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    Month: April 2021

    Making The Most of Kitchen Island Storage

    Posted on by normandy

    If you are thinking of remodeling your kitchen, it’s quite likely you’re hoping to include or enlarge your kitchen island. Islands are the kitchen hot spots; the gathering place for family members to pull up a stool and finish their homework, grab a snack or just chat during cooking time.

    Those good times and entertaining possibilities sit on prime real estate because the kitchen island also holds the key to customized storage potential. Adding cabinets to the kitchen island is a great way to add storage to your kitchen.

    As long as you have clearance, which is enough space to move around and work, the kitchen island can be any shape and any size you want. This makes it great for overflow storage that’s specific to you. If there’s something you are currently storing outside of the kitchen, maybe a slow cooker you rarely use, let’s design a space for it in a kitchen island cabinet.

    additional cabinetry storage under the kitchen island

    On the seating side, adding cabinets makes great use of space that might otherwise be wasted. After all, you multi-task, why shouldn’t your kitchen island?

    On the work side, your island can also be home to a microwave, second oven, a beverage refrigerator or warming drawer. Our Designers suggest asking yourself, “What’s the bonus element you’re looking for?” That extra something that takes your kitchen from good to great might just find a home in a cabinet under the island.

    If you have or can make the room, a kitchen island is something you will enjoy for years to come. Islands give you both bonus storage and counter space, which is a knockout combination for most families.

    If you’ve been thinking how nice it would be to have a kitchen island, you can set up a time to talk with one of Designers about the possibilities. Find inspiration for your project in our photo galleries. We share design ideas and tips on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Follow along with us for a fun mix of pretty and practical.

    Dark wood center island with drawers for storageKitchen island with appliance and sinkBlack kitchen cabinetry with storage beneath the island

     

    Kitchen Statement Walls of Wonder

    Posted on by normandy

    White Oak kitchen with slab backsplashIf you’re looking to make a statement in the kitchen, look to the walls. Choosing something interesting that speaks to your sense of style is a wonderful way to create a kitchen in which you feel at home and enjoy spending time.

    You may have feature walls in other rooms of the house. Perhaps you fell in love with wallpaper that was too much for the four walls of your family room but perfect for one. That same idea works beautifully in the kitchen where you can either highlight a phenomenal material or draw the eye to something special about the room.

    White kitchen with floating shelves over a slab backsplash

    “Natural materials like a special slab of stone can be a striking focal point for the kitchen,” says Normandy Designer Liz Reifschneider. “Using a slab on the wall is a natural showstopper, and you can even dial up the drama by selecting a large range and hood.”

    If you don’t find a stone that speaks to you loudly enough to go all in on a statement wall, consider using tile, which creates visual impact through the geometric pattern repeating. Uncover that original brick hiding under sheetrock.Exposed brick fits right into a rustic or industrial chic atmosphere.

    white and stained kitchen cabinets with reclaimed wood shelves and exposed brick

    Statement walls don’t need to be interior walls. “Kitchen windows can be a focal point,” Liz says, adding, “This is where I like to do glass front cabinets, which can be painted a different color on the inside for a pop of color.” Liz says she often adds to the sparkle with sconces when accenting a window wall with glass front cabinets.

    Whichever kitchen wall you choose to make the center of attention, you’ll want to cut down on clutter to help it really stand out. “You need wall space to make this work, which might mean eliminating some wall cabinets,” says Liz. “The best thing you can do is purge unnecessary kitchen items and trust in the idea that less is more. With fewer things to store, you can eliminate some wall cabinets and really open up your feature wall.”

    Colorful backsplash tile over the cooktop in a white kitchen

    You might also wind up simplifying some of your other choices. “Think about pulling back on the ornateness of the cabinets so they don’t compete with the beauty of the statement wall. Keep it balanced by keeping the cabinets simple.”

    Are you thinking of remodeling your kitchen? You can set up a time to talk to Liz about finding balance, feature walls or other ideas. We also host virtual webinars, which are a relaxed way to learn more about remodeling. The Normandy Remodeling photo galleries are filled with ideas and inspiration. If you’re on social media, we post details of a variety of projects and behind the scenes insights into what makes them great on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

     

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