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Wood hoods can be subtle…or stand out

White kitchen with painted white wood hood and stained wood accentsIf you plan to be cooking in your kitchen, you’re going to need a hood. Now, whether you want it to be the focal point or prefer it almost disappear, that’s where your options come into play. Hoods can be made from many different materials, and for a time metal hoods were popping up everywhere. But wood hoods are making a comeback, for all the right reasons.

“Many kitchens start out with inspiration tied to a specific style, but people are increasingly interested in finding a way to put their own spin on the space,” says Normandy Designer Abby Osborn. “The process of customizing a hood is easier, more cost effective, and offers more flexibility when you are working with wood.”

Wood hoods allow you to bend the rules in traditional or transitional styles. “They can be designed with a more ornate feel, but they are equally beautiful with simple, clean lines,” says Abby. “By combining stained and painted finishes, different textures, or even metal accents, you can create a hood that dramatically changes the feel of the kitchen.”

transitional kitchen gray green cabinets and convection ovenNot every kitchen benefits from a strong focal point at the hood. Whether it’s due to size or styling, it can be simple to create a hood design that blends in with the rest of the kitchen without calling too much attention to itself. “Similar to paneling the refrigerator, opting for a wood hood creates consistency with the cabinets,” notes Abby.

“A wood hood is a good fit when you want to warm up your kitchen, minimize the impact of stainless steel appliances, or go outside the lines of traditional or transitional styles.”  Your range hood can be the focal point of your kitchen remodel or can be designed to blend right in. Wood hoods are making a comeback because they can do either.

Whether you decide on a wood hood or stainless steel for your kitchen project, Abby is here to help guide your decisions to achieve a beautiful outcome. Contact us to schedule a time to meet. You can also see multiple hood examples in our kitchen project photos featured on our Instagram and Facebook accounts, or in our photo gallery.

 

Barn wood hood with X design, patterned backsplash  wood hood with contrasting band in white kitchen with dark countertops  backsplash to the ceiling, small painted hood range and special tile niche over range, upper cabinets with partially open front doors

Blue kitchen cabinets with pattern backsplash tile and wood accent hood  ParkAve171-705x1024  White kitchen with wood hood

When Your Home Feels Too Small, is an Addition the Answer?

reconfigured family room overlooking lakeIf you’re feeling cramped in your home, it’s easy to assume you’ll need an addition to gain that much desired extra space, but that’s not necessarily true.  Normandy’s Troy Pavelka offers suggestions on how to assess the space you already have, and you just might be surprised at what you find.

“The first step is to consider your needs and pain points to determine if extra square footage is truly necessary, or if a reconfiguration of your existing footprint will do the trick,” suggests Troy.

Blue painted cabinets for a home office

Take stock of your current space and determine how certain rooms or areas of the home are being utilized, and at what frequency. “You may have a dining room or a guest bedroom that is only used a few times a year for holidays or special events,” notes Troy. “It might make more sense to eliminate the formal dining room in order to expand the adjacent kitchen, or turn a guest bedroom into a home office, gym, or playroom versus building out an additional room.”

White kitchen was moved to a new location as part of a home reconfigurationA designer can help you see your home’s layout from a new perspective and offer up suggestions that you might never have imagined on your own. For example, “your kitchen doesn’t have to stay in the same place, which is something that people almost never consider,” says Troy. “If there’s a larger room in your home that’s rarely used, this may be a good opportunity to re-evaluate the entire first floor. Choosing to relocate or repurpose several rooms can create a floorplan that meets all your needs within the existing four walls of your home.”

Large Porcelain Hexagon Tile

After considering all your options within your existing home, you may determine that you need an addition after all. However, sometimes just a few extra feet will create enough breathing room to add a kitchen island, expand a bathroom, or create a mudroom. It’s not always necessary to add an entire room to your home, you just need to be smart with the space you have and the way it will interact with the space you’re adding.

A great designer will always ask those deeper questions to get to the root of what your needs really are. Talk with a Normandy Designer to get a true assessment before making the big commitment of an addition and find out if a reconfiguration may be a possibility for your home. You can also attend an upcoming Home Addition Workshop to learn more about your options. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to see some of our award-winning projects for inspiration.

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