I hope everyone had a great Labor day weekend!

We photographed a house last week and I was reminded just how much I love hickory. So I thought I would show you a very good example of this wood that isn't used as much as it could be.

Hickory is a beautiful wood that doesn't get much attention. The grain is very beautiful and can take a modern look when paired with a dark stain. Or like this kitchen, it gives a very light and clean appearance.

Thanks,


Sunshine


HomeWerks, A Design Studio

Thanks,


Sunshine


HomeWerks, A Design Studio

The demolition is complete on the new kitchen remodel. Once the installation gets started, the whole thing will come together quickly. Here's the kitchen at the start of the project.




Here's a picture of the demo in progress.




Design Tip: When choosing your faucet, keep the sink in mind. Mono faucets, one handled designs, are becoming popular, but most sinks are still made with three or four holes for faucets. The mono faucets internal parts tend to be larger than the internals of a faucet with two separate handles. Make sure the faucet you choose will fit the sink you choose.





This is the faucet and soap dispenser made by Fusion Hardware, both in the brushed nickel finish, are the perfect complement to the Macadamia finish on the cabinets and the cabinet hardware.


More to come!!

Thanks,


Sunshine


HomeWerks, A Design Studio

We have a new project starting in a few weeks! While we're waiting for everything to arrive and construction to start, I'll fill you in on what has been happening the past few weeks.

The client originally contacted us about refacing her existing cabinetry. She was getting new appliances and her cabinets were worn and the finish was coming off. While talking to her about the kitchen, she explained a few problem areas- like no trash can space in the kitchen and her new wall mount oven would not fit in the current cabinet. So I went back to the office and worked up a quote for replacing the cabinets. The client liked the price and decided to go ahead and remodel the entire kitchen.

So now we are replacing the cabinets, the sink and faucet, countertops and adding a new backsplash as well as replacing the laundry room cabinetry. The client picked a very nice raised panel, mitered door with an ivory finish ( named Macadamia, yummy! ). The island will be in a black finish. There is also a buffet area that will be in black with ivory bookcases on either side. The buffet will look like a piece of furniture. All the cabinets will have an arched skirt on the toe kick. The sink will be farmhouse apron front sink.

Here is a picture of the design concept:

Thanks,

Sunshine

HomeWerks, A Design Studio

HomeWerks, A Design Studio

Our kitchen makeover is well under way! Jennifer and Scott had already removed their old cabinets so things got started quickly. In only 2 days, our installer, Bruce, with a little help from his son, got all the cabinets installed.

Like with any project, there a few snags, but Bruce is an expert at what he does and saved the day. Jennifer is taking lots of pictures of the progress and we are in constant contact with her. She is very excited to be getting a new kitchen.

The next step is the granite and appliances. David from Classic Design is going to measure today. Most of the appliances have arrived and are awaiting installation.














By our next post, the Bowman's may have a new complete kitchen.

Thanks,

Sunshine

HomeWerks, A Design Studio 

Good Morning!!!

Today is a very exciting day. Installation is to begin on our kitchen giveaway winner. Here's a little rundown on the project. In March, HomeWerks started promoting our kitchen giveaway. The remodel included a Bosch appliance package from GM Appliance, granite countertops from Classic Design and G&L, a Cucina faucet, Oliveri sink and brand new StarMark cabinetry supplied by HomeWerks. The total remodel was valued at $40,000.

 

On June 1st, HomeWerks invited all the entrants and sponsors and drew the winning name at an open house. Jennifer Bowman won the grand prize. Since then, she and her husband have come to the studio and picked out the wood, door and finish as well as the hardware and faucet. They also approved the design proposed by our designer. The Bowman's have been wonderful clients and a pleasure to work with.

This was their existing kitchen...

 

Over the past few weeks, the Bowman's tore out their existing cabinets and appliances, so they have a completely bare kitchen. Here are some of pictures of their progress.

 

 

 

Their cabinets are scheduled to be delivered today so the installation will begin tomorrow. The cabinet installation should only take about 2 days. After that the appliances and granite go in. We'll keep the blog updated with the project as it progresses. The Bowman's should have a brand new kitchen within a week!!

Check back to see how it's going.

Thanks,

 

Sunshine

 

HomeWerks, A Design Studio 

There is a new sink on the market that has been called "revolutionary." The Affluence Seamless Sink is making waves in the kitchen and bath industry. It won the prestigious Best of Competition at KBIS (Kitchen and Bath Industry Show) 2009.

People are talking about it because there is no seam around the drain. Typical sinks have an unsightly seam around the drain fitting. This spot is notorious for catching all sorts of debris and breeding germs.





The new Affluence Seamless Sink eliminates the problem area. It makes for a much more streamlined look and is much more attractive as well as sanitary. Just look at the difference.




There are also more problems the Seamless Sink addresses. The strainer basket fits in both sides of a two bowl sink. It fits in the drain and the garbage disposal. Installation of the drain and disposal is reduced by 20-60 minutes and is very easy. There is a video on the Affluence website that shows the install complete in 90 seconds.

If you are remodeling your kitchen, this is one product you definitely need to consider. It will make cleaning much easier. Once it catches on with designers and homeowners, it will be a very hot product.





Thanks,

Sunshine

HomeWerks, A Design Studio

If you have ever painted a room, you know just how daunting it can be to get the color just right. You go to the paint store thinking it will be a simple task- bring home some yellow paint. But when you get there, you are overwhelmed by all the choices. Yellow isn't simply yellow. Do you want butter, honey, camel, orange or wheat yellow?

Monochromatic is created by one color in different shades, as in light blue, blue and dark blue. This creates a very unified look and makes a room appear larger. Monochromatic is also the simplest color harmony, but that doesn't have to mean boring.

This room is a good example of a monochromatic color scheme. It uses varying shades of yellow.

Another popular color harmony is neutral. This one is achieved by using combinations of gray, black and white, but can also be brown, tan and beige. Sometimes accent colors are added to provide interest. These rooms are usually crisp and relaxing.


This room is a great example if a neutral color combination with an accent thrown in for some excitement.

A Complementary color scheme is one that uses two colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. The most popular combination is red and green. But there is also blue and orange and yellow and purple. But these combinations can be altered by using varying shades of the colors. One color should be dominant and the other color can be a lighter intensity to soften the contrast.

This room uses the red/green combination, but in varying shades and intensities.

The best combinations use at least three colors and sometimes
four. One color is used and a dominate color and the accent colors draw attention to the details.
In this photo, the dominate color is red and the yellow and blue stand out and make the ottoman and pillows the focal points.

Now that you have an idea about color schemes, it's time to find just the right shades. Nowadays it is easier to match paint to your sofa rather than painting your walls and then trying to find a sofa to match the paint. There are literally 1000's of paint color choices while your accents and fabrics allow less choices. Most every paint retailer can now custom match a fabric or color that you bring into the store. That way you know your are getting the closest match possible.


It is also worth while to invest in a few cans of paint samples. They are usually $3-$5 and you can try out several colors on large patches of wall to really get the true feel of the color in the room. The little bitty paint chip may look great in the store, but once you paint half the wall at home, you may realize you made a mistake. The paint samples help prevent major headaches and regret!


You can also go online and try a paint tool. Sherwin Williams has Color Visualizer. You can pick what type of room and add colors to the furniture, trim, wall and ceilings to get a feel of what your room might look like. Benjamin Moore also has a visualizer but you can upload your own photos and apply color them.

Experts say the least expensive way to make the biggest change in a room is to change to wall color. It's the biggest area in the room and make the largest impact. Don't be afraid to be use bold colors. Hopefully this article helped out a bit. But if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!!

Thanks,

Sunshine

HomeWerks, A Design Studio