Consumer's Voice Blog

It seems we’re always being told to stay neutral in our color schemes.  Why is that?  Do designers just want us to be boring and safe so they can have all the fun in their own homes?  Hardly.  The truth of the matter is, neutral doesn’t have to mean “boring,” and there are plenty of reasons that point to neutral being the smarter option. 

Ahhh, its Valentine’s Day. The hearts, flowers, candy, teddy bears…your kitchen?!  Yes your kitchen!  Today is a day filled with love and romance, so it got us in the mood to inspire you with some romantic kitchen update ideas.  After all, what better place is there to set a love-inspired ambience than the “heart of the home”? 

In part one of this article, we talked about ways to add artificial light into a dark kitchen. Here we will journey into the world of natural light.

Is your kitchen stuck in a time warp with really bad lighting? If you have an older home, chances are your kitchen is in the middle of the house with no windows, and one sad small incandescent light fixture high on the ceiling, or a headache inducing flickering florescent light. There are options out there to brighten things up without spending money on a total make over.

So, my son turned 3 years old this year and has graduated to his own “big boy” bathroom. No problem, I just ran out to the store and bought some cute choo-choo train decorations-done. Wait! He can’t reach anything, there are water stains on the cabinet doors and they are chipped up from the step stool banging into them, he has smashed his fingers umpteen times, and what is this sticky stuff I am stepping in all over the floor?!   Time for a re-do!

Are you looking for kitchen cabinet design ideas, but overwhelmed by the selection and don't know where to begin?  In this situation the old adage comes to mind, "never judge a book by its cover."  Here are a few things to think about that can make your decision a little easier and more educated.

The philosophies and practices have been around for thousands of years, and today it is used not only by the Chinese, but all over the world in decisions regarding placement of buildings, doors, appliances, colors or even flowers.  Many designers have also adopted the principles, perhaps agreeing with Winston Churchill’s statement, “We shape our dwelling and afterwards our dwellings shape us.” It's Feng Shui - the art and practice that governs spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to patterns of yin and yang and the flow of energy (chi).

Another year…another another new start.  It is the perfect time to make a change in your home.  How many times have you said you’re going to remodel your kitchen, but never actually got around to starting?  Now that the Times Square ball has dropped, make sure you don’t drop the ball on honoring this year’s resolution. 

With all the excitement of your upcoming kitchen renovation, it's probably not the first thing on your mind to make a plan for the chaos.   Sure, you've thought about which cabinet doors you want, which slab of granite matches them perfectly, and that really cool bamboo floor.  So once you have everything picked out and the contractor scheduled, it should be smooth sailing...right?  Not so fast.  How are you going to cook dinner after work when your oven is sitting in the middle of your living room floor?

There are many things going on in the kitchen these days besides just cooking.  Gone is the “simple life,” so while families get busier, why not get creative to keep everyone nearby as much as possible?