The Post-COVID Kitchen
COVID-19 has changed the landscape of our lives in myriad ways. Certainly, our responses to germs have changed since the beginning of the year. With COVID continuing, and regular flu-season upon us again, it’s time to contemplate what changes you might need to make your home as healthy, comfortable and stress-free as possible. I’ve put together these 5 tips to consider when thinking of remodeling your kitchen.
1. Has your cooking changed?
If you have more cooks in the kitchen, are eating more fresh foods or pre-packaged meals, you might want to consider adding a refrigerator or freezer drawer in your prep area. It helps keep all ingredients handy for whatever you need. Maybe even in a breakfast bar area or baking area. Speaking of baking areas, how about this tricked out drawer to hold all your baking needs? Talk about reducing countertop clutter!
2. Do you need WFH space?
Do you need to carve out some WFH or remote learning space? We can do that in a number of ways. From commandeering an under-utilized pantry or corner nook to incorporating charging drawers for laptops, tablets and phones, we can help you keep your sanity with a dedicated work area that seamlessly flows into the rest of the space.
3. What about light and air quality?
Air quality is so important. Good ventilation not only removes cooking odors and grease, but harmful gasses that are created during cooking. Whether it’s a down-draft, chimney hood or one that’s built into cabinetry, good ventilation is a must. Regarding lighting options, there are so many great options these days to light up the interiors of cabinets to help you find everything you need, and I always encourage clients to have multiple light sources to enhance function in the kitchen. Check out the lighting in this blind corner unit:
4. How about clutter control?
When it comes to controlling clutter, Greenfield and Siteline cabinets allow me to help clients customize the interiors to keep countertops free of “stuff” and make working in the kitchen easier. From dedicated plastic container storage to unique ways to access and utilize the cabinet above the fridge, there is something for just about every storage need.
5. How do you promote cleanliness?
We’re all more concerned with cleanliness and reducing the spread of germs, so here are some great options for you to consider. The first one is a trash drawer that opens when you break a beam of light with your foot. No more chicken hands touching the trash handle!! To close it up you can just wave your foot underneath again or give it a gentle push with your knee. Or how about this handy step-stool to help the little ones get to the sink for washing their hands? When not it use, simply fold it up and slip it back into the slot beside the sink.
Lastly, one of the most anti-microbial surfaces you can use in your kitchen is (drumroll, please) manufactured quartz countertops like the Cambria samples you see here! They are far less porous than granite countertops and so easy to maintain and they come in so many gorgeous styles.
These are just a few helpful tips of things to consider when it’s time to make your kitchen a family-friendly place! For even more ideas, including video clips of innovative new products, check out our pinterest board.
Reflections on 10 Years in Business!
Throughout this month, I’d like to post things I’m grateful for as I look back over the last 10 years.
I’m so grateful for:
- The many clients whose homes we’ve been honored to transform
- The vendors and collaborative partners we’ve gathered along the way who have helped us to bring our clients a fabulous experience
- The business advice and nurturing received from many mentors and colleagues
- The organizations like ASID, NKBA, Northbrook Chamber, EPWNG, and PowerHouse SMART who have not only helped me hone my skills but have been wonderful resources for referrals and like-minded professionals!
- Ongoing support and encouragement from family, friends, and my biggest fan – my husband
- All the educational opportunities that keep me current on new materials, services, and ways of doing business
- New technology that keeps my brain active and helps me streamline my workflow
- The many assistants who keep business humming along so that I can focus on creating a client experience that wins awards! Namely:
- Barb Tedder – my long-time social media assistant. Without her, I’d be adrift in posts and blogs! I am so, so grateful to have worked with you for so long!
- PC’s Soup 2 Nuts – my IT “department”. Whether it’s a call that the printer isn’t working or assistance with a new computer, Sharon is always there
- Caroline Van Wassenhove – my bookkeeper and sanity keeper when it comes to all of the accounting work!
- There are many other firms and partners that are and have assisted along the way – THANK YOU!
Check out our pinterest board looking back at projects like these that we’ve loved designing so much through the years.
A WELL – Designed Kitchen
Now more than ever, we are focused on creating healthy meals for our family. As we’ve been spending more time in the kitchen you’ve probably noticed where your kitchen falls short in helping you do this easily.
Here are 5 suggestions for planning ways to support not only the creation of healthier meals, but a healthier place to create them.
- Plan for less clutter – Seeing clutter actually stimulates the production of cortisol – the stress hormone. Plan for ways to keep counters free of excess clutter by creating a place for everything. Small appliances like toasters and juicers can live in countertop garages that close up when not in use. Consider fewer wall cabinets and more below-counter storage.
- Light it up – Take advantage of as much natural light as you can. Maybe it’s time to consider adding some windows or moving a door to allow more natural light in. It is also important to choose the right artificial lighting, incorporating energy saving LED’s and especially those that have a warm-dim component to them. These allow you to change the color of the light throughout the day to assist our bodies adjust to their natural circadian rhythms.
- Biophilia (What?!) This means bringing more of the outside in. There are many ways to do that, some listed above but you can also consider bringing some plants into the kitchen – a garden windowsill for growing fresh herbs or even a “green wall”.
- Keep it Fresh – with more emphasis on fresh fruits, vegetables, and meatless meals, consider your refrigerator. Do you really need a lot of freezer storage, or are your needs for fresh food storage greater? There are so many options today that can assist you with keeping your fresh ingredients fresh and accessible.
- Materials Matter – Choose the right materials to keep your kitchen healthy. Select cabinetry that is made with low levels of formaldehyde (which occurs in nature so you can’t eliminate it entirely) and FSC certified (good for the environment). Wood countertops and man-made quartz countertops have anti-microbial properties and please, please, make sure your hood vents to the outdoors to keep the air in your kitchen fresh.
These are just a few ways that you can make a healthy difference when you remodel your kitchen. Please join me on Wednesday, May 27 at 2:30 pm for a Facebook Live chat with special guest Alisa Bloom of Live Your Best 365! We’ll be talking about food choices to quell inflammation and how the design of your kitchen can add to your health!
Planning for Your Luxury Home Remodel
As many of you are now considering areas in your home that need some changes, we thought we’d re-issue these tips for the planning phase of your project.
For some of us, there may be the extra excitement of planning for a remodel in the new year. Congratulations! In our blog Tackle Home Design with a Star Lineup, we brought you some guidelines on building your team: the architect, the contractor, and the designer. Planning a luxury home build is a huge endeavor with spectacular results. Planning is essential.
Where do you turn to get information about budgeting for your remodel or new home? Take a look at the Home Trust International’s guidelines. They are leaders in the luxury home industry and a great resource to help you figure out your luxury home investment. Here’s a brief summary of their article:
1. Budget up to 35% of the value of the finished home for interior design services, project management and furnishings.
2. Interior design firms generally earn one third of the total investment.
3. Variables include renovations, art or furniture you may be bringing from another home.
Catherine Schager, AKBA, ASID Allied Member
A good designer can guide you through this process to help you figure out where to splurge and where to save. I offer a great outline of my process on my FAQs page and you can quickly schedule an initial phone meeting with me from my Contact Us page if you are ready to explore further.
The most important goal is to end the process with a gorgeous new home that feels like HOME SWEET HOME to you and your family. You can best reach that goal with good planning and realistic budgeting guided by a team of professionals who want to help you with your achieve your dream. Happy new home dreaming!
Earth Day – Everyday
I was 10 for the first “Earth Day” and I remember it well. Our entire school went outside, and we planted a tree and talked about the environment and what we could do to keep it clean. I went home and created a little flyer that I distributed up and down my neighborhood that was titled “STP – Stop Treacherous Pollution!”. A little nerdy, but I was a convert. Fast-forward 50 years and I am in an industry that is working to not only uphold the ideals established on that first Earth Day, but actually is finding ways to be even more conscious of our resources and environment. Here are just 5 things you can consider when remodeling or building that will not only be healthier for you – but for our environment as well.
Choose no or low VOC paints – this protects the environment inside your home from the off-gassing of harmful ingredients. It’s not just for the initial painting, but on-going health for your home.
Choose locally sourced materials – and support local artisans who are using reclaimed or re-purposed materials. You’d be surprised at their beauty. They’re not just for hippies anymore!
Choose cabinetry that is made by companies participating the Forest Stewardship Council. They are environmentally considerate when sourcing their products.
When doing a remodel that involves a considerable amount of demolition, consider donating your wood flooring, cabinets, countertops, sinks, faucets and appliances as well as other construction materials. There are several companies that will take them and what a great way to help out others AND keep construction waste out of landfills! Two that I like are Renovation Angel and Recyclean.
Select materials like ceramic tile that not only has a long life-span but may include recycled elements and flooring like Tarkett’s laminate and sheet vinyl flooring. Tarkett not only has many products that are asthma and allergy friendly, but as a company they are committed to producing sustainable products.
Last, but certainly not least- if you’re in need of a good desk chair to support you comfortably while we work from home, take a look at Humanscale’s Smart Ocean Chair. It’s made with nearly 2 lbs. of recycled fishing net material.
Yes, this year’s Earth Day will definitely be a different one. Maybe our current experience will remind us of the impact we all have on each other for the health and well-being of all. Click here for a pinterest board of ideas for sustainable products for your home. Happy Earth Day.
(images from pixabay.com)
NKBA Event with Ellen Cheever February 2020
It was great attending this educational event hosted by Caesarstone at Café La Cave! Ellen Cheever, one of the very first educators in the kitchen and bath industry, an icon and inspiration to me and many other designers is giving her farewell address to the industry. She will be missed but leaves behind a phenomenal legacy to generations of kitchen and bath designers!
“Best Of Houzz” Badge for Service 2020
I would like to thank my wonderful clients who took the time and effort to post reviews about our work together. You are the reason that we’ve been able to be awarded a “Best of Houzz” badge for Service since 2017!
Visit our Houzz page to take a look and be inspired: https://www.houzz.com/pro/catherineschager/catherine-schager-designs.
Tackle Home Design with a Star Lineup
You’re ready to tackle your new home build or remodel your existing home and your trying to decide if you want to be the team manager, coach, and quarterback. Do you have the time and know-how for planning the strategy, writing the playbook, calling the plays, motivating the team players, hiring and overseeing all the players, and pulling all the details together for the win. More likely, you have an idea about what you want the team uniforms to look like, an excitement to watch the games from the sidelines, and vision of a glorious win at the end of the season. If that sounds more like you, you’ll want to recruit pros for the top team positions – in this case an interior designer, a contractor, and likely an architect. Let’s look at who these pros are and why you want them on your home project:
The Interior Designer
My personal favorite team position. Often, choosing an interior designer is the first hire on your roster. Your designer can assist in putting the team together. A good interior designer can help you express your inner vision, asking questions to discover your dreams, needs, and goals, then help you convey your vision to the architect and contractor, acting as your on-the-field guide and go-between. The designer is a mix of detail oriented and artistic, keeping the endless details of your project in play and the overall vision in sight as well. Your designer coordinates with the contractor and often recommends specific professionals in the various trades to see your home design come together perfectly.
You’ll get the benefit of a trained designer’s eye. Your designer can help you see possibilities you might not have envisioned and steer you away from poor design choices. A designer will also keep you realistic about your budget. Often, your designer knows where to find the best prices and has access to resources only available to design professionals.
Your interior designer can suggest color combinations you might not have imagined on your own, as well as textures and lighting effects. Designers can develop 3D renderings to help you see the design and help you shop for the perfect furnishings and accessories at the best prices. Designers stay on top of design trends and have the training, insight, knowledge and artistic vision to bring that WOW factor to your home design.
If you are only looking to redecorate your home, the designer will be the only pro needed for your project (or will be able to bring in pros from various trades to do installations). But if your undertaking a larger remodel or new build, you’ll need to expand the team to include a contractor and possibly an architect.
The Contractor
The contractor guides you in filling your team with star players, they learn the playbook know how to follow it, they can troubleshoot on the field, and they keep the players in line. Your contractor will bring the architect’s vision to life. They are familiar with all the different trades from plumbers to electricians to carpenters to tile experts and beyond. They know which players to call off the bench at what time, who to overlap and who must go in a specific order, and they have a network of working relationships with professionals in all the trades. They are good troubleshooters and can often head off trouble quickly if they see someone veering away from the playbook. They can also help you with specific goals like going green or being energy efficient. They know what works and what doesn’t through experience and who does it best. This can also save your time, money and stress throughout your project and make sure you achieve the home of your dreams.
The Architect
Architects know the league rulebook forward and backward and they write the team playbook. The architect does more than just draw home plans. Architects are well-versed in building codes and zoning laws. They work effectively with contractors to make sure the design is realized. They are creative problem-solvers, often finding ways to help homeowners get most of their wish-list items included in the budget. They guide homeowners away from awkward functional layouts by visualizing what it would be like to live inside the design. They think of all the details from the placement of electrical outlets and molding to energy-efficient heating and cooling to green building options. They also see the big picture, designing total environments rather than walls, floors and roofs. All this expertise can actually save you money in the long run!
Bringing this team together will undoubtedly save you time and stress. You’ll have trained professionals to help you make decisions and keep your project on time and budget. You’ll have others to track the details, make the phone calls, keep the checklists and monitor the work in process. Sweet relief!
Touchdown!
These kitchen transformations represent a culmination of professional knowledge along with thousands of decisions and details that came together in beautiful final designs. Go team!
Exciting Announcement!
We are proud to announce that Catherine Schager Designs is now a dealer for Greenfield Cabinetry and Siteline Cabinetry. We are excited to be able to offer these custom-made, high-quality cabinet options to our clients in-house. This will allow us to better streamline the process for our clients. Better control over the process equals a faster time to completion, something every homeowner can appreciate. Being an official dealer for Greenfield and Siteline also gives us the ability to offer our clients excellent quality cabinetry without the showroom overhead adding to the budget. Win-win-win for everyone involved!
Both cabinet lines are part of The Corsi Group, cabinetmakers that offer custom-made cabinetry with a special blend of old world attention to detail, combined with modern technical expertise.
Greenfield Cabinetry prides itself on creating superbly crafted, richly finished cabinets filled with a huge array of options for organization and convenience. They offer a myriad of styles, finish combinations, materials, and accessories. Here is a bathroom project we completed using Greenfield Cabinetry. The clients chose the Estridge door style in composite veneer with Quartered Wenge finish. Stunning!
Siteline Cabinetry offers style for miles! They are a made to order cabinetry company with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities that allows them to deliver in less than the typical custom cabinet lead-time while still creating gorgeous, high-quality cabinets. They also offer a huge variety of styles, finish combinations, materials, and accessories to fit any tastes. Here’s a master bathroom project we completed using Siteline Cabinetry’s Libby door style in Cotton with grey glaze. Simply beautiful!
Stay tuned for more Greenfield and Siteline projects! Scroll through more images for both of these cabinetry lines on our pinterest board.
Spa Retreat Master Bath
This was an unexpected update for my clients. They discovered they had a mold issue and had to rip down several walls. The client called me in a panic asking if I thought it made sense to just close it back up and keep it the way it was and then re-do down the line or remodel now. I suggested remodeling now instead of essentially doing it twice. We worked with mostly in-stock materials, although the splurges were the tub and the custom shower doors. We utilized the Siteline cabinetry line that I offer to keep costs down but still have great quality. The clients are thrilled with the outcome.
Check out our Spa Retreat Master Bath project on Houzz for more images and details on materials used.
