Full Height Marble Splash

With tile so popular these days I rarely get requests for full height backsplashes so I was thrilled to see a picture posted by Materialicious of a German kitchen featuring white marble running not just up the side of a tall cabinet but across the top too.

Most Americans don’t like how easily marble can stain and tend to favor granite or quartz countertops. If you want to recreate this look with either material you can substitute strips on top of the cabinet to cut the cost and weight.

CaesarStone and Corian Samples

July 16, 2007

Design Idea

I thought it would be nice to share some of the clever ideas that can be used when designing kitchens with awkward areas. This photo from House Beautiful shows serving trays nestled in a small corner.

Other options for a space like this include small shelves for a rolling pin, rolling cloth and biscuit cutters for someone who bakes often.

July 14, 2007

Feng Shui is the Child of Vasstu Shastra

Some Feng Shui practitioners believe the Chinese science of harmonious home living was adapted from India’s Vaastu Shastra, a book of architecture written in Sanskrit in the 10th century AD and practiced by the Vedic civilization.

The principles of Vaastu harness the power of the Earth in addition to other surrounding celestial bodies to bring health, wealth and good fortune. Vaastru Shastra’s tenets help define building layouts so positive and negative forces are in balance to naturally ensure general prosperity of the owners.

Vaastu Your Kitchen
Since the kitchen deals with the health and nourishment of the family, inappropriate placement or design can directly cause illness or loss of health. Techniques to Vaastu a kitchen include placing it on the southeast side of the home with the pantry in a southern location.

The stove should be placed on the southeast side allowing the cook to face east. A stove in the north or east side of the kitchen may cause possible accidents. The dishwasher and toaster are preferred on the south side due to their heat production. The refrigerator should be placed in the northwest, southeast, south or west. Faucets are most beneficial on the northeast side; placement on the south or west side is believed to increase illness in the person consuming the water.

The kitchen should be painted yellow, rose, red, orange or chocolate brown. If possible avoid painting walls white or black. Red is the preferred color for countertops.

It is much harder to find information on Vaastu than Feng Shui so you may want to hire a Vaastu consultant to analyze your space and make recommendations to correct Vaastu anomalies.

Source

May 30, 2007

Faux wood cabinets are great for remodeling

With the current downturn in the housing market many homeowners are looking to remodel their kitchens and bathrooms either for their own enjoyment or for selling their home in the near future.

Especially here in Naples where builders once offered only white melamine cabinets and white laminate countertops; they are now offering granite and wood-look cabinets as a standard. This means all the homes and condos that are just a few years old are having a tough time competing with all the incentives builders are offering to unload their inventories.

So what is a homeowner to do? When budgets are limited it is always a good idea to incoporate storage aids such as lazy-susan corner cabinets and pull-out trash bins. Bathrooms can also be improved by adding linen cabinets. According to a recent survey they are the number one requested item and are sure to help improve the value of your remodel.

I always suggest my clients look at a 5-piece glazed thermofoil door. It’s similar to what the builders offer but it looks like a glaze has been applied. The glazing makes these cabinets look more expensive than they really are – a great selling bonus.

Here’s a picture showing two of the 4 finishes available through Kitchen Studio of Naples, Inc.