Advanced Cabinetry Information
Kitchen Trends for 2015
by Cynthia on 07/22/15
Kitchen Trends for 2015
Design Ideas
One of the biggest trends in cabinetry is, well, the lack of cabinetry. Open wall shelving is becoming increasingly popular among people who prefer their kitchens to have a more airy look, or who just want to show off how much cookware they have. Don’t start mourning the death of the cabinet, though. Closed cabinets aren’t going anywhere. They’re more often paired with open cabinets for a mix of the traditional and the new.
Color and Wood Choices
Two separate trends are sweeping the design world at the moment, both on opposite ends of the chromatic scale. In an era where design as a whole is shifting towards minimalism, it’s only appropriate that the two most basic colors should be all the rage in kitchen design.
Kitchens with black as their primary color create an aura of class, taste and ultra-modern sophistication and are very popular with urbanites. (Not to mention it hides dirt really well.)
Meanwhile, white shaker-style doors can create a light look in a kitchen and are perfect for making an already sunlit kitchen look even brighter. It’s most popular with people who are going for a rustic look in their kitchen, but flat white doors can also lend themselves very well to a contemporary design.
Kitchens incorporating both black and white are also great for creating a very striking, stark look.
Whoa, watch for splinters! In all
seriousness, polished wood is finally starting to loosen its grip on the
cabinet market, with rougher wood lending a rural touch to kitchens whose
owners are going for a warmer look. Paired with brown or gold metals like
copper and bronze, they can go a long way toward pulling it off. Woods that are
currently popular include cherry, walnut and birch.
Islands
Possibilities include putting your kitchen island on legs and pretending it’s
an heirloom chest, adding panels to it and pretending it’s a set of cabinets or
adding a contrasting top and sides.
Caring for your Granite Countertops
by Cynthia on 04/25/13
How to Care for Your
Granite Countertops
Granite has become one of the most popular countertop materials for kitchens, baths and more. It is a beautiful natural material that adds value and visual appeal to any home. Granite is durable and is fairly low maintenance.
You might not know this, but granite is a porous material that can stain, scratch and even crack without the proper care. You can prevent all of these from happening to your cherished countertops with some easy maintenance routines.
First, clean-up any spills immediately; allowing a spilled liquid or sauce to sit on your granite can mean stains. Properly sealed granite will repel most stains if cleaned promptly. Here’s how to do it:
1. Blot the spill, don’t wipe (wiping can spread the stain)
2. Flush the spill with warm water and a mild detergent
3. Rinse thoroughly and then dry
4. If you can’t get the stain out with the above directions, you may have to use a poultice – a fine, non-acid, absorptive clay cleaning powder that removes deep-set oil stains, grease and light cement grout haze from polished and unpolished natural stone. This may dull the shine of your granite, but that can be restored with marble polish.
Second, seal your granite. Depending on how much use your countertop gets, you may need to seal up to every 6 months. Most granite companies recommend sealing once a year. If your granite is used infrequently, you could go as long as every two years.
1. Clean the surface thoroughly making sure to remove any stains
2. Let the surface dry for several hours before sealing
3. Spread the sealer over the surface. You can use paper towel, a soft brush, or a rag.
4. Allow the sealer to penetrate for 5 – 10 minutes. Add more if the sealer is absorbed completely by 5 minutes
5. After 5 to 10 minutes blot any remaining sealer
6. Buff the stone dry with a clean terry cloth
7. Let the surface dry for a full 12 hours before using it
Keep your granite clean and use trivets or heat pads underneath ceramic dishes or pots to prevent scratching. While granite can tolerate heat well, too much exposure to extended lengths of extreme heat can crack the surface. Avoid leaving hot pots or pans on the surface for long periods especially in the winter. Every day cleaning is simple:
1. Mix warm water and a little dishwashing detergent in a cloth to wipe down the surface.
2. Rinse thoroughly with clean water
3. Dry with a clean towel or cloth
Granite may be one of the world’s strongest surfaces but it still requires care. With these easy steps you can keep your granite looking brand new for many years of enjoyment.
Easy Kitchen Update Solution
by Cynthia on 04/19/13
- Laminates: We have the largest selection of laminate colors in the area – almost 1000 colors to choose from. With new and innovative patterns and finishes that are more durable and lower maintenance, this may be the solution for you. We carry Formica, Wilsonart, Nevamar and Pionite.
- Granite: This is a natural stone material available in over 158 colors at our warehouse and over 252 colors nationwide. It is heat, scratch and stain resistant and requires minimal maintenance.
- Marble: Timeless beauty and quality; mainly used as an accent in the kitchen.
- Wood: Available in seven species, this is a great compliment to any kitchen and is virtually maintenance free.
- Solid Surface: This is an acrylic material available in over 250 colors. This option offers a virtually seamless appearance with integrated sinks and coved back splashes available. We carry Corian, Wilsonart and Formica.
- Quartz: Of all the materials, this is the most heat, scratch and stain resistant and requires the least amount of maintenance. We carry Cambria, which is fabricated in the United States. We have over 100 colors to choose from.
New Kitchen Trends for 2013
by Cynthia on 03/11/13
Kitchen Trends on the Rise –
White White White – White cabinetry, white countertops white backsplashes. Do or don’t? Believe it or not, there are a lot of designers and homeowners alike who are doing it. White on white on white has come back. Done right, this less-is-more design aesthetic can work well in either contemporary or traditional styles.
If that’s too much white for you here’s what designers and homeowners are doing to spice this style up: colored glass tile backsplashes for added dimension in the walls, glass inserts in the cabinetry doors with interior lighting to showcase your beautiful dishware, artful pulls and knobs cleverly chosen can appear to be the jewelry of the room, an eye catching countertop of granite or quartz to anchor it all together and lots of beautiful molding and accent pieces in the cabinetry for a rich and personal style that makes your cabinetry feel more like furniture.
Wait, is that laminate I see making a comeback? Yep, laminate has come a long way from its older-cheap-and-boring-square counterpart from the 60’s thru early 90’s. New edge styles combined with amazing new laminate designs and finishes have turned laminate into a cost effective alternative that will make your kitchen the envy of your family, friends and neighbors.
Lastly, mix up your cabinets – another new trend on the rise is mixing up wood stained cabinets with wood painted cabinets or using two different stains. White and wood, black and wood and even the latest color trends with wood are accentuating our lives and bringing a warmth and character to our kitchens like never before. Use a lighter stain on your base and wall cabinets and then go with a more dramatic color in your island, or use a white cabinet for the base cabinets and go with a wood stain on your wall cabinets.
In today’s kitchens, there are limitless possibilities for making your kitchen a reflection of your own taste and style. Don’t be afraid to customize your kitchen to making a dramatic statement that any guest will love. Kitchens are one of the most well used areas of the home – it’s easier than ever to individualize yours to a style and level of functionality that suits your daily needs and lives to impress.
Thanksgiving and Turkey on the Big Green EGG
by Cynthia on 11/09/12
It’s Friday November 9th and that means there are only 13 short days before Thanksgiving. Holidays seem to always sneak up me making me wonder where all that time went. If you’re anything like me, you always try to prepare ahead of time for the big day, but somehow life has a habit of getting in the way. This year I'm going to be prepared. So I purchased a Big Green Egg and am going to cook my family’s Thanksgiving turkey on it. Not only will I be smoking the big turkey, I’ll cook the dressing and veggies like yams and carrots with it. I have a large EGG so it will fit my 20lb turkey in a roasting pan with the dressing and veggies around it. The size of turkey you can cook depends on the size EGG you have: I’ve even talked to EGG fans who buy a second EGG so they can bake the casserole dishes and other sides on an EGG too. No matter what size or how many you have, you can be sure that your EGG will produce the best tasting meal possible. The versatility of the EGG is amazing and the usability is great. I’m no grill master but with the EGG I can easily prepare a meal the whole family will love. Everything just tastes better when it’s cooked on the EGG. That’s because of the all-natural lump charcoal used to heat the EGG – the first time I tasted food made on a Big Green Egg I couldn’t help but notice how much more flavor there was in the food. There’s no chemical aftertaste like there is with conventional charcoal so the food’s natural flavor is enhanced. It’s also because of the even convection style of heat tempering you get from cooking on the EGG – maintaining the temperature is crucial in cooking. The EGG’s thick ceramic build makes controlling temperatures easy. And with the ceramic Big Green Egg Plate Setter, the temperature remains even inside the EGG so you don’t have to constantly turn your food. There are so many reasons to love the Big Green Egg. If you’d like to learn more call or visit our showroom where we have all the available sizes and accessories on display. We stock everything in-store so you can take your new EGG home today to start cooking. Or if you already have one and just need some accessories or charcoal we have that too. Watch this video for turkey smoking recipes from a professional Big Green Egg chef: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNEL4yLnEKQ&NR=1&feature=endscreen