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Posts Tagged ‘kitchen remodeling’

5 Must-Have Items for Kitchen Bliss

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Cooking at home can be a wonderful adventure that provides you with the opportunity to explore foods and spices, allowing for the discovery of new tastes without having to jet around the world. Equipping a kitchen for usability and convenience can be a challenge or it can be fairly easy to accomplish. In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the most common features built-in to kitchen remodeling jobs to achieve the ideal level of beauty and flow in your kitchen.  If you are in the process of remodeling consider adding one or more of the following to your home, making time spent in the kitchen as enjoyable as possible.

1. Granite countertops

granite-countertops

In the kitchen, resiliency and durability are paramount. Granite countertops meet this need well, offering heat- and scratch-resistance, making it possible to cook without having to scramble for a trivet when it’s time to move a hot pot off the stove. The scratch-resistant surface will not be damaged by knife use. Granite surfaces also resist stains and come in a variety of styles and designs, making these types of countertops ideal for all kitchens.

2. Island

kitchen-island

An island is a great way to maximize space in a kitchen, a room where work areas and storage availability are sometimes in limited supply. A mobile island allows everyone from cooking hobbyists to professional chefs to create a layout that works best for their changing needs. Scoot an island next to a stationary counter to add space, especially for involved recipes with several preparation steps, or move the island between your kitchen and dining area to divide the room without having to add a wall.

3. Wall ovens

wall-ovens

As mentioned, optimizing the space available in a kitchen can make the preparation of even the simplest meal that much easier. Wall ovens can help with this goal, freeing up counter space that can be utilized for other tasks. Wall ovens also eliminate the need for bending over to attend to simmering meals, and, given their adjustable placement in the wall, make foods easier to access. Double wall ovens are also an option and extremely convenient when cooking several foods for the holidays.

4. Slow cooker

Ideal for the person who wants to come home to a prepared meal or cook a meal while something else is going in the oven, a slow cooker is a handy tool in the kitchen. They take up little space, are energy efficient, and can be used to  prepare everything from entrees to desserts. What better way to simmer a winter stew while still being able to leave the house for work or errands?

5. Henckels knives

A quality set of knives in the kitchen can make food preparation tasks that much easier. Well known for the comfort of their grip and ease of use, Henckels is a brand used by people all around the world. Start with a standard and practical 8-inch cook’s knife, which can be used to slice, peel, and chop. Invest as well in a serrated knife, which can be used to slice through crusty breads or anything with a tough surface and soft interior. Kept sharp, knives will remain widely useful in the kitchen. Investing in a reliable brand like Henckels will ensure a long life of this necessary kitchen tool.

Spending time in the kitchen should be as fun and stress-free as possible, a goal within reach with these must-have items. Save money by investing in durable tools that will hold up under years of use and discover anew the joy of cooking.

Thomas Stone, who blogs on behalf of Sears and other prestigious brands, enjoys Korean barbecue, and spending his time keeping up with the latest innovations in elite kitchen appliances.

Getting that Custom Kitchen for Less

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Installing custom granite countertops in your home is a prominent way to define the style of your unique space. While creating a customized counter might make your wallet start to tremble, there are some easy and affordable ways to create a custom look without breaking the bank.

Pick a countertop that fits.

Pick a countertop that fits.

Traditional countertop installation involves giving up use of your kitchen while a team of contractors rip out existing furnishings and mount new counters in the space, possibly damaging your floors and walls during the demolition period. This installation process can take anywhere from several days to several weeks. Time is money, and more time spent kicking up dirt and dust in your home is certainly less money you have to spend on achieving the custom look you want.
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How Glass is Recycled for Countertop Use

Friday, March 4th, 2011
Glass countertops add an elegant element to your kitchen.

Glass countertops add an elegant element to your kitchen.

If budget cuts at home mean you had to forego the fancy wine cooler, but you still need a place to stash your bottle collection, look no further than the kitchen counter. Industrious DIY-ers aimed at creating eco-friendly home furnishings have been making their own recycled glass countertops for years now by mixing crushed wine bottles with a concrete base. Luckily, for those of us who consider popping a cork to be more than enough work for one day, commercial vendors have caught on to the recycled glass trend.

Recycled glass countertops are made using up to 72 percent recycled materials, allowing you to feel good about helping the environment while giving your old countertop a much needed upgrade. The same properties that make glass tough enough to last more than 4,000 years in a landfill are what make it strong and durable in your home. Today, glass from building demolition, windshields, traffic lights and pickle jars all find a second life as recycled countertops.
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Win a Trip to Italy from Granite Transformations!

Friday, February 25th, 2011
Win a trip to Italy!

Win a trip to Italy!

It’s hard to miss it as the banner is splashed across our homepage, but it’s true! You can win a trip for 2 for ten days (TEN days!) to Italy by merely telling us what you love most about the products we’ve installed in your homes. We’re all ears (and eyes if you’re into the video message thing).

Everything is included from the flight out of North America, to the hotel that will house you and your partner, to the car that will ferry you around the rolling Italian countryside, through the heart of the Roman ruins, and past some of the finest wineries and granite fabricators on the planet.

We’re proud of the work that each and every one of our franchises performs. It all starts with the right materials and we’re happy to be using Trend Stone, Trend Glass, and Trend Mosaics for many of our installations. If you’ve had work done on your home by Granite Transformations, whether it be a new countertop, vanity, fireplace surround, bathtub, bar, backsplash, or shower let us know! We love to hear from happy customers who to this day love the gorgeous and durable combination that the Trend line provides.

So go ahead, enter the contest. It started on February 25 and ends September 16th, 2011. By simply creating a video or writing an essay about why you love your Granite Transformations kitchen or bathroom you could get a chance to enjoy Italy lavishly. Check the rules and guidelines before you enter. Have fun, and continue to enjoy those Granite Transformations home installations!

The Unique Beauty of Granite Bar Countertops

Friday, February 11th, 2011

With people spending more time in their kitchens today, home makeover trends are paying extreme attention on transforming this room in the most enjoyable part of a house.

With this exciting journey ahead, you must keep in mind that granite countertops for your center island and wraparound breakfast bar deserve the most care in your remodeling plans. After all, these features play vital roles as the highlights of your kitchen.

Granite bars go great outside.

Granite bars go great outside.


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Refacing Vs. Replacing: The best option for a cabinet makeover

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
cabinets_ONE_

Nicely molded refaced cabinets

A kitchen can go centuries (well, maybe not that long, but pretty long) without being remodeled. Ask yourself, in what year your house was built – you might end up with shocker news. In many ways, your kitchen is the most important part of your house as the heart of your living situation. Think about it for a second. Where do you cook, eat and spend most of your time anyway?

If your kitchen is in need of a clean and improved look, don’t neglect it. Begin the kitchen remodeling with a first step: the cabinet makeover. The first impulse when considering a kitchen cabinet remodeling is to replace all of the old cabinets. But that idea can not only be expensive but also time consuming.
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Kitchen Remodeling – Celebrity Style

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

Remodeling your kitchen takes time, effort, and money. In some cases a lot of money. The best bet is to choose a mix of countertop materials, cabinetry, backsplash and wall covering options, and appliance brands to work together as a cohesive unit and to blend well within a set budget.

For others, however, spending on kitchen remodeling takes place with no expense spared. Many celebrities, who likely don’t even cook in these grandiose kitchens, have setups that would make a chef blush.

Without further ado, here are some kitchens from the celebrity set:

30 Rock star Tracey Morgan boasts a kitchen that looks able to tackle any cooking request thrown at it. We wonder how adept in in the kitchen Mr. Morgan really is.

Tracey Morgan's heavy duty kitchen.

Tracey Morgan's heavy duty kitchen.


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Don’t Forget About the Range Hood!

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

Piecing together all of the different necessary kitchen cooking tools can be a hassle. We don’t just mean tools. We also mean all the heavy duty appliances that go into every top-notch kitchen – the microwaves, the stovetops, the ovens, the sinks, etc. One item that always seems to go a bit overlooked, or at least saved until last is the range hood.

A range hood is that large installation above your stove top that stylishly whisks away the cooking exhaust that emits from every no-doubt gourmet meal you prepare. When thinking about getting one remember this one thing, they’re huge! And since they’re so huge they usually catch the eye quite readily, so make sure you get one that helps shape the room. Here are some of our favorite designs.

The classic chrome range. This is something you’ve probably seen before. It’s clean looking, fits with a variety of colors, and is probably on the less expensive side compared to some of these others.

Classic chrome

Classic chrome

The copper tinted range. For a more rustic feel go with a copper colored range. It gives a warmer feel to the room and some might say a bit more creativity also.
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Cabinet Refacing for Quick Kitchen Makeovers

Friday, January 14th, 2011

One of the largest installations you probably currently have in your kitchen are the cabinets. They oftentimes are overlooked as a true appliance or an intregal piece of your overall home decor. They serve a very utilitarian function – housing everything you can throw at it.

cabinets

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New Year’s Resolution … Home Remodeling?

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

Well, how did it go? Did your kitchen, bathroom, and living room pass the test? The countless judgmental eyes of friends and family didn’t bat even a single lash at your older than new home decorations and fixtures? You would be in the minority, my friend, if someone during the holidays didn’t say SOMETHING about the countertop material, cabinet color, rug color, fireplace color, kitchen tile choice, tub design, and any other element of your home that is ripe for evaluation.

Perhaps it could be some sort of resolution. A resolution to stop hoarding home fixtures of years past. If you feel a new countertop of cabinet is feasible, than it very well might be. It can also be the time to update things like lighting, the paint or wallpaper covering your walls – really give your home a television-style makeover. You have it in you.

Take a look at the options at hand for countertops:

Granite - Durable, elegant, comes in a variety of colors. Not porous, holds up to stains and heat. A very fashionable choice, and one that has been popular long before you knew what countertops were, and will be long after you’ve moved on.

A rustic looking granite countertop.

A rustic looking granite countertop.


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