Posts Tagged ‘kitchen cabinets’
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!
Tags: cabinets, island and peninsula design, kitchen cabinets, Kitchen Design, kitchen floor plan, kitchen island, kitchen layout, kitchen peninsula, kitchen tools, kitchen triangle, Online planning tools
Posted by: Merillat Marketing on 11/08/2011 | Permalinks | Trackbacks
6 Steps for Organizing Your Pantry for the Holidays
Turkey. Cornbread stuffing. Pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving will soon be upon us, ushering in the holiday cooking season. Which means that now is the time to get your kitchen—and especially your pantry—organized! An hour spent before the cooking flurry begins will save you many more in the weeks ahead. Follow these steps for a clean and well-organized pantry.
- Clear the countertop closest to your pantry area of any small appliances or other items.
- Remove the contents of your pantry cabinets and stack everything on the countertop.
- Gently wipe down the cabinet doors first and then the insides of the cabinets. Use a damp cloth with mild soap or a cleaning product designed for wood furniture. Dry with a clean towel or rag. (See a previous blog post for more information about how to clean your Merillat cabinets.)
- Reorganize the space by thinking about how often you reach for each item. Designate one area or shelf for baking supplies and another for soups and vegetables. A corner cabinet with Lazy Susan may be a good place for cereal and breakfast items. If space is at a premium, install a spice rack on the inside of a door. Group together any items you use only for holidays, like Christmas cookie sprinkles or cupcake liners.
- Assess each pantry staple as you move it to its new home. Check expiration dates on spices and canned goods and toss anything old. Empty any half-full bags of pasta or flour into a canister to consolidate space and to keep them from spilling.
- Make a shopping list of any supplies that are low or out, especially those items you’ll need for your holiday recipes. Be sure to leave room for these items in your newly organized pantry so they can be put away as soon as you return from shopping.
All that’s left to do is wipe down the countertop and take out the garbage. Your pantry is ready to tackle any cooking the holidays bring!
Just for fun: what’s an item found in your pantry only during the holidays? Leave a comment and let us know.
Tags: kitchen cabinets, Kitchen Design, kitchen storage, merillat
Posted by: Mark Johnson FAIA, Director of Architect Relations and Education, Merillat Cabinetry on 06/09/2011 | Permalinks | Trackbacks
Merillat®, along with Masco Cabinetry brands KraftMaid®, QualityCabinets™ and DeNova™, recently completed the GenShift™ 2011: Lifestages Redefining the Kitchen study to help design professionals better understand how the collision of social, economic and generational influences impact consumer design needs. Functional and efficient kitchen design can be challenging and the results of this industry study, along with our product knowledge, helps us better serve our customers’ needs.
The survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive®, polled 1,027 U.S. adult homeowners aged 18-65 years old about their generational influences and needs in a home.
We discovered some interesting things about homeowners across the country:
- Pets are a priority. 22% of homeowners aged 18-65 felt that a place for feeding pets is a top-three kitchen extra, compared with only 10% who felt they needed a space for wine storage.
- Remodeling may be the way to go. While 63% of Baby Boomer homeowners, aged 45-65, plan to stay in their current home over the next five to 10 years, 75% don’t feel that their current kitchen is universally designed to meet their needs.
- People are staying put. Gen X homeowners, aged 35-44, are staying put and nearly half (49%) think they will spend up to a decade in their current residence.
- The youngest generation is thinking ahead. 40% of Gen Y homeowners, aged 18-34, embrace the concept of multigenerational living and expect their parents will live with them in the future.
With this study as a guide, Merillat is continuing to help customers consider the best options for to meet their current and future needs in the kitchen.
Tags: DeNova, Gen Y, GenShift, GenShift Kitchen, Harris Interactive, kitchen, kitchen cabinets, Kitchen Design, KraftMaid, Masco, merillat, QualityCabinets
Posted by: Merillat Marketing on 06/01/2011 | Permalinks | Trackbacks
Is your current kitchen out of date? Not in tune with the needs of your household? Design a kitchen that works like a dream — and you could win it! From now until August 1, 2011, Merillat is teaming up with our favorite chef Curtis Stone for the Works Like a Dream kitchen $30,000 makeover contest.
Entering is fun and easy; here’s what you have to do:
- Go to Merillat.com and upload a photo of your current kitchen.
- Write a brief essay telling us why you need a kitchen makeover.
- Let Curtis Stone walk you through our Step-by-Step Kitchen Planner to design your Works Like a Dream kitchen!
Once you’ve completed the three steps, you’ll be entered for a chance to win one of these prizes:
- Grand Prize: $30,000 kitchen makeover, $1,500 in Curtis Stone products and a $3,000 Open House party to show everyone your new kitchen.
- First Prize: Two winners will get a $5,000 credit toward the purchase of Merillat cabinetry.
- Second Prize: Five winners will get $500 in Curtis Stone products.
Merillat is passionate about helping homeowners find a kitchen design that’s right for them. And by encouraging interaction with the Step-by-Step Kitchen Planner we hope more and more homeowners will learn the most appropriate kitchen styles, products and features for their specific lifestyle.
So what are you waiting for? Give us the chance to make your dream kitchen a reality – ENTER NOW!
Tags: cabinets, Contest, curtis stone, kitchen, kitchen cabinets, Kitchen Design, kitchen makeover, merillat cabinetry, merillat cabinets, Step by Step Kitchen Planner, works like a dream kitchen
Posted by: Merillat Marketing on 06/23/2010 | Permalinks | Trackbacks
Merillat Classic Somerton Hill in Cherry Amaretto with Java Glaze
You may have experienced a paradox in your kitchen: you have lots of cabinets, but when you bring something new home you don’t have anywhere to put it. No one wants to admit what’s staring them in the face whenever they open their kitchen cabinets – clutter. It can slow you down and keep you from finding what you need. Some of us use our cabinets as a hiding place, shoving random items in without thinking about how we’ll find them again or what they may be blocking.
Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to get back on track. Here are a few simple strategies to help you declutter, reorganize, and reclaim your kitchen.
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Tags: appliance garage, drawer organizer tray, kitchen cabinets, kitchen clutter, kitchen organization, kitchen work flow, lazy susan, merillat, merillat cabinets, spice drawer organizer
Posted by: Merillat Marketing on 06/02/2010 | Permalinks | Trackbacks
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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Tags: cabinet accessories, galley kitchen, kitchen cabinets, Kitchen Design, kitchen layout, l-shaped kitchen, merillat, merillat cabinets, nkba guidelines, peninsula kitchen, single wall kitchen, small kitchen renovation, space planning, u-shaped kitchen, work triangle
Posted by: Merillat Marketing on 03/24/2010 | Permalinks | Trackbacks
Let’s face it; the majority of homeowners spend more time in the kitchen than any other room in the house! We cook, eat, work and play in the kitchen every day. When planning a new kitchen design, it’s important to remember it weathers its fair share of damages with its endless supply of spills, bumps, drips, greasy fingerprints, dirty dishes, and foot traffic. Kitchen cabinets, counter tops, appliances and floors are all prone to a lot of this wear.
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Tags: cabinet construction, kitchen cabinets, Kitchen Design, merillat, merillat cabinetry, merillat cabinets, wood cabinets
Posted by: Merillat Marketing on 03/17/2010 | Permalinks | Trackbacks
Although often overlooked in the design phase, kitchen accents offer style, depth, and detail to any kitchen and can help your home take on an entirely new personality.
Merillat Accent Collections were created to help bring high-design and sensibly chic qualities to everyday spaces. The decorator accents can be easily used with any Merillat Classic kitchen, and we’ve made it simple to create endless options with our three distinct style groups.
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Tags: accents, corbels, crown molding, estero, kitchen accents, kitchen cabinetry, kitchen cabinets, Kitchen Design, kitchen planning, kitchen remodeling, merillat, merillat accent collections, merillat accents, merillat essentials, tapestry, windmere
Posted by: Merillat Marketing on 03/12/2010 | Permalinks | Trackbacks
Remodeling your kitchen adds significant resale value to your home; and one of the most important, yet challenging aspects of a kitchen remodel is figuring out your overall budget.
Today, homeowners have many options to determine the appropriate kitchen remodel or renovation budget. You might know you want new cabinetry, but are not sure how to budget in the cabinetry with new flooring. Should you spend more on lighting or appliances? What about plumbing and electric? These answers all vary depending on the final goals and functionality you want your new kitchen to serve.
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Tags: kitchen budget, kitchen cabinets, Kitchen Design, kitchen planning, kitchen remodel, kitchen remodeling, merillat, merillat cabinets
Posted by: Merillat Marketing on 03/05/2010 | Permalinks | Trackbacks
Merillat Masterpiece Hadley in Cherry Cinnamon
Over the years, the kitchen has become the hub of life in many homes. Sure it’s for cooking and eating, but its function can serve much more – a conversational area, a work place for adults and kids – the possibilities are endless. The right design should reflect these needs. Considering how you want to plan the design or redesign of your kitchen, you’ll want to ask yourself a few basic questions:
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Tags: kitchen cabinetry, kitchen cabinets, Kitchen Design, kitchen remodel, merillat, NKBA, space planning
