The importance of blue can not be over looked this year; it captures the country’s mood of austerity. Greens, taupe, and adobe are comforting colors – spruced up with floral color accents. The emphasis is on calm and comfortable.
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.
Warmth and comfort from the familiar is being evoked in the latest trends for metal finishes. The aged and weathered look of rusted iron, and tarnished copper, are great finishes for hardware around the home. Natural oxidation comes from exposure to the elements over time and evokes longevity in our rapidly changing lives.
In times of economic uncertainty it is comforting to surround oneself with warm familiar furnishing. And nothing does it better than the aged natural look of metal.
Read more – Hot Remodeling Tips
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.
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This year it is all about green and blue. The Marie Antoinette rich jewel colors of the last several years are over. The slow down in the economy is promoting feelings of austerity, and a need for comfort and security in the home. Thus, look to the earth tones, greens, and blues for common areas in the home, such as, the kitchen and living room. The young children’s rooms still need to be fun with the popsicle and candy colors. Sunny yellows and comfortable sage are still good choices for the master suite. And for goodness sakes stop using Swiss coffee.
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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: