kitchen remodeling Archives - Page 7 of 7 - Bruzzese Home Improvements

Home Improvement Trends for Spring:

It’s time to think spring which means fresh home updates. Spring home improvement projects will help you update, add comfort and save more of your hard-earned paycheck. Jump start your spring projects with inspiration from these 2013 remodeling trends.

Energy-saving updates

From low-volatile organic compound (VOC) paints and adhesives to more energy-efficient windows and furnaces, spring projects can help improve air quality and increase your comfort. Look for ENERGY STAR-qualified products that help lower your home’s energy consumption, and in turn, your utility bills.

Better bathrooms

For many homeowners, sought-after remodeling projects for 2013 will include kitchen upgrades, bathroom remodels and master bedroom suite renovations.

Bathroom remodeling options can include heated bathroom flooring, custom tile and stonework, custom vanity and cabinetry, beautiful bathtubs, showers and fixtures, low-profile linear shower drains and big windows to let in more natural sunlight.

Hot kitchens

Yahoo! Homes says 2013 kitchen remodeling trends focus on practical, durable and do-it-yourself (DIY) projects like refacing kitchen cabinets, adding quartz composite countertops, hardwood-looking engineered floors, deep bowl kitchen sinks, commercial-style or built-in appliances and mixing colors and tones on cabinets.

If any of these projects are out of your comfort zone, please contact us and we’ll be happy to discuss your options with you!

Tips for a cleaner more efficient kitchen:

If cleanliness is next to godliness – as the old adage goes – than a clean kitchen is simply a divine place to be. It’s the room in your home that gets the most intense use, so keeping your kitchen clean can be a challenge. You can make kitchen cleanup a bit easier if you take your cleanliness cues from professional chefs.

In a professional kitchen, cleanliness is not only a vital health issue, it directly impacts the efficient operation of the kitchen and everyone who works in it. Here are five tricks professional chefs use to maximize cleanliness and efficiency in their kitchens:

1. Don’t touch – From the culinary student who chops the onions for the French onion soup, to the chef that cooks the food and puts it on the plate, every team member in a professional kitchen knows that touch spreads germs. Home chefs can reduce the spread of germs in their own kitchens by minimizing the need to touch key tools, like the faucet.

Touch-free faucets, like Kohler’s Sensate Touchless Kitchen Faucet, allow you to control the flow of water in your kitchen sink without ever having to touch a potentially germy surface. A state-of-the-art sensor allows the faucet to respond in 20 milliseconds, and eliminates the need for bare-skin taps or awkward waving to activate the sensor. To learn more about the latest in kitchen faucet design and technology, visit www.Kohler.com.

2. Always be prepared – In professional kitchens, staff use separate cutting boards – and often utensils – for preparing meats, vegetables and fruits. Storing utensils, pots and pans according to their tasks facilitates quick and easy access when preparing food. Mis-en-place (pronounced meez-ahn-place), a French adage and popular chef’s practice, involves gathering all ingredients and implements needed before cooking begins. With everything in its place, you’ll be able to move smoothly and efficiently through a recipe without halting food prep to dig through the refrigerator or pantry.

3. Countertop savvy – Countertop savvy goes beyond just keeping them clean. Just as you use separate cutting boards for meats and vegetables, consider the value of task-specific countertop surfaces. Avid bakers, for example, can benefit from marble countertops because the material helps keep the dough cool. If such an installation falls outside your budget, consider a marble pastry board instead. Place it on the kitchen table to transform your eating area into an impromptu bake station. Bonus: rolling dough on a surface slightly shorter than standard 36-inch countertops provides a more comfortable, ergonomic experience.

4. Work the triangle – You may be familiar with the concept of the work triangle: arranging the refrigerator (food storage), sink (food prep area) and range (cooking space) in a triangle configuration makes the kitchen more efficient. But improving efficiency in your kitchen encompasses more than just the arrangement of these three key areas. Expand the concept to include other items that fall into each of these categories. For example, positioning the pantry beside the refrigerator ensures food is stored in the same general location – and increases the efficiency of your triangle flow. In short, the fewer steps taken to navigate the triangle, the more efficient it is.

Ready to make YOUR kitchen more efficient? Give us a call at 914-576-2572 or contact us for your free in home estimate!

As the season changes, many of us will get the itch to tackle any number of home improvement projects before winter. For some, a complete remodel is in the works. For others, just a few quick fixes are needed to make the home a more enjoyable space during the long winter months or in preparation for holiday entertaining.

With the kitchen at the heart of the home, it’s an obvious place to take time for a few updates this season. Here are a few ideas to help give your kitchen a fresh look without spoiling the budget.

Overhaul cabinetry without breaking the bank

Although replacing kitchen cabinetry may seem to be a major project, it usually makes the biggest impact. With unlimited options to choose from and varying price points, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged. Even if your budget is small, don’t give up on the idea of updating your kitchen cabinetry because there are plenty of affordable solutions. Contact us for a free consultation for idea’s to update your kitchen no matter what your budget is. We are currently offering 10% off labor costs (new customers only) through December 25, 2012 so now is a great time to take advantage of this great discount!

Add some personality and shine

Hardware and faucets are touched every day, and wear and tear are inevitable. Just switching out these pieces can make a dramatic difference by adding a fresh shine, some personality and even greater functionality to the space. If your cabinetry hardware seems a bit dated, opt for one of many modern options for an instant, low-cost update. Replace the kitchen faucet with a sleek, better-functioning style to elevate the kitchen design, but also introduce a newer water-saving solution.

Don’t underestimate the power of paint

With color trends constantly changing, and the focus on color in the home becoming more prominent, a fresh coat of paint can change the look and feel of a space almost instantly. With the changing season, opt for colors that add warmth and comfort or choose a bright color to combat the gray of winter. Paint can also help cover up unsightly wall marks and stains and provide the backdrop for new decor and furnishings for a whole new look. To ensure your new look has staying power, make sure to purchase a quality paint specially formulated for the kitchen.

Lighten up in the kitchen

Kitchen lighting is easy to overlook. If there are outdated lighting fixtures in your kitchen, or simply not enough light, consider adding new whimsical pendant lights or splurge on a stunning chandelier to create a focal point. Simply adding lighting under the wall cabinets and dimmer switches can introduce a new ambiance to the space. A visit to your local home center or lighting showroom will give you plenty of ideas.

Do you have any idea’s to add to give your kitchen a face lift? We’d love to hear them!

*10% off all labor costs now through December 25, 2012. (new customers only)

Bigger isn’t always better in the real estate world, and what’s more, it’s not always possible. With more baby boomers downsizing from McMansions to smaller, more manageable houses, and a growing number of people opting to rent rather than buy, many families are looking for new ways to decorate, design and work with smaller spaces.

Kitchens sell homes, but this most-used room in the house hasn’t escaped the “less is more” trend, either. Interior designers, decorators and home product makers are responding to the growing demand for practical, beautiful options that make sense in smaller kitchens.

If you’re looking to make a big impact in a small kitchen, here are a few ideas to get you started:

Work the walls – You may love your cozy kitchen, but that doesn’t mean you want to make it look or feel any smaller than it already is. Lighter wall colors can help a little kitchen feel more open and airy. One winning decorating technique for small kitchens is to paint the majority of the wall space in a light neutral tone, like a pale cream or taupe and then add a pop of brighter or darker color to one accent wall or area. You can edge up the excitement of this technique by using a mural for kitchens on the accent wall, rather than just a different paint color. Have an oddly shaped niche in your kitchen? You can turn that problematic space into a design statement with custom, repositionable wallpaper that can be custom-sized and custom-colored to fit your specifications. This unique product can be adhered and re-ahered hundreds of times so you can take it with you to your next house if you choose.

Smart-size your appliances – Sure that 30-cubic-foot stainless steel refrigerator is beautiful in the showroom, but how much will you love it when you can’t fully open the door in your small kitchen? Refrigerators come in several sizes, so you should be able to find one that will fit your space. The same is true for stoves, microwaves and dishwashers. Choosing appliances that make size-sense for the space you have not only improves the livability of your petite kitchen, it can improve your efficiency as well.

Get creative with storage – One of the biggest challenges of a small kitchen is finding space for everything from pots and pans to flatware, dishes and foodstuffs. Small spaces call for storage creativity. Whether you hang some pots and pans overhead, replace traditional cabinet shelves with pullout drawers or use special racks to store plates vertically, you can find plenty of creative small-kitchen storage solutions.

Liven things up with light – Often, a small kitchen will have just one window – or no window at all. Yet light is an important way to make a tight space feel more expansive and inviting. Task lighting is essential for work areas in small spaces. Pendant lights can create ambiance and provide practical illumination without sacrificing any wall space. And if you crave natural light for your windowless kitchen, consider installing a skylight. Tubular skylights can bring sunlight into your ground-floor kitchen even if there’s a second floor above it.

Small kitchens are here to stay, whether as part of the trend toward smaller, more efficient homes or the reality of rental unit life. With some decorating creativity and practical design tactics, you can ensure your small kitchen yields large benefits – both in terms of enjoyment and resale value.

Bruzzese Home Improvements specializes in kitchen remodeling and kitchen renovation. Please give us a call at 914-576-2572 or send us an email to bruzzesehomeimprovements@gmail.com for your free in home design consultation.