My Next Kitchen

The winners of the 9th Bi-Annual Sub-Zero/Wolf Kitchen Design Contest have been announced, and rewards aplenty for clean, integrated design, coupled with maximum functionality and imaginative thinking. The high levels in kitchen design presented a the panel of fifty judges with some tough decisions, and they eventually plucked the two lucky winners for the categories of Best Traditional Kitchen Design, and Best Contemporary Kitchen Design.

Best Contemporary Kitchen Design

The award for the Best Contemporary Kitchen Design and a prize of $15,000 were awarded to Jose Eduardo Calma of Lor Calma & Partners from Makati City, Philippines. His brilliant use of sleek lines drew the judges in, while the use of a central two-tiered island delivered an assured thematic focus.

Forget sleek beech and granite worktops - cool design is nothing if your kitchen is not properly laid out. The advice from the experts is to spend as much time as you need planning your perfect kitchen - after all, as one of your biggest investments, you will be living with it for at least 15 years. The good news is that if your kitchen is well planned you should be able to update it without replacing any of the major items. A change of paint colour, window treatments and accessories will be enough to give the well-planned kitchen a whole new look.

Want to create an eye-catching kitchen that adds value to your home, too? Let there be kitchen light, but not too much, according to kitchen-design and lighting experts. Here are some dynamite tips from a top kitchen lights expert...