Blog

We all want accessories in our home that both look good and are functional. Stylish magazine holders can add great texture and color to a room. Jewelry boxes or trees on your bathroom countertop would be a great accessory for any girl. Roll up some bright colored bath towels, placing them in baskets or trunks in your bathroom or use them for blankets in your family/TV room. Store your DVD’s in a basket verses metal stands.

Interlude Home: Posner Hide Tray (Below)

Interlude Home: Long Point Baskets (Above)

Interlude Home: Amir Travel Trunks (Below)

Global Views: Trapunto Magazine Holder (Above)

Global Views: Arabesque Magazine Rack (Below)

Global Views: Cuckoo Necklace Tree (Above)

I want to feature this week Lexington’s Twilight Bay Collection. An inspired interpretation of French and American styling, Twilight Bay makes a fresh design statement in three unique finishes – Chestnut, Antique Linen and Driftwood. Lexington.com

The Halsey Bunching chests, for once, supply enough storage to really organize and break down all of your accessories. Does your husband come home every night and lay his keys, wallet, change on the night stand or the kitchen counter? This piece provides enough storage to completely compartmentalize. A place for your things scarves, belts, sunglasses, stationary, remote controls … just a few ideas. A space for everything that you never have a place for!

The Olivia Tray Table, finally a piece both stylized and useful. This piece provides pull out trays for your glass/cup of coffee while the other shelves are used to intentionally store and display items. This allows you to place your things systematically without always having to shift items around in order to make your furniture functional – You can actually use it!!!

I am so excited about these pieces!!!

If your kitchen is losing its luster, it may be time for a few refreshing changes, redecorating, or remodeling.

When people come into our showroom in the inital stages of considering a kitchen remodel, the biggest question they ask is “I haven’t done anything to my kitchen in years…what does something like that cost?”

Create a ballpark. Take the value of your home and budget 8-12% of this number if your kitchen remodel will not include cabinetry. If you are planning to include cabinetry, budget 12-18%. For example, if your home is valued at $275,000, plan to spend between $22,000-50,000.

Then, plan on breaking your “big picture” budget into managable pieces:

35% Cabinetry
Cabinetry makes up the bulk of your kitchen’s budget because it is the very backbone of both the design and functionality of your kitchen.
Spend More: Outfit your kitchen with an accessory package that meets your needs. Add baking sheet dividers, pull out trash and recycle bins, spice drawers or racks, etc. Upgrade your doors and drawers to include soft close. Finish off your look with upgraded hardware to tie in your design taste or style.
Spend Less: Utilize existing cabinetry. Consider refinishing existing doors. Or, integrate new cabinetry. Opt for fewer drawers. Utilize standard widths and depths as much as possible in your cabinetry layout. Minimize or eliminate accessories. Utilize standard hardware selections to avoid an upcharge.

9% Counters
What you spend on counter tops depends largely on the type of surface you wish to install. Today, most of our clients choose slab granite, marble, quartz, or another natural stone.
Spend More: Select a stone you fall in love with at the slab yard! Countertops can truly define an entire kitchen and give you and your designer a fun pallette to pull from. Selecting a honed or antiqued stone will increase your cost, but also give you a less standard look. Upgrade your standard edge to an ogee for a more traditional, polished appearance.
Spend Less: Select a “standard” granite that is more common and has a tighter grain to reduce your material cost. Or, consider Corian or laminate tops. Utilize a standard granite edge (such as an appliance edge or full bullnose). Eliminate radiused edges and opt for straight cuts instead.

15% Appliances
You can tailor your appliance budget based on how you use your kitchen and what kind of appliances you will need. Love a professional range? Plan to spend more. Just need a simple kitchen to reheat take out and cook occasionally? A basic appliance package will suit you just fine.
Spend More: Opt for professional appliances with integrated refrigeration and dishwasher. Add fun specialty appliances, like a drawer microwave, built in espresso machine, or a wall-plumbed coffee maker. Select from appliance finishes ranging from stainless to oil rubbed bronze, to every color of the rainbow!
Spend Less: Select a basic appliance package. Consider choosing a black or white finish rather than stainless. Maintaining the same appliance layout you had originally (if it was functional) will save you money in moving water and gas lines.

7% Electrical and Lighting
Why settle for a couple of poorly scaled, no-impact pendants over your island?! Choose lighting that really defines your space and add appropriate recessed and direcitonal lighting to make cooking a breeze. Take this opportunity to move your outlets either up or down so that your backsplash isn’t interupted. Switch out your device colors to better blend into your tile.

6% Wall tile
The intricacy and material you choose for your splash will make all the difference in how much of your budget it constitutes.
Spend More: Choose decorative listellos, liner bars, or accent tiles. Select a field tile that is porcelain or natural stone. Create an intricate design that lends interest to your splash and take advantage of the space above your range or sink. Opt for glass mosaic tile or slab on your entire splash.
Spend Less: Plan your design around a simple ceramic tile and use minimal decorative accents. Straight set your tile to avoid labor upcharges.

8% Flooring
Your flooring budget will rest on the material that you select.
Spend More: Opt for hardwood or tile. Setting your tile on the diagonal will increase your labor expenses.
Spend Less: Choose less expensive laminate or vinyl flooring.

20% Labor
You get what you pay for when it comes to labor!! Spend what it takes to ensure that what you’ve spent 80% of your budget on looks as good as it should!