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Lighting Your Kitchen
I have a thing for light fixtures, the more unique and unusual the better. My kitchen style is warm and timeless with traditional roots and we went with repurposed conversation inducing red Edison gramophone horn lights over our dining table. They are a bold statement-type of lighting choice. They provide the lighting we need and I love love love them.
Backsplashes
After discussing countertops for the last two weeks, it's only natural that we move on to the topic of backsplashes today. They originated from the need to have a surface that could be easily cleaned or sterilized in a hospital or public space. The Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 was a tipping point for this. It took another decade before backsplashes were adopted into kitchens.
Countertops - Less Common Materials
Last week we covered the four main countertop materials, namely plastic laminate, solid surface, natural/manufactured stone, and wood. In addition, there are four other countertop materials that have been popular at one time or another, but are much less common these days.
Countertops - Main Material Options
Countertops come in a variety of materials, each with differing price points as well as pros and cons. Hopefully you've done some foundational work to make the decision process easier. If not, head back to our "Planning Your Renovation" blog post for a helpful worksheet:
Detailing Ideas for Your Kitchen Cabinetry
Detailing is really what sets your cabinetry apart from a standard, every day modular or big box store kind of product. Not sure what that means exactly? Here are some ideas.
Kitchen Cabinetry
There are so many styles of kitchens - cottage, farmhouse, modern farmhouse, craftsman, rustic, transitional, modern, French, Italian, eclectic, Mediterranean. However, they all fall into 2 main categories – Traditional and Contemporary. Your dream boards will show you the direction that you are headed. There are multitude of ways you can personalize things to your needs, and kitchen cabinetry is a good place to start.
The Basics of a Kitchen Layout – Part 2
There are a couple of theories that designers use for locating your appliances in your kitchen layout.
The Basics of a Kitchen Layout - Part 1
In any space, Function needs to drive Form but it is crucial in the hardest working room of your home. There’s no point in creating a new beautiful kitchen that doesn’t function any better than your existing one does! So let's dive into some of the basics of a kitchen layout.
Defining Your Vision - Part 2
You've gathered a ton of images, and you've been looking over them to pick out what really attracted you to them. Now you're starting to further define your vision by deciding on your design direction? It’s time to edit what you’ve pulled.
Defining Your Vision - Part 1
Now that you've gathered 40-50 images, start looking at them to see if any themes become apparent. These questions will help you decide what your design drivers are and help you in defining your vision.
How to Find Your Inspiration
Dreaming, visualizing, finding inspiration. We need to having a jumping off point to transform your frustrating, non-functional “let’s just order take-out forever kitchen” into a visually pleasing, functioning and emotionally welcome space that you actually want to cook and entertain in, not just dust once in a blue moon.
Kitchens are the Hearts and Souls of our Homes
Kitchens are where ALL the action is. They are where all the parties start and end, where late night chats happen with your teens and where the tantrums of the little ones happen. They are where a family creates traditions, celebrates, and has those laughs that you have where you don’t know why you’re laughing. Kitchens are the hearts and souls of our homes. They are where the love is.
Your Role in Your Renovation
As the client you have certain responsibilities too. So what exactly is YOUR role in your renovation?
A Few Final Questions for Your Contractor
The adage of assumption applies here. Experienced contractors will know things that you don't, and while some things are obvious, others are not. Here are a few final questions for your contractor.
The Anatomy of Hiring a Contractor
Who should you get to do the work? This is the crucial question. You could have an amazing design and an appropriate budget, but still have an awful experience if the contractor you are collaborating with has terrible workmanship, poor communication, or lacks integrity.
Which Home Renovation Professionals To Hire?
Now that you’ve decided that doing the job yourself isn't a good idea, which home renovation professionals should you hire?
Should You Hire a Contractor or Do It Yourself?
A quick google search for DIY fails can provide laughs and social media sharing, but in reality, what you see can be dangerous or destructive and it's clearly not the correct way to repair things. When I looked this up myself, I found everything, from duct tape holding up a toilet tank to a ceiling fan whose blades were installed too close into the corner of a room. So should you go ahead and hire a contractor or do it yourself?
Planning Your Renovation
Now that you've decided to ahead with it, where do you start when planning your renovation? There are so many decisions to make and proper planning will help make the project run more smoothly. To avoid unnecessary cost over-runs, materials and fixtures need to be selected and ordered to allow for lead times and so they are available when needed.
Living as We "Age in Place"
More and more seniors are making the decision to age in place, staying in their own homes rather than moving into nursing homes or senior care facilities.