Kitchen Design Notes

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Is the ceiling fan the light fixture of choice for the male race?
2007-12-01 02:04:00
Maybe it is the fact that ceiling fan's have cool remote controls.In any event, give a little will ya'!
More About: Race , Light , Choice , Male

What color cabinets will go with my hardwood floors?
2007-11-28 20:06:00
In an email posted by a reader of this blog, the call for help with color for cabinets was asked.Hello Laurie!I found your blog and am very impressed with your kitchen designs.We are doing a new construction of a brand new home and am having trouble deciding on what color the kitchen cabinets should be to go with. We have decided on a flooring, it is Brazilian Cherry here is a sample of what it will look like http://www.brazilianhardwood.com/photogal lery/braziliancherry/lamon.php We are going with Omega Dynasty Cabinets Anson style door. It would be great if someone could assist on a color for the cabinets. We are open to input, and suggestions, we are open to having the counter anycolor. Thanks!Dear Myron, thanks for reading my blog. Although I can't answer your question directly without benefit of a design retainer, I think this is a good question in general that so many will face when selecting hardwood floors and cabinets in a kitchen. I can give you some points in general to...
More About: Color , Inet , Floors

10 Tips for Greener Gifting for the Holidays
2007-11-18 23:25:00
I used to laugh at my Grandma for wrapping gifts with last years gift paper. Mostly because she was the queen of re-gifting and we had to stop ourselves from giggling when we saw the surprised facial expression coming from the original gift giver.But the reality is that the day after the holidays, all across the world, our trash cans are filled with mounds of gift wrap. Pretty to look at for a moment but ultimately trashed is a sad fact. Before the shopping frenzy starts consider that if every American family wrapped just three presents in recyclable materials, we would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.Why not try to have a good impact this holiday season?Before buying gift wrap that is used once and thrown away consider low impact gift wrap ideas: Make a package reusable. What a great way to give! A gift in a gift: Stop off in the kitchen housewares department for useful packaging: use a new dishtowel or apron to wrap up a gift. (And no, using your used dishtowel...
More About: Holidays , Tips , The Holidays

Feng Shui Your Kitchen
2007-11-14 21:31:00
Here is an interesting topic over at Green Living, Feng Shui Your Kitchen . Do you need a quick fix to avoid stagnant chi (life energy)? Want to feel healthier and attract more abundance in your life? Many of the ideas behind Feng Shui are really based on common sense. Try some of the ideas out and see if it doesn't improve your outlook for your kitchen.I like the fresh potted flowers/plants idea. It puts me in a good mood to start my day looking at my cheery potted plants of rosemary and pomegranate. The idea of mirror behind the cook top doesn't sit well with me. Too much maintenance to make it always look sparkling fresh. I prefer the shiny teakettle instead.

If you could, would you...
2007-11-10 22:56:00
...purchase cabinetry that is focused on providing you a healthier place to live?Would you buy Formaldehyde Free Solid Wood?Would you buy a product knowing that the glue is FDA approved and contains no chemicals whatsoever?Take a look at a product preview. What do you think?

Thinking it through with Slab Foundation
2007-11-10 20:00:00
I am geared up for digging and planting in my small townhouse garden! Gardening is a lovely hobby to rest my eyes from all the computer work I have to do everyday. I love to get my hands in dirt, walking through nurseries and discovering what plants will thrive and which will not in my Zone 8. But before I set out to dig, I called my local utilities. Every month our local utility company always puts out a a reminder notice with the bill: "call before you dig". You want to make sure you do not strike a gas line or other utilities that can really create a serious situation and costly repairs. So it goes with remodeling your kitchen when it comes to relocating utilities.Are you on slab foundation? Houses with underground utilities on slab foundation require more extensive work relocating utilities compared to houses built on raised foundation. Start with your local building department or plan check department.This brings to mind one of the projects I am working on right now. I called ...
More About: Foundation , Thinking , Dati

Here Kitty, Kitty, kitty!
2007-11-09 03:38:00
I got a call today that stressed me out."Your crew was working here today with the doors open and my cat got out!"Many of the homes we work in are in areas that abut to open space hills and canyons.I am an animal lover myself and would be devastated if my pet wound up as lunch for some hungry coyote.So it pains me to have to remind customers that we need you to work with us to protect your cherished pets. We are in your homes to remodel. While we are there, the area we are working in is a construction zone. We section it off with Visqueen zipper walls in many instances. In other cases, when our plastic barriers come down as we near completion, caution is still required on your part to protect your pets.In today's instance, the dry waller had to have open doors and windows for circulation. Once it was determined that "kitty" made her escape, all hell broke loose. We worked faster than a Southern California Wildfire to get that darn cat. The Homeowners were both set to leave for work...
More About: Kitty

Easy Greening for your Kitchen
2007-10-31 19:50:00
I am guilty of two things:1). one is making enough time in my day to work out. I know I should get up earlier to make time to walk 30 minutes or work out after work. Oh, the excuses. First excuse: I need to use my quiet time in the morning to focus on writing purchase orders before the phone starts ringing and the distractions start. 2nd excuse: I am too exhausted at the end of the day to work out.2.) the second thing I am guilty of is not writing in my blog often enough. I admit, this is a fun addiction, but like working out, it is something I have to make time for in my day.With all the information coming at us everyday, I have to limit what I can put on my "to do list" everyday. If I can do something to simplify my life, I am all for it, that includes what I buy.One thing I do well is watching out for what I buy and my efforts to "keep green" where I can.I want to share with you some great tips I read at Green Living . The article, written by Melissa Breyer, is called Kitchen ...
More About: Easy , Greening

A Little Rough Around the Edges
2007-10-18 08:39:00
I came across this photo at Design Sponge and stopped to inspect it closely.I think it is a charming photo giving us a glimpse of a small kitchen space done very inexpensively but "oh so cute" in the details. So you don't have a ton of money to redo your space? With a little innovation you can turn anything into charming with a little "do-it-your-self work" that costs barely anything. What works:The cinder block wall is painted a dark chocolate brown that sets off the white cabinets. Hides flaws, your eye won't focus there but on the cute collections on the shelf.They painted the exposed electrical conduit the same color as the walls. Great way of hiding flaws.Open stainless steel shelves with white plates works great as a inexpensive alternative to cabinets. Keeps the space from being weighed down with top heavy cabinets that make a space look smaller.No doors on the white cabinet. If cabinet doors are ugly, take them off. A fresh coat of paint hides all sins. Wall mounted ute...

More Talk Around the Blogs on What Else? Color in the Kitchen
2007-10-17 04:41:00
Have we gone so neutral that we are starved for color? Kitchen s never have to be bland. Ok, so the ranges above are a bit wild and may not sell in Iowa, but the point is we have freedom of choice to add color where ever we want in appliances, paint on the walls, choice of artwork, tile splashes, textures and colors for counters, cabinets and hardware means that you can personalize your kitchen with color in any form you desire. Me? Color me happy with anything other than white walls. I tend to shudder when clients want white walls and white ceilings. Give me white appliances, white cabinets and white sinks, but I would really rather eat paste than paint my walls white. Wild pattern on appliances , I am not so inclined to take the plunge preferring muted color pallets instead, but colored LED lighting my water is groovy!Here is what is going on in the world of design: Over at Design Undercover, the talk is about Cookers in Britain (that's a "range" to you and me in America), colorin...
More About: Blogs , Talk

Woods to avoid and Alternatves
2007-10-15 21:14:00
I am settling into my Town House I moved into this past August. One project I look forward to planning is my garden. Eager to make a Zen garden, I am ready to dig in and start sourcing materials. Of course, researching comes naturally to me and I wanted to learn about all types of benches for outdoor longevity.I came across a lovely 48" wood garden bench made out of solid Nyatoh wood. I have never heard of it and looked it up. Unfortunately, I read Dozens of Retailers are Selling Outdoor Furniture Logged from Endangered Forests, Nyatoh being one of them.The demand for nyatoh, balau, kapur and other woods used in outdoor furniture is causing tropical forest destruction and illegal intrusions on indigenous peoples’ lands in Southeast Asia, mostly in Indonesia. Indigenous cultures and native wildlife are being gravely harmed as their forest homelands are ruined by logging.Not in my backyard!I wanted a bench for respite and relaxation. A place to go for quiet solitude and meditat...
More About: Woods , Avoid , Alterna

Another Product Warning
2007-10-14 22:59:00
Oh God, here we go again, more products to watch out for. Please click on the link above to follow the link to LA Times: Pardon Our Dust: Southern Calif. Remodeling Tales by Kathy Price.Also just released: Florescent Ceiling Fixtures Sold exclusively at Home Depot recalled by Lithonia Lighting due to Shock HazardEven my beloved Pier 1 Import store has a recall listed in the updates. Sorry to be the bearer of gloom and doom.Bookmark this link and check in at least once a month to see what else turns up.US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
More About: Warning

Pot Fillers
2007-10-14 21:14:00
A reader asks: could you please discuss what to put behind a range--pot filler versus shelf, or can anyone have it all?What is the most important item in a kitchen? Water! I have a real penchant for convincing clients to add a second sink in a kitchen. During the preparation of a meal, the main sink needs to be dedicated to clean up chores. It gets mighty challenging to fill pots, wash vegetables, drain pasta when you have only one sink and it is occupied. Adding a second water source is a luxury to a kitchen, but one item on my checklist I would ask for when planning a new kitchen.Another handy water source in a kitchen is a pot filler. It can be a dangerous proposition taking a hot stock pot full of water over to the main sink if its full of dirty dishes. If I had my option to install a pot filler or a second sink, I would take the second sink over a pot filler in a second. I prefer having a second sink close to my range for preparing food, rinsing vegetables, draining hot wate...

Appliance Notes: Regressing With Stainless Steel
2007-10-14 20:51:00
Appliance Notes : Regressing With Stainless Steel Peggy Deras has spotlighted, (thanks Peggy), my interview with Kieth Wolf, BlueStar's Vice President of Marketing.I am in agreement with Peggy about the downside of stainless steel maintenance. It is a nightmare of a chore to keep stainless sinks, ranges, refrigerators looking brilliant and spot free.Stainless steel has a cache of it's own, but be prepared to pamper your stainless to keep it looking fresh. Check in with Kitchen Appliance Notes for articles on the good the bad and the ugly of stainless steel.I am pleased to see the resurgence of color in appliances. Color doesn't mean brilliant red. You can select subdued colors. They are so much easier to maintain. And after all, who wants to be a slave to maintenance.
More About: Appliance , Stainless Steel

And introducing...
2007-10-14 02:00:00
I have the pleasure to announce Gayle Glasband as co-contributor to Kitchen Design Notes. Before Gayle joined Plaza Kitchens she was the principle owner of Gayle Glasband Design Associates. Over the past 15 years her firm completed numerous award winning commercial and residential jobs throughout Southern California. Prior to entering the interior design industry, Gayle worked in visual merchandising, art gallery display, set design and floral design. Her credentials include a BA in Fine Art from California State University Northridge, (specializing in textile design and art history) and advanced degree in Interior Design from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in La, Ca. She presently teaches part time Kitchen and Bath courses at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, Ca.

Neutral Pallet for Artwork Collection
2007-10-13 07:01:00
How do you design for a museum art curator and a graphic artist? The key was that the viewers eyes had to be drawn up towards the walls and what was to be displayed on the walls. My client's are art collectors. One of the key factors in their kitchen remodel was to keep a neutral pallet to let the art collection become the focus. A simple clean sensibility was in order for the cabinet design.I love this space. It is flooded with light.We opened the wall between the kitchen and dining room. Kept the peninsula counter at 48" high to keep the view of the sink counters out of view from the dining room table.Concrete troweled fireplace. The Eurostone Counters in Anis play off the color of the fireplace.New doors and Bay window open up the space to the outdoors and make the space appear larger than it really is. The before kitchen: (I wished I had a picture of it) there was a little breakfast table that used to occupy the space in front of the bay window. That used to be a standard w...
More About: Artwork , Coll

Color, Color and More Color
2007-10-11 07:36:00
If you have the urge to match your appliances to your back splash, BlueStar offers a color program unmatched in the residential appliance industry. Plus I get to show you a few sneak peaks of their new line of wall ovens to be offered in 190 different colors. These pictures are not even in their web site yet! So What Color s are the Most Popular with BlueStar Consumers? I contacted Keith Wolf

A Blast From the Past
2007-10-08 23:59:00
Color Me Retro! Studying kitchens from previous eras is fascinating to me. You are going to love this! To know where we are going, we need to look back from where we came. Thank you KBB for bringing out photos from your archives documenting trends from past eras. I have been saving my comments on the latest trends I spotted at the Kitchen and Bath Show 2007. And what a better way to comment on
More About: Blast from the Past , Past , Blast

I would love to have a Butcher Block but...
2007-10-07 19:01:00
...I am afraid of the maintenance. So say many clients who love the look but not the maintenance. Well, the truth about wood is that periodic maintenance is required. But the benefits soon out weigh the drawbacks if you are a cook. Personal Chef Sally Cameron selected butcher block as a key element designed into her island. "I wanted a big chopping block because it gives me a
More About: Love , Block

More Tips on Accessible Kitchen Design
2007-10-05 17:20:00
Over at Transgenerational.Org they have a wonderful example of a Universal Design ed Kitchen . Accessible conveniences, user friendly at any age. Take a look at the kitchen for ideas you can incorporate into your design. For more information on Universal Design: http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/index.htm
More About: Tips , Kitchen Design

Kitchen Do's and Don'ts # 3
2007-10-04 06:20:00
Let's get busy. Not. It started off with good proportions. Can you have too much of a good thing? Yes. It's time to edit. Bead board should be limited. It's too busy on the drawers, doors and valance. The leaded glass is pretty, and would have been prettier without all the bead board. The window is trimmed out in large stained wood casing. Again, too much. Every detail is pretty unto itself, but
More About: Kitchen

Can I place my refrigerator in a corner?
2007-10-02 16:38:00
Any refrigerator placed in a corner is going to occupy valuable real estate in a kitchen. Unless you plan on purchasing a built in integrated model, most free standing refrigerators are simply too bulky to do a corner justice. Scandinavian Appliances AS makes an actual "corner" refrigerator. For more information view Norcool.com. Take a look. How cool is this!
More About: Corner , Place , Gera

Design with Aging in Mind
2007-10-01 07:45:00
The fastest growing segment of society is the elderly. By 2020, there will be 53.2 million Americans older than age 65—about 16% of the population—and 6.5 million of those will be over 85, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Nobody really wants to see themselves as "aging" but it is inevitable. The problem is that when people think of safety features, visions of hospital medical supply
More About: Design , Mind , Aging

Are You Creating a First Stage Smog Alert in Your Home?
2007-09-29 21:16:00
California leads the rest of the States as being the forerunner in enacting progressive environmental changes and as such will continue to apply tighter controls on manufacturing and industry in California. It is no surprise that California's Environmental Protection Agency air quality standards are higher than other states. So here we go again! EPA has a fact sheet: Beware of Ozone-generating
More About: Home , Creating , Alert , Stage , Smog

Kitchen Do's and Don'ts: Series # 2
2007-09-29 05:53:00
DON'T SQUEEZE A RANGE IN A SPACE WITHOUT COUNTERS. This little space shows they maximize every square inch with storage. Nothing wrong with that. But, the range needs counter space. This is awkward and dangerous not to have a clear landing space between the range and the wall. Was the refrigerator once here and they moved the range in? Awkward. For Code Requirement check your state and local
More About: Kitchen , Series , Chen , Serie , Erie

Will it fit?
2007-09-28 00:54:00
I received this email today: I came across your blog after trying unsuccessfully, to get an answer from a Kohler technician whether a built-in standard dishwasher would fit under the work area of the PROLOGUE sink. He still could not give a definitive answer after viewing the PDF. Have your ever installed a Prologue sink for a client, and do you know if a dishwasher can be housed under the

The Home Know It All
2007-09-27 16:27:00
I was contacted by Holly Reynolds to let me know that my site has been featured in an entry on TheHome KnowItAll.com, a comprehensive blog on home improvement, decorating, cleaning and organizing, do-it-yourself, gardening, and easy repair projects. Each day, Monday through Friday, The Home Know-It-All walks readers through the basics of a specific topic related to the home, with links to other

10 influential bloggers (blogs) in our design community are...
2007-09-27 16:17:00
I was contacted by Stan from Home Rejuvenation to pass the word about a survey they are conducting over at Home Rejuvenation Blog to find out who the 10 influential bloggers (blogs) in our design community are. The purpose is to find out the best in design blogging. Kindly refer to the link as attached http://homerejuvenation.blogspot.com/2007 /09/nominate-for-10-most-influential-desi gn.html Ok
More About: Design , Community , Blogs , Bloggers , Unit

Special Delivery: And I Don't Mean Cabinets
2007-09-27 04:45:00
Last time I talked about Purchase Orders, I showed you a couple of my 3" ring binders from jobs in progress. The crunch is on today. I just completed faxing my purchase orders through for a whole house full of cabinetry for one client. Went out to inspect a warranty replacement for another job, went to meet a contractor on another job and then hopped back on another long and detailed purchase
More About: Special , Liver , Deli , Cabin , Delivery

More Tips to Renovate you Kitchen on a Budget
2007-09-25 07:46:00
If you find that your kitchen budget needs to go on a diet, take heart, Real estate experts Barbara Corcoran offers a practical guide to revitalizing a kitchen with ways to cut the fat. Also, check out the NBC News Video for additional tips.
More About: Kitchen , Tips , Budget , Chen