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From Cookbooks to Tablets: Designing Your Kitchen for the 21st Century

Some things about kitchens haven’t changed in the last century.

It’s still the place where the family gathers and connects on a daily basis. Meals and memories are still made in this room. But accomplishing tasks has undergone a major transformation in the past decade, and the kitchen is now one of the most technological rooms in the house. For the most part, we’ve replaced cookbooks with tablets in the kitchen, and some custom upgrades can help you make the most of your space.

Several years ago, most houses had a computer, but it was housed on a desk in an office or living room. Now, laptops, tablets, and smartphones have created the opportunity for technology to work wherever you want it to, and for many families, the kitchen is where it happens most.

When looking for a recipe, parents don’t pull out the old, dusty cookbooks, because the same recipes can be found on any number of websites, with ratings and suggestions from other users that pretty much guarantee the finished product will be a success. Cooking is far from the only thing families use connectivity for in the kitchen. Paying bills, checking email, making grocery lists, checking children’s grades, and booking vacation destinations are just a few of the things that happen every day in kitchens across the country.

In addition, appliances are increasing in connectivity, and adding features that make everyday life easier. Via wi-fi, users can pre-heat their oven from the grocery store or start the dishwasher from work because they forgot to push the button on the way out. Refrigerators can keep a running grocery list, or suggest dinner options based on its contents.

When designing your custom kitchen, most homeowners start by choosing cabinets and countertops. Designing the most efficient layout and adding in custom organizational tools is important too. Now, it’s essential to remember that the kitchen is probably the busiest hotspot in the house, and a kitchen upgrade should take that into account too. Charging stations can be built right into outlets so you’re not constantly having to look for a wall adapter. Workstations create space for family members to work online, whether they are looking for a recipe or completing an online homework assignment.

When designing a custom kitchen, remember, your kitchen is not just for cooking. It’s a place to connect, both online, and with other people. If you foresee a renovation in the near future, contact us to create a space that encourages the integration of family and technology.

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Kitchen cabinets open shelving

Advantages of Open Shelving in the Kitchen

Open shelving in the kitchen is currently very popular among home builders and kitchen remodelers. 

 

Websites, like Pinterest, offer numerous photos of kitchens with open shelving.  You may be wondering what the advantages of this relatively new kitchen design are. 

Decorative

Open shelving offers multiple opportunities for decorating in the kitchen.
•    Bring color into your kitchen by adding paint or paper to the back of the cabinets.  This color will not only add style to your kitchen but give your cabinets the appearance of added depth.
•    Showcase items such as spices, olive oil or other decorative pieces. Display a collection such as cookbooks.
•    Your bowls and plates stacked in the cabinets become art on display.
•    Show your personality in your kitchen which is traditionally a very functional space.

Functional

•    You will have easy access to everything while you are cooking in your kitchen.
•    No need to open and close your cabinet doors 1,000 times a day.
•    Kids, family members and guests will no longer have to ask ‘where are the glasses?’ because they will easily be able to spot them.
•    You will not lose items or forget about them and will not waste time searching for something.  Everything will be apparent.
•    You won’t feel inclined to shove things into the cabinet but will be inspired to stay neat and organized.
•    Since you won’t have to worry about closing the doors your storage space will increase.

Bottom Line

•    Open shelving will make your room look and feel bigger.
•    Cost will be reduced due to less wood required.
If you are planning a kitchen remodel or designing a kitchen for your new house consider open shelving.  It will provide you function along with a decorative look.  At Edgewood Cabinetry we would be happy to make your vision for your new kitchen a reality.  Contact us to find out more about our cabinetry options.

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ROI and the Benefits of Remodeling: Kitchen and Bathroom Designs Help in Future Sales

The benefits of remodeling in your home as a return on investment is going to depend considerably on what kind of remodeling style you ultimately choose. When remodeling a kitchen or bathroom, particularly, your chances of a hefty return on investment are much more, says This Old House. But style is going to apply in both considering how important those parts of the house are. When you want to sell your home at a later date, think about a few things during your remodel and how it’s going to apply later to a typical buyer.

Classic Styles in the Kitchen

Adding traditional kitchen cabinets during a kitchen remodel with neutral colors will ultimately help you gain a better sale on your house in the future. While many people want to customize their kitchens with offbeat colors and cabinetry designs, you can’t necessarily assume you’ll be staying in your home for life. Things can happen later that force you to sell, and you want to be at the best financial advantage.

The majority of people looking to buy will look at the quality of the cabinetry or shelving in a kitchen as a major selling part of the house. That’s because the kitchen has become the true hub of a home where the most time is spent. And because most of that time is spent preparing food, remodeling kitchen counter tops should also be considered.

While kitchen counter tops can usually be easily upgradeable with a new buyer, you want them to look as attractive as possible later after your investment. Materials like granite hold up for many years. In fact, HGTV recommends you choose granite above any other counter top material. If you ultimately decide not to use granite, using a pattern that looks like granite is going to make a difference in impressing a home buyer.

While the kitchen is important, what about the bathroom? Many of the same design ideas should apply there as well.

The Importance of Storage in a Bathroom

Most buyers won’t want to have to keep their bathroom supplies sitting around on open shelves. Designing traditional and neutral-colored vanities will make a huge impression on someone wanting to purchase your home. Many people spend as much time standing in front of a bathroom vanity as they do at a kitchen counter. In that regard, you need to make sure it looks attractive and with plenty of storage space to keep obstructive bathroom supplies hidden from view.

U.S. News reported in 2012 that you can gain a 62% return on investment when you remodel your bathroom. Because bathrooms can look outdated fast, they also recommend using neutral colors to keep it classic.

Here at Edgewood Cabinetry LLC, we don’t want to limit you to just classic designs. While it might help you on a future sale, we’re here to design whatever you want in the way of cabinetry throughout your home. We’ll design beautiful cabinets for your kitchen, a classy vanity for your bathroom, a mantel for your fireplace, or shelving for a family room.

Contact us so we can begin customizing the cabinetry and storage spaces you need for your home. No matter the style you choose, a remodel is going to be a wise investment for the future to keep your home looking classic rather than run down.

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Traditional Kitchens

Custom Kitchen Cabinets are our Specialty

We have designed, built and installed beautiful, high quality custom cabinets for hundreds of homeowners. Take a look at some of our work to get ideas for your own home. We love what we do, so if you are looking for new cabinets or a new kitchen, just give us a call.

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