Are you ready for the Holiday Season?

The holiday season is underway!  Kitchen's are moving into high gear!  Lots of cookies, homemade gifts, and holiday meals are being prepared in our homes at a high rate of speed!  Is your kitchen ready?  If it isn't, don't worry there is always next year!  Now is NOT the time to think about remodeling for this years festivites.  Sounds logical, right?  You'd be suprised! 

So if you want your space remodeled better to think about next year and here's why!  It can take 6 to 12 weeks on average for cabinets to arrive and that doesn't include the time it takes to plan, meet with your designers, arrange financing, arrange for contractors, and do all of your selections.  It can take 3 months or more to get on the schedule for really good contractors!  Projects can range from several weeks of installation for minor updates to several months for major remodeling!  And if you need to really think through all the design possibilities, well only you know how long that can take! 

So after the last holiday leftover is tucked safely away, pull out your ideas, pictures, and head in to see us!  The more time you can give your project the better off you will be!  I know I like to really spend time getting to know my clients, how they cook, interact with family and friends, and what their dreams are before I sit down at the drafting board and start drawing (yes, I am old fashioned that way!). 

Here's to hoping your holiday season is filled with laughter from your loved ones! 

New Countertop Materials--sort of!

Plastic Laminate countertops and Cultured Marble countertops have been around for a long time but they both have made some interesting strides in finishes that I am really excited to share! 

Formica has introduced the FX series of countertops.  It is an exciting series of Granite-Like colors unlike their regular series! 
The have the look of granite and what is most impressive is that they have a texture to the finish that feels and looks more like a honed granite.  They are BEAUTIFUL!   We are very excited about them.  The price higher than the regular matte laminate finishes but fall well below Honed Granites!  We have several large samples to show and they look like slabs of granite! 

The other Countertop material that I am excited to talk about is the Cultured Marbe that is made of recycled materials.  They use crushed walnut shells, green bottles, glass, beer bottles, and mason jars.  The tops have a transulency that is beautiful and the best part is that they are in the same price point as our mid-priced cultured marbles!  Finally a "green" product with a reasonable price tag! 

The best part of this business is the constant innovations!  Every day something new comes out.  Sometimes it is terrific like these 2 products are! 

Before and After

I just got back from visting a job site and the changes in the room are dramatic!  Removing a wall between the dining room and the kitchen has made 2 dated, tiny cramped spaces into one great space!  Now there is enough room for a great island with seating and the dining room table.  No one is cramped and each space is used daily.  The white cabinets and black countertops give the room a Rejuvanted look.  They are clean and stylish without being too trendy.  Blue walls, black hardware, and stylized window treatments give the room trendy punches that can be changed at a moments notice!  It is fun to see these projects when they are finished and are being used!  This one was a sheer joy to be involved with!  Enjoy the Before and After snapshots I took! 

Cleaning your cabinetry

What's the best thing to clean your cabinetry?  Our cabinet manufactureres recommend that you use a polish that doesn't contain silicon.  Guardsman is a good one.  I have purchased it at Dahl's and have seen it at the "Box" Stores.  Use this when you need a good polish.  Daily Cleaning is simple.  Damp rag, wipe off with dry cloth.  Don't use the same rag that you used to wash your dishes!  Even if you clean it out it still contains detergents that are potentially damaging to the finish.  On that note, don't clean your handles with any cleaner.  Just a damp rag followed by a dry one.  Most hardware has protective coatings that will erode with chemicals!

Empowering yourself

This week I have been  thinking alot about what is in and what it out.  I have had so many people stop in or call the showroom confused and bewildered by the information that they are getting from experts! 

Case and Point, a couple stopped in wanting new countertops and were so confused and overwhelmed by the materials and colors available.  After looking at their samples and listening to their story it was clear that they knew what they liked and wanted what they liked whether it was in style or not.  They were even told by an "expert" not to paint their wainscotting even though it depressed them to look at it and enter the spaces where it was because it just might come back into style!    I have to say it broke my heart.  No space should ever, EVER depress the owners!  If it does, why not paint it?  Our homes must soothe us and be our place of refuge! 

After 20 minutes of combing samples and showing them that what they wanted would work in their space they left my office feeling empowered and excited about their home.  I even received a phone call from them the next morning saying how grateful they were to me for that empowerment.  All experts should be that way but they are not.  If you find you are bound by someone else's rules and tastes and you have lost your sense of self then they are not the right expert for you! 

So many people are playing with color these days.  It is a quick inexpensive update to do to your home.  New paint, new countertops, new hardware can quickly spruce up a space.  Just remember that sprucing up doesn't fix poor layouts or poor quality workmanship. 

Have a good weekend--Thanks for visiting. 

What's In

When people discover that I am a Kitchen Designer, I am always asked, "What's In?".  That is such a difficult question to answer!  I can certainly tell you what colors and materials are hot but I don't think that is as accurate as telling people to follow their hearts!  Right now our most popular colors are those yummy, dark chocolatey colors but if they are not right for you, than "what's in" isn't a good barometer for you! 

Instead take a good look at what colors and styles you have always been drawn to!  Clip out pictures from magazines, visit showrooms, tour houses and take notes!  Look at your belongings from your accessories on your table tops to your clothing!  You will see your style emerging.   A good kitchen designer will look at all those cues and help you develop your style rather than dictating that you follow what is "hot" if it isn't right for you! 

The other thing is to pay attention to the style of your house!  Whether it is an Arts and Crafts Bungalow, Old Colonial Revival, Suburbia 50's, Contemporary, or Uban Loft your house has a story to tell and honoring that to some degree will also help make your space wonderful!

Introduction to Stephanie Burris

Let me introduce myself, my name is Stephanie Burris.  I am a kitchen designer with almost 20 years experience in the kitchen industry--11 of them with Builders Kitchen.  I have worked in all areas of Kitchen Design.  I started off in the box stores in Springfield, Mo.  I worked for an award winning, high-end firm in Oklahoma City before landing in Des Moines.  I have worked on everything from minor updates, new homes, to full scale remodels and everything in between.  I have had recoginition in local and national television and magazine publications.  Along the way I have accumulated lots of information and ideas.  Combined with my collegues talents, we can offer reliable advice, ideas, and opinions!  I hope that you visit this site often and ask lots of questions!  Thanks for visiting!