I believe, I shared our choice of Wood-Mode Custom Cabinetry for our kitchen. We are going with their Brookhaven line and our door style is Winter Haven Raised.
The first time I went into the kitchen design center and started working with Regina, our kitchen designer, I was sure I was going with Antique White. Yesterday, when my husband and I were there together making final decisions, I changed my color choice. I am going with Vintage Lace.
Wood-Mode’s Vintage Opaque is a distinctive glaze applied over the base color which in our case is Lace and adds a brushed appearance to the surface while highlighting the details of the door style and architectural elements.
It is funny because the first time I was there, I was sure I did not want that look and yet, the second time, I was sold on it. I feel that is why it is so important to meet with your kitchen designer multiple times in the planning stages of your project. So far, we have been to the kitchen showroom 2 times and Regina has been out to our house once to take measurements.
Now, that we are getting closer to putting the order in, she will come out again to make sure everything is correct. It is so nice to work with a kitchen designer who has experience and guides you along through the process. Yesterday, I remember clearly saying to myself, “Wow, I am so glad she thought of that!”
The other thing is, they can give you great advice that can save you money and headaches. For instance, since my cooktop is mounted against an outside wall, she advised me not to go with a pot filler. I was not sold on one either, you may remember my earlier post.
The reason is, living in upstate New York, there is a danger of the pipes freezing which would cause extensive damage to our kitchen. Dealing with the damage from a leak is something we are familiar with and do not wish to deal with again if we can help it.
I know you can mount them on deck but I don’t want that sticking out of the counter top. Truthfully, the more I read about them, the more I am glad to have that reason for not putting one in. You still need to carry the water back to your sink. We decided to add an island prep sink which is behind the stove area. This will allow us to fill pots even if someone is at the kitchen sink. I am good with that.
I am really excited about how I was able to utilize a lot of what I considered dead space in my old kitchen. My kitchen did have a lot of bells and whistles but there were some things I wanted to change. We have so many baking trays, cookie sheets, cutting boards, cooling racks etc. In my old kitchen, I did have a tray cabinet but it was not large enough for everything we had.
It is not a matter of getting rid of some of it because we cook and bake all the time and use it all. So we added more slotted storage to our kitchen. The cabinet above the refrigerator is one that we hardly used. It contained some light bulbs and a container of glue. We added tray storage up there and I think it is going to be great.
We also have a bottom tray cabinet next to the stove as we did before and over the ovens we put more slotted storage. We have an oven drawer under the double ovens as we did before to handle frequently used pans and sheets.
Something else I am super excited about, are the great pull out cabinets we put on the other side of our cooktop. If you think our tray situation was excessive, our collection of spatulas, ladles, cooking spoons and other cooking tools rivals it. Currently, we had two large utensil drawers and 2 large crocks on the counter. I wanted to find a more useful and out-of-sight way to store what we needed.
Browsing Pinterest, I found these great pull out cabinets with crocks built-in. I showed them to my kitchen designer who incorporated them into the design. The insert is made by a company called Rev-a-Shelf, and they have so many creative ways to get the most out of your kitchen.
We have another pull out cabinet like that but with a different insert that can handle our cooking oils, sprays etc. In an upper cabinet to the right of the cooktop we have our spice cabinet.
Being tall, I hate having to stoop down to see all the way to the back of lower cabinets. In my current kitchen, there are only three cabinets I had to do that. The rest all had roll outs or were drawer units. In this kitchen we made sure that there are no cabinets that would cause me to lay on the floor or crawl into to see what is in the back.
I eliminated the desk area and glass door cabinet that was above it from my current kitchen. We did not use the desk and it was a catch-all for everything as were the glass door cabinets. In its place we added some more pull out pantry storage which I am crazy about.
The new refrigerator is being set into cabinets to give it a built-in look. On the side of my fridge in my other kitchen, I had decorative raised panels that matched the cabinets. In our new kitchen design we added some useful storage. We are putting in a functioning cabinet that will have lower storage for our broom, dust pan etc and upper storage for cleaning supplies, garbage bags etc. Something similar to this design I saw on Pinterest.
In the new kitchen we have extended all our upper cabinets to 42″. This extra cabinet space will give us the room we need to store appliances that we don’t use every day. We are removing the extended sofits to make room for the taller cabinets. On top of the cabinets we will add a very nice crown molding.
We are in the process of picking out our new quartz counters. In my old kitchen I had quartz counters and I love them. However, I want a little more movement in the new ones. I think I have found my countertop but not 100% sure.
Regina had me bring home my door sample and a large sample of the counter to look at it in the kitchen to make it easier for me to decide.
We are putting in a Farmhouse sink from Nantucket sinks and it has a really nice drain that we also chose from their website that never lets your hands touch the mess in the drain. Really cool and that is not all!
The sink has two front sides so you can choose what design you want. The smooth front of the Hyannis or the decorative side of the Chatham. I still have to pick the faucet. Oh, all the decisions!
We love the built-in butcher block we have in our old kitchen and so we went with one in this design also. It will be built into the side of the island to the right of the prep sink. We placed the pull out waste and recycling underneath so you can peel and chop and then just shove scraps right into the trash. To the side of the cutting board we put a large drawer to store our knives, and next to that, we put our utensil storage.
Another big change we are making is using two of the large island drawers to hold our dishes with a peg drawer inserts. This will make it easier to set the table and for the kids to get dishes themselves without having to climb up to reach them in upper cabinets. We added about 12 inches to the length of our island and this allowed us to put a 12 inch cabinet on the end with doors to store serving pieces, dishes and glasses.
Over the cooktop we have an English Country Elliptical Range Hood that matches the cabinets. I am not certain we are going with this style but I am leaning toward it.
The microwave will be hung over the counter next to the double ovens.
All of the cabinet doors and drawers are soft close and the doors are the full overlay style. We picked out our hardware too and I really like the way it looks and feels. The drawer pulls are nice and large and can accommodate hands of all sizes.
We have a large storage pantry in the same spot we did before but instead of having those wooden racks that pull and slide out to hold cans, we have added slide out shelf pull outs that our designer tells me I will find much more useful.
We are using commercial style appliances and I will update you on those in another post. For the flooring we are going to do a wood look porcelain tile. It is someone like the one I have but darker which I think will make the cabinets pop!
I think this is a long enough update for now. We have some exciting things to share regarding lighting with you soon. Let me know what you think of what we have picked out so far.
Just make your favorite flavor cupcakes and then get your frosting ready. I use my own buttercream but you can use canned if you do not like to make your own.
Get a decorating bag ready and use a Wilton Multi-Opening Decorating Tip 233. Tint your frosting green with Wilton Gel Coloring or you can use liquid food coloring if you want. Then just squeeze and pull up to create grass.
In the grass you can put a PEEPS bunny or chick, little M & M eggs, Robin’s Eggs, Jelly Beans, or chocolate covered almonds. You can also use some white buttercream and make little nests with an open crown tip and fill with candy eggs. You can sprinkle the nests with sugar decor to make them sparkle or coconut flakes.
Another great tip I got from a friend is to bake your eggs instead of boiling for coloring. You just put your eggs in a muffin tin and bake at 325 degrees for exactly 25 minutes. Do not over bake! You will get great eggs with no cracks! I tried it and love it!
Happy Easter from Mommy Ramblings!!!
Want your man to look his best all the time. With the ShaveTech, innovative electric razor he can get that smooth as a baby look and feel anywhere! Sleek, fashion forward styling make this razor no larger than a smart phone but no smart phone can do what this can! Perfect for home or travel and the handy usb charging arm flips right out and in so everything he needs is right in one unit! Available in white or black with brushed silver trim.
The ShaveTech uses USB powered state-of-the-art technology, so that it can be charged anywhere! Just by plugging the ShaveTech into any standard USB port, he can charge his electric razor with ease, free of the frustration of finding an unoccupied electrical outlet and packing any bulky adaptors. When not charging, the ShaveTech USB port flips up directly into the razor itself, making it easy to grip for a close shave.
With its sleek, lightweight design and compact body, he can take the ShaveTech with him wherever he goes. The lightweight and portability make it great for the gym, work or travel. The ShaveTech comes with a soft pouch for protection and a cleaning brush to keep the ShaveTech operating at its peak cutting capability. You can follow Shave Tech on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Another great idea for travel is the Travalo. If you receive some perfume for Valentine’s Day the Travalo will help you take it along with you wherever you go with no leaks. This pocket sized refillable fragrance atomizer can be refilled in seconds directly from a big fragrance spray bottle.
Refilling the Travalo is easy and you will not need a funnel or anything else! Now you can keep the Travalo in your purse, gym bag, car or office so you can freshen your scent from anywhere! Follow Travalo on Facebook and Pinterest.
Okay now a practical gift for men or women who really value practicality. The Smart Sizzors are Scissors that do just about everything.Smart ‘Cut Anything’ Sizzors are multi-function scissors for general purpose use in the home, kitchen, office or workshop. The hardened, curved blades are razor-sharp and perform brilliantly where other scissors just won’t cut it. Smart Sizzors’ sharp, professional grade hardened steel blades are so effective, you can cut through anything from paper to tough materials like blister packs, credit cards, tough boxes – even chicken bones!
The curved blades are designed for safety and ease of use and prevent any cut edges touching your hands during use. The comfortable soft grip handles work equally well for left or right handed people, and an adjustable tension bolt allows you to tighten them up if they ever work loose, so they keep on working for years.
An array of useful everyday tools such as a built-in bottle opener, nutcracker, garlic tool and wire stripper make the Smart Sizzors surprisingly handy for a whole host of odd jobs. Follow AnySharp on Facebook.
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The candy bars are all ready for Valentine exchanges, so you can give a Valentine and a tasty chocolate treat in one neat little package. Great for kids and classroom exchanges with friends and classmates. The SweeTarts hearts looked so great on the strawberry cupcakes with the chocolate buttercream frosting I made. They really dressed them up and let everyone know they were a sweetie!
Follow Nestlé on Facebook and Twitter to stay up on the latest news and product information!!!
Today however, while browsing through Houzz I found inspiration even though the other 999 times I didn’t. We have now made a decision on what will be on top. Well I should say we narrowed it down. We also made a small change to the vanity. The center drawer we were keeping at the same level but we decided to drop it down like the pictures below.
Organization is something so many of us struggle with. I know there are people who have no issues with having a place for everything and everything in its place. If you are like me, you often have the best of intentions, bought the label maker, various sized bins and baskets and poured over Pinterest for inspiration. Somehow, though it just never seems to come together the way it should. I know two areas I struggle with are my walk in closet in the master bedroom and my studio/craft room.
I see craft rooms with such beautiful storage for ribbons, buttons, paints, brushes, papers and more. Everything neat and easy to find. I seem to end up with various baskets, totes, containers and boxes full of my craft and sewing supplies. Then when I want to start a project it is difficult to find what I need.
My studio needs major help with prop organization. I am thinking a wall unit of storage with lots of cubbies for the smaller props, maybe a hanging area for the colorful throws I use under my subjects as well as storage for the rolled back drops, extra bulbs and other supplies. Something like that would save me so much frustration and stop wasting minutes and hours of my time searching for something that’s misplaced in a sea of bins that are just overflowing with no rhyme or reason.
I would also love to see something similar for the craft/sewing side of the room with an eye-catching way to store all my notions that will just inspire me to create! A nice crafting table with high stools and more storage would be ideal and allow me the room to cut fabric, pin patterns, paint, decoupage or work with the kids on projects. Again, what a time and sanity saver that would end the futile searching and wasted money spent to buy supplies over and over because I can’t find what I need.
The other area I am in desperate need of an intervention for, is our walk in closet. When I built the house I thought I had enough built-in shelves but I am seriously lacking in the closet design area. I have lots of room to hang things but I need closet organizers, more shelves, cubbies and drawer units to store things properly. I would also like some cabinets on the top of the closet above the top shelves for seasonal items and things that I need to store but don’t want to gather dust. Shoe storage is also something needed as what I have is not sufficient.
I promise myself I will tackle all this and as we approach the New Year, I would like to think that this year will be the year I finally do it. How about you? Are you struggling with some of the same issues or are you a place for everything and everything in its place person? Leave a comment and let us know.