When Your Kitchen is Really
a “Living Room”
Ask kitchen remodeling contractors to describe the function of today's kitchens and "cooking" will be just part of the answer. In fact, here at Winn Design and Remodeling, kitchen remodeling has come to mean creating space not only for meal preparation, but for entertaining, homework, bill paying, TV watching, internet surfing, and even working from home. Kitchen remodeling needs to incorporate smart new ways to give this hard-working room the features, functionality and design appeal of a true "living room." If you're thinking about remodeling, here are a few kitchen remodeling trends and ideas we think are perfect for homes in Northern Virginia.
The “Invisible” Kitchen
From concealed refrigerators to hidden range hoods, today's appliances can work hard while you're cooking and then disappear behind beautiful cabinets and cleverly designed panels. With appliances out of sight, the kitchen can look as sleek and open as other rooms in your home. An invisible kitchen also helps you make the most of your space. For instance, your kitchen remodeling might include one well-planned island that can multipurpose as a food prep surface, dining table, homework center, and entertaining buffet.
Beverage Station
This new kitchen element brings together what's needed to store and serve everything from vintage wine to morning smoothies. Cups, stemware, silverware, coffee, tea and sugar are all beautifully organized alongside coffee makers, blenders, and other equipment. An under-counter refrigerator provides easy access to ice, lemons and cream while keeping wine, beer and soda perfectly chilled. Beverage stations can even include smaller bar areas.
 
The Design-Driven Kitchen
New kitchen remodeling ideas include dishwashers, refrigerators and even ovens that tuck away into drawers. This keeps appliances within easy reach while it frees up floor space – and wall space – so kitchen remodeling can become far more creative. Softly curving counters can smooth traffic flow rather than blocking it, artwork can be incorporated into the kitchen design, and architectural elements like arches or soffits can now be used to give your remodeled kitchen pizzazz without sacrificing efficiency and functionality.
Multiple Countertop Heights
With the kitchen accommodating so many different activities, it's smart for your kitchen remodeling contractor to design countertops at varying heights. Just match the height to the activity most often done in that area. For example, lower areas work best for food prep, while higher counters are ideal as a breakfast bar. Having a variety of countertop heights also makes your kitchen more accessible to all the sizes, shapes, ages and abilities of people who use your kitchen.
These new kitchen ideas and trends are just the starting point. If you're thinking about remodeling your kitchen, we would be delighted to help you combine the best of what's new with tried-and-true solutions to create your own dream kitchen.
Maintenance Tip: Check Your Smoke Alarm Batteries
When your clocks "Fall back" for the return of Standard Time, it is also a good time to check and change your smoke alarm batteries. (Do the same when you "Spring forward" too.) More than 90 percent of homes have smoke alarms, but millions of these alarms have either dead or missing batteries.
Thank You for the Referrals!
We'd like to thank our clients for referring friends to us to help them with their remodeling projects. Mrs. Bassert of Fairfax referred Mrs. Hogan of McLean; Mr. & Mrs. Grove of Oakton referred Mr. Meiners of Herndon; and the Shields/Petrova Family of Falls Church referred Mrs. Coleman, also of Falls Church.
We also want to take this opportunity to thank all of our wonderful clients for continuing to support us and referring our company to neighbors, friends and colleagues. Please remember not to keep us a secret as we rely so heavily on your positive word of mouth. If you know anyone who is already interviewing companies or who is thinking about remodeling, please send them our way. We are trying to keep our amazing guys busy this winter and we need your help, please. We appreciate your support in advance and hope you're enjoying the great fall weather!
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See you next month!
Mike Winn |
