The Sliding Barn Door in Today’s Kitchen/Pantry

I often talk about Transitional styles in my blogs. Transitional styling has taken over the home scene for quite a few years now, especially in the kitchen. Transitional styling is a mix between traditional and modern styling. More often than not, though, farmhouse styling has been being mixed in to give the space a more clean-lined rustic feel. This new look reminds me a lot of the Tuscan Farmhouse style that has been popular for years, but it’s is a little more refined. The apron-front sink has been a favorite item to lend to this look for many years now,…

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Mixing Styles in Today’s Kitchen

Today’s fashion in our homes have taken a turn for simplicity. Warm earthy tones combined with classic lines have consumers thirsting to remodel their spaces. The kitchen is the most costly and interrupted room to remodel but people feel a need to entertain and go back to the days of family bonding in the most used space in the home. Function is the main reason for the do-over but I have seen a trend towards warmth and love, especially with the Gen X’s. I think they all lived a hectic life being brought up by us Baby Boomers that they…

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Traditional Meets Modern

Our clients had your typical 80’s oak kitchen and decor. Worn out cabinets, 30″ stove, vinyl floors, blue laminated counter top and the famous 80’s round open shelves. Good storage was lacking, and the old drawers and doors were not working well. The dated look of the kitchen did not reflect the family’s current taste. For a woman who likes to cook and entertain, her kitchen just did not work for her. The first meeting was all about the look and the appliances that she had been longing for. Beautiful stainless appliances that boast a stunning Fisher-Paykel built-in fridge helped…

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Do You Care?

One of the biggest problems that I am witnessing in society today is how little people care. From supermarkets, public utilities, retail stores, and restaurants, nobody seems to want to help out anymore. Have we become numb to all of the electronics and social media sites? Have we become so self-absorbed that we turn a blind eye to ethics, principles, and morals? Has the political stage made us cynical? It seems that whatever was right in our world years ago is now wrong and vice versa. What are we to do? I’m a firm believer in ethics and principles. I…

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A Little Ditty on Food, the Ultimate High

I was born Timothy James Holick over 57 years ago. With the love affair that I have with food, I should have it changed legally to Food A Holick. I’m sure you all have heard someone say, “I’m on a seafood diet.  I see food and I eat it.” Well, that is me right down to the last ingredients. I struggle with All You Can Eat buffets every time I am in the presence of one. I’m like a big dog: I almost eat myself to death before I stop. Laugh all you want, but food is the ultimate high in my life….

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Transitional Style; The New Traditional Look?

Transitional style is a marriage of traditional and contemporary furniture, finishes, materials, and fabrics equating to a classic, timeless design. Furniture lines are simple yet sophisticated, featuring either straight lines or rounded profiles. I find that the busier we all become in our lives, the more we long for things being simple and less cluttered in our homes. A clean-lined transitional look helps us feel good about our space, and I find it absorbs some of the stress that we relinquish after our work day. I find that even more true as we age. The “less is more” concept becomes our…

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What’s Your Price for Happiness?

As I get older, I realize that habit is so hard to change in our lives. We are brought up by our parents’ paradigm to make sure we save money, and we see through those same glasses for the rest of our living days. We all love a good deal until it digs deep into our happiness. I’m amazed at the construction industry and how little the process of sales has evolved over the years. It’s no wonder why the consumer starts off their construction or remodeling projects with a lot of fear in the trust department. Hence the term: What’s your price…

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Solid Surface vs Quartz

It doesn’t surprise me that a majority of people are re-doing their counter tops in their kitchen and baths. The recession not only beat people but it also made us antsy to do some projects around the house. I know that has been my focus for a few years now with changing colors of my walls and adding some built-ins. My office built-ins have been my latest project after waiting to do it for 14 years. There seems to be a gratifying feeling with accomplishing something that you have been dreaming about for so long. It’s not like I am in the…

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Transitional Ocean Retreat

When our clients decided to build their retirement ocean home, the kitchen had to have a sense of community. Kids, grandchildren, friends and family gather a lot at their home. A small cottage home was torn down and turned into a dream retreat. We had lots of fun working with them and coming up with some good ideas to house their family during summer and holiday get-togethers. The kitchen was drawn on the plans as a u-shape and island. There would have been plenty of cabinets in the kitchen but no egress to the outside deck unless you went through…

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Christmas in the Kitchen

I don’t know about you but there is something warm and magical about Christmas time in my kitchen. Just the thought of my childhood years with my mother working busily around the kitchen as she cooked and baked the week before, brings a warm smile to my face this many years later. Food brings us all together in life and what and how we choose to cook in our kitchen is what memories are made of. I’m sure with all the ethnic backgrounds of everyone in the world, different kinds of foods are whipped up in each of our kitchens….

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