Painted vs. Stained Kitchen Cabinets: Help for Deciding

Screen Shot 2014-03-17 at 7.41.40 AMLearn about durability, looks, cost and more for wooden cabinet finishes to make the right choice for your kitchen

One of the biggest decisions you will make when choosing cabinets is whether they should be painted or stained wood. The choice you make will have a huge bearing on how the cabinets will look and how they will hold up.

I went to two cabinet shops —the larger Canyon Creek Cabinet in Monroe, Washington, and the smaller O.B. Williams custom shop in Seattle — to get expert perspectives on the choices, which don’t end once you’ve settled the stain-versus-paint debate.

 

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Bathroom Workbook: How Much Does a Bathroom Remodel Cost?

Screen Shot 2014-03-10 at 7.29.37 AMLearn what features to expect for $3,000 to $100,000-plus, to help you plan your bathroom remodel

If you’re planning to remodel your bathroom, you want to update the look, increase resale value, add functionality, amenities and storage or a combination of all or some of these. Simple enough.

But the scope of the project depends on a variety factors — most of all budget, but also how long you’ve been in the house and how long you plan to stay there. As with most things, there are three levels of bathroom remodeling: good, better and best, says Leslie Molloy, a design consultant at Normandy Remodeling. In this new series, we’ll take you through the planning and execution process for remodeling your main bathroom.

Of course, the costs below are all relative and will depend on a variety of factors, including where you live, how old your home is and what kind of renovations have already been done. Remodeling a bathroom from the 1990s is a lot different than overhauling one built in the 1920s with mud-set floors and galvanized plumbing. “Older houses likely have had a series of previous remodels that we usually have to peel back the layers and see what’s there,” says Brad Little, president of Case Remodeling in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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How to Give Your Driveway and Front Walk More Curb Appeal

Screen Shot 2014-03-10 at 7.25.54 AMPrevent injuries and tire damage while making a great first impression by replacing or repairing front paths

They’re the first thing visitors see when approaching your home (even before they get to the front door), which makes the driveway and front walk the keys to maximizing curb appeal. Here we’ll give you all the details on updating your front walk and driveway, from material choices to costs.

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Make A Big Splash: Custom Glass Back Splashes

Manhattan
Kitchen back splashes are typically not the focal point of the room. But these made-to-order custom glass back splashes will steal the show in the heart of any home.
 london glass splashback

pug glass splashback

The British company Glass Splashbacks makes stunning back splashes featuring whatever color, shape or picture you desire. You also choose the thickness of the glass. The colors or pictures are printed directly onto the glass, giving the back splashes a vivid and bright appearance.

red glass splashback

The glass used to create these bespoke works of art is toughened to make it able to withstand kitchen temperatures up to 220 degrees C (428 F), so there’s no worrying that the meal you’re cooking is going to crack the custom work of art.

new york glass splashback

Although they are undeniably beautiful, the products from Glass Splashbacks strike us as just a bit impractical. Unless you are accustomed to giving everything a thorough scrubbing after every meal you cook (and we aren’t), grease and other normal kitchen debris would accumulate quickly.

Read more: http://dornob.com/leave-your-mark-in-the-kitchen-custom-glass-back-splashes/#ixzz2v0dQuhpA

A Study In Patterns: Mixed Prints Home Interiors

Mix-and-Match-Patterns

Overuse of patterns in a single room can give the space a chaotic feel, but somehow, despite layer upon layer of mismatched prints, this apartment interior is peaceful and harmonious. Maybe that’s because developing beautiful prints is a full-time job for Marcel Wanders, a Dutch designer best known for his striking wallpaper patterns. This private home in Amsterdam is a virtual showroom of Wanders’ talents, with patterns integrated in ways both bold and subtle.

Mix and Match Patterns Interior Design 2

Hexagonal ceiling tiles in monochromatic white reflect a similar, more high-contrast design on the floor. Sculptures and chair backs bear lace-like scrolls, leaves and flowers, while the sofas are anchored by high-impact wallpaper layered with at least three different designs in one.

Mix and Match Patterns Interior Design 5

Mix and Match Patterns Interior Design 4

The overall mix balances intricate nature-based designs and graphic geometric shapes. This delicate balance continues into the bedroom and bathroom, where a large floral print adorns a mosaic wall just across from a textured wall in glossy black.

Mix and Match Patterns Interior Design 3

Careful use of color is definitely the key here. If all of these prints were multi-colored, the effect would be dramatically different. Strong lines and subtle one-color patterns draw the eye to the more colorful and complex while periodic pattern-free areas give the eye somewhere to rest.

Read more: http://dornob.com/pattern-study-home-interiors-brimming-with-mixed-prints/#ixzz2uvXtQr3e

Practical New Uses for 23 Old Things

Screen Shot 2014-02-28 at 7.42.07 AMJunk? What junk? Those things cluttering up your storage space are home solutions waiting to happen

In the market for a new bookshelf? If you have an old ladder lying around, you might not need to hit the store. In fact, there are countless ways you can turn old objects into amazingly practical solutions for storing, displaying and organizing your stuff. Here are some of my favorites.

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Choosing New Cabinets? Here’s What to Know Before You Shop

Screen Shot 2014-02-21 at 8.07.48 AMGet the scoop on kitchen and bathroom cabinet materials and construction methods to understand your options

With all the options available, choosing cabinets for your kitchen or bath can be an overwhelming experience. Aesthetics aside, there are lots of factors that might not be readily apparent that will impact the cabinet’s performance and price. Understanding those factors will give you an advantage in making your selection.

There are three basic structural components to a cabinet: the box, the shelves and the drawers. Each can be constructed in a number of ways. Cabinets generally come four ways: boxed and ready to install in standard dimensions, boxed and ready to assemble, semicustom and custom.

To get a better understanding of the way cabinets are made, I visited two manufacturers: Canyon Creek Cabinet Company in Monroe, Washington, which makes semicustom units, and O.B. Williams Company in Seattle, a 125-year-old woodworking shop that builds custom cabinets.

 

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Remodeling: Cost vs. Value 2014

Some really great information about the Cost of remodeling and how to leverage your money specific to the Greater Seattle Area.

Cost vs value

Here’s the link to the report: Cost of remodeling

Is Radiant Heating or Cooling Right for You?

Screen Shot 2014-02-18 at 8.01.07 AMQuestions to ask before you go for one of these temperature systems in your floors or walls (yes, walls)

With a radiant heating or cooling system, the goal is to make the temperature of a room more comfortable by changing the temperature of an entire surface. Most of the time we think of radiant heating systems, we think of them for floors, sometimes called underfloor heating or in-slab heating. But the principle can be applied to any surface: a wall, ceiling or even a mirror.

The concept, like many other modern sustainable design strategies, is actually quite old. Archeological evidence shows that ancient Roman, Korean and Chinese dwellings had various forms of heated floors and walls, with either water or smoke acting as the vehicle for transporting heat or coolness from room to room through hidden pipes. In the realm of modern technology, these systems have been improved and perfected so that there’s now a range of options.

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