Spring newsletter is out now!

We just sent out the spring newsletter. Check your email box for the issue. If you know someone that would be interested in receiving our newsletter, please have them sign up here. We will be reposting some of the content on this blog shortly. Check back soon.

Kitchen Design Trends - Winter 2008

Here's what's hot this winter:

• Combining three cabinetry colors instead of two: white/brown/blue or green

• Built-in banquets and window seats.

• Apron front ("farmers") sinks clay, stainless steel and copper.

• Retro appliances.

• Quartz, recycled glass countertop material vs. granite.

• Mismatched furniture-like pieces vs. streamline built-in cabinetry.

• Integrated appliances (refrigerator, dishwasher, compacter covered with panels).

• Black cabinetry.

• Rustic, stone or brick backsplash and range surrounds.

Kitchen Updates on a Budget (Part 1)

The average cost of a mid-level kitchen renovation in the Bay Area is $45,000. However, all is not lost for the budget-minded homeowner. Below we will share some inexpensive tricks to beautify and modernize your kitchen. This is the first in a series. Future postings (and newsletters) will increase the budget and your options.

Make it look good on $500

For $500, the hard-working do-it-yourself homeowner can give any tired-looking kitchen a makeover without having to replace a single cabinet or appliance.

Clutter will make even the most expensive kitchen look outdated and old. Removing unnecessary items from countertops, drawers and cabinets, throwing half of it away, and returning the rest to its rightful place may do half the job, believe it or not. The space should be divided into areas for prepping food, cooking and cleaning. For a functional kitchen, items should be stored as close as possible to the place of their use, eg. cooking utensils should be close to the cooktop, cleaning supplies by the sink, plates and glasses near the kitchen table or eating bar.

Adding storage aids to the interior of drawers and cabinets may not make your kitchen any more attractive, but they will make it a lot easier to use. These organizers are inexpensive and can be found in stores such as TJ Maxx, Ross, Linen & Things, Bed, Bath & Beyond: drawer dividers, sliding drawers, pull-out recycling and trash centers, tiered spice racks and lazy Susans. Wall-mounted knife magnets can replace counter knife blocks and a hanging pot rack can free up entire space of a base cabinet.

Painting is the most cost-effective and quick way of giving any kitchen a facelift. For less than $100 in paint and supplies, you can transform the look and feel of the kitchen in just one weekend.

Start with the walls. For smaller spaces, consider a bright, cheery hue to add energy and excitement to the room. A semi-gloss finish will provide the durability a kitchen wall requires. Helpful hint: red promotes appetite!

If your existing cabinets look dated but are still in good working condition, put a fresh coat of paint on the doors and drawer fronts. While not as easy and quick a job as painting the walls, painting the cabinetry is an affordable and simple task that provides a huge return on the investment. Helpful hint: prepping the surface is the most important step. Keep in mind, if your cabinets have a pronounced wood grain, it will show through the paint if you don't sand and properly prime.

In part 2, we'll increase the budget and increase our options. Stay tuned!

New newsletter!

We're launching a brand-new email newsletter.  This blog and the newsletter will work hand-in-hand.  To keep the emails brief, we'll send out summaries of new articles, tips, hints, and other news, and post the full content here.  You'll get to see any photos of beautiful kitchens, and kitchen designs along with the full article text.  Sound great? Good! Let's get started...

First Post!

Welcome to the new Kitchen Galleries blog! We've got so many ideas to share with you, that we just had to start something up. We're certain that you are going to find what we have to share with you to be valuable and useful information to help you with your kitchen--whether you are remodeling, updating, or just thinking about it. Exciting stuff is on the way for 2008. So we hope you'll join us and visit frequently. :-)