Blog

Gone 'kitchen' (and bath!)--see you next week!

Here we have Maria lounging in Kohler's new VibrAcoustic Bathtub. You can literally feel the music while relaxing in this tub! These strategically placed transducers will provide the most beneficial effects to the body. 

Greater Houston Builders Association Rally Day in Austin

On February 20, 2013, more than 120 Greater Houston Builders Association members and over 800 industry representatives from across the state traveled to Austin to meet with legislators in the greater Houston delegation, and to advocate on behalf of the housing industry. Rally Day is intended to help those of us in the building community learn about the issues facing the residential construction industry, and it is designed to help us deliver our legislative agenda directly to our elected representatives.

Looking Ahead to KBIS

The team here at Cabinets & Designs is so looking forward to our annual trip to the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS), being held this year in New Orleans. Several members of our staff will be traveling to the Big Easy for the show, April 19-21. We look forward to this trip every year, and it is very exciting that it will be held so close, and in such a wonderful city. We love New Orleans!

Reorganizing Your Kitchen

The next best thing to a total kitchen makeover is a reorganization of your kitchen; reorganization makes your kitchen feel new, but can be done on a smaller budget. Making small changes can yield big results, so let’s take a look at some of our favorite ways to get more out of what you already have in your kitchen.

Introducing Rick Beckham, Newest Member of the Cabinets & Designs Family

The New Year has brought some changes to our Cabinets & Designs family, and we would like to take this opportunity to welcome Rick Beckham, CMKBD, to the fold.

Appliance Makeover

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year, filled with delicious food and quality time with family and friends. Everyone at Cabinets & Designs enjoyed a restful break, and now we are back, ready to help our clients redesign kitchens, baths, and everything in between!An interesting phenomenon occurs around the holidays, perhaps because we are doing so much more cooking—high-volume cooking, at that—and entertaining than usual. Many people are inspired to make changes to their kitchens during and after the holidays. Why?

Restaurants Serving on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Whether you and your family celebrate a holiday other than Christmas, or you just don’t want to be in charge of cooking the big Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals, we have some resources to help you find a place to find a delicious meal and spend quality time with your family on December 24 and 25. 

In Memory of Robert Crellen

All of us are deeply saddened at the loss of our good friend and close associate, Bob Crellen.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and we want to assure them his presence will be sincerely missed.

Giving Thanks

We just wanted to take a brief moment this week to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, and a wonderful holiday season. Thank you to all of our clients for the opportunity for creativity they bring to our lives!

Visit us on Houzz and Pinterest

Social media is such a great way to share design ideas and find new inspiration. Here at Cabinets & Designs, we love using social media to connect with our clients and potential clients; have you liked our Facebook page, followed us on Twitter, and checked out our YouTube channel? We love to hear from you via these channels to answer your design and renovation questions, and to share information with you about what is going on in the industry, as well as in our showroom.

Remodeling: A New Kitchen by New Year’s Eve

This is the time of year when people start thinking, “Boy, it would be great to have a brand new kitchen to entertain in during the holidays!” If you start now, you may have the finished product in time to show it off at a New Year’s Eve or Super Bowl party!

Grace: Queen of Closets

This week we sat down with Grace Coffman, AKBD, to talk about one of her special design passions—closets! Grace has over 12 years of industry experience, and in addition to closets, she has what it takes to create the kitchen or bath of your dreams! Whether you are embarking on a new construction, or the remodeling of an existing space, Grace will help you achieve the look you desire, with the functionality you need. 

The Cabinets & Designs Team

As we continue to celebrate our 40th year in business, the Cabinets & Designs staff invites you to stop in to see our showroom and speak with our staff to learn how we can help you transform any room in your house. Whether you are looking for a dream kitchen for entertaining guests, or an elegant, relaxing bedroom where you can escape from the rest of the world, the team at Cabinets & Designs can help.

Cabinets & Designs at 40

Cabinets & Designs is proud to announce that we are celebrating 40 years in the kitchen and bath industry this year! It’s hard to believe that forty years have gone by, and we are so grateful to our clients, new and old. Many of you have used us because your parents, or even your grandparents are our clients and that is something to be proud of—and believe us, we are. 

A Few Notes from KBIS

Attending industry shows is always exciting, and this year’s trip to the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show proved both productive and creatively stimulating. KBIS is the world’s largest international trade event dedicated exclusively to all aspects of kitchen and bath that specifically serves kitchen and bath dealers, designers, architects, remodelers, wholesalers and custom builders. Many of our favorite brands and designers were on-site, showing off their newest, most innovative products. Wood-Mode was out in full force, further expanding on their tradition of combining beauty and quality performance; never sacrificing style for substance, or vice-versa, Wood-Mode offers the best in contemporary and traditional styles to suit any home.

Transgenerational design and your home

According to Transgenerational Design Matters, the concept of “transgenerational design” means: The practice of making products and environments compatible with those physical and sensory impairments associated with human aging and which limit major activities of daily living. We think you can take the concept of transgenerational design a step further, and apply it as it pertains to homes in which multiple generations live and use the same space in different ways. How can you design your kitchens and bathrooms so they are safe for children, functional for parents, and usable by grandparents? TDM Principles says it best: “In short, transgenerational designs accommodate rather than discriminate, and innovate rather than replicate.” Let’s talk about that a bit further... 

The Forgotten Room: The Laundry

Most of us don’t do much in our laundry room besides the laundry, right? Even if it is a combined space—like a laundry/sewing room or laundry/bathroom—most of us think of the laundry as a work area; like most work areas, a few thoughtful updates can make that area work for you. 

Barbeque Season: Grills, Griddles and More

Whether it’s hot dogs and hamburgers, a “low and slow” brisket, or a load of vegetables from the farmers’ market, everything tastes better when it’s cooked on the grill. Here in Texas barbeque is practically an art form, and because every artist wants to work with the best tools, this week’s blog is all about the best in indoor and outdoor grilling—complete with a recipe from professional “barbeque artist”, Chef Garth Blackburn, Executive Chef of Sub-Zero/Wolf.

New Cabinets, New Feature

A beautiful new exterior isn’t the only design improvement you get when upgrading cabinetry; advancements in interior design features have improved efficiency, organization and accessibility for interior cabinet spaces. From kitchen remodels to home offices and media rooms, modern cabinetry can offer you improved space utilization in just about any room in your house. In the Bedroom

Interview with David Steffan, Sr.

Cabinets & Designs is going to feature a member of our team once a month in a blog.  We chose to start with the legend himself, the founder and owner of Cabinets & Designs, David Steffan, Sr.

The Finish Story

All finishes are not created equal.  Multiple hand and machine sanding and oven-baked drying operations are used on every finish to insure long-lasting quality and durability.  Wood-Mode/Brookhaven use a process of wetting the wood to raise the grain, along with one-and two-step hand staining, producing deep colors with enhanced wood grain and beauty.  Uniform color in the wood is achieved with toning and spray staining applications.  Catalyzed sealer, hand-sealer sanding, spec distressing and catalyzed matte or standard sheen varnish spray operations are used to create lifetime durability and beauty on our stained custom cabinet wood products. Wood-Mode’s catalyzed oven-baked varnish top coat with ultraviolet screen inhibitors provides maximum resistance to scuffing, dents, moisture, UV fade and most household chemicals.  The opaque finishes receive high quality sealer, primer and catalyzed color coats to insure beauty and lifetime durability. An extensive hand-sanding operation is performed between each spray application.  A multi-step hand-buffing process creates the smoothest, richest patina imaginable.

KBIS

The theme of this year’s Kitchen and Bath Industry Show is “Collaborate. Innovate. Inspire.” These three aspects of home design will be explored in detail by trade and industry partners, April 26-28 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. KBIS is the largest international trade event focused exclusively on every aspect of kitchen and bath design, and that caters specifically to kitchen and bath dealers, designers, architects, remodelers, wholesalers and custom builders. Described as “the ultimate destination to discover the latest products, designs, trends and education that industry has to offer, the show boasts:

Commercial Applications: Cabinetry

Are you thinking about an office remodel, or are you getting ready to build a new office facility? If you are embarking on a commercial project that requires installing new cabinetry we would love to help you! Our designers can help you choose the right cabinets for your project, as well as create an attractive and functional design for your offices. When in doubt we always recommend you Ask An Expert!

Media Room Cabinets

A media room is a place in your home that could benefit from the addition of cabinetry. Are you ready to dedicate an entire room to an entertainment area? Or are you looking to make your current family room/media room hybrid a more functional space? Either way, we offer design and cabinetry solutions that will make a difference. Like the kitchen, a media room is a space where we are likely to spend a lot of our time when we are at home, so installing cabinets serves to both organize the space and provide aesthetic appeal. After all a media room is full of equipment, right? DVDs and CDs (and their cases), wires and chargers, books and manuals, not to mention all of the high-tech toys themselves: gaming consoles and controllers, media players and remote controls, speakers...the list goes on and on. Looking for ideas? Read on!

Ask The Expert

We have received so many great questions on our ASK THE EXPERT page on our website that we thought we would share them with you.  We figured if one person had a question, surely someone else would be wondering the same thing.  We hope you find our answers helpful and informative.

Create a Kid Friendly Kitchen In Time For Summer

For many of us the kitchen is the real “family room” of our homes. It’s important to remember that when kids spend time in the kitchen, safety is important. That doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style for safety. This checklist of suggestions can help you incorporate kid-friendly features into your kitchen space. Use these ideas to help you create an accessible space that is safe and comfortable for users of every age. Keep the kids safe and make them feel like the kitchen is theirs, too, with these kid-friendly kitchen tips.

The 3 C’s of Working with Your Designer: Collaboration, Communication and Clarity

When you are embarking on a new home construction or remodel project it is important to communicate clearly with your designer. Communication is the cornerstone of any project, and when it comes to renovating your home openly conveying your ideas is crucial; after all, these changes are not only an investment, they are decisions that you will have to live with every day.We’ve compiled a list of suggestions and tips to help you and your designer collaborate on your home renovation. It’s not just about communication, but effective communication. Read on:

Back to Backsplashes

Is your kitchen the heart of your home? If your kitchen is where you gather with family and friends we know how important it is to you that it always look its very best. And that is where we come in! At Cabinets and Designs we are committed to helping you update your kitchen and to make the remodeling process as easy as possible. So let’s bring the conversation back; specifically, back to backsplashes.

HOW TO CHOOSE A DESIGNER

Remodeling projects are often a large undertaking and can last months, therefore it is essential to choose your designer wisely.  The right designer will use your input, follow your budget, and try to make the project go as smoothly as possible.  If you follow the guidelines below you will have a good foundation for making your project a pleasant and worthwhile experience.

NEW YEAR’S REMODELING RESOLUTIONS

Sometimes remodeling can seem like a daunting task.  We at Cabinets & Designs have come up with a variety of projects to suit any level of ambition.START SMALL… Even small changes can have a big outcome.