Pairing Practicality with Style
/At Hardwood Specialties, we care about more than a pretty facelift for your house. Our solutions for lighting, cabinetry and more upgrade the look AND functionality of your home.
Luxury is about more than looking great.
Coming home to a place where the style fits your family perfectly is about as good as it gets. Having a home that’s as hard working as it is beautiful? That’s the cake under the icing!
Our clients come to us for more than ideas for designing an ideal home environment. They know we’re the experts on which products last longest and work best for families with pets, how to properly install everything from bathroom fixtures to tile and how to add details that seem small but have a big impact on day-to-day convenience.
We spend a lot of our time in rooms like the bathroom and kitchen. How often do family gatherings turn into hanging out around the kitchen island? Making Christmas cookies at the holidays, cooling down with iced tea in the summer … some of the sweetest memories happen here.
So, when is the best time to start a kitchen remodel?
While the planning stage is exciting, keep in mind that kitchen remodels take time. Measuring, choosing decor, appliances, flooring, lighting and cabinetry also take time. And, although we have many premium products in our warehouse at Hardwood Specialties, custom cabinets are made to order— and that takes time. The bottom line? If you want to welcome your family to a fresh, stylish, re-imagined kitchen by the holidays, start this summer.
This article from This Old House outlines some pitfalls to avoid with your kitchen remodel (such as choosing the wrong general contractor!) and a few practical considerations, such as how you’ll be using your remodeled space.
This article from This Old House outlines some pitfalls to avoid with your kitchen remodel (such as choosing the wrong general contractor!) and a few practical considerations, such as how you’ll be using your remodeled space.
How can we make your kitchen more inviting and easy to use?
Some solutions are simple, like replacing your basic cabinetry with custom cabinets built to perfectly fit your space and your lifestyle. Choose hardware that will be stylish and easy to use (if you’ve ever struggled with awkward drawer pulls, you know how important handles are!) Pick a finish that matches your design personality, and will stand up to kids’ handprints, spills and time.
For this client, we needed to solve a lighting problem. She needed better illumination that didn’t get in the way. So, we installed under-cabinet lighting that’s barely noticeable, yet floods every corner of the counter with light. It’s the kind of upgrade you don’t know you’re missing until you have it … then, you wonder how you ever chopped, mixed, brewed and baked in a kitchen that was so dim!
We also included under-counter lighting at the floor level, which introduces a soft glow that makes the entire room more welcoming.
These kinds of upgrades work well with every style: modern, country chic, bohemian, minimalist … you choose it, and we can help make it more practical.
And, don’t forget good old overhead lighting. We consider ceiling fans and fixtures the jewelry of your room!
A note on countertops:
There are so many choices on the market today for countertops. As with cabinets, flooring and lighting, you should carefully consider both style and durability when you choose your counters. Butcherblock? Granite? Concrete? We can show you samples of the best products out there, and help you pick the best countertops for your new kitchen.