One of my customers, a retired kitchen designer, recently bought a house with a kitchen that didn't have enough storage. The main part of the kitchen is on a peninsula overlooking the living room, so there are no upper cabinets over the sink, just a couple of really cool light fixtures. She came up with a creative idea to install a set of IKEA cabinets from their "LIXHULT" line. These are colorful, modular, metal cabinets which come in various sizes. On my first visit, I worked with her to install 11 cabinets to her specifications. It looked like an extension of the art collage on the other wall. She was very happy... ...but in a lucky twist of fate, she had ordered a few too many cabinets. She initially planned to use them in her grandchildren's guest bedroom. However, she started experimenting after I left and soon called me back out to add them to our assemblage in the kitchen. Despite the small size of the individual boxes, the new pantry holds a surprising amount of stuff. I really like the little rails on the insides of the doors to hold recipe cards and notebooks. The extra cabinets were a lucky addition, since they make the whole unit look more substantial. Even though IKEA cabinets are usually very "do it yourself," this was definitely a good time to hire a handyman to install them. The cabinets needed to be mounted into studs, and with such small units, there's not always a stud where you need one! With all of the heavy stuff that could be stored in these cabinets, this becomes a safety issue and needs to be done right.
So if you'd like to try this look in your home, tap the big orange button to call in a pro for the job: I've been doing a lot of painting this Spring... it seems like everybody needs an interior painter near Asheville to freshen up their digs. One of the biggest transformations so far has been in this bathroom, which went from bland beige to bold blue. The color is "Indigo Batik" by Sherwin Williams. The deep color really sets off the white trim and vanity, making even the untouched parts of the room look crisp and new. I've found that painting walls a dark blue like this doesn't make the room look smaller, It even looks good in little half-baths. Maybe it's because blue is a cool color that recedes from the eye. By the way, the best time to hire a professional painter is when you're planning to use dark colors against light ones, like with this room's trim and ceiling. It's crucial to be able to cut in a smooth line, because the contrast makes any mistakes immediately obvious. If you have a tricky painting job that needs a steady hand, why not have a pro do it? We'll leave a smooth line every time.
The New Year is nearly here, and I like to take this time to look back on the old year and remember all of the cool projects that came our way. Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order. Click any picture to read the original post about the project. Two Custom Laundry ClosetsTailored laundry closets can make a big difference in the value of your home with a relatively small investment... and meanwhile you get to enjoy a well-organized space to do your household chores. These two laundry areas were designed to fit very different spaces; one is tucked into a hallway, and the other is a complete room with extra cupboards and a coat rack. A Built-In Platform Storage BedThis little bed has a big surprise... ..drawers that pull open to allow storage of clothes or toys. When the little girl grows up, it can serve as a window seat instead. English-Style Mudroom CubbiesSpeaking of storing your kids' stuff, check out these mudroom cubbies which I built for a family of seven. Now that winter has rolled around, they're really getting some use out of them. Custom Kitchen IslandThis island has a classic and versatile style, and it could be sized to fit any kitchen. It has storage for dishes on one side, and seating on the other, so it doubles as a breakfast bar. Portuguese TilesI know I showed these tiles off fairly recently, but since I installed them, the homeowner has mentioned a few interesting facts which I left out in my original post. These are reclaimed vintage tiles from Portugal, and their original use was industrial, which is hard to believe given how beautiful they are. (My customer says, "They decorate everything over there.") The tiles make wonderful "washable art." Building a Deck with Livestock Panel RailingsSince we're headed into the depths of winter, I couldn't resist showing off my favorite outdoor project from last summer, just to remind us all that the warm weather will return soon. If you're ready to get a head start on the New Year and get some of your projects done, give us a call. We'll be glad to make your vision into reality.
One of my customers recently returned from a trip to Spain and Portugal with a suitcase full of hand-painted tiles. Wow, what a souvenir! It took her awhile to decide what to do with them. Her kitchen doesn't lend itself to a tiled backsplash, and even her kitchen island already has a nice marble top. But after some thought, she came up with a place for them: the side of the island. If I had been deciding how to lay these out, I might have spent all day dithering over the right placement, but she confidently spread them out on the floor with barely a moment's hesitation. I like the way she left a bold symmetrical tile in the middle. Notice that there are no grout lines! That's the great thing about using tiles in purely decorative places, where no water will splash on them: you can just butt them together. The close placement really sets off the "patchwork" effect. They look great with the colorful art in the rest of the kitchen. Speaking of colorful art, we had some tiles left over, so we put them in the dining room near her red wall. I love this idea. It's durable, washable art. If you need someone to install tiles in your Asheville kitchen or bathroom, give us a call. Whether it's fancy hand-painted porcelain or simple gel tiles, we'll be glad to help you make your home beautiful.
I recently built a custom kitchen island with a butcher-block top for one of my Asheville customers, and I really like how it turned out. It's one of those pieces that would look great in any kitchen, and it can be built to any size. Take a look: I outsourced the top to Forever Joint Tops, LLC and they did a good job. It's a mixture of several kinds of wood, and there's a lot of figure and contrast in the grain. Pictures don't really do it justice, but here's my best try at showing it off: The island is divided along the middle to separate the open shelving from the other side, which serves as a seating area so that the island can double as a breakfast bar. When I originally built the island, I brought the paneling all the way to the floor, which gave it an old-fashioned look like an upright piano. Notice that beautiful wooden paneling. That's not bead-board. It's called "V-groove" paneling, and it has broader spaces between the lines for a chunkier look. It's more like ship-lap panels, only with vertical lines. It was so pretty that I was sorry to paint over it. Maybe my next project will have a natural finish. I liked the old-fashioned look of the long panels, but I think my customer was right to ask me to bring up the bottom edge to meet the lower shelf. The extra space underneath means more legroom when you sit down to eat breakfast. That's why I love custom work: my clients often have great ideas, and collaborating to make something beautiful is part of the fun. If you need a custom island to fit your Asheville kitchen, give me a call. As an experienced furniture maker, I can build it to your specifications, and even paint it to match your cabinets. You can see more examples of my work on our kitchen islands page, or if you're ready to get in touch and share your own ideas, click this big orange button to...
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