Friday, February 28, 2014

2014 Smart Storage Solutions for Small Kitchen Design

Smart planning and innovative kitchen design solutions transform these kitchens into storage packed spaces.

You'll love these ideas to try in 2014! I hope you find these ideas useful and inspiring to you .... Enjoy it !!!!


A new desk and banquette bench were added adjacent to the kitchen to provide more storage and a dedicated home office.


An extra row of drawers flanking the refrigerator adds the perfect amount of storage near the door. Cabinetry runs all the way to the countertop to make use of every inch of space.


Pullout racks and utensil organizers were added after installation creating smart storage without the custom-cabinetry price tag.


The island offers prep space, close to the range storage for pots and pans, and proximity to a pullout trash and recycling center. This drawer within a drawer in the island makes it easy to keep pots and lids separate and organized.


The homeowner was determined to infuse the kitchen with rich elements to give it distinction. The Calacatta marble tile backsplash, for example, runs up the wall to meet horizontally oriented beaded-board paneling, which also appears in the adjacent family room. Turning beaded board sideways creates strong horizontal lines that make walls appear longer.


A sink made of the same material as the countertops presents a sleek, clean look. A window ledge provides bonus display and storage space behind the integrated sink and traditional bridge faucet.


A firm believer in open storage, this homeowner uses shelves to keep everyday items easy to see and reach. Shelves next to the refrigerator hold the microwave and wine cooler; the latter frees up space in the fridge.


More open storage opposite the refrigerator wall is supported by shapely brackets. The dark metal complements similar tones in the floor, counters, doors, and window frames, and it adds pizzazz to simple open shelves that provide both display and storage space. The shelves keep items used every day in an easily accessible place, and a top shelf, which might be hard to reach, is used to showcase art and decorative objects rather than kitchen essentials.


The space around the range was smartly outfitted for cooking. A knife drawer on one side of the range features an integrated cutting board for quick chopping.


To the right of the range, a drawer stores spices neatly and out of the light, keeping them fresh and easy to grab when cooking at the range or doing prep work on the counter above.


The small peninsula serves as a bar area, complete with undercounter beverage chillers and a pullout liquor cabinet. A deep, cased archway provides a gracious transition from the dining room to the colorful kitchen.


Store Up High : There wasn't enough space for a walk-in pantry, so the custom-designed cabinetry extends to the ceiling to maximize storage. A library ladder that rolls along a rail provides access to the top row of cabinets. Cleverly concealed pullouts store spices, bottles, platters, and trays. The slim pullout shelf below the pantry cabinet serves as a temporary landing space for items without permanently intruding on the walkway.


A corner pullout unit stores large cookware and avoids wasting space in a corner cabinet. The pullout unit brings the cabinet contents into clear view, eliminating the likelihood of losing items in the recesses of a deep cabinet.


Appliances were also chosen with capacity in mind. Paired refrigerators with stacked freezer drawers blend in with the cabinetry and give the couple plenty of space to stock up on food for a house full of guests. A pullout cabinet beside the refrigerators makes use of an awkward space. The slender dimensions of the unit make it ideal for storing small containers and bottles.


The couple also opted for a trash compactor and two sink areas: one for preparing food and one for rallying dirty dishes. Two sets of dishwasher drawers between the sinks ease cleanup.


The rail above the pantry continues around the rest of the kitchen. Transom cabinets take the place of soffits and are within reach, thanks to the library ladder.


While they were going for a contemporary feel, the homeowners also wanted the kitchen to be a warm, comfortable place, so they opted for wood-look cabinetry. Zebrawood (named for its dark stripes on a light background) was their first choice, but it was also a budget buster, so they went with custom cabinetry finished with a faux-zebrawood laminate. To keep the look of the cabinetry simple, the couple used few door pulls, opting instead for push mechanisms, which make it easy to open the sleek cabinets and access their contents.


Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Storage Solutions for Closets 2014 Ideas

Closets are great for stashing stuff, but when that stuff gets disorderly, chaos gets the upper hand. Conquer your closets with these tips. 
Get your closets in order using our favorite closet organization ideas. Learn how to adapt strategies and plans to work for your home's closets and see what savvy tricks can help keep closets clutter free.


Plan a closet makeover by measuring your current closet to determine hanging requirements and storage needs. Next, you'll need to clear everything out of the closet so the new system can be installed. This is a good time to go through items you can no longer use and donate them to charity.


Closet systems can help you make the most of the space you have. Here, the hanging bars, cubby storage, and drawers help organize clothing and ensure that everything has a place. A curved dressing bench takes up less space than a rectangular one.


You might think the more shelves, the better but this is not always true. The shelves themselves take up inches of precious storage space, and too many of them can make it difficult to stack or remove items. It's best to design shelves that will fit the various items you have to store.


Don't have a lot of closet space? Freestanding armoires are perfect for customizable storage space to take the place of a closet. Wire shelving in ready to assemble cabinets maximizes storage and allows for easy organization of foldable garments. A tiered shelf stores shoes at the bottom of the cabinet, while sweaters and seasonal accessories are placed in baskets on the top shelf.


Fabric storage bins help keep an open closet neat, organized, and presentable. Double rods on both sides of the storage tower provide extra space for shirt and pants storage. Apply adhesive picture labels to the outside of the fabric bins to make it easier for kids to stick with your organization system.


If you love shoes and deciding how to store them is your main closet woe, try these tips from John Trosko, a professional organizer and co author of The Experts’ Guide to Doing Things Faster.
Slim shoes, such as flats and flip-flops, can be stored two to a cubby. Use spare slots for belts, scarves, and clutches.
Drawers give the closet a polished, built-in look, plus handy closet door storage for folded clothes. Bulky items like sweaters and purses can go on the open shelves.
Eke out another sliver of storage by putting a shallow basket on the shelf below the top row of hanging clothes. Use it for things that fold up small, such as tights, T’s, or socks.


Whether your closet is big or small, good lighting will make it even more functional. Look for ceiling-mount lighting that doesn’t need to be hardwired as a quick update for a reach-in closet. Lamps can be used in a walk in closet for extra illumination, which is beneficial for dressing areas. If your walk-in closet has a window, install a light-blocking window covering. That way, you can keep out the natural light when you’re not using the closet. Constant sunlight might cause some clothing to fade.


For a narrow and short space, stair-step rods for kids’ clothing storage. Since their clothing is short and slender, you can hang one rod higher and further back in the closet and another bar lower and more toward the front to get a double layer of storage. Consider tension shower rods, which can be installed without making holes in the wall and are easier to change as the child gets older.


Using double closet rods one over the other is the best way to squeeze more storage space out of a closet. Be sure to measure the length of each item you'll be hanging there and allow another 6 inches of clearance above and below each rod. Blouses, shirts, skirts, jackets, and kids' clothes will all fit on double rods.


Cut down on your ironing time with an ironing board that’s always ready to go. Hang a wall mount ironing board near an outlet and store the iron nearby. Simply fold down the board when you’re ready to iron. There are also ironing board cabinets that can be recessed into a wall. Learn how to install one with the video below.


See through wire drawers make finding clothes or other items in your closet quick and easy. This metal pull-out storage system has drawers with various depths to fit into different sized spaces, and provides a more organized form of storage than simple cubbies would provide.


Label bins and boxes with luggage tags. Loop the tag around handles and insert a label into the tag’s pocket. Putting labels on boxes and bins that are stored up high is especially helpful. That way, you won’t have to guess what’s in the box, and you can pull down the right one on your first try.


2014 Smart Small Bedrooms Decorating Ideas

Savvy ideas will help you make the most of a bedroom's square footage.You'll love these ideas to try in 2014! I hope you find these ideas useful and inspiring to you .... Enjoy it !!!!


Make Your Bed 
Space Saver: Stick to one bold piece of furniture to fill the room with character. Fashion your own graphic headboard with playful and chic stencils. To duplicate this look, cut a curvy headboard from medium density fiberboard (MDF) and paint a base coat. When it's dry, use a stencil roller to apply a trendy damask design in a cool contrasting color. Continue the theme by stenciling your design on accent pillows, too.


Table It  
Narrow furnishings add a surprising amount of storage and display space in a limited footprint. This bedside console table offers plenty of surface area for showing off collectibles and other possessions. A lamp sheds light on the bed for reading after overhead lights are turned off.


Front and Center 
Space Saver: Use windows as the focal point, centering furniture in front of them. Conventional decorating wisdom says to position a bed against a wall, not in front of a window where it might block light and views. But in a small room, options are limited, and it's often better to create a strong focal point with a bed than to awkwardly push it to one side. A bank of bay windows creates a natural nook for this bed, and the pretty window treatments give the illusion of a canopy.


Go Wide 
Visually expand a small room by wrapping the walls with wide, horizontal stripes. In this bedroom, horizontally aligned boards achieve this effect without overpowering the room. The rough texture of the planks, installed with the unfinished side facing out, lends a light and airy washed finish to the soft wall color. You can achieve the same effect by painting horizontal stripes on plain walls. Use light colors to maintain a bright, open scheme and similar tones so the stripes are noticeable but don't visually break up the space.


Paint an Accent Wall 
Space Saver: Create the illusion of depth. Paint a single wall a dark color to create the illusion of depth. Crisp white walls and trim add a striking contrast to this bedroom's chocolate wall. The headboard's geometric pattern ties the two wall colors together, and the yellow accents add a pop of color.


Make Small Rooms Feel Taller 
Increase the apparent height of the room with vertical lines that lead the eye from floor to ceiling. Add crown molding around the perimeter of a room, or add architectural molding on the ceiling and an intricate medallion around a light fixture to enhance the details overhead.

2014 Smart Storage Solutions for Small Bedrooms

Keep a small bedroom organized with these smart tricks for adding storage to even the tightest of sleeping quarters. Don't let small quarters limit your storage options .
Here are clever ideas for better small bedroom storage . Reclaim a suitcase for under bed storage . Paint the suitcase then attach casters to the underside for easy sliding under your bed. Store away.
Contain tiny treasures inside a hollowed out book. Glue the pages of an old book together then carve out a space to the needed depth. Recycled drawers create storage options on this headboard . Simply design the headboard to fit the shape of the drawers in your collection, paint a uniform color and attach to the wall. Old objects used in new ways helps maximize the usable space in a tiny bedroom .

 You'll love these ideas to try in 2014! I hope you find these ideas useful and inspiring to you .... Enjoy it !!!!


Sitting Space : A seating area of oversize sofas and a sprawling ottoman add a cozy space to this master bedroom, ideal for relaxing and gathering with the kids at the end of the day.


Preserving an Original : Weathered wood ceiling beams and a softly worn rug capture the salvaged character of this vintage home. When new additions were needed, such as storage bookshelves, they were designed and finished to look like had always been there.


Tucked In : Wall recesses lend architectural interest to boxy spaces. Here, one wide recess creates the perfect place to tuck in a bed, while another recess was outfitted with shelves to create a convenient bedside storage nook. Bold blue beaded board surrounding the bed ensures the pretty quilted headboard functions as the bedroom's main focal point.


Airy Decor : All white walls keep this attic bedroom feeling open and airy. To ensure the lack of color doesn’t look stark and cold, the bedding features a variety of colors and patterns. A built in shelving system and desk make the most of an awkward angular corner.


Build to Suit : Built ins give this small bedroom plentiful storage and cozy seating without crowding the space with furniture. The window seat makes a focal point out of a scenic view. A combination of open shelves and closed cabinets expands storage options.


Stylish Headboard : A built-in bookcase headboard adds visual interest to this bedroom, plus practical storage and reading light.


Design with Purpose : Drawers built into a custom platform bed and a window seat crafted over a radiator work functional and aesthetic wonders in this small bedroom.


A Fresh Look : A refreshing aqua blue color scheme rejuvenates this bedroom in a 100 year old house, while furniture featuring simple lines and hints of cottage style reflects the home's Craftsman style architecture.


Double-Duty Bedroom : This clever dual-purpose room takes advantage of a do it yourself Murphy bed kit to create a charming guest bedroom that doubles as a crafts (or multipurpose) room when company departs.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Living Room Pictures : HGTV Dream Home 2013

About the Living Room 

To capture the feeling of "beach cottage," interior designer Linda Woodrum focused on casual furnishings, layers of eye catching textures and a neutral color palette that contributes to the room's relaxed "I'm on vacation" vibe. "It's all a foundation to support what's outside," says Linda, who admits that views from the great room's glass walls serve as the real star of the show.