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!
Get Your Home Ready for Its Close-Up Part I: The Big Stuff
- At October 09, 2017
- By catherineschager
- In Tips and Advice
0
If you have a home to sell, you’re likely anxious to get a good offer in a quick timeframe. We’ve collected some expert staging tips to help present a home that buyers will fall in love with at first sight.
Scott Rose of Baird & Warner, tells sellers to shine the apple! Scott says, “We are in a price war and a beauty contest. Declutter and make it look like a model. Remember that in most cases a home is worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it and what a bank is willing to loan (unless it’s all cash!).” (You can email Scott at [email protected], visit his website at ScottRoseHomes.com, or @ScottRoseHomes on Facebook.)
The beauty contest starts with curb appeal. First impressions are CRUCIAL. Many buyers will opt out of doing a walk-through on a house based simply on a poor outside presentation, so start your staging process at the curb. Replace your old mailbox with a pretty new one. Cut the grass, trim the bushes, weed flower beds, and add fresh mulch. Power wash your decks, walks, and patios. Repaint your front door (according to this 2017 Zillow report, homes with navy blue, dark gray, or charcoal front doors sell for more money) and add large, attractive house numbers that can be clearly seen from the street and look welcoming. If you need to paint the siding, consider gray, brown, or greige, as suggested by Zillow. If paint isn’t necessary, wash the siding and the windows until they sparkle. Clean your front porch and add welcoming touches like seasonal flowers in planters and hanging baskets, a pretty doormat, and a new doorbell with attractive sound.
The first step to staging the interior of your home for sale is to clean, clean, clean. Spit shine every single surface, corner, wall, ceiling, and floor. Clean cabinets and drawers, inside and out. Clean the grout, the faucets, and the globes on light fixtures. Clean furniture even though it won’t stay with the home, and clean underneath it too. Consider hiring a professional cleaning service to handle this time-consuming, exhausting chore for you.
Next, de-clutter, de-personalize, and paint. Experts suggest that you rent a storage unit and pack and move a good deal of your belongings before your first showing. Now is the time to get serious about removing every trace of clutter, and absolutely DO NOT shove that clutter into cabinets and closets. Potential buyers will be looking in there! Remove ALL personal photographs, diplomas, memorabilia, and collectibles. Choose only a few, neutral decorative elements. Remember, you want potential buyers to visualize themselves in your home. If they can’t see past your style and your décor, they won’t be able to see themselves in the space. Aim for lived-in but neutral. Have your realtor help you pick a few key pieces of furniture and store the rest. Give all the walls and trim a fresh coat of paint at minimum (and perhaps cabinets too if needed). Refer to the Zillow report and our pinterest board Colors That Sell for suggestions on paint colors for specific rooms.
Next, tackle every closet, cabinet, pantry, bookcase and storage area. Any items you don’t need to store for your next home can be picked up by a junk hauling specialists. There are several. One I like and use is Junk King. Storage is a big selling point so you want to be sure you show your home’s storage to best advantage. Keep a few, carefully chosen items in each storage area in an organized, attractive arrangement. Leave lots of “white space” between items. Consider items like fancy jams and other upscale condiments in pretty packaging to display on shelves.
Even if they are tiny, your pets definitely qualify under “the big stuff” in home prep. You need to remove any hint of any animal from your home. You don’t want potential buyers thinking about all the hidden damage your adorable fur babies might have caused to your home. Remove all furniture and rugs with pet damage, and all trace of pet odors and pet fur (or feathers or scales). When you leave before a viewing, take your pets and all their gear with you. Don’t leave pet dishes, pet beds, or pet toys behind to make potential buyers think of potential problems.
Stay tuned next week for Part 2: The Details, where we will talk about what works (and doesn’t) for each room.
Lake Forest Kitchen Facelift
- At February 04, 2016
- By catherineschager
- In Uncategorized
- 0
If your 2016 New Year’s resolutions include giving your kitchen a facelift with minimal muss and fuss, here’s a great example for you. The homeowner’s wanted to achieve a major change in this Lake Forest kitchen but they didn’t want to undergo any major construction. This was our “before” kitchen:
Overall, a kitchen that had been well-maintained but was dated and had some crowded countertop issues. Now check out the gorgeous transformation we accomplished, all with minimal mess for the homeowners:
Can you spot all the changes? One of the most obvious is the island. Here’s a closeup of the original:
Compare that to this functional new beauty!
A butcherblock countertop has an overhang with seating for three. And notice the kitchen countertop in the background – no more microwave to take up space. The stunning new island cabinetry includes a microwave drawer that cleared up valuable work space. A system of deep drawers allows for more functional storage too.
A new hood was an easy install that brings a cleaner, brighter look to the cooktop. And did you notice the update backsplash throughout? This elegant tile is a mixture of glass, ceramic, and onyx that glitters and shines.
An updated sink and faucet nestle snugly into a bright new perimeter countertop. This countertop is quartz with marble look, so it offers the beauty of marble but it is more durable and won’t stain like marble will.
Beautiful, updated lighting, new paint, and a new valance round out the major changes to this sparkling fresh kitchen. Let us know what you think on our facebook page.
Transitions
Spring and summer are times of transition. We transition from the cold weather, begin to transition out of school and go on our summer holidays or work schedules. It’s a time of weddings, graduations, and a time when your home is a place of respite, retreat, and a welcoming place to return to. Recently, we transitioned two kitchens into homeowner’s favorite places!
Our first kitchen, in Highland Park, IL, was a face-lift for an existing space. The kitchen was well thought out, worked well for the client and the basic structure of the cabinetry was good. The clients also wanted to keep their existing countertop and backsplash. We suggested replacing the doors and drawer fronts with wood and “re-skinning” the outside of the cabinets to match (a veneer that matches the wood and finish of the doors is applied with adhesive to all external visible areas of the cabinetry). The client chose to replace the floor with a large-scaled porcelain floor, removed the old exhaust fan and replaced it with a canopy style metal hood and ceramic tile to fill in the space left by the old cabinet. We partnered with Callahan and Peters – remodelers and contractors who provided their expertise in the cabinetry and installation, including building a new custom bookcase for the client. The clients love their “new” kitchen and feel like it’s a totally different space!
“Before” Kitchen in Highland Park
“After” Kitchen in Highland Park
Our second kitchen transition in Glenview, IL was a total re-hab of a poorly designed condo kitchen that didn’t function well at all. We suggested removing a wall between the dining and living room which made the kitchen so much more spacious and allowed us to put in a great island. By covering up an existing awkward pantry cabinet and re-configuring the lay-out to allow the client a functional pantry, tons of storage space and a better work flow were created. The client selected quartz countertops from Cambria and used two different patterns. The perimeter countertop has the look of Carrera marble with none of the upkeep, and the island incorporates deeper shades of gray and blue for a more dramatic look. Our client loves sitting for coffee at the island and reading or using her computer. She also loves the clean look and most of all, her pull-out trash!
“Before” Kitchen in Glenview
“After” Kitchen in Glenview
You can see more photographs of beautiful transitions on my Houzz page and Pinterest boards.
Your Designer: Diva or Delight?
You’ve decided that you’d rather rely on a professional designer for your kitchen project instead of trying to do this alone. Good choice! We’ve already discussed the benefits of working with a designer. Now let’s talk about how to select the right one.
The Selection Process:
- Ask friends, family or neighbors for referrals to designers they’ve worked with and enjoyed.
- Go to Association websites like ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) www.asid.org and the NKBA (National Kitchen and Bath Association) www.nkba.org to find accredited designers in your area. Sometimes you’ll even see examples of the designer’s work posted on the site.
- Ask your contractor, builder or architect for a referral. Often these professionals will make the suggestion that you hire a designer. They consider it a huge help for their clients and know that projects will run more smoothly with a designer in the picture.
The Interview Process:
- Set up a meeting with your potential candidates. Some designers charge for this time, some don’t. Ask up front if there will be a charge for the meeting. This should be a meeting to get to know them and have them get to know you and your project.
- Ask questions about their experience, education, accreditation, and don’t be afraid to ask for references. Designing a kitchen can be very complex and you want to be sure the designer understands the complexities involved in the process.
- What they’re asking you is just as important as what you’re asking them. They should be trying to get a feel for what is important to you.
The Final Choice:
- Consider how you feel about the designer. Are they concerned about you and your goals for the project? A gut reaction is a good barometer for selecting the right person for you.
- While price is important, consider the amount of experience and integrity the designer will bring to the project. An inexperienced designer will often charge far less than one who is experienced in kitchen and bath design. Again, it’s about understanding the complexities of the project.
Next week” The “B” Word (Budget – what did you think?)
Top 5 Kitchen Trends
Now that the yearly trade show for the kitchen and bath industry (KBIS) has passed, it’s time to update you on the latest trends. I unfortunately missed the show as I scheduled an out-of-town vacation during that week, but have been updated thanks to the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) who keeps us in the know.
The 5 top trends for 2012:
1. Cherry Not Picked: Designers are saying that clients are heading towards other woods for their cabinetry, such as Oak (that’s a surprise!), walnut, birch and bamboo.
Courtesy of Houzz.com, I like the dark and light combo
2. The Dark Side: More dark finishes are being used (58% of the time according to the NKBA). Would someone please let the design magazine publishers know this?? Pick up any design magazine and what you find is white, white, white. Of course, magazines don’t always reflect reality (you think?)
Love the watery color of this glass tile backsplash!
3. Be Transparent: Glass in the backsplash is very au courant. It’s not only beautiful, but easy to clean and there are so many ways of utilizing it. From glass tile through glass panels, there’s something for every style.
4. Let There Be Light: LED light, specifically. It’s being used more often as it’s “green” and much lower in profile than CFL’s or incandescents.
Dark, light, transitional, this kitchen has it all! Courtesy of Jennifer Charleston of twenty7 design workshop www.twenty7.com
5. Transitioning: More people are choosing transitional style (between contemporary and traditional. Softer than contemporary and cleaner lines than traditional) over traditional. Contemporary style is the next most frequently requested. Seems people are choosing less embellishment and simpler lines.
So there you have some of the most current kitchen trends! While I always recommend that you choose what you love, it’s good to know what is current in order to make the best decisions. After all, unlike clothing, you’re going to live with those choices for quite a while!
Creating Your Dream Kitchen- Part 3
Welcome back! I know, the last post was only yesterday but I’m trying to get back on track to my usual Monday and Thursday posts. Yesterday we did some thinking not only about what we’d like in the kitchen, but also about how we use the kitchen. Today, we have one more list to make and then we can talk about the pretty stuff!
List #1: All your stuff by groups, with # of items and their size ( I know, this one is tedious- but you need to do it so that you can ensure enough storage for everything). Here are some examples-
- Fry pans
Do you have any of these?
- Roasting pans
- Sauce Pans
- Steamers
- Spaghetti and stock pots
- Baking Pans
- Broiling Pans
- Serving Dishes
- Mixing Bowls
- Baking and Cookie Trays
- Serving Trays
- Measuring Cups
- Everyday Dishes
- Glassware
- Cups and Mugs
- Packaged Food (cereals, rice, pasta, flour, sugar….)
- Cans and Jars
- Spices
- Tupperware and other storage ware
- Wraps (SaranWrap, tin foil, wax paper, etc)
- Bags (trash and storage)
- Cleaning Supplies
- Utensils- eating, baking, serving,cooking
- Knives
- Paper goods- paper plates, towels, etc.
- Linens- including dish towels, pot holders, aprons, napkins
- Cookbooks and recipes
- Anything else stored in your kitchen cabinets or drawers
Ok, you don’t have to measure everything, but you should have an idea of how big the largest of each of these groups is.
It’s also a good time to look at this stuff to determine if it’s worthy of having a home in your new kitchen. If you’ve never used it, or it’s time for it to be retired, now is the time to give it to a worthy cause or send it to the trash.
Now that you’ve completed the hard stuff, let’s talk about some of the pretty stuff! If you haven’t already done this, it’s time to grab some design magazines and pull out pictures of kitchens that you really like. It could be that you like it because the color is fabulous, you like the layout or the countertops, or the cabinets- whatever- just pull about 5 to 10 pictures. Here are some good sources:
Some great sources for inspiration!
More options for Kitchen ideas!
Are there recurring themes? Colors? Cabinet styles or colors? Appliances? If you haven’t been able to zero in on a style, this exercise should help. Research different types of countertops to see what speaks to you. What colors do you like in the kitchen? Do you like stainless steel appliances or not? Again, you’re cultivating ideas here so feel free to go a little wild with your imagination! If you need more help, you can go to the National Kitchen and Bath Association and request a free kitchen and bath workbook. Just go to www.nkba.org and click on the workbook tab.
Next installment: Cabinet styles! Having fun yet?
