Two Hammers

Diamond Cabinets has announced 5 new finishes for 2009.  The most welcomed is the neutral medium brown Havan offered on maple and cherry.  Havana is destined to be a timeless color staying in fashion for many years to come.  Expanding on Diamond Cabinets off-white  cabinets is the warm creamy yellow of Honeysuckle on maple.  And for the designer set there are Portobello, Oasis, and Tidal Mist all offered on Maple.   To see all of the new finishes offered by Diamond Cabinets visit this site, or for the full spectrum of finishes available from Diamond visit this page. 

Hvana on Maple

The shaker cabinet styles are very popular this year, edging out traditional styles by a good margin.  The clean understated lines of the shaker cabinet works well in most kitchen remodels or new homes.  The style is well represented in the semi custom manufacturers lineups like Diamond Cabinets, Decora Cabinets, and Kraftmaid Cabinets, so there is plenty to choose from.  Increasing in popularity is the shaker style with wider stiles and rails, giving a more contemporary look to a timeless classic.  For a detailed discussion of cabinet styles visit our website.

Diamond Cabinets has released a new off white cabinet finish (Dover) for their maple cabinet line.  The Dover finish is much warmer than a standard white finish.  It is far

easier on the eyes, more forgiving of smudges and very easy to decorate to.  The off whites from Diamond Cabinets: Dover, Amaretto Crème, Toasted Almond glaze, and Pearl White should be top contenders for new kitchens for many years to come.  See other finishes from Diamond Cabinets.

We exhibited in a local home show over the weekend; and the attendance and homeowner interest was a surprise. Attendance was off a little from previous years, and some people could not get past our remodeling booth fast enough. However, about 25% of those which we had discussions with were interested in kitchen remodels. Our expectations were for nothing but small face lift and maintenance projects, apparently some homeowners are not restrained by the softening housing market.
The big hits for the show were convenience hardware and premade kitchen cabinets by Diamond Cabinets. The new turquoise rust finish from Decora Cabinets received a lot of interest; and to our amazement there was still a lot of interest in white cabinets. And the winner in the countertop area were quartz stones like Cambria.

The soft touch on cabinet drawers and doors has become the dominant hardware choice for homeowners.  The hardware has matured to the point that it functions reliably and can be installed with confidence.  Blum offers a very nice soft closing under mount drawer glide which is a must have for a new kitchen.  The second generation of Blum Door closers has a very pleasing motion and should be considered for all kitchen cabinet doors.  If you have already remodeled your kitchen, all is not lost, Blum offers a unit which will retrofit onto most of their European style hinges.  Call your local cabinet shop and get retrofits for your doors.

For a new kitchen remodel the soft close hardware is available on custom cabinets and premanufactured cabinet lines like Diamond Cabinets Decora Cabinets, and Kraftmaid Cabinets.

When it comes time to make major purchases there still is nothing like touching and feeling in a brick and mortar store.  As convenient as the internet is; customers still visit showrooms to purchase kitchen remodeling products and services.  When we opened our kitchen showroom it was a major boost for business for several reasons.  Firstly, it gives you a comfortable place to entertain clients, with all of your samples at hand.  Secondly, it shows that you are a bonified player in the game.  The obvious investment in time and money separates you from all of the other ‘home office’ interior designers and ‘pickup truck office’ contractors.

In Orange County, CA these are some of our favorite showrooms:

Glass Creek Inc. in Fullerton - A full service Kitchen remodeling showroom with cabinet and countertop displays.  Featuring Diamond Cabinets and Decora Cabinets.

Tuscany Tile in Brea, CA - A stylish tile showroom which carries more upscale tiles.

Central Plumbing in La Habra, CA - A plumbing fixtures showroom.

To find these remodeling showrooms in Google maps or , please follow this link: Remodeling Showrooms Placemarks.

Styling and warmth on the outside; convenience and function on the inside.  Soft closing door and drawer hardware is a must for any new kitchen, ending door slams and utensil crashes.  Pullouts and rollouts are a great way to store and access those larger pots and pans.  To accommodate the bulky Costco items there is nothing better than a pullout pantry, or a pantry loaded with rollouts.  And drawers still rein king for ergonomic access instead of large door cabinets.  Then of course, there is the required deep lazy susan in the blind corner and the recycling trash pullouts.

Hot door styles are the wide stile and rail shaker look; or a classical raised panel profile for timeless elegance.  Bucking the popular trend with the rustic look, stay away from the heavily grained and charactered species, such as, hickory, alder, birch, pine, and oak.  Unless it is a vacation home, then definitely use the local wood species.  The beautiful grain of cherry or clear maple underneath a semi transparent stain can not be beat. Medium light to medium brown stain colors (shifting more green than red with just a touch of black pigment) is a good choice.  The slight grey cast from the black pigment yields the coffee, espresso or mink looks.  A burnt umber or raw sienna glaze can give credit to detailed door styles while adding some warmth.  Black and chocolate should be used sparingly as accents.  If it has to be white, a cream or amaretto with a glaze can not be beat.  Decora Cabinets new Honeycomb on maple would be wonderful in a sunlight starved kitchen or bath.

Read the full article.

Diamond Cabinets has announced 3 new finishes and new cabinet types for 2008.  The Palomino Glaze is a light brown with an espresso glaze, creating a warm comfortable feel.  There are also new offerings for the home office in the Diamond Cabinets line.  Check out the details at Glass Creek’s website:

Diamond Cabinets new finishes for 2008

Homeowners - Are you looking for a reputable remodeling contractor?

Glass Creek Inc. - remodeling contractors.

We will work with you to design your project using state of the art computer design software, then build it to meet your expectations. Kitchen and bath remodeling is our specialty. We can supply manufactured cabinets by Diamond or Decora, or build custom cabinets to your specifications. Check out Glass Creek’s website at www.glasscreek.com.