This tin-tile backsplash was painted cream for an antique effect.

The Necessary Island

If your kitchen is all about family, invest in an island. This long island features a stunning white quartz countertop, white and chrome bar chairs, and a dark wood base to match the mahogany floor.

Unique Flooring

Make a statement with your kitchen flooring. Stripes of light and dark concrete-like material add an unexpected touch to this contemporary kitchen.

Find Inspiration in Your Favorites

Bring the charm of your favorite place to the kitchen. Displaced after Hurricane Katrina, this couple now live in a Big Easy kitchen with French-style accessories.

Use a Similar Color

Integrate family rooms into the kitchen through color. Dark, espresso-toned cabinets coordinate well with this space's black sofa and warm khaki walls.

Love Your Kitchen

Design your kitchen to cater to what you love. This baker's dream kitchen includes a peninsula for entertaining, a lounge area and comfortable flooring.

Update Cabinets

On a budget? Refinish existing cabinetry. These former maple cabinets look custom with their new finish and same-color painted bulkhead.

Open Up Your Space

Knock out a wall to add space to your kitchen. This kitchen seamlessly integrates with the dining area, using a buffet island to separate the two.

Durable Solutions

Design your dream kitchen for durability. Three kinds of porcelain tile and carefully planned cabinet storage make this kitchen a stylish workhorse.

Mix It Up

Two-toned kitchens are more interesting than one-toned. A marble island, different cabinet finishes and Art Deco tile make this Candice's favorite Divine Design kitchen makeover.

New Kitchen Lighting Design Ideas 2012 From HGTV

Lighting designer Eddie Cohen of Design Light, Inc. shares his top six tips for improving task lighting in the kitchen.

Recessed lighting is a great way to focus light throughout a kitchen. It is important to have a lot of light on work surfaces, such as countertops, stoves and the sink area. This type of lighting can be aimed exactly where you most need it. Design by Andreas Charalambous. 

Under-cabinet lighting is great for kitchens because it focuses the light onto the countertop, which is the main work surface in a kitchen. This type of lighting is also a very inexpensive add-on for existing kitchens. There are many different light bulbs such as halogen, xenon and fluorescent that can give your kitchen a completely different effect. Halogen and incandescent light are best. Design by Andreea Avram Rusu.

In-cabinet lighting is a great accent for a kitchen. It can make finding what you need so much easier and can also make for a great look if you have glass-paneled cabinets. A bonus is that this type of lighting brings great illumination to the room. Design by Gail Drury.

Track lighting is the most multipurpose lighting since each light can be positioned to focus on different areas in the kitchen. Design by Joshua Foss.

Pendant lights are both decorative and create nice pools of light over countertops. Design by Gail Drury.

Choose light bulbs with different beam spreads for different effects. Floods are wide and create a more general lighting, while spot lighting works well to highlight specific items. Design by David Stimmel.

Traditional kitchen decorating design ideas 2012 by Gail Drury

Two of Gail Drury's kitchen design showroom displays are national winners. Drury's English pub display recently took second place in the National Kitchen and Bath Association's (NKBA) 2008 Design Competition. A certified master kitchen and bath designer (CMKBD) and president of Drury Design Kitchen & Studio in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Drury founded her company in 1987 and won her first NKBA kitchen design showroom award in 1998. In all, the studio's portfolio encompasses over 20 NKBA award-winning projects. Download Design Guide and view Drury Design's custom kitchen design projects.

Drury's English pub display mixes antique, modern and commercial influences. Ovation's mahogany cabinetry sets the tone in an "aged bark" stain accented with custom designed mullions and featuring a mix of inset and overlay doors. English pub touches get carried out in heavily paneled soffit, a tin ceiling and antique light fixtures. Variable surface heights add to functionality with a 30" ice bin; 36" work area and 42" bar serving area. Refrigeration is concealed behind built-in antiqued mirror doors with wood mullion accents. A built-in stainless ice chest adds a commercial element.

Modern Decorating Design By Joshua Foss

Josh Foss appears as a contestant in season two of the HGTV reality series Design Star. A 25-year-old native of St. Paul, Minnesota, he received his Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Principia College, and says that he works as a green designer. He also says that he should win the competition because he’s progressive, fun, and has a “green” perspective towards life and design. He believes that a designer’s imagination is his best friend, and describes his design style as boiling down to warm and clean modern lines, with a retro twist. Among his favorite design styles are eclectic, contemporary, and modern.

He states that designers should always focus on quality rather than quantity, and that it’s better to have one thing that you love instead of four things that you don’t. On the other hand, he disagrees with decorating and furnishing a home from a single source alone. His favorite designers are Charles and Ray Eames, whom his father worked for during the early 60s. Foss also says that if he wasn’t working as a designer, he’d be a whale-watching tour guide instead. His favorite room to design is the living room, and his dream design project would be to work on the interior of a hip deli or organic restaurant.

New kitchen Decorating Design Ideas by Dave Stimmel

Stimmel has been in the design business for 20 years, and the head of Stimmel Consulting Group in Blue Bell for the last nine.

The ­Philadelphia-based designer is a regular recipient of Kitchen and Bath Business magazine’s Kitchen of the Year award. His kitchens frequently appear on HGTV (he designed all 40 kitchen variations shown on the network’s interactive design website)

For Stimmel, it’s about versatility and his love of the job. “There’s no pigeonholing me,” he says. “And it’s my passion, completely; I could do this 24/7, 365 days a year. I’m married to it.” And clients can rest assured there will be no surprises this designer can’t handle. “My motto is, that as a designer, it’s not about dealing with perfection, it’s about dealing with the imperfections,” he says. “You gotta be able to roll with it, no matter what comes up.”

Kitchen Lighting Design Ideas From HGTV

Totally On-Trend

The trendiest fixtures today express strong visual design statements. "Lighting that makes a statement is now," enthuses Serra. "Oversized fixtures [make for a] bold entrance into the kitchen. Simple shapes, often with heavy textures, vintage styles and Edison-style bulbs are all saying, ‘Look at me!'" Mager shares, "If you want to update your kitchen lighting, think about adding one of the hottest trends in lighting design: a linear chandelier. Not only will it provide more light, it adds a dramatic and stylish focal point to the room, immediately upgrading the overall design and elegance of the room." Photo courtesy of Hinkley Lighting.

Strike Your Fancy

According the Serra, the dreamiest, most upscale kitchens today are likely to feature some distinguishing elements: "Innovative designs, first and foremost, will clearly differentiate truly fabulous lighting from the rest," she says. "Quality materials with quality finishes further differentiate the upscale from the ordinary. In addition, it is often the details — the small crystal ball, nickel chain, hand blown glass, luxury fabric, reclaimed wood — that clearly communicates quality as well as authenticity. Chandeliers featuring waterfalls of crystals, pieces of luxury metals, feathers and fabric add both strong texture and luxury to a room. Here clean, modern pendants light the island, while a classic crystal chandelier graces the dining area. Photo courtesy of Susan Serra.

Keeping It Together

"Upscale kitchen lighting must be beautifully designed. Its form and proportion should be scaled properly to the space. The size of a fixture should not be too small, especially over a table, as luxury often is communicated by size," recommends Serra. "The style of a lighting fixture should complement the decor of the kitchen and surrounding rooms. It should also relate, but does not have to match, the finish of other fixtures," she adds. Here, the clean, warm lines of this kitchen are echoed in the mission-style pendants and matching fixture above the window. Photo courtesy of Susan Serra.

Everyday Glam

"I really love dining chandeliers," says Serra, and we agree! Here, two glittering mini chandeliers add a luxe feel to a bright, beautiful kitchen.

Mager adds, "Kitchen lighting has definitely evolved beyond the typical flush-mount application (one large overhead fixture flush against the ceiling). Chandeliers were installed only in dining rooms or large foyers, but [today] in high-end, luxurious kitchens, chandeliers are right at home." Photo courtesy of Susan Serra.

Pendant Perfection

Most frequently seen over an island workspace, pendant lights are as striking as they are practical. The pair here is "clean, classic and timeless. The brushed nickel finish and clean design of these striking pendants add a 'wow' factor, combining the best of form and function," says Kim Mager, Marketing Director at Hinkley Lighting.

Love Those Layers

"Layering light is a technique that is often used in dining rooms or living rooms but, until recently, wasn't utilized in the kitchen," says Mager. "Now kitchens have become the hub of the home, being used for socializing, eating and entertaining, as well as homework stations or home offices."

"Layering light is the best way to provide task as well as ambient lighting," advises Mager, "striking just the right balance between function and mood." This farmhouse-style kitchen includes a pared-down chandelier and matching sconces to "complete a cohesive, stylish environment where you want to spend time, regardless of whether it's for relaxation or entertaining," according to Mager. Photo courtesy of Hinkley Lighting.

Create Dimension

"Layered lighting can be used to supplement the intensity of light or to overlap fields of light, creating interesting shadows [and] manipulating the dimension of areas the light is directed toward," explains Serra. "Lighting, when layered, [can add] a wonderful dimension of shadows and color to feature and enhance natural characteristics of woods, stones and metals.

In many kitchen designs, a focal point is a prominent feature of the space and lighting can immediately focus attention to one or more special areas to guide the eye into the design." Here, recessed lighting, accent lighting, over-counter task lighting and pendants work together for a welcoming, warm result. Photo courtesy of Susan Serra.

Outside the Box

When it comes choosing light fixtures for a dream kitchen, some "rules" are made to be broken. "I do believe that any style of lighting has a place in the kitchen," Serra says, "whether in a fabulous breakfast room or in the center of a kitchen work area."

"These contemporary pendants are actually made for outdoor use," reveals Mager, "but they are so modern and chic, they look just as fabulous inside. The seedy glass and minimalist, stem-hung design adds an urban edge while providing excellent task lighting that reduces eye strain while preparing a meal or doing homework at a kitchen island." Photo courtesy of Hinkley Lighting.

Art of the Matter

"Hand blown glass [is] popular, as its wonderful imperfections and artisan elements add warmth to any kitchen," says Serra. The gorgeous cobalt glass pendants here add a pop of color and unique appeal to a contemporary setting. "Natural materials in lighting fixtures such as reclaimed wood and distressed metals also add that authentic element we crave. Imperfections are desired and coveted...in context, of course!" Serra says.

A side note on pendant fixtures, Serra adds, "I love layered pendant lighting — groupings of pendants set at different heights, creating a singular form. I also like multiple pendants placed close together, say, four to six across an island. It is simple yet makes a strong design statement." Photo courtesy of Susan Serra.