Tag Archive for: Rhode Island Kitchen & Bath

HGTV, DIY and other home improvement television shows, social media sites and the Internet are a great source of remodeling inspiration. Unfortunately, they can also be a greater source of misinformation. Timelines and budgets are entirely unrealistic and often lead to frustration and disappointment. Viewers see the entire home renovated in seven weeks, and seven weeks is not a realistic timeframe to completely gut and rebuild a kitchen, yet alone re-do a whole house! The processes omitted on home improvement television are the time to select a designer, the design process itself, the development process and decision making. The October 2019 issue of House Beautiful recently offered a more realistic time frame:

Step 1: Research (3 to 18 months+)

Most of our clients in Southern New England spend months researching different styles, products and design concepts. We encourage this research because it helps to save time once you’re ready to move forward with your remodel. Create design boards on Pinterest or Houzz.com that identify the types of kitchens, layouts and products that you prefer.

Step 2: Select a Design Center and a Designer (1 to 2 months)

An essential service that you should expect from your Design Center and designer is to make order out of chaos by discussing your wants, needs, expectations and budget. Expect your Design Center and designer to narrow your product choices based on your needs, preferences and budget. This process takes time because there are lots of questions that need to be answered to help your designer better envision what you want and develop the perfect solutions for your project.

Step 3: Develop the Design (5 to 6 weeks)

Based on your input, a designer takes your ideas and expectations and uses them to develop drawings, plans, specifications, perspectives and elevations.

Step 4: Product Selection (4 to 5 weeks)

You should expect your designer to develop a realistic budget and to direct you to products and techniques that represent the best value for your available funds. During this phase, your designer does a deep dive into the details that make all the difference, finalizing material choices and sources and finalizing organization and storage plans.

Step 4: Fabrication and Delivery (2 to 5 months)

The time frame to source and obtain products depends on your design and product selection. Custom-made cabinets take longer to fabricate and deliver than stock cabinets. You should expect your designer to provide a detailed timeframe for sourcing and obtaining products. Product sourcing should begin before demolition.

Step 5: Demolition and Installation (1 to 9 months)

The overall timeline really does depend on the scope of your project. If the design calls for moving electrical, plumbing, ductwork, structural systems, adding additional space, installing new windows and/or doors, the timeframe will take longer than simply replacing what currently exists. Your designer should not only provide a realistic timeline but also offer guidance for creating a make-shift kitchen during the renovation process. The design and product selection should be finalized before demolition begins. Making changes mid-course not only will expand the time necessary to complete the renovation, but changes will also adversely affect your budget.

Step 6: Adding the Finishing Touches (1 week)

This step involves installing window coverings, hanging art on the wall, placing your favorite keepsakes on open shelving and smiling every time you cross the threshold of your brand new dream kitchen.

If you would like to discuss a realistic timeframe for your new kitchen remodel, please give us a call at 401-463-1550 or visit our Design Center at 139 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI.

A well-sized and properly positioned vanity can make or break a bathroom’s look, feel and functionality. The key factors to consider when selecting a vanity include:

  • style and aesthetic preferences
  • the materials used to make the vanity
  • countertop material
  • desired number of sinks/bowls
  • placement
  • storage space required
  • existing infrastructure and available space

When selecting a bath vanity for the master bath, powder room or any other bathroom, the pieces should complement your home’s existing décor. While there is a benefit to adding an occasional piece or accent that contrasts stylistically, putting a modern European vanity in the powder room of a Victorian home would seem awfully out of place.

Vanities made specifically for bathrooms account for fixtures and plumbing, and they are crafted with moist environments in mind. The height of the vanity influences plumbing fixtures needed to meet your goals. For example, vanities that are less than 34 inches tall are best suited for a vessel-style sink.

Another critical factor in selecting a vanity is the finish used to seal and decorate the cabinet. Finish refers both to the process used to seal the wood and the materials used to change the appearance of the wood. Finishes used to seal bath vanities can withstand moist and humid environments.

The countertop selected for the bath needs to account for functional and practical considerations. Bathroom countertops come into contact with nail polish remover, cosmetics, toothpaste, shaving cream, hygiene products, hairdryers, curling irons and more! Many bath products can damage a countertop that is not appropriately sealed or not made to withstand abuses that occur in the daily use of the bathroom.

Aesthetically, we advise our clients to choose a countertop before selecting tile or other floor and wall covering materials. It’s generally easier to match surfacing materials, e.g., tile, stone, wood, to a unique countertop material or design than the other way around. The goal is to select materials that compliment, as opposed to compete, with one another.

Most Rhode Island Kitchen & Bath clients select a vanity that features two bowls. With two bowls, those using the bath have their own space. Separate grooming stations make it easy for multiple people to prepare for the day at the same time. However, in bathrooms where space is at a premium, a double bowl vanity might not be possible. You don’t want to order a vanity that blocks doors or limits movement if the cabinet drawers and doors are open.

A well-designed bathroom is an organized bathroom. To maximize the efficiency of a bath, identify the products and accessories that you use daily, e.g., curling iron, hairdryer and cosmetics. This exercise helps you determine what needs to be stored and identify possible storage locations inside and outside of the vanity cabinet.

The existing infrastructure also can influence the type of vanity you select and its placement. If you want to replace what exists in the same location, selecting a vanity of similar size should not create issues. However, if you need to reconfigure plumbing, electrical and ventilation, that could add to construction costs if not accounted for in the initial planning phases.

If you’d like additional information on how to select the perfect vanity for your bath, call our Design Center at 401-463-1550 or visit us at 139 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI.

Keys to Selecting the Perfect Vanity

If you’re like most homeowners here in Rhode Island, you spend a great deal of time in your kitchen, and in that time you’re not just cooking, eating and cleaning up. A compelling study by the Research Institute for Cooking & Kitchen Intelligence reports that nearly 20 percent of homeowners spend an average of three hours per day in the kitchen. The RICKI study confirms what we have known for a long time at RIKB – homeowners use their kitchen for a vast array of activities that have nothing to do with a kitchen’s traditional role. Instead, our clients are asking us to design kitchens that serve as a multifunctional space to listen to music, share quality time with family and friends, watch television, stream videos, care for pets, pay bills, read, play games, study, work and more.

The amount of time that homeowners spend in the kitchen is expected to continue to increase. Technological advances are transforming the kitchen from an independent living space into a hyper-connected, multipurpose hub for cooking, eating, entertaining, relaxing and working from home.

As the kitchen’s role continues to evolve, there is a new emphasis on design, and it’s becoming increasingly valuable to work with professionals who understand how to transform a traditional kitchen space into an area that accommodates a diverse array of nontraditional kitchen functions. As Eliot Sefrin, publisher emeritus of Kitchen & Bath Design News, points out, “A growing number of kitchens are occupying larger, more open footprints. ‘Smart’ features are being built into cabinetry, appliances, countertops and other kitchen components.” Smart kitchen lighting, hardware, virtual assistants and other products are coming to market to address consumer demand for Wi-Fi/Bluetooth capabilities. Manufacturers are bringing to market creative solutions to incorporate docking stations for smart devices into cabinets, drawers, countertops and other spaces. Appliances also offer smart options and Bluetooth connectivity that enable remote operation and are synched with digital assistants.

Your kitchen is the hub of your home, you and your family spend a lot of time in that space. It’s essential that it is arranged in a manner that best suits your lifestyle and needs. If you want to discuss your dream kitchen of tomorrow, please call our Design Center at 401-463-1550 or visit our Design Center at 139 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI.

Rhode Island Blue Kitchen

Tag Archive for: Rhode Island Kitchen & Bath

Nothing Found

Sorry, no posts matched your criteria

Tag Archive for: Rhode Island Kitchen & Bath