# Help!! Kitchen remodeling!!!!!What is the new trend??



## dixie (Sep 5, 2009)

We are about to start reconfiguring and remodeling our kitchen! So many choices and options. We are looking at Kraftmaid cabinets, we like both the canvas with cocoa glaze and a wood tone called sunset.

Is the new trend to go with light glazed cabinets or the woodtone in cherry?

We are thinking of granite counters.

Are stainless appliances going out now? I have read that they are. Finger prints show up so much on them etc.

So any advice and opinions are appreciated!!


----------



## Passepartout (Sep 5, 2009)

If you go with the current 'trend' in a few years it'll look dated. I'm sure you've walked into homes and seen the avocado sink or pink toilet or flocked foil wallpaper. All those were the 'trend' at one time. 

Leaf through a copy of _Architectural Digest_ or pick up some design books. Soon you will be able to judge for yourself if the look you see is quality, timeless style, or 'trendy'.

Personally, I like the look of granite counters, but not the annual sealing and sensitivity to acidic foods. I'll take my mottled Corian. We chose hardwood floors in our kitchen, with the knowledge that it would reqire periodic refinishing. So be it. We do have some stainless appliances but not the refrigerator. It's white and a white fridge is timeless. Stainless does look better after a wipe-down, and if the finger-printer does the wiping, they learn to use the handles.

Looking at some of the wish-books, I'm seeing a lot of dark kitchen cabinets with white pulls. I think this is a 'trendy' look. In 10 years after people tire of the light dust in the crevices, they'll wish for lighter wood cabinets with less detail. 

Remodeling a kitchen is costly, time consuming and a huge PITA to do. There are a million decisions if you want it 'just so'. Good luck and I hope you get exactly what you want.

Jim Ricks


----------



## tompalm (Sep 5, 2009)

We just did ours and learned so many lessons.  There are a lot of ways to save money and waste money.  Short story, don't worry about the next trend and go for best your budget can afford.  To begin with, cabinet can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000.  I would go with solid wood, solid shelves and solid door with pulls. We bought Kraftmaid, it is the most bang for the buck and Home Depot has a sale about twice a year on these.  We saved %20.  The molding on the top is nice, but I wouldn't do it again.  I would spend the extra money on stainless steel appliances, or get black and don't buy the most expensive high tech kind.  Just get the most basic Whirlpool that looks nice. If there is one electrical surge, all your appliances can get knocked out and cost big bucks to fix.  I would recommend doing the extended warranty.  Microhood microwave ovens are not worth the cost and too hard to replace or work on if something goes wrong.  Floor ovens are a lot cheaper than built ins.

I would go to some open houses that are new homes to get ideas of what colors you like.  Last of all, tile floors in the kitchen is best, but it seems that a lot of magazines are showing pictures of hardwood.  That doesn't seem practical to me, but if you like that look, there are materials that are look like wood and they are not laminates or hardwood.


----------



## tompalm (Sep 5, 2009)

Forgot to add:  We got granite and stainless steel sinks and love it.


----------



## Rose Pink (Sep 5, 2009)

Dixie, I agree with the suggestions to look at design magazines and model homes.  Put down on paper the things that are most important to you.  Is it storage? Ease of cleaning? Latest high tech appliances?  I love some of those intricately carved cabinets but even if I could afford them, I think I would hate cleaning them.  Consider your current floor plan.  Does it work for you and your family?  Will you be adding more space?

Bottom line is decide what works for you.  The rest is just cosmetic.


----------



## Cathyb (Sep 5, 2009)

We have stainless steel frig, oven and dishwasher.  Shows lots of spots and fingerprints but love the look when they are clean.  Avoid black sinks, they show every single spot!!!  Do *not* buy GE icemaker refrigerator -- we have had TWO go out on us and cost fortunes and headaches getting things back from the flooding.


----------



## pjrose (Sep 5, 2009)

Passepartout said:


> If you go with the current 'trend' in a few years it'll look dated. I'm sure you've walked into homes and seen the avocado sink or pink toilet or flocked foil wallpaper. All those were the 'trend' at one time.



I agree 100%.

Look through magazines, walk through kitchen displays, and note everything that looks good TO YOU.  Buy the best you can afford.  

Engage a good designer - or more than one - to draw up plans.  The plans we got from three places were nearly identical to the old kitchen, just with new "stuff".  The one we chose envisioned an empty space and designed a kitchen that works MUCH better, then worked with me through several revisions till we were both in agreement.  

A few things we're real happy with in our "new" kitchen that is now 10 years old but it looks and seems brand-new:

Cabinets all the way up to the top = an extra row of shelves, no dust-catching area on top, and nice tall lean look.

Everything custom so we don't have a bunch of space-wasting filler strips.

Cabinet doors that completely cover the frame = no hinges showing, much cleaner and more streamlined look.

Under-cabinet lights = no shadow from the lights behind the cook(s).

light switches and electrical outlets all under-cabinet just behind the track lights = nothing to deter from tile or other decorative wall area between counters and cabinets

solid surface in a neutral color/pattern = quality and nothing that will look like avocado green 

sink the same material as the countertops = no seams to grow cooties

pot and pan drawers rather than cabinets = easy to get out all the cookware without bending to get into cabinets

pull-out trash and recycling can system from one of the big-box stores = convenient and much less $ than the cabinet maker's version

flat-top drop-in stove = works well (not as good as gas but that wasn't an option) and looks good

over-stove microwave = looks good and doesn't take up counter space.


----------



## Hoc (Sep 6, 2009)

One of the new trends is a walk-in pantry.  We added one, and I don't think I will ever feel that it is dated.


----------



## stmartinfan (Sep 6, 2009)

We're just starting on the kitchen redo also, and agree there is so much to consider.  One of the trends we saw in looking at photos and talking with the remodeler and his cabinet maker was the growing use of painted cabinets, instead of stained, and mixing of finishes.  You also see more islands done to look like a piece of furniture - different finish from the cabinets and perhaps with trim pieces on the ends designed to look like legs.

We're not ripping out our cabinets because they are still pretty sturdy and the general layout works OK, but are doing new cabinet doors and drawers and refinishing the front.  I think we'll stick with stained cupboards but I am looking to do the island in a different finish.

It's amazing what a good remodeler can offer - ours has suggested making some changes in the way our soffit is done, adding trim boards to the ends of some of our cupboards, putting a larger molding trim piece, etc.,  There are all things that will definitely upscale the look without having to complete redo everything.  We also have an island that has seemed to big - and they had a suggestion of making the countertop narrower on one end and adding a rounded overhang for seating - a easy fix that doesn't require taking out the whole island.


----------



## Glynda (Sep 6, 2009)

*I've...*

I've found that different brands of stainless steel appliances show drips and fingerprints more or less.  I have a relatively inexpensive Frigidaire in one home and a more expensive Kitchen Aid in another...the Frigidaire shows every spot and drip and takes lots of elbow grease to polish out...the Kitchen Aid doesn't show much and is a snap to polish. 

My daughter spilled white grape juice on the floor in front of a Maytag stainless dishwasher and there is nothing I can do to remove the spots.  My Dacor stove and microwave are very easy to clean and don't spot easily.  I'd probably consider going with a black refrigerator and dishwasher and stainless stove, hood and microwave next time.

I've learned from bathroom counter tops that I abhor Absolute Black granite.  It ALWAYS looks dusty and shows water spots.  I do favor my darkish brown granite counter tops in one kitchen over the lighter Corian in another.

I second going all the way to the ceiling with cabinets. My cherry Kraftmaid cabinets look great but I've found that they dent easily and also that the finish wears off quickly on heavily used places.


----------



## Keitht (Sep 6, 2009)

Dixie,

If your cabinets are basically sound you have the potential to save a lot of money by retaining the carcase and replacing doors, worktop and appliances.  That route is also a lot less disruptive as you don't lose all use of the kitchen for days or weeks on end.


----------



## ScoopKona (Sep 6, 2009)

Glynda said:


> My daughter spilled white grape juice on the floor in front of a Maytag stainless dishwasher and there is nothing I can do to remove the spots.



Try cleaning it with Powdered Brewery Wash and then polishing the stainless with Shiela Shine (or just mineral oil, that's basically what Shiela Shine is). 

Stainless is funny stuff -- depending on the recipe used it can be discolored by the damnedest things. I've seen stainless tanks that permanently have numbers on them because years ago, somebody wrote on the tank with a dry-erase marker.

My dream kitchen includes one of these:







and one of these:


----------



## Rose Pink (Sep 6, 2009)

pjrose said:


> ...A few things we're real happy with in our "new" kitchen that is now 10 years old but it looks and seems brand-new:
> 
> Cabinets all the way up to the top = an extra row of shelves, no dust-catching area on top, and nice tall lean look.
> 
> ...


 
I am _*so jealous*_!


----------



## pjrose (Sep 6, 2009)

Hoc said:


> One of the new trends is a walk-in pantry.  We added one, and I don't think I will ever feel that it is dated.



New?  I grew up with houses like that!  How nice that they're coming back!

Perhaps the next "new" trend will be a dumb waiter - I'd like one to get breakfast in bed delivered


----------



## pjrose (Sep 6, 2009)

Rose Pink said:


> I am _*so jealous*_!



Awwwww......you can come over anytime, Rose Pink!


----------



## Glynda (Sep 6, 2009)

*Thanks*



ScoopLV said:


> Try cleaning it with Powdered Brewery Wash and then polishing the stainless with Shiela Shine (or just mineral oil, that's basically what Shiela Shine is).
> 
> Stainless is funny stuff -- depending on the recipe used it can be discolored by the damnedest things. I've seen stainless tanks that permanently have numbers on them because years ago, somebody wrote on the tank with a dry-erase marker.
> 
> ...



Both of those products are new to me.  I'll google them, thanks!

Wolf...ah....my dream too.


----------



## Patri (Sep 6, 2009)

Friends just remodeled.
Granite countertops, black ceramic sink with unusual shape (for the two sides, one larger), tile flooring, cherry wood, beveled glass in one cupboard for a dressy look, stainless steel appliances, wine rack above fridge since too high to reach for regular stuff, appliance cubby (enclosed) in corner of counter with outlets inside so can just slide out toaster, mixer etc. to use, drawers that hesitate before closing completely so no more banging, switch at counter to activate outlets above cabinets if they choose to use string lights seasonally.
It's beautiful and cost about $30,000 but I doubt they'll ever recover that from what their old kitchen was like. However, they are happy and that's what matters.


----------



## Barbeque (Sep 6, 2009)

First we did Granite and a Kohler Sink
Double Oven 
Then we painted the existing Cabinets and installed new hardware.
The best thing was the floor it is Congoleum  Duraplank
It looks like hardwood but is not
It is like what they are now using in the produce departments of grocery stores.    
Demolished the flourescent lights and put in recessed metal lights and a couple of semi flushed mount tea lights.  
Added crown molding and base boards.


----------



## ruthlb (Sep 7, 2009)

I have been a Realtor for almost 30 years- so I have seen my share of kitchen remodels.  First- get good quality cabinets-  neutral counter tops- and good quality floor coverings- and a great contractor that will keep costs down, help you decide on materials- and fix all those imperfections in your home construction.  If your remodel is not done by a professional, you will not get the return on your investment.  

Re: appliances- good quality, and what you will enjoy- not for investment -they normally are easily replaceable. 

We remodeled our kitchen 10 years ago-  we also used Kraftmaid- if you have an independent hardware/lumber yard- they have different styles than those at Lowe's and Home Depot-  we have the huge pots/pans drawers- nothing is better-  also ready made-pantry cabinets- we used ceramic tile on countertop- very neutral-  I still enjoy it every day- wish we had not waited so long to do it.  rlb


----------



## laurac260 (Sep 7, 2009)

*kitchen ideas, and don'ts*

My dream kitchen would have two dishwashers!  But not the current drawer ones that are out, as they do not have heating elements in them.  The drawer ones are great if all you wash are pots and pans, or glass dishes, but with kids, so much of our stuff is plastic, and does not dry well in the drawer types.  (I suppose I could get one ONLY for the pots and pans...I hate to scrub!)  Also, I would have one of those ovens that you can put your food in the night before, (cold), and it acts as a fridge, until it is time to cook, then it heats and cooks, then goes to a warming oven as needed.  Saw this onetime on one of those HGTV shows, then never saw it again.  Perhaps it never went mainstream.

What I LOVE in our kitchen...NO ISLAND!  I swore I always wanted one, till I had a kitchen with one, then I got tired of walking around it all the time.  I also love my gas cooktop/electric oven!  I hate cooking on electric stoves, but have a "thing" about leaving a gas oven on when no one is home, so I opted for one that offers both gas as a cooking surface, and electric oven.  

What I hate about my kitchen... it is set up terribly.  My last house the kitchen appliances/counterspace was in an "L" shape.  It was (from left to right around the "L") dishwasher, then sink, then counter, then stove, then counter, then fridge.  This kitchen has the dishwasher and sink on one side, then to the right on another wall is the refrigerator, then if you are facing the sink, the oven/main counter space is behind you on another wall.  I feel so inefficient in this kitchen, always going in circles.  It must've taken me three months before I realized what it was about the kitchen that was giving me fits!

So, if your remodel requires changing the position of appliances, plan out how you want the kitchen to flow first.  I fell in love with the look of our current kitchen when we bought the house, but hate the flow of it!


----------



## laurac260 (Sep 7, 2009)

dixie said:


> Are stainless appliances going out now? I have read that they are. Finger prints show up so much on them etc.



Anytime you hear something is "going out of style", you have to take that statement in context.  

Where we live, (SW OH), any realtor or interior designer will tell you we are about 10 years behind "current trends".  I've heard it many times.  That being said, I can tell you that stainless is definitely NOT going out of style, atleast not here, and that is probably true thru most of the country.  

When we bought our house 2 years ago, the house was 2 years old.  The previous owner built the house, and did not opt for any of the builder upgrades, preferring to have most of it done themselves.  When we bought, the kitchen had beautiful  black and "speckled"? corian countertops, dark wood (not cherry) cabinets with brushed nickel pulls, custom tile backsplash, and "contractor grade" white appliances.  I guess they had not gotten to the appliance part of their upgrade.  

We knew instantly that when we bought the house the first thing to go would be the white appliances.  We replaced everything with stainless and the kitchen immediately went from odd and mismatched, to beautiful.  I've lived in plenty of apartments before I bought a house, so would NEVER own a white refrig, even if I lived on an island and my cupboards were white.  I would STILL do stainless (we did this once in a condo we built in Tampa, then sold, white cabinets with brushed nickel pulls against stainless appliances, beautiful. )  Our previous house in Tampa when we moved in had all black appliances.  There was no fridge, so we added a fridge that was black with stainless front, and also replaced the cheap contractor's grade dishwasher with a quiet, stainless steel one, leaving the microwave and oven, which were black.  That combination worked well too.   

Just my opinion.


----------



## tlwmkw (Sep 7, 2009)

We recently did a minor remodel- replaced counter tops and appliances.
Where we live granite is still considered "the thing" and after looking at all the options we chose granite too.  We got undermount stainless sink and it all looks great.  

We bought stainless appliances and while they do get fingerprints it's not terrible.  There are stainless appliances that have a coating of something (a plastic perhaps?) that do not take the fingerprints as badly as some of the old ones.  We had all-white appliances before and they had yellowed and discolored in only 4-5 years (the plastic parts had turned yellow and the metal/enamel was still white- looked terrible)- so don't assume white will be perfect either. Black appliances can look very dusty and show dirt too.  Bottom line is just get what you like. 

Check the reliability of the commercial grade appliances- many of them have terrible reputations but sell well because lots of folks who purchase them just want a certain "look" and don't really cook in their kitchen at all.  We were told by a kitchen designer that the more expensive the remodel and appiances the less likely that any of it will ever get used (I guess people with the money to burn eat out a lot!).

We were told that dark wood cabinets are "going out of style" and light wood is now popular.  Again I would get what you like and make sure it is good quality and that will be more important than the actual finish- some of the so-called "cherry" cabinets are just dark stained hard wood so make sure you get the actual wood and finish you want.  Doors and drawer fronts can be easily changed but the guts of the cabinet are not so easy to alter so make sure the kitchen works for you.  Check all the extras too but beware all those pot racks and spice drawers add considerably to the cost and you can easily live without them.

Good luck!!!


----------



## Rose Pink (Sep 7, 2009)

tlwmkw said:


> ....lots of folks who purchase them just want a certain "look" and don't really cook in their kitchen at all. We were *told by a kitchen designer that the more expensive the remodel and appiances the less likely that any of it will ever get used *....quote]
> 
> I was told the same thing by a kitchen designer in Dallas.  He said their remodels cost around $100K   for people who rarely cooked.
> 
> I had some cabinets priced out at 40k and decided I needed to go back to the drawing board.  DH wanted one of those Wolf or Viking stove/ovens.  When I showed him how much even a small one cost, he decided he really didn't want one.    Of course, this was when he thought he could remodel our kitchen for around three grand.  We had some heated discussions over that but now he is starting to see reason.  Of course, I have no idea when our kitchen will ever get finished.


----------



## ScoopKona (Sep 7, 2009)

We didn't "remodel" our kitchen so much as we "modeled" it -- we bought the house unfinished and did everything after drywall.

The house came with a bunch of GE black appliances -- we hate, hate, hate the GE refrigerator. Piece of junk. The range and dishwasher haven't given us problems, but we'll eventually replace the range with a Wolf.

We're both believers in "If the Romans used it, it will never go out of style." So travertine floors, granite counters and sink, neutral cabinets with tricked out wire drawers (well, so much for the Romans) and a walk-in pantry.

If I had it to do again, I'd probably get the new roto-printed porcelain tiles that look like travertine. Travertine etches if any acid is spilled on it (and I'm constantly juicing lemons in the kitchen).


----------



## jschmidt (Sep 7, 2009)

We are in the midst of a kitchen remodel in a 1950's country house!  The kitchen is probable the most complicated area of a house.  The cabinets, sheet rock and flooring were all removed and then all of the electrical, water and sewer systems were replaced.  Blocking was added between the 2x4 studs to secure cabinets, the sheetrock was replaced and the wood floor, which was under linoleum, was sanded (a real dusty job).  We currently have the upper cabinets installed and will be working on the lower cabinets this week.  The cabinets are Dove White, KitchMaid from Home Depot and are very well made.  We’re going with a silestone counter top.

We have a mix of appliances, S/S stove and sink, white refrigerator and dishwasher.  The black top on the stove is extremely difficult to keep clean.  The little grease splatters smear all over when they are wiped and can be easily seen.  No more S/S appliances for us!  We purchased the stove first and saw what a problem it was to keep clean plus the white doesn’t give the overpowering, large appearance of S/S and black.  If you check, you will see that the appliance door is usually the only S/S and the rest is black.

The kitchen is one of the most used areas of the house and has a lot of stuff in the cabinets, so be prepared!  We went to Wal-Mart and bought some metal shelves and put them in the dining room to store things on and still be able to find them.  We removed the utensil drawers from the old cabinets and put them on the dinning room table.  Our current basic appliances are a coffee pot, toaster, microwave, Geo. Foreman hamburger fryer and refrigerator.  Thank god we have a sink in the back hall!  Remodeling a kitchen is like camping out for several months!


----------



## pcgirl54 (Sep 7, 2009)

Glad for this thread as we are in early planning stages. Our antique house had a kitchen redo in 1974 and is just worn out in 2009. Got a nice 20 x 22 space to work with and want to do this wisely. We also want to sell the house within a year so upgrade without over doing it.

What we need is new appliances, better lighting, new floors,cabinets,counters and ceilings or everything but new windows. I am prefering silestone at the moment and wood floors as the kitchen is icy cold in the winter now with high grade Armstrong. Tile just won't do unless we want to do heated floors($$$$).


----------



## pjrose (Sep 7, 2009)

A few additional comments:

I think black and stainless look too industrial and will be dated.  Could be wrong here.....but I prefer bisque or cream or whatever the off-whites are called.  

We have hardwood floors.  I like them, but they do expand/shrink some, and ours are over the furnace room so that has led to some separation between the boards.  

We have a small peninsula, not used for cooking.  It's great for less formal eating, board games, homework, bills.....and keeps the paper away from the counter areas designated for cooking.

We have a swath of countertop that's about 11 feet long - and we use every inch when we're cooking.  It's great!  

We put both the sink and stove in corners.  I like the way it looks, but it is more difficult with two cooks in the family.  We bump hips a lot (which isn't necessarily a bad thing   )

You do not have to put the sink under a window.  Many design services will start with that, but think about how often you're going to stand at the sink looking out the window.  If we had kept that from our original kitchen our long counter would be chopped up, and counter space was one of our goals. 

That reminds me - start with some goals - what are you looking for?  More storage space?  Easier to reach stuff?  more light?  eating area?  seeing more of the outside?  counter space?  just a new look in a kitchen that already works well?   This may sound rather obvious, but figuring out the goals and how to meet each one was the most important part of the success of our kitchen.


----------



## Texasbelle (Sep 7, 2009)

We did the door replacement remodel.  New drawers that glide, drawers for pots and pans,a drawer under the double oven for small appliances--all worth every penny.  We do not have door/drawer pulls or knobs, just open under the bottom edge--so no grubby dirt around knobs.  I wish we had put a "pull out" in the cupboard next to the dishwasher and added a door on the other side of a cupboard for access [it takes a contortionist to reach the back].  I would never have thought of a drawer under the ovens, the contractor suggested it.


----------



## Passepartout (Sep 7, 2009)

One of the REALLY COOL things we did was to build a cabinet over the refrigerator to the ceiling, and flush with the front of the fridge. It holds all the baking sheet pans/ broiler pan, cookie sheets etc. all on edge. Easy to get stuff out of and it makes the dust-catcher above the fridge usable. Our fridge happens to be exposed on one side, so the cabinet above it opens both front and on the accessible side. You only need to be cautious to make it high enough that if you get a taller refrigerator, or raise the floor, it will fit. We put in the 1" hardwood after the cabinets went in so we are sorta married to the same size refrigerator. 

We also put lazy susan's in all our corner cabinets- upper and lower- to be able to get at stuff in the far corners.

Jim Ricks


----------



## mamiecarter (Sep 7, 2009)

*Do You Need to Worry About Resale Value or do you plan to Stay?*

If You are pretty sure you are going to live there 20 years go with what turns you on. If you may want to sell in five or ten years calculate cost and resale value and other peoples taste. 

In the New York New Jersey area a realator told me stainess steel was starting to be a dated item. City types are often too busy to cook and younger people often don't like to cook. So super dupper comercial ovens and fancy refrigerators and expensive kitchens just are not selling real estate right now.


----------



## ScoopKona (Sep 7, 2009)

mamiecarter said:


> City types are often too busy to cook and younger people often don't like to cook. So super dupper comercial ovens and fancy refrigerators and expensive kitchens just are not selling real estate right now.



I could not disagree more.

Everyone I work with is younger than I am. They're all slavishly devoted to the Food Network and read cookbooks instead of novels. Many of these people are "blue collar" -- so income isn't a barometer.

Kitchens and bathrooms have the best return on investment. Go as crazy as you want in the kitchen. You'll get a high percentage of the investment back when/if you sell, and you get to enjoy a kick-butt kitchen for years.


----------



## pjrose (Sep 7, 2009)

Passepartout said:


> One of the REALLY COOL things we did was to build a cabinet over the refrigerator to the ceiling, and flush with the front of the fridge. It holds all the baking sheet pans/ broiler pan, cookie sheets etc. all on edge. Easy to get stuff out of and it makes the dust-catcher above the fridge usable.



Yes, we did this too, and although it is typically hard to reach up there, it is not hard to reach the edge of a vertically-stored cookie sheet or cutting board or tray.


----------



## stmartinfan (Sep 8, 2009)

One of the things we're going to do in our kitchen remodel is to add more pull out breadboards.  In our previous house that we built, we had put them several places in the kitchen and really miss then in our current house - which has just one.  So often, I'll pull something from the microwave or oven and want somewhere to set it, or be assembling ingredients and need a bit mroe space - and it's great to be able to pull out a breadboard for an "instant" shelf for it.  I can hardly wait to have more after we remodel.  Even thought we're just adding new doors and counter tops, the remodeler says there's room to just cut out a place to insert more breadboards.


----------



## akp (Sep 8, 2009)

*Join Garden Web Kitchen Forum!*

I remodeled my kitchen just over a year ago.  I can't tell you a thing about the current trends (or I could, but I won't!), but if you join the garden web site you can learn everything there is to learn.  

I posted my architect and kitchen design plan just before we finalized it and learned that it wasn't going to work.  (Can't believe that near miss!).

I learned all about various tricks to make your space work, what things to avoid, new options.  Some of the things I love about my kitchen (pot and pan drawers, huge deep sink, no outlets in backsplash, soapstone counter) I owe to that site.

My kitchen is better because I used GW than it would have been without.  It is a nice community of people.  They are kitchen obsessed as the folks here are timeshare travel obsessed.  

Anita


----------



## mamiecarter (Sep 8, 2009)

*Great website*

Thanks for the reference. I looked at the site and it is just what I need for all my garden problems. Can you post a link?


----------



## pcgirl54 (Sep 9, 2009)

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/kitchbath


googled it.Thanks for this I will check it out.


----------



## IngridN (Sep 9, 2009)

akp said:


> I remodeled my kitchen just over a year ago.  I can't tell you a thing about the current trends (or I could, but I won't!), but if you join the garden web site you can learn everything there is to learn.
> 
> I posted my architect and kitchen design plan just before we finalized it and learned that it wasn't going to work.  (Can't believe that near miss!).
> 
> ...


Thank you for the site. I'm redoing our landscaping, putting in drought tolerant plants and getting rid of the grass and missed this site! Will have to check it out more before finalizing the plans.

Ingrid


----------



## jschmidt (Sep 10, 2009)

akp said:


> I learned all about various tricks to make your space work, what things to avoid, new options.  Some of the things I love about my kitchen (pot and pan drawers, huge deep sink, no outlets in backsplash, soapstone counter) I owe to that site.
> Anita



I'm not sure what your local electric code requires, but the National Electric Code (NEC) requires electrical outlets every 4' on a back splash!  Local electric codes are normally based on the NEC.


----------



## akp (Sep 10, 2009)

*My outlet-less backsplash...*

our electrical code is the same, but I used angled power strips up under the cabinets.  I'm blanking on what they're called, but I'll post if it comes back to me.  They're awesome -- I have tons of outlets but it looks really clean.

Anita


----------



## pjrose (Sep 10, 2009)

akp said:


> our electrical code is the same, but I used angled power strips up under the cabinets.  I'm blanking on what they're called, but I'll post if it comes back to me.  They're awesome -- I have tons of outlets but it looks really clean.
> 
> Anita



Mine are similar, power strips under all the cabinets.  Tons of outlets and no clutter on the walls.


----------



## akp (Sep 10, 2009)

*It is called plugmold!*

I remembered!  The power strips up under my cabinets are called plugmold, or wiremold.  Here's an example:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs..._mmc=shopping-_-googlebase-_-D27X-_-100657472

Also I have an airswitch (flush in kitchen counter) to activate my disposal instead of the traditional backsplash mounted switch.  

Anita


----------



## PepperEvans (Oct 11, 2009)

*Cocoa Glaze is always in*

Hello Dixie I love cocoa glaze! I don't know if it's the trend but all I know is that it's a classic shade that never goes out of style


----------

