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5 Reasons You Should Splurge on Custom Kitchen Cabinetry and High End Hardware

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If you’re remodeling your house or your kitchen, choosing the perfect kitchen cabinets is one of the most important decisions you’ll need to make. The kitchen cabinets are the largest and most visible part of your kitchen; they will determine the look and the feel, and add to or take away from the functionality of the entire room. Kitchen cabinetry isn’t something you change every day so your choices will stick with you for quite a while.  In this post, we will try to reassure you that investing a few extra bucks on custom kitchen cabinetry and high-end hardware will be worth it in the long run.

Poncey-Highland Traditional

  1. Think Long Term – The thing you need to keep in mind is that the decisions you make now are the decisions you will have to live with for quite a while. If you go for an option you’re not very excited about just to save a few dollars, you might regret this choice further on. And your kitchen is the place you’ll be seeing every day.
  2. Consider the Details – The great thing about custom cabinetry is that you can pay attention to all the details, including the materials, dimensions, colors, functionality, number of doors, the handle styles, etc. This is the true customization every kitchen enthusiast dreams of.
    Ansley Park Transitional
  3. Aim for Higher Quality – Another benefit of investing into remodeling your kitchen is that you’ll have the possibility to consider quality and unique hardware choices. Sometimes the little details make the world of difference.
  4. Value Over Time – The next thing to consider is the value you’ll be getting for your money, or cost vs. durability. If you choose the right materials and all the right features, you’ll be getting a beautiful kitchen that won’t be compromised for a long time. If you get lower quality hardware, it might get damaged by the moisture and steam in the kitchen, or you might damage it with a sharp or heavy object.
  5. Not Your Standard Kitchen Cabinets – If you need dimensions that are different from standard cabinet dimensions, including the length or the height, getting custom cabinets is the best and the most economic option. Getting regular sized cabinetry and then adapting it to your specific needs can get a lot more costly, time-consuming, and bottom line – ugly.

Custom kitchen cabinetry is one of the best ways to truly customize the overall design of your new kitchen. Take your time and create cabinets that you are sure you will love for many years to come. Give us a call at 404-378-6962 if you would like to discuss custom kitchen cabinets or potential designs for your new kitchen. We will schedule an appointment for a consultation to go into detail about your kitchen remodeling project.

Morningside - Transitional Craftsman

Why Your Current Kitchen May Not Be Enough and What You Can Do About It

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Whether you buy a home or build one from the ground up, you may find that as your family grows your need for space increases. One of the areas where this tends to be most apparent is the kitchen. A small kitchen is especially inconvenient if you like to entertain guests now and then. You will find that a lot of bottlenecking occurs, especially if you have to open the fridge door while others are moving around. Sometimes, a compact kitchen looks neat or fits with the design of the house. In more practical terms however, less is definitely not more.

Reworking Your Design

Once you realize that there are space limitations you are off to a good start. Two of the key points to keep in mind are the layout and accessibility. After you come up with a rough plan, you can start to think about lighting. The next big item will be storage and the choice of kitchen cabinets. For a truly modern kitchen, you should consider installing an island. This will give you so much more flexibility and not just in terms of design, but also with your storage and meal preparation. Take some time to think about where you will put all you appliances. You may be surprised to learn how changing the placement can improve the flow of your kitchen space.

Morningside - Transitional Craftsman

Reclaiming Exterior Space

Naturally, designing a better kitchen should not mean sacrificing space inside your home and making other areas feel cramped. So if you want a bigger kitchen, you will have to look to the outdoors. If your home has a porch adjacent to the kitchen, this can make your remodeling plans a bit easier. Convert this space to expand the kitchen, as this might be easier than removing an entire wall and putting in a new foundation. We would, however, need to ensure the structural stability of the new kitchen addition before proceeding with the remodel.

Improving the Features

A kitchen expansion project will call for alterations to the placement of lighting fixtures and the installation of new ones. Adding recessed shelves can make your new kitchen even roomier. Inset cabinets are becoming more popular as they help to create a sleeker look, and make more effective use of space. If you are planning for a bigger kitchen, take the extra step of modernizing the space in the process. We will call in an electrician as needed to ensure all of the work is up to code and properly and efficiently done.

Druid Hills - Classic Transitional

At Renewal Design-Build, we can assess your kitchen space needs and help you come up with the right plan for a renovation. Small changes are not enough when your kitchen is too small. You need a comprehensive plan for improvement, and a contractor capable of delivering on that plan. Allow us to show you some amazing ways to renovate your kitchen and make the most of the surrounding living areas.

Morningside - Transitional Craftsman

Choosing the Perfect Countertop for Your Atlanta Area Kitchen Remodel

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Kitchen remodeling options are often overwhelming. The sheer number of cabinet, countertop, hardware, and flooring options often makes homeowners take a step back and question whether they really want to remodel their kitchen. Renewal Design Build in Decatur, GA has experience with the types of countertops listed below and many more. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular options!

Granite: Granite is the most popular choice of countertop material for many homeowners. It offers a high-end look, increases the value of your home, and provides one of the most durable food preparation surfaces. Granite is a natural material, and no two countertops are the same. This makes it difficult to match multiple slabs for a uniform look throughout the kitchen while simultaneously increasing the unique appeal. Granite must be sealed regularly in order to maintain a flawless surface.

Honed Granite: Honed granite countertops are a twist on polished granite countertops. Honed granite provides a soft, matte finish instead of the highly polished glossy appearance of traditional granite. It is resistant to chipping, cracking, and heat, and slightly more affordable than polished granite.

Quartz: Quartz countertops are practically maintenance free. They’re stain, acid, scratch, impact, and heat resistant. They are nonporous, so you never need to seal them the way you do natural stone countertops. Quartz is the second-most popular countertop material; closely following granite.

Laminate: Laminate countertops are the most inexpensive option. The resurgence in popularity of laminate can be attributed to the low cost as well as to new patterns that resemble natural stone, wood, and many more high-end materials. Laminate is not heat resistant, but it is a cost effective way to try out different finishes every few years if you get bored easily.

Wood: Wood countertops provide a rustic, cottage style appearance. You absolutely must maintain a proper seal on the wooden countertop to keep it sanitary for cutting meats. Wood countertops are very heavy duty, very sturdy, and heat resistant.

Marble: Carrara or Calacatta marble is extremely beautiful and durable. The timeless appeal of marble provides a high-end appearance and works well with most types of modern kitchen decor. Marble’s smooth, cool surface is great for working with pastry and chocolate. It is on par with granite as far as cost is concerned. Marble can scratch easily and is susceptible to household stains.

Stainless Steel: Stainless steel countertops aren’t only intended for restaurant kitchens. Stainless offers a beautiful, modern look with clean lines. It’s extremely easy to clean and does not promote bacterial buildup. Many restaurants use stainless steel countertops because it is the most hygienic countertop.

Glass: Glass countertops are sleek with clean lines and a very glossy appearance. They’re very sturdy and may be cut into any shape. They’re a little more expensive then more popular options. The nonporous surface creates an easy-to-clean, stain resistant, hygienic countertop workspace.

As you can see, there are many countertop options. Many kitchens even mix countertop materials, such as wood and granite or marble and quartz.  An experienced designer can help you select the best countertop materials to suit your particular design and lifestyle.

Decatur - Loft

Kitchen Remodeling Trends to Spice Up Your Atlanta Kitchen

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Kitchen design trends got really colorful throughout 2014. Some of these trends have made headlines where others are merely a flash in the pan. How do you distinguish between something enduring vs. a fad that will be over by next year? Here are some of the current trends we are seeing in kitchen design.

Colorful Kitchen
Homeowners have really started showing off their personal tastes in the most recent remodeling projects. They are becoming bold with color choices, like a dark blue kitchen wall with bone cabinets and quartz countertops. Many appliances such as dishwashers, ranges and refrigerators are now available in bright hues.

Streamline the Room
Straight lines, muted tones, and a good combination of dark and bright accent pieces really make a kitchen shine. One of the most popular trends in kitchen design for 2014 is the addition of built-in appliances. The refrigerator is hidden behind a door that looks like a closet door and matches the rest of the room. The microwave follows suit and is no longer a stand-alone piece of countertop space hogging furniture. Some homeowners are even going for a built-in area for the coffee maker. When it comes to custom kitchen design, the sky is the limit!

Kitchen by Renewal Design-Build

New Kitchen Lighting Trends
Under-cabinet LED lighting and over-island LED lighting are very popular this year. LED lighting for the kitchen is very cost effective, and bright enough to really allow you to see what you’re doing. Food prep areas need sufficient lighting in order to prevent mistakes while cooking. And let’s face it; over cabinet and under cabinet lighting is just cool!

New Faucets
Everyone loves the convenience of the pull-out faucet, right? No need to have a faucet and sprayer as two separate entities. It saves space and makes the area look so much cleaner. This year some homeowners also included no-touch electronic faucets in their kitchen design. This seems to work better for a secondary sink where most of the food preparation takes place.

The island is a very popular workspace, and working with a variety of foods requires a lot of hand washing to prevent contamination. The knobs or handles catch a lot of germs each time you turn the water on or off. This risks the very thing you’re trying to avoid – contamination of your food. An electronic faucet prevents that altogether.

Grohe Contemporary Touch Faucet

A Place for Pets
Some homeowners block the kitchen with pet gates while others welcome their pet into every part of the home. This section speaks to the latter group of homeowners. You likely have a designated spot for pet food and water bowls. Let’s take that up a notch and think about actually creating a permanent spot in the kitchen that is out of the way and very convenient for your pets.
The end of a row of cabinets, a lower-tier drawer removal, or the end of an island make fantastic spots for pet food bowls. Modify that idea even further by adding a faucet nearby so it’s even easier and more convenient to fill the water bowl.

Built-in Pet Bowls

What Are Your Thoughts?
What would you consider a kitchen trend for 2014? What do you think about the ones we mentioned here, will they last? Would you like to see more about kitchens or would you prefer we cover other areas of the home in next month’s blog posts? Let us know your thoughts and ideas by commenting in the comments section or emailing us through the Contact Us page on the site!

Glass-Front Cabinets Create an Open and Airy Feel in the Kitchen

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kitchen remodeling

Renewal Design Build

Kitchen cabinets are one of the largest investments you can make in your kitchen, so it’s important that they are visually appealing and of high quality.  If the cabinets in your home are looking dated or if you need a new cabinet layout to make your kitchen more usable, we recommend you consider incorporating glass-front cabinets in your design.

Glass front cabinets allow you to show off your fine china, glassware, and favorite kitchen accessories instead of hiding them behind wooden cabinet doors. Any use of glass within the kitchen is also a fantastic way to increase the perception of space, giving the kitchen a more airy and open feel. Using glass front cabinets for a peninsula is also a great way to open up the kitchen to the adjoining room, not to mention that it helps to let in additional light.

You have some flexibility in the glass you choose for your cabinet front. If you like the look of glass and the extra light and airiness it brings to a kitchen, but don’t want to worry about keeping your cabinets looking untouched all the time, frosted, fluted or reeded glass helps to add a textured look that also obscures the contents.  Stained glass can also make a beautiful front to your cabinets while hiding what you store inside.  You can also opt for clear glass on a particular set of cabinets, like those above the stove or fridge, where you showcase items you love but don’t use very often.

Glass-front cabinetry is also a great way to add light to the kitchen.  Installing recessed lighting in the cabinets will showcase the contents of a clear glass-fronted cabinet and it will allow extra light into the kitchen through any glass cabinet door.  Some homeowners have even opted to put glass front cabinetry in front of picture windows, allowing you to see all the way through the cabinet to the outdoors.

If you are planning to remodel your kitchen in the Atlanta area, contact us at Renewal Design-Build at 404-378-6962.

What Does It Mean to Reface Kitchen Cabinets?

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kitchen remodeling

Renewal Design Build

Renovating your Atlanta home doesn’t always have to mean completely gutting the structure and starting from scratch. Sometimes you have a perfectly sound foundation that just needs a pick me up. One such place is often the kitchen, particularly the cabinets. This super important space, after all, does provide the most return on your investment when it comes to updating your home. And if your cabinet boxes are still in decent shape, you might opt for refacing instead of replacing.

Refacing the kitchen cabinets? What does that mean?

Refacing is simply the process of changing out the cabinet doors, but the original cabinet structure remains in place. But why would anyone choose to reface over replacing with custom kitchen cabinets?

  • Refacing takes less time – It takes much longer to have your cabinets replaced than to have them refaced. In addition to having to actually pick out new cabinets, you’ll also have to wait for the materials to arrive, have your old cabinets torn out and then have the new cabinets installed. Refacing your cabinets can generally take a week or less.
  • Refacing isn’t as disruptive –  When replacing your cabinets, you won’t be able to use your kitchen until the construction is finished. You can still use the kitchen during a refacing project, which will make things for your family a lot easier.
  • Comparable Quality – You can completely redo your cabinets by refacing them. You can add a thin veneer of plastic laminate or authentic wood to the surface of your cabinets in addition to adding new knobs, molding, pulls and hinges, thereby making your old cabinets look brand new. Custom cabinets really are necessary for an amazing makeover.
  • It’s green –  When cabinet boxes are gutted, they’re often sent to a local landfill. By refacing, you’ve saved materials and the energy/fuel it would have required to send those scraps to a landfill. It’s the ultimate way to use what you’ve got!

Would you like to find out if cabinet refacing is the right choice for your kitchen makeover? Be sure to contact Renewal Design Build right here in Atlanta for expert help in making the right choice!

Why Choose Quartz Countertops for Your Atlanta Kitchen Renovation?

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Quartz countertops are one of the trendiest kitchen countertop surfaces on the market right now.  They’re gorgeous, ultra-durable, low-maintenance, and environmentally friendly. If a kitchen renovation is on the horizon for you in 2013, consider the following qualities of quartz countertops to help you decide on a countertop material for your home.

quartz countertops atlanta

One of our many kitchen projects featuring quartz countertops

Aesthetics
Quartz is the second most plentiful mineral on the planet. The hexagonal crystals are mixed with an acrylic polymer to create quartz slabs. Depending upon the size of the crystals used, countertops can have a more sporadic “natural” pattern, similar to granite, or it can be finely ground for a more uniform look, like Corian.

Durability
Quartz countertops are incredibly durable due to their natural crystal structure and the inherent strength of the binding polymers. In fact, quartz is the most durable of the non-precious gems. Unlike granite, which is porous, requires sealing, and is prone to chipping and cracking, quartz is ultra-durable and will last a lifetime without issue.

Low-Maintenance
With no sealing or special treatments required, quartz countertops are extremely low-maintenance.  This makes them an excellent choice for busy families and professionals on the go.  Because quartz countertops are non-porous, they are easy to clean and will never stain. They are even scorch-resistant.

Eco-Friendly
Most quartz countertop products have a respectable percentage of recycled products included during the manufacturing process. In fact, some quartz countertop lines are even mined and manufactured here in the USA, cutting down on fossil fuel consumption.

For help turning your Atlanta kitchen from drab to fab with quartz countertops, call Renewal Design-Build at 404-378-6962 to discuss your needs.

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