WHAT COMES FIRST, THE CABINETS OR THE COUNTERTOP?
Awesome, you are starting your journey towards a “new” kitchen! Are you wondering what to choose first, the cabinet finish or the counter top color? What is the standard order when designing a kitchen? I have clients ask me this all the time. Well, in a “standard” kitchen, I am sure there is a definite answer to that question. But, this is YOUR kitchen. My answer is quite simple: Which one do you see more when you dream about your new kitchen? Which one draws your attention more when you are looking at other kitchens? Do you…
Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day has to be one of my favorite times of the year. It’s the one day that we get to celebrate them and show them how much we care. Mothers come in many forms. We have our birth mother, adopted mother, step mother, friends mother and any other one that we call our mom. What can we learn from his day? How can we become better children? Those questions should be on our minds daily so that we show our appreciation more often than just this one day. I was a lucky one, I had my mother for 53…
Kitchen Design: Contemporary vs. Modern
Today I would like to take a look at the differences of contemporary versus modern kitchen design. These two styles, while similar in the crisp clean lines, are different in subtle ways. Contemporary design is harder edge than modern. The lines are tighter and “thinner” whereas modern designer is warmer and “thicker”. Take a look at the photos I found online and see the contemporary kitchen is lighter and brighter. Note, the countertop on the island has a waterfall edge. (A waterfall edge is one where the countertop that goes to the floor.) Also, the heights of the counters vary…
Baseball America’s Pastime
I had the pleasure yesterday to leave work early and head into Fenway Park to see the Red Sox play. I’m usually not a fan of going to see a weeknight game mid week but had that little boy feeling of excitement to head in and make a night of it. I have owned weeknight season tickets now for almost 10 years but the thrill of knowing I was heading into Fenway, (one of the oldest ball parks out there) in April, was nothing short of exhilaration. There is something romantic about the game of baseball for us Americans. Eating at…
Kitchen Design: Online Shopping?
It is the most convenient way of shopping these days and a modern day version of catalog shopping. We can find almost anything online. It is also a good tool for comparison shopping before physically going to the actual store. Although there are some things that we don’t have to see before we buy. I’m sure you can agree that there are definitely some things that we have to “touch, feel or try on first. Never mind the things that need to be purchased from a professional. I remember when I was living in Sitka,Alaska. Sitka is located on the southeast…
When You are Looking for Down Home Reality in your Kitchen
In today’s economy, more and more people are looking for the best deals that they can find to help stretch their money. Good deals are a good thing unless you sacrifice quality or sacrifice what you are truly looking for. It’s easy to compare prices on the same model car or TV. When it comes to cabinetry and counters, there are way too many manufacturers and designers to pick from that vary tremendously. I recently had a client walk into our showroom looking for a quote for her kitchen. She was honest from the beginning and let me know that…
Kitchen Islands:Size Does Matter!
Ever walk into a kitchen and say to yourself: “Hmmm, something doesn’t seem right here.” Could it be that either the island was designed far too big for the space? Or conversely, was it made too small for the room? It is interesting to note the “feeling” we get deep inside directly correlates to the design of the space. Yes, size does matter. It is very important for a trained designer to look at the overall room and consider the proportions. In addition, looking at the traffic patterns of the area is also very important. This is what a professional…
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS:
It is something we do everyday and we probably don’t even realize it. It’s not just something we try to build between two people looking for that someone special to spend the rest of their life with. It’s also between a mother/father and their children. In addition, the relationship between siblings and friends are important to build a circle of trusted loved ones. I think we can all agree that trust is the main ingredient in a relationship. You know: someone who has your back. What about building those other relationships? Are you asking yourself: “What other relationships?”? How about…
TRUSTING YOUR KITCHEN DESIGNER
When remodeling a kitchen, the project can vary in size depending on how much you are changing. It can be anywhere from changing your hardware to gutting the kitchen and replacing everything from the flooring to the hardware. Most likely this is not something you do everyday. A professional kitchen designer does. Therefore, it would make sense that they would have more experience. Just like any other profession. That doesn’t necessarily mean they are all the same. Everybody has a kitchen of some sort, right? Everybody cooks in their kitchen, right? Do we all have the same taste in food?…
Man/Women Design Differences
When designing, surveys show men tend to use angles whereas women use curves when transitioning from one area to another. Men seem to like the hard edges of an angle. Angles have the straight linear lines that appeal to them. Women, on the other hand, like a softer approach. Curves appeal to women because they lead your eye around the room softly. Just take a look at cars. As an example, a Hummer is very square, whereas, a VW Bug is much more rounded. Trucks appeal to men because they are square and big (signifying power). Women are not as…