Archive for the ‘Plan Your Space’ Category

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First-Time Homeowner Remodeler’s Checklist

Posted by: Merillat Marketing on 01/30/2012 | Permalinks | Trackbacks

So, you’ve purchased your first home—how exciting! Now, it’s time to really make it yours, which means you might be doing some remodeling. As you make improvements and updates, keep in mind that remodeling doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. Break the process down into a checklist and you’ll be surprised how quickly you can manage each project.

In February, home improvement expert Danny Lipford will start a new project to help first-time homeowners get a handle on home remodeling. The project will span six episodes of his television show, Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford (check your local listings) and follows his daughter, Chelsea Lipford, as she remodels her first home. Danny and Chelsea will use with these five tips to navigate the remodeling process.

1. Assess the Space

Understand exactly what you have to work with in your space, and be realistic about the changes you can make. Learn tips and tricks to take advantage of useful resources that help you visualize the space’s potential.

2. Identify Your Style

Look through magazines, blogs, store catalogs and other visual resources to find things you like and capture them in a single location like the Merillat Ideafolio. This includes furniture, accessories, cabinetry and more.

3. Determine the Scope of the Project

Consider time line, budget and design needs when beginning a project.

  • Time line: As exciting as it is to start a project, keep in mind that the process takes time. You may have limited use in certain areas of your home until it’s finished.
  • Budget: Set one and stick to it. Don’t be tempted to spend more than the money you’ve allotted.
  • Make two lists: Make a list of “must haves” and a list of things that would be nice to eventually add. Focus on the “must haves,” and over time, add the other pieces to your design.

4. DIY vs. Professional

Certain projects can be completed on your own, but others should be left to professionals. If you aren’t an expert plumber, hire an expert to do it correctly. Hiring a designer can also be a very helpful resource, as he or she can help you figure out how to make your space work well and assist you in determining your personal style.

5. Make Time for Fun

Remember that this is an exciting time! Celebrate each step of the process, especially when the details become overwhelming. This is your house and you’re making it your own home!

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How to Design a Cottage Kitchen

Posted by: Merillat Marketing on 12/19/2011 | Permalinks | Trackbacks

What makes cottage kitchens so charming? Is it the relaxed feel? The cozy sense of space? The invoked memories of cookies in the oven or a big pot of soup on the stove? Whatever it is, the cottage look never goes out of style, and it’s not as hard to achieve as you might think. Here are a few tips for getting the cottage kitchen look.

Go white.

Many, though certainly not all, cottage kitchens are built around white cabinets. White is traditional, looks fresh and clean, and gives you maximum flexibility for changing up accessories either seasonally or whenever the fancy strikes.

Details matter.

Plate racks, glass doors or open cabinets and shelves that show off bright dishes and heirloom treasures add color and a sense of history. Cabinets are often accented with corbels and crown molding, and hardware is more likely to be door pulls rather than knobs.

Gather around.

Even the tiniest cottage kitchens often have a breakfast nook or a couple of stools pulled up to an island or peninsula, because cottage style is all about welcoming friends and family.

Incorporate nature.

Because cottages are on the small side, cottage life often extends to the outdoors with patios and flower and vegetable gardens. Bring the outdoors in with fresh flowers, houseplants, dried herb bouquets or bowls of fruit.

Layer comfort.

Rag rugs or other floor coverings add color and warmth, as do curtains or Roman shades. Top chairs and barstools with cushions, and prop a pillow in the breakfast nook or windowseat.

 

That’s all it takes to start your cottage kitchen makeover! Leave a comment and let us know what you love about cottage style.

 

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6 Steps to Planning a New Bathroom

Posted by: Merillat Marketing on 12/05/2011 | Permalinks | Trackbacks

Designing a bathroom is a fun challenge. Most of us have a few ideas about what we’d like, but we’re not sure how to get started. To help you find your way, we broke down the process into six steps.

Merillat's Step-By-Step Bathroom Planner

Step 1: Setting initial parameters

Is this your master bathroom, shared hallway bathroom, guest bath or powder room? How many people will use this bathroom every day? Will you be bathing children or washing the dog, for example?

Step 2: Finding your inspiration

Is your design style more contemporary or traditional? Look at online photo galleries, visit your favorite design blogs, and save magazine articles with ideas you like. These will help you make decisions as you continue through the planning process.

Step 3: Choosing your vanity

The bathroom vanity and mirror or medicine cabinet are central to the layout and design, so you’ll want to decide how deep your vanity should be and if you need room for two sinks. Maybe think outside the box a bit, too. Floating vanity cabinets and vessel sinks (the bowl-shaped kind that sit on the vanity top) are growing in popularity.

Step 4: Selecting storage and accessories

Do you want a rollout wastebasket or laundry hamper built in to your vanity? How about drawer dividers or towel cubbies? Will you want or need a cabinet above the toilet? This is your opportunity to organize all your daily necessities for the most convenient access.

Step 5: Planning your layout

Take basic measurements of the room and jot down your preferred placement of toilet, vanity, shower, etc. Will you be making major structural changes, moving plumbing or electrical lines or just replacing fixtures?

Step 6: Adding your finishing touches

What paint colors do you love? What flooring material will look and work best in your space? Think about crown molding, corbels and other accents that can really bring a room together.

These steps will get you started designing a new bathroom. But for more assistance, try our Step-by-Step Bathroom Planner. This online tool will walk you through these details and more, and when you’re finished you’ll have a mood board you can email or print. Enjoy!

 

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Kitchen Island or Peninsula? How to Choose

Posted by: Merillat Marketing on 11/21/2011 | Permalinks | Trackbacks

When it comes to kitchen planning and design, a big question is whether you want to include an island or peninsula. An island or peninsula can dramatically increase the storage space and work surface in your kitchen, but it also takes up some of the available square footage. So how do you decide what’s best for your new kitchen?

1. Understand the differences between an island and a peninsula.

An island is a freestanding workspace that is not connected to a wall, and usually sits near the center of the space. It breaks up a kitchen into work zones and offers storage, extra countertop space, and a cozy place to gather around the cook. A peninsula offers the versatility and space management of an island, but takes up less floor space because it is connected to a wall at one end.

Both islands and peninsulas can be large scale or small scale, can be installed with sinks and cooktops, and can be used for everything from rolling out pie crust and peeling vegetables to paying bills and eating breakfast.

2. Use online planning tools to visualize your options.

Merillat offers a number of planning tools designed to help you design your space. Our Work Triangle and Kitchen Layouts pages will help you think through your potential layout options in relation to the cooking, cleaning and food storage “work triangle.”  Our Island and Peninsula section includes inspirational photos showing variations on size, design style, and storage options. Our Start Your Floor Plan tool creates a sketch of your dimensions and layout that you can print. And our Step-by-Step Kitchen Planner saves all your favorite door styles and hardware, plus your input about your cooking style, whether you have pets in the kitchen and more, so you can print out a scrapbook of preferences and favorites to take to a designer.

3. Consult with a certified kitchen designer.

After you have done the research above, set up a consultation with a certified kitchen designer who can walk you through the decision process. A designer has the training to help you measure your space, make recommendations based on desires and your square footage, and help you design a space that’s both beautiful and functional.

Leave a comment and let us know if you found these tools useful in planning your dream kitchen!

 

 

 

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21st Century Countertop Measuring

Posted by: Nick Ritota - DeNova Director of Marketing on 03/11/2011 | Permalinks | Trackbacks

StillfromVideocroppedIf you’ve ever experienced kitchen remodeling you know that scheduling all the installations takes surgical precision, and that even the smoothest-running remodeling will disrupt your home for weeks. The Kuppersmith Project – under the expert direction of Danny Lipford and his team – is a great example of the role  planning plays in  success.

At our company, we like to say that “every top has a bottom and every bottom has a top.” That allows us to match our cabinetry brands exclusively with our DeNova™ countertop brand.  In the Kuppersmith Project, we deployed our own process that uses laser, electronic data transfer and computer design to make countertop templating and fabrication easier, faster and more accurate. It replaces the tedious (and often inaccurate) paper, cardboard or plywood templating normally used to measure countertop spaces.  This can be used on both new construction or remodeling projects for measurements at the drywall or stud stage, or even when the cabinets are already in place.

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Countertop Selection Is All About Function

Posted by: Nick Ritota - DeNova Director of Marketing on 03/03/2011 | Permalinks | Trackbacks

CounterCloseup

Countertops today are available in more colors and materials than ever before, and can be used in almost every room of the house. This may make selecting the perfect countertop seem like a daunting task, but we’ve made it easy to combine function with beauty in almost any room.

The first step in countertop selection is to determine the function of that space and countertop. Will the countertop be used for food preparation, for a gathering space (such as a kitchen island area) or for a hard-working utility room or other workspace?

DeNova™ countertops provide a range of styles and colors that fit any work or visual requirement:

  • Looking for a hard-working, food preparation countertop? Natural quartz is a beautiful, hard working surface that’s perfect in a food prep setting. Because it is completely non-porous, natural quartz is highly stain, mold, mildew and bacteria resistant. It doesn’t require regular resealing and resists chips, cracks and heat. It’s available in a wide range of colors and patterns that will match any cabinetry and other surfaces you’re using in the space.
  • For a dramatic statement, combined with a hard-working surface, select natural granite. Because each slab has its own distinctive character and tonal qualities, natural granite is a beautiful addition to any room. It’s also heat and scratch resistant, so it can be used for a variety of food service duties. Natural granite should be periodically resealed to maintain its appearance, and you should limit exposure to highly acidic foods and other staining substances.
  • How about a custom countertop or work surface? Choosing a solid surface countertop will give you a range of color choices and the option of building in unique molded features, such as sinks, backsplashes and drain boards. A solid surface countertop offers extremely consistent color and high durability in a non-porous surface that is resistant to bacteria and stains and easy to keep clean.

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Before You Remodel Your Kitchen, Consider These Useful Tips

Posted by: Paul Radoy - Senior Designer on 02/23/2011 | Permalinks | Trackbacks
Danny Lipford

Paul Radoy, Danny Lipford & Joe Boehm from Better Homes and Gardens review plans for the Kuppersmith Project.

For some the reality of remodeling may be a nightmare with visions of cost overruns, delays, strange people in your home, and endless decisions. At Merillat we have helped remodel and design thousands of kitchens.  In fact, we are in the process of working with Danny Lipford and Today’s Homeowner on the Kuppersmith Project to rehab a 1920s Tudor style home in Mobile, Ala.  So to take the nightmare out of getting your new dream kitchen, I’m offering some tips to consider before you start your next remodel.  With this I hope to ease the process and make remodeling an exciting experience!

Think about how you will use your kitchen

To have a successful remodel it is important to take time and define the goals of your project and determine what problems you want your new kitchen to solve.  And most importantly, think about how you’ll actually be using your new kitchen.  Examples of common objectives include improving space utilization, personalizing the space, increasing natural light, or improving energy efficiency. Does your kitchen lack storage space, do you entertain a lot, do you want your kids to cook with you or do you just need an updated appearance? When deciding the goals of the project it is important to keep all of this in mind.

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Plan Your Dream Kitchen with Merillat’s New Step-by-Step Kitchen Planner

Posted by: Susan Prater, Director of Marketing Services on 08/12/2010 | Permalinks | Trackbacks

kitchen-planner-doorstylesNow you can whip up your dream kitchen in less time than it takes to make dinner with our intuitive new Step-by-Step Kitchen Planner. This user-friendly online tool will guide you through a customized planning process to help you find the most appropriate styles, products and features for your lifestyle.

Guided by chef Curtis Stone, you’ll be asked a series of questions that will help you determine your specialized needs and preferences, covering everything from kitchen layout to paint palettes. Once you’ve completed the customized planning process, you’ll be able to review your kitchen choices in a virtual rendering and a mood board that can be printed at home and shared with your local Merillat dealer.

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Making the Most of Your Small Kitchen Renovation

Posted by: Merillat Marketing on 06/02/2010 | Permalinks | Trackbacks
Kitchen Work Triangle

Kitchen Work Triangle

In a small kitchen we know how hard it can be to keep things organized and flowing smoothly. It seems like stuff piles up everywhere, from the week’s worth of mail on the counter to your kids’ after-school clutter.  Combine this with existing storage and work flow issues and things can get out of hand quickly. Take heart; you don’t have to put up with daily clutter and limited storage space.  When planning a redesign, a few simple considerations can help make your kitchen a “clutter-free” zone and feel larger than it actually is.

Layout Options

The first thing to do when redesigning a small kitchen is to choose a layout that fits your space requirements and needs. Here are some options to consider:

L-Shaped Kitchen – This is the most popular design, appropriate for any size kitchen. The L-shaped kitchen is made up of two walls (or legs) and gives you the possibility of having a center island depending on your available space. In general, this design will have 2 or 3 appliances on one wall with the refrigerator typically at one end, the range or cooktop at the other end with the sink located in the middle. This shape of kitchen generally provides good traffic flow.

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The Importance of Design Style When Planning Your Kitchen

Posted by: Merillat Marketing on 03/26/2010 | Permalinks | Trackbacks

Mas-Fai-Map-Bur-KitThe kitchen is, by far, the most important room in your house. It is the “hub” of most family interaction and entertainment and the design of your kitchen should reflect your unique lifestyle. Whether you are planning for your new kitchen, or redesigning/remodeling an old one, the style is important not only to the immediate user (you) but also to possible future users, such as growing children, aging parents or the next homeowner.  There are so many ways to approach the design for any of these purposes, but first and foremost you should take the time to learn and appreciate your own design desires and preferences.  Merillat’s Your Design Style guide will help you decide what design style best defines your preferences.

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