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What You Need To Know About Remodeling in a High Rise

Living in a high rise has many benefits: on-site maintenance, higher security, free use of a pool or gym. However, if you’re remodeling your high rise unit, you may see a few drawbacks to the lifestyle. There are challenges specific to owners and contractors when renovating in a high rise. Keep in mind, the rules are in place for the safety and comfort of all the residents and the workers.

Using Interior Glass for Distinct Design

When remodeling or upgrading your home, glass elements can solve typical design dilemmas. Mirrors have traditionally been used to add the illusion of extra space in a room. Transparent or partially opaque glass panels or doors separate rooms into distinct spaces without obstructing light. Decorative and colored glass features give your home a unique look and feel while unifying its design. However it is integrated into your design, glass adds sparkle to your room and personality to your home. In The Kitchen:

Want a New Kitchen for the Holiday Season? Better Start Now!

Remodeling a kitchen is a major task, even at the best of times. It means weeks of take-out and paper plates, workmen and dust. The pay-off for all the upheaval is the kitchen of your dreams. At the very least, it’s a kitchen in which you can prepare a holiday meal for the extended family without wanting to scream. Though it seems far off, if you want your kitchen to be ready for the in-laws this holiday season, you need to start now. Kitchen Remodeling Timeline: 

Stop! Do Those Cabinets Have a Lifetime Warranty?

When you’re comparison shopping for new cabinets, one consideration should be the warranty. Obviously, various manufacturers will offer different warranties. However, manufacturers may also offer different warranties for their various product lines. Typically, the higher the quality of the cabinetry line, the better the warranty. Since your cabinets are meant to last, make sure your warranty will, too.  The first thing to consider when comparing warranties is the coverage period. Most warranties fall into one of three categories: one year, five year, or lifetime. High quality cabinets should always come with a lifetime warranty. If a manufacturer is not willing to stand behind its product, you should be leery. However, not all lifetime warranties are created equal. Some manufacturers consider 10 years a lifetime. Unless you are planning on moving or remodeling in 10 years, it is probably not what you would consider a lifetime. Instead, look for a warranty that covers the cabinets for the full period of time you will live with them. Both the Wood-Mode and Brookhaven Cabinetry lines offer limited lifetime warranties that cover your cabinets for as long as you own your home.If the period of coverage is only limited by how long you own the cabinets, the next consideration is what exactly is covered by the warranty. It is standard to cover defects in workmanship or materials for the original owner at the original installation site. Some manufacturers will cover drawer slides and hinges, as well. Generally, any defects arising from misuse, neglect or modification of the product will not be covered by a standard warranty. Since even lifetime warranties differ on what will or will not be covered, you should carefully review the options with your sales person before deciding on your cabinets. As some warranties vary by state, your sales professional should also be able to tell you which exclusions apply where you live. Ideally, you won’t have any claims. However, you need to make sure you know what compensation you will receive if you do make a claim. Most companies provide repair or replacement of the defective part. While the cost of replacement may be covered, additional costs may ensue if the workmen need to remove countertops or appliances during the repair. Always check with your dealer so you know their policies ahead of time.Your manufacturer’s warranty is only as good as the company ensuring it. Should you need to make a claim, you’ll have to go through the company who initially installed the cabinets. Therefore, you should start by choosing a reputable, established dealer in your area. Make sure to ask as many questions of your salesperson to feel comfortable with the terms of your warranty and the people backing it. If your warranty is for a lifetime, you should want a relationship with the company to last as long.

New Showroom, New Award, Same Great Design Company

Earlier this week we were thinking about all the major changes that have taken place at Cabinets & Designs, Inc. the past few months.  If you’ll indulge us a bit, we would love to share some accomplishments with you.  At the beginning of this year we moved into our new showroom on Westheimer at Mid Lane.  We expanded our displays to include custom closet, bathroom, media center, wet bar and, of course, more kitchens.  The showroom features our own interpretation of Wood-Mode Themes of Hudson Valley, Linear Solutions, Provence and Lakeshore among others.  Since we have a fully built display for every room in the house, Wood-Mode awarded us with the title “Wood-Mode Exclusive Lifestyle Designs Showroom”.  This distinction is reserved for a very small number of showrooms across the country and we’re number one in Houston.Not only are we Houston’s Newest Lifestyle Showroom, we are the first showroom to feature the new crackle finish and the X-Mullion Medallion door style.  Also on display are a Caramelized Bamboo Chef’s Pantry encased with a contemporary Java frame, a French Country Sub-Zero Armoire and much more…To celebrate our new showroom we had a grand opening event throughout March.  To share our joy with our valued customers, we had a drawing for some valuable prizes.  The lucky winners are listed below.

Father's Day Has Us Thinking About Dad and the Kitchen

As Father’s Day approaches, pictures of Dad grilling steaks while drinking a beer with his buddies spring to mind. However, newer generations may be replacing this quintessential image with a more sophisticated version of Dad: placing the finishing touches on a Boeuf Bourguignon while sipping a wine from the accompanying region. We’ve noticed that men have become more involved in their kitchen makeovers, and think it’s because they are spending more time in the kitchen. We have a few theories as to why:

Keeping a Shared Closet Organized

Many of us get used to having our own personal closets when we live alone.  Life does not always remain the same and we may go on to share our rooms with friends, colleagues, or significant others. Transitioning from having your own closet to sharing a closet with someone can be difficult.  You may need to adjust the way you organize to make space for two where there was once only one!Start by each person designating a personal storage space within the closet. Try to make this as fair as possible while keeping in mind one person may have more to store than the other.  Consider yourself lucky if your partner does not require much storage space and allows you to have the lion's share. Following the division of storage space, you should clean up the clutter. You have to be ruthless in this case. Just do away with items that you are not using anymore; some of them might be useful to others.  You can always donate items to friends, family, or those less fortunate than you.  Cleaning the clutter is an activity that should be redone periodically otherwise you will find your closet getting filled with things you do not need or use. Now comes the organizing part.  Invest in shelf dividers, hangars, shoe-holders, hanging sweater organizers, and other compartmentalized products; they are extremely useful in keeping your closet organized.  Consider storing items that are not used very often (holiday decorations or seasonal clothing) in a different place, such as in suitable containers under the bed. 

Choosing the Perfect Type of Wood for your Custom Cabinetry

Are you considering custom cabinetry for your kitchen? Incorporating custom cabinets can enhance the beauty of your kitchen while adding resale value to your home, since they can be customized to coordinate with your home décor. However, in order to maintain the perfect balance between beauty and durability of cabinets, you need to make sure they are built of the right species of wood for you. Here are some of the most popular woods used in custom cabinetry. Take your pick:

Why You Should Use Frameless Cabinets in Your Kitchen

Kitchen cabinets add definition to your kitchen and also help in maximizing utilization of available space. This comes in handy particularly if you have a habit of keeping your kitchen chock full of supplies at all times. Cabinets will play an even bigger role in keeping your kitchen organized if you have a smaller kitchen with limited available space.

Keeping Bathroom Cabinets Organized

Cluttered bathroom cabinets are a frequent sight. Not only do they look bad but they can also make it difficult for you to locate required items especially when you are in a hurry. Moreover, people with cluttered bathroom cabinets sometimes repurchase items that they already have but were not able to locate. However it is not very difficult to organize a bathroom cabinet in a useful manner and keep it neat with a little conscious effort. The first step towards organizing your bathroom cabinet is to take out all the stuff and then sort them into similar categories. For example, the razor, shaving cream and after-shave would belong to the same space. Next you should scrupulously discard anything that you are not using as well as those items that are way past the expiration dates. This step would alone reduce a lot of clutter and make space for the required stuff.After you have sorted all the required items into groups you can begin the process of arranging them in the cabinet. One useful tip in this step would be to place things that you use more frequently in the lower shelves and those that you use less frequently to rarely in the upper ones. If you have under-counter storage, then you should invest in boxes or bins - whichever fits best in the available space. A three-drawer plastic unit can be very useful, as it will help you keep three groups of items neatly organized.After you have successfully organized your bathroom cabinet, you should keep in mind that in order to maintain it that way you should develop the habit of keeping items back in their designated places after using them. Also keep track of expiration dates, other than needlessly occupying space; they can also be harmful if used.  When it comes time to remodel your bathroom, consider integrating organization options into your new cabinets.  Our expert designers can help you find the right cabinets to fit your needs.   

Creating your Home Office

Do you run a small business from your home?  Purchasing the right kind of cabinetry will improve productivity, efficiency and make your office look more professional to visiting clients.

Buying the perfect bathroom cabinets

Your bathroom is never complete without a bathroom cabinet, no matter how good the quality of your plumbing and furniture is. A properly designed bathroom cabinet will let you keep your toiletries organized, and will considerably improve the overall look and feel of your bathroom. Choosing the proper cabinet for your bathroom is important. Here are some quick pointers on how you can get great quality custom cabinetry for your bathroom.

How to Choose Custom Kitchen Cabinetry for Your Kitchen

When planning to revamp your kitchen, remember to pay special attention to cabinets. When planning to revamp your kitchen, keep in mind that custom cabinetry can transform your entire space, and increase the value of your home.Choosing the perfect custom cabinetry to match your kitchen décor is not an easy task. You need to consider the construction, color, and design of the cabinetry. Here are some pointers to help you choose the perfect cabinet for your kitchen.

Why You Should Install a Quartz Countertop in Your Kitchen

Are you planning to get a new countertop for your kitchen? Why not go for a quartz countertop this time? These countertops are made of slabs of quartz bonded together with a special type of epoxy resin. The result is a high durability countertop that goes great with any kind of kitchen décor. If your old wooden countertop has been showing signs of age, it is high time you replaced it with a much better alternative.

Get more out of your media center by better organization

Media centers are a source of great joy to movie and sports buff. They provide endless hours of entertainment whether the owner wants to use them alone or share the experience with like-minded friends and family members. But behind all this fun lies the reality of a tangled mess of wires and cables and discs scattered here and there separated from their cases, or worse, placed in the wrong cases. All this can dampen the enjoyment home media centers can provide. If you are someone who is facing the problem of a disorganized media center, then you might be familiar with instances when you couldn't find the remote or the DVD that you wanted to see. The only way to prevent such undesired occurrences is to keep the media center well-organized.

Effective tips for organizing a kitchen

The kitchen might just be among the most difficult spaces to organize, but it is certainly not unconquerable. In this article we will show you how the application of some simple strategies will transform even the most badly organized kitchens into the most well organized ones.