Twas the Night before New Years

Twas the night before New Years, and Sally was sad,

Her kitchen had problems, the layout was bad.

She tossed and she turned to think what to do, 

'Can I have an island?', her options were few.

She needed advice to help her despair,

Christine the designer said, 'I will be there!'

The refer was move to open the aisle,

The back splash renewed to now be of tile.

An island was made for storage and sink, 

New venting was used to take out the stink.

The space plan was solved, decor was a treasure.

'My job here is done, now go cook with pleasure.'

Christine then did smile, as she drove out of sight,

'Nifty kitchens for all  and to all a good night!'

Wanda's Wonderful Kitchen

This kitchen remodel is part of a whole house remodel that we designed for our wonderful client Wanda Kristjanson.  With the help of our structural engineer John Nissen, we were able to open up the kitchen into the dining/living room, add vertical space and give Wanda the island that she always wanted.  We were able to remove the wall between the kitchen and the dining area and create a large island with seating for guests.  We also relocated a fireplace that had been inhibiting space in the existing kitchen (see before picture)  Acacia wood flooring coupled with horizontal grain bamboo cabinets are offset by a striking black mosaic tile backsplash.

Perfect for entertaining as well as daily living, Wanda's wonderful kitchen is a good example of how your surroundings can significantly impact your level of happiness.  Wanda is happy and that makes me happy!

 Before picture kitchen:

My Peace - My Space - My Energy Savings

Sometimes you cannot be the person who invents new energy sources or figures out how to take wheat board and make it into edible salad croutons.  Sometimes you are just the person who follows the mandatory recycling/composting rules, watches documentaries on global warming and takes walking vacations in Spain (my father said, you call that a Vacation?)

How can I still make a difference?

My Peace – meditate for inner peace.

My Space– it is suggested that low-tech actions such as weatherizing homes and installing more-efficient water heaters could reduce household carbon emissions by 20% within 10 years.

Appliances – BIG energy savings can come by replacing old appliances with energy efficient EnergyStar appliances. (dishwashers, washers, dryers, refrigerators, etc)

Toilets– need I tell you again? Replace the old water wasters with HET (High Efficiency Toilets) and watch your savings on your utility bill.  Installing a HET can save up to 22,000 gallons of water per year. 

Water Heaters – install more efficient water heaters

Insulate – my home, like many other older home had NO INSULATION in the exterior walls. When remodeling, add insulation and watch your heating bill dwindle.

Windows – replace old windows with the double paned variety, no more drafts!

Plumbing Fixtures– look for the WaterSense label to curb your water usage.

Leaking pipes & faucets– can waste as much as 7 liters a day.

Yard – selecting plants that coordinate with our weather will reduce watering costs

Rainwater harvesting – collecting rainwater, primarily from your roof, can offset your irrigation/yard watering costs.  If you want to go further, you can install a filtration system and plumb the water back into your home to be used to flush your toilets.

New Habits – turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth, take shorter showers, use the dishwasher only when you have a full load, thaw frozen food in the microwave

My Energy Savings – makes me happy and brings me full circle to my inner peace…..I am just ‘me’ and that is okay.

Refrigeration that adapts to our lives

Have you ever notices that many home designs and products do not fit our current lifestyle?  Perhaps at one time all humans were smaller and could easily fit through 28" wide doors and we all needed formal living rooms.  Back when indoor refrigeration was invented it was the center of attention in anyone's kitchen.  It was a single refrigerator and our cabinets, walls, lighting, lifestyle adapted to this new invention.  Finally, (has it been around 70-80 years?), refrigeration is adapting to our lifestyles.  Want your refrigerator to blend in with the cabinets instead of taking the full spotlight?  Then you want a built-in 24"deep unit.  Guess what, you still can have the same amount of interior space, (in cubic inches) they just make them taller!  You can select an all refrigerator, an all freezer, or a combo, or one of each and put them in different areas of your home/kitchen.  You can have the freezer on the top, or on the bottom, or on the side or in a different unit.  You can have freezer drawers or refer drawers which can be located where you want to access that type of food.  Like extra sinks in your kitchen, additional refrigeration can be strategically placed to accommodate specific needs (beverage center, snacks for kids, ice cream in the tv room)  You now have a choice, you can get refrigerators that are bigger stronger and more efficient, or you can have several smaller strategically placed refrigeration units.  Want a new refrigerator but you do not want to tear up your cabinets for the change?  There is a 21" deep refrigerator that fits INSIDE a pantry cabinet (including ventilation space) and has hardware that allows the refrigerator door attach to your existing cabinet door! Check out the Fully Integrated refrigeration units at www.Liebherr-appliances.com for a trip to refrigerator heaven!