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Kitchen Design NotesKitchen Design NotesWelcome to Kitchen Design Notes. Whether in the middle of a kitchen remodel, planning one or just dreaming, stop in and browse. This blog is part sounding board, part roladex. Here, I can share tips and pass on the latest design information to you. 
Articles
Unexpected Appreciation
2007-09-25 04:01:00 Today I was bowled over in disbelief! I received an unexpected complement from a client. Normally, if you are good at what you do, you perform your tasks at hand in a professional manner, a complement shouldn't be that much of a surprise. Let me tell you it felt so gratifying to hear that after all the trauma and drama (between the contractor and the homeowner), my client sung high praises More About: Appreciation , Reci
What is Really Important
2007-09-24 16:15:00 You many have come across this already. I want to share it again here because the message holds true no matter what we are facing in life. With remodeling, it seems that crisis and drama are played out in an accelerated fashion. You have the construction crews invading your house at the crack of dawn, or someone doesn't show up, or a material is back ordered and there are quick decisions to be More About: Import , Ally
Where Wine and Art Do Not Mix
2007-09-24 02:43:00 I was browsing this image at Trendir, and thought, "Gorgeous", but upon closer inspection, I saw the pegs contained bottles of wine. First of all, in California I would want to know if this was earthquake safe. Probably not. Secondly, while this may look beautiful, heat rises. Why would anyone want to keep an expensive collection of wine in a hot spot? Maybe they are empty? Use this design in a More About: Wine
Taking the "Dis" out of Disabled
2007-09-24 02:26:00 I love this! I was tooling around the web, (I have given up my Sunday Times), in favor of searching my favorite blogs when I found this at KitchAnn Style. As designers, Universal Design, is something we all need to incorporate into our daily vocabulary. This unique toilet is revolutionary in concept and design. It would be nice to see this become available. The Universal Toilet, designed by More About: Disabled , Taking , Bled
Kitchen-exchange: Did I get this right?
2007-09-23 23:14:00 Kitchen-exchange: Did I get this right? More conversations on "Do's and Dont's" for "Small Space Kitchen Design" over at the Kitchen Exchange Blog. In it, a homeowner, Mads (her blogging name), asks for a critique of her small 9' x 9' 1/2" kitchen she designed 100% by herself. Peggy Deras, CKD, gives some great insight on what went right and wrong in this remodel. Having been contacted by the More About: Kitchen , Chen , Chang , Chan
Budgeting
2007-09-22 01:25:00 Remodeling? You can hear the sighs and the next question is, "how much is this going to cost me?" Set aside some time to work up a budget and then plan to edit, and edit again. If you know what you like but have no idea how much it will cost, there are tools out there to help you determine your budget. Sticker shock is not uncommon. It is so easy to have champagne tastes and beer budgets. Its' More About: Budgeting
Kitchen Do's and Dont's : Series # 1
2007-09-19 17:58:00 What went wrong here? This small kitchen has some big problems. The sink is wedged between two protruding appliances making it impossible to stand at the corner sink. I like white in a kitchen, just not on these appliances here. Yikes! Think you can't do anything because you have a small kitchen? Not so. The sad thing about this kitchen is it looks like the homeowner remodeled and spent money More About: Kitchen , Series , Chen , Serie , Erie
Direct Buy: Pay $5,000 to Save
2007-09-19 00:50:00 Over at the Consumerist Blog, there is a discussion on whether the discount buying club, Dire ct Buy, is worth it. In it, they cite a report from Consumer Reports on the Direct Buy hard sales pitch. Consumer Reports went undercover to evaluate the company. Read the report for the full article. The problem with Direct Buy is that they purport to save you up to 70% off of list price. Well, if More About: Save , Rect
Do It Your Self Design
2007-09-18 23:49:00 Want to design your dream residence, plan your renovation, or play around with interior decoration colors and furniture placement? Consulting a professional is always advisable. But, sometimes you just want to play with ideas on your own. Visualizing a renovation is hard to imagine with flat line 2d drawings. What is unique about this product is that manufacturers of products like Forbo and More About: Design
Afraid of dark stained cabinets?
2007-09-16 19:19:00 Never fear dark stained cabinets as long as you know how to balance light and dark together. Take a look at some kitchens that have successfully incorporated dark stained cabinets. This kitchen, is located at the Residences at Victory Park. at the posh W Hotel in Dallas, Texas. The project became personal when design architect, Eddie Abeyta, of the W Hotel & Residences at Victory Park chose to More About: Dark , Cabin , Inet , Raid
Projects in progress
2007-09-16 02:55:00 Here is one of the projects that I am currently working on. The before photo shows the typical oak kitchen from the 1970's. 6 x 6 tan ceramic tiles with wide brown grout lines. This was very popular once upon a time. This old kitchen is really a "one person kitchen". It is a small kitchen. My client is a fantastic cook, her daughters are great bakers. The challenge was to make this kitchen More About: Projects , Progress
Appliance recalls
2007-09-16 02:30:00 Here are the latest recalls to watch for: Asko Cylinda recalls DW95 series Dishwashers due to fire hazard. August 24, 2007The hazard associated with the recall product is that an electrical component in the dishwasher can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers. The firm has received 21 reports of dishwasher fires. Product and property damage has been reported. No More About: Appliance
Blogs to Bookmark
2007-09-15 20:03:00 With the onslaught of Blogging, so many designers are happy to share what they are doing, what issues to watch for, and creative ideas to share for inspiration. Take advantage of what everyone has to offer. Read the articles and feel free to ask the designers questions. Here are some of my favorites. Peggy Deras, at Kitchen Exchange, has an extensive list of articles to browse through on More About: Bookmark , Blogs
Editing Your Cabinet Purchase Order
2007-09-15 05:45:00 It's been a busy week! I just got back from a four day training seminar given by my cabinet manufacturer back in Iowa. Before I left for training I had to make sure I had all the last minute details completed for my purchase orders I need to process for order cut off deadlines with two different manufacturers for three different clients! Ironically enough, My blogging buddies are posting on this More About: Editing , Order , Purchase , Cabinet , Cabin
Noteworthy Kitchens: 1926 Spanish Style Kitchen
2007-09-08 17:15:00 This California Spanish Style Charmer is lovely! I have a special love of these homes. My grandmother had one. I moved into one many years ago and still miss it today. (Except for the closets which were always a narrow impossible skinny space behind a single narrow door. Did people back in the 30's have less clothes? But the closets did have a window!) The charm of these homes cannot be missed. More About: Kitchen , Kitchens , Chen
CFL Sizes and Shapes : ENERGY STAR
2007-09-08 05:18:00 For clients who are planning to purchase new lighting the task can be daunting. What type of bulb? Is it energy efficient? Recently a client showed me the fixtures she hopes to purchase. "I saw a light fixture I want in the Pottery Barn catalog. Can I use a CFL in place of the Type G-10 bulb, What about a Type A?" Can't figure out the differences between light bulbs types? Type G, Type A, Par More About: Energy Star , Energy , Shapes , Star
Gotta Have It, Installment # 3
2007-09-04 23:23:00 What a brilliant idea. Must share this idea from a Blog named: Unclutterer. Unclutterer is the blog about getting and staying organized. "A place for everything, and everything in its place" is it's gospel. In the interest of safety, I would want the opening from the top, a hinged flip top stair lid. If one wanted these drawers as shown here, be sure to think in terms of safety. I would More About: Gotta
Soapstone Maintenance
2007-09-01 22:19:00 Taking care of soapstone is a breeze. Apply a protective coat of mineral oil to all sinks and counter tops upon installation. Mineral oil enhances the inherent natural veining characteristics and crystallization detail of the stone. If your soapstone follow the easy restoration instructions below. STEP 1 – Sanding Scratches Most all scratches will disappear with a direct dab of mineral oil. To More About: Maintenance , Tone , Tena
Soap Stone
2007-09-01 21:47:00 Are you thinking about Soap Stone counter tops? Soapstone is a natural quarried stone that comes in a variety of colors and sizes. Soapstone is a metamorphic rock, also known as “steatite”, which is comprised primarily of the minerals talc, chlorite, dolomite, and magnesite. People are often confused by the fact that there are different types and grades of soapstone. Artistic grade More About: Tone
What is all the talk about Lyptus?
2007-08-29 17:16:00 You may be hearing talk of a new wood species named Lyptus. Cabinet manufacturers have introduced Lyptus in the recent past. Since that time, it has been well received as a unique and environmentally friendly wood species. Expect a wood species premium fee same as the Cherry wood premium, on average of 12%. Lyptus is a premium, plantation-grown hardwood from Brazil. It resembles Mahogany with More About: Talk
Save or Splurge: The Kitchen
2007-08-28 17:16:00 Check out this great article on when to splurge and when to save when it comes to kitchen cabinets and appliances. See the full article in the September issue of CNNMoney.com "To get the most for your money, you need to know two things: when the good stuff is worth paying extra for and when the economy choice is plenty good enough." By Money Magazine's Andrea Bartz, Ismat More About: Kitchen , Save , Chen , Urge
Cabinet Hardware
2007-08-26 20:52:00 When selecting cabinet hardware, I would say 99% of my clients don't know about break -a-way screws. You will need them for your cabinet hardware that will be attached to drawers. If you open up the drawer you will notice the thickness of the drawer box. Most drawers boxes are constructed with 1/2" thick hardwood. The thickness of the drawer head itself is usually 3/4" thick. Add this up and More About: Hardware , Cabinet , Cabin , Inet , Hardwar
Contrasting Custom Interiors
2007-08-23 20:02:00 I have a client who found the most beautiful shade of green for her walls. She asked: "Can we use this color in the interior bead board back of my glass door cabinets?" When selecting a custom contrasting interior paint color for your cabinet order keep in mind these pre- planning points. 1. Plan in advance of your cabinet order placement. A special color matched sample will have to be More About: Custom , Interiors
On Line Window Shopping
2007-08-17 17:07:00 Whenever I come across a great Blog, I bookmark it under "Window Shopping ", with plans to come back later when I have time to sift through the pages. Here is one such blog that got my attention. Another Shade of Grey is a fabulous design blog. She is able pull together great finds from other stores and other great blogs. I believe she has accessory items for sale on Etsy. What's Etsy? It's an More About: On-line , Line , On Line
Custom Built
2007-08-17 01:39:00 Here is a picture of a sink base my client and I created to solve the corner sink problem of too much wasted space. The typical corner sink base the client had before was angled in such a way that it pushed the sink base farther into the room wasting a lot of space in front of and behind the sink. The redesign I worked on with the homeowner, allowed for a 46" base More About: Custom
Keep your Bathroom Mold Free
2007-08-15 21:29:00 What is a bathroom topic doing in a Kitchen Blog you may be asking yourself. Occasionally, I venture into designing bathrooms for clients. One client asked me lately about controlling mold growth. Here is a link to an article I found, "Keep Your Bathroom Mold Free ", that offers simple tips anyone can follow. These are simple and sound tips I find myself sharing with clients all the time. I
Don't buy the hype on new appliances
2007-08-15 20:01:00 Highly hyped kitchen products often disappoint. That's the message in Consumer Reports' 2007 August issue, in its annual kitchen package. The magazine's tests found shortcomings in many highly promoted, costly items. Often, an old standard proved the better choice. What have you purchased and were disappointed in the performance of the product? More About: Hype , Appliances , Appliance
Expectations
2007-08-15 01:56:00 At times I am at a loss for words when I encounter rude and demanding "potential" clients. Working with a designer on a kitchen project entails a relationship that can last for months. It is so much nicer to work with people who are more communicative than demanding. With that in mind, the interview process is a two way street. In as much as the client is interviewing the designer, so too is More About: Expectations
New and Improved Low VOC Paints
2007-08-12 17:41:00 It's been a while since I posted. Summer time is my busiest season. Since my customers are asking, I have the latest info on what's new in Eco-Friendly Paint s . Low VOC Paints gained a bad rap from painters when they were first developed. The biggest complaint was the quick drying time. However due to consumer demand, R & D depts. with many paint manufacturers have been improving the performance More About: Rove , Improv , Prove
Summer Daze
More articles from this author:2007-07-01 00:12:00 Ode to summer weekends in Los Angeles. Picture of The iconic Case Study House #22 designed by Pierre Koenig. Link back to Flicker Gorgeous outdoor fireplace Peck Residence, Here's a link back to Flicker More About: Summer 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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