Butcher Block in Your Kitchen
I love when I hear people talk about butcher block as a bad thing in the kitchen. So many feel that wood is not a sanitary material for the kitchen and how bacteria will grow if you cut on them. I’m here to tell you that butcher block and wood are not as porous as you might think. Why is it that all of the meat butchers over the years used butcher block as their cutting surface? The reason they have is because it’s the best material to cut on and keep their knives sharp. When Corian entered the market…
New Home in the Pine Hills
When one of our clients made the decision to build her home on one of the cottage home streets at the Pine Hills in Plymouth brought her to Tim to help with the design of her kitchen and baths. Her taste is mostly transitional, blending simple traditional and Tuscan together. With help from Susan Fiore of Susan Thomas Design, Tim helped them bring their taste to life with the right selection of cabinetry. She likes the look of real wood that has a “chunky” look to it. After many visits to the showroom, she fell in love with the Churchill…
Understanding the Kitchen Remodel Process, Part II
So, you have gone through the first stages of the kitchen remodeling process. It’s time to move on towards getting the final decisions and ordering going. Making sure that you decide on what is right for you is a very important step in the process. As I say in my book Dream First, the decisions that you make at this stage are so important to your happiness over the many years ahead living in your space. Too many people make bad decisions here because of costs so they end up going with less quality products and or options that they…
Transitional Farmhouse
When their beautiful Victorian style home needed an addition to accommodate the needs of the entire family, they called on Jim Kenneway and JK Construction to complete the renovations. The new addition included relocating pantries and staircases to create more kitchen space. In the kitchen, the client was looking for a simplistic, transitional farmhouse look to accommodate their family and cooking needs. The results blend old with new and give them the ultimate space for cooking, entertaining and everyday living. Homecrest cabinetry in the Dover style and Opaque Alpine White create a clean look. The Onyx, Soapstone and Butcher Block…
Understanding the Kitchen Remodel Process
Kitchen remodeling is not rocket science but it is more time consuming than the average person thinks. Home centers have given the illusion over the years that all you need to do is stop by their locations with some quick measurements and have a seat with a kitchen sales person and watch them do their magic on the computer right before your eyes. If you are looking to just fill your kitchen area generically then this will meet your needs. Unfortunately with all of the appliance and cabinet selections, generic will be the farthest word to help accomplish the right…
Understanding the Kitchen Remodel Process
Kitchen remodeling is not rocket science but it is more time consuming than the average person thinks. Home centers have given the illusion over the years that all you need to do is stop by their locations with some quick measurements and have a seat with a kitchen sales person and watch them do their magic on the computer right before your eyes. If you are looking to just fill your kitchen area generically then this will meet your needs. Unfortunately with all of the appliance and cabinet selections, generic will be the farthest word to help accomplish the right…
Granite and Quartz Counter Tops
There are so many mis-interpretations about re-doing your kitchen counter tops over. It’s looked at as an easy do-over. I guess if you don’t care about the end result being right then yes, it is a simple procedure. Let’s talk about all of the things that can go wrong. There are three ways you can have your tops replaced with granite or quartz. One being right from the stone fabricator direct. This will ultimately be your least cost option. The second way is from a home center business. This will be your next cheapest option. Third is from a kitchen…
Servant/Time
The lyrics of Cyndi Lauper’s song, Time after Time ring in my ears a lot in the last few years. Time is what we have and it is so very important for our happiness when it comes to how we spend it. The world right now is full of “takers” and it seems as though this is becoming more and more true as time goes on. I think the country is ready for a change in mindset from it’s people who make up the fiber of the United States. I guess the one question I have is; Are you ready?…
The Age Old Pantry Off of the Kitchen
The pantry was always a main staple room in many of the older homes that many of us grew up in. These pantries varied in look and function. I grew up in one where the sink and fridge resided. It had the old style metal cabinets with the full porcelain sink/top. The stove sat by itself in the kitchen area where the kitchen table was. Our pantry didn’t have a lot of cabinets in there but it served its purpose for function and some storage. Many other pantries boasted a lot of open shelving where you stocked the foods and…
Designing Different Textures Together in the Kitchen
When it comes to remodeling your kitchen, what matters the most is what style (taste) you are trying to achieve. That should be your first thought before you travel through the jungle and myriad of products and textures. As soon as you get overwhelmed, your mind will get confused and shut down. Not a nice place to be when excitement should be the emotion choice. Once you determine the style you want your space to breathe, product becomes an easy puzzle to connect together. Transitional seems to be the style of choice lately and many styles and colors can happily…