filipino globe
section F life
filipino globe
home, health & beauty, money, travel, stars & sports
April 2008
23
You may not
have Kris
Aquino’s
kitchen but ...
A well-laid, forward-looking plan can give you
the kitchen you want without overwhelming
your budget, writes Chuck Costejas
A
kitchen is the most complex commonly used type), the door
part of a home. It may be shelves will not let you pull the
lar ge or small, frugal or inside bins or shelves out more than
expansive. It is where the home user part way.
spends more working time than any Equally important is lighting and
other. where you put your switches.
And it is where it is easy to make “Kitchen lighting, in all plans and
design mistakes that can make a
home, or parts of it, inefficient and Kitchen lighting,
unduly expensive.
Kris Aquino is said to have spent
in all plans and
make a much more enjoyable
millions of pesos on her kitchen
workplace.
alone and it’s not because mistakes
in all instances,
When deciding what electrical
were made but because it was the
should be
switches and sockets to have and
kind of kitchen she planned for.
where they should go, don’t leave it
Budget aside, some serious substantial and
solely to the electrician.
thinking is needed so that your
He might or might not give you
kitchen does not overwhelm the
not an after- what you want if you don’t speak
whole plan.
thought
up. He will know about codes and be
Start with the sink and the
sure that your ideas are OK in that
refrigerator.
TEDDY CALIMAR
respect, but you alone know what
A very nice arrangement is to have
Contractor
you want and how you want the job
the sink in a 45-degree corner in
done.
front of a window. A refrigerator in
Finally, spare a thought for the
Don’t put a refrigerator in a corner. in all instances, should be substantial a corner often
cupboards.
A door that’s there won’t swing past and not an after-thought,” says gets in the way of
A little planning can avoid virtually
straight out. It will hit the wall. There contractor Teddy Calimar. doorways. Proper
inaccessible corners that plague so
are shelves on refrigerator doors and Can-type floodlights work fine,
and adequate
many homes.
these will limit access to the interior whether in a flat or a sloped ceiling.
lighting not only
Cupboards shaped like trapezoids
of the refrigerator when the door is Don’t forget the kitchen sink, it
lends ambience
can fit into a corner and have 45-
only as open as it can get when it hits deserves a light of its own and do
to the kitchen, it
degree doors that allow easy access.
the wall. consider what you can put under
makes it a safer If you’re planning ahead you may
If this is on the freezer side of a cabinets over the counter work areas.
workplace. well be able to use the bottom of
side-by-side refrigerator (the most There are unobtrusive lights that
such cupboards for small appliance
storage.
How safe is safe in a home? I wonder if I’ve done enough
Q
I always tell my children you into contact with electricity can and matches away from children,
can’t be too careful. Still, I
DIYBOB
knock you unconscious, cause and using caution around portable
worry about stupid accidents we
do it yourself
burns, and even be fatal. By heaters are just a few more ways
could be exposed to because I taking simple measures like you can lessen the chances of a
have not done enough to insure covering outlets with safety plugs, fire devastating your home.
our safety. I wonder how safe is
ROBERT
keeping electrical appliances While it is impossible to
safe in a home.
LUNARIA
away from water, and turning off completely fireproof your house,

Marcial Pareno circuit breakers before attempting you can make it much safer for
Hong Kong electrical work, you can reduce your family.
your risk of coming into direct Drowning does not happen just
A
Most of us feel safe in our contact with electricity. in homes that have swimming
home, but dangers lurk in that isn’t enough, you could fall, Accidental falls can be avoided pools – children can drown in
every corner. Your home may drown, or even experience a fire by following simple safety small containers of water, like a
harbor toxins from its building in your home. precautions such as moving bucket or a toilet. Have someone
materials. A wide range of poisons Many people, especially carefully and removing obstacles around when small children use
may be found in your kitchen children and the elderly, die from ingests them. Most cases of from your home. the bathtub. Better yet, don’t let
cabinet, medicine cabinet, and accidental poisoning at home. accidental poisoning can easily Most household fires can be them use it. You could also do
garage. Common household poisons like be prevented by ensuring that avoided by properly installing and with pails stored in a safe place.
The electricity used to power detergents, insecticides, vitamins, poisons are stored properly and maintaining smoke detectors.
household appliances can cause and prescription medications kept out of the reach of children. Having working fire Send your questions or comments
electrical shock or death. And if can seriously injure a child who Electrical shocks from coming extinguishers, keeping lighters to diybob@filglobe.com
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