From the Floors Up

Kitchen Remodel Ideas

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Kitchen remodels are a big commitment. Be careful of trends that will go out of style, or are too buyer specific. A helpful tip is to look at trends that increase the value of your life and home. The following tips have staying power, but also address convenience, lifestyle needs and enjoyment!

  1. Transitional design – Contemporary designs can often be cold while keeping a busy kitchen clean and uncluttered is sometimes a challenge. You can overcome this challenge by using transitional design, which combines both traditional and contemporary elements while allowing you to use the old and new and eliminate kitschy fads!
  2. You can’t go wrong with white. Try layering white by using white walls, white cabinets and white tile backsplashes. White never goes out of style!
  3. Want some color? Try neutral grays with pops of color – gray is close enough to white that you can use in all areas of the country by adding warmth with wood floors, or light and airy touches with pops of color. Just don’t overdo the color, a little goes a long way!
  4. Flooring has come a long way since your last remodel! Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) and luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring is waterproof, looks like the real thing and is easy to maintain.
  5. Quartz countertops – Quartz has been rated the toughest material for countertops, it resists burns, cracking and scratches. Quartz comes in a variety of solid colors and the look of real granite. Quartz beats natural stone in toughness, ease of cleaning and does NOT have to be sealed every year like granite.
  6. Refrigeration – With today’s busy schedules, rethink your refrigeration needs. Add a wine cooler for the adults, add a juice/water fridge for the children. If you love to cook and take it seriously, add a counter-height produce fridge to your island. Add refrigeration where you need it!
  7. LED lighting – Kitchen LED lighting is a wonderful way to add lighting to your prep area while providing esthetically pleasing touches to your kitchen. Add rope or cove lights to cabinets, under cabinets, and recessed canned lighting. LED lighting creates ambiance, and comes in soft to bright white, and a multitude of colors. LED’s are extremely efficient, lasting five times longer than standard bulbs. They emit very little heat, so you can keep the lights on forever!

Five Things You Need to Consider When Remodeling Your Kitchen

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Of course it would be great to be able to spend as much as you want on your kitchen renovation project, however the reality is that you are probably working within a budget. When you’re working within a budget, you’ll have to make some compromises along the way. Therefore, it’s important to renovate smartly. When making such tough decisions be aware of what matters most to you. Here are some key tradeoffs you should consider making when it comes down to the “nitty gritty”.

How You’ll Be Using the Kitchen
First off, before renovating your kitchen you should be clear on how you want to use your new kitchen. For example, some people remodel their kitchen so that they can have more space to cook and entertain their guests. Others redesign their kitchens to be more efficient. Set aside goals that you are not willing to budge on will help you make the right decisions as your budget starts to decrease.

If you cook or entertain often, think about surfaces like floors and countertops that will be easy to maintain and keep clean.

Realistic Needs
When remodeling your kitchen you should think about how many people your kitchen will serve on a daily basis. If you have a small kitchen but entertain on occasions, a kitchen with double range ovens and a 48 inch wide refrigerator may not be suitable. Many experts recommend designing with your maximum capacity needs.

Think About Cost vs. Value
As you’ve probably already discovered everything from the cabinetry, flooring, sinks and appliances costs a decent amount of money. There will come a point when you will have to consider when its worth spending the money on a specific thing. So should you splurge on it or spend the dollars elsewhere?

Here are some questions you should ask yourself:
– Will making an investment in this product improve my daily life?
– Does the element increase the overall aesthetic of my home and increase its value?

Good luck and have fun! We hope some of these tips helped you with your new kitchen remodel!

Should I Match My Kitchen Cabinets to the Floors?

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You may be pondering the question, “is it best to match the kitchen floors with your cabinetry?” This is truly the million-dollar question. The answer all depends on personal preference and what type of style you desire your kitchen to reflect. By installing flooring that does not match your cabinetry, you create contrast. When used appropriately, contrast helps make things more visually interesting. For instance, if you already have hardwood flooring, you can create a visual contrast by having white cabinetry. To further explain, we are going to dive deeper into the topic. Let’s get started!

Expert Suggestions

While the decision is ultimately up to the homeowner, some design experts feel that using colors that are similar in nature on the cabinetry and flooring will result in material confusion. Going at least three shades lighter or darker than your flooring will prevent your kitchen from becoming aesthetically-confusing. That being said, if you are set on using a wood material on both your cabinetry and flooring, you might want to consider using different grains to contrast the tones. For example, if you have dark, rich cabinetry, you would use a light grain on your floors such as maple or hickory.

Matchmaking Flooring to Cabinetry

Matching your floors to your cabinets can create a unified look. On the other hand, achieving an exact match is nearly impossible. If you were to select oak flooring to match your oak cabinetry, the chances are high that the grains will not be identical. A single wood type can have small variations in color and grain. The finishes used also gives the material a different personality.

If you are installing new would cabinetry to match your existing hardwood floors, you have to take into consideration the quality of the existing floors. Do they show visible or excessive signs of wear and tear? If so, having already aged floors can further complicate things.

In conclusion, before purchasing anything, you should get samples of your floors and cabinetry. This will let you see how it all looks in the light and determine what looks good for your kitchen. All in all, it is the homeowner’s decision, and oftentimes, homeowners change their minds once they see the samples in their actual space. Therefore, the answer to the beginning question is it depends on your space, your design preferences, and your style flexibility.

Today’s Laminate Counters

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Laminate counter tops have come a long way in the past few years. With so much focus in the design world on stone and solid surface counter top materials, laminates have needed to update their look to keep up with the current trends. Today’s laminates come in a wide array of colors and patterns. These laminate counter tops make a budget friendly option for a kitchen remodel or update.

 

This picture is an example of the variety of colors and patterns available in laminate counters today. There are solid color laminates as well as vintage inspired patterned options. Among the most popular are the patterns that imitate natural stone like granite and marble. Photo realistic technology has improved the look of these faux stone patterns. From a distance they may be indistinguishable from real stone.

 

Installing a laminate counter with a deeper edge can also help convince the eye that the faux stone laminate is real stone. A thicker edge will give the counter more weight and volume, more like real stone counters.

 

Along with faux stone patterns laminate counters come in wood patterns. These faux wood patterns can be selected to match the wood floors in a kitchen or capture the look of butcher block counters.

 

Take another look at laminate for counters. This is a budget friendly option that can give you the look of wood or stone without the higher cost of the real thing. Laminate counters can be used in the kitchen, bathroom or powder room—anywhere you need a counter top material.

From the Floors Up

From the Floors Up blog was created with the goal of providing a destination for consumers, designers and those interested in the flooring, design, and kitchen and bath industries. Here you’ll find, current, accurate and informative information that is always just a click away!

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