Simple Steps to Turn Your Drab Kitchen into the Favorite Room in the House

This article offers great ideas for small and larger kitchens alike—inexpensive suggestions that bring a fresh look to one of the most-lived-in rooms in the house.

Take Your Small Kitchen from Drab to Fab

(ARA) – Resale value isn’t the only reason to redo a kitchen. Even if the home is a rental, or resale is far in the future, the room where families spend most of their time together cries out for a personal touch.

Taking your kitchen from everyday drab to your personal “fab” doesn’t require a complete makeover or the budget of a home-remodeling reality show. A few simple, cost-effective cosmetic changes can create a big impact – even in smaller spaces like galley kitchens.

Switching out cabinet and drawer hardware can create an ultra-modern or traditional effect in a kitchen. And accessories like a bold area rug or an eye-catching toaster can do double duty as both decoration and utility item. The best way, however, to create big impact in a small space (or on a tight budget) is to dress up the walls.

If you’re looking to spice up your kitchen – especially if you rent – wall décor products like removable wallpaper or wall decals can be an easy, cost-effective way to make over your kitchen.

When deciding just how to use wall décor products in your kitchen, consider the room’s major design challenges. Are you working with a windowless space? Is the room small and crowded with cabinets? Is it a galley kitchen? Does your seating face a wall? Here are some tips for using wallpaper and decals to deal with these common design challenges.

Without Windows

A strong pattern on an open, light-colored background can help “open up” a windowless space. Consider a bold graphic wallpaper for the largest wall in the kitchen to make a strong design statement and create a feeling of stylish space and openness in a small area.

Crowded with Cabinets

A desire for adequate storage space in a small kitchen can create an area crowded with cabinets. To tone down this visually overwhelming look, consider replacing solid cabinet doors with glass ones, or removing doors altogether. This will produce a more open look. To create visual interest, line the back of cabinets or the walls behind shelves with wallpaper in a bright, fun pattern.

Galley Doldrums

Galley kitchens don’t have to be dull. You can use wallpaper or decals to establish a focal point for a plain, utilitarian galley kitchen. A variety of decal decorations can achieve a beautifully pulled-together look. Check out www.wall-pops.com or www.roommatespeelandstick.com for a variety of simple peel-and-stick decals – from geometric shapes in bright colors that you can use to create your own design, to themed decals that you can switch out to match the season.

Staring at the Wall

If all the seating in your kitchen faces one wall, you’ll want something interesting to look at – even if you only drink your morning coffee there. A wallpaper mural can turn a blank kitchen wall into an enticing focal point. Nature-themed patterns are in vogue right now, thanks to the eco-friendly movement. You can bring the outdoors in, and create a restful atmosphere, with nature scenes or even just a simple pattern that evokes an element of nature, such as graceful bamboo stalks in a basic color.

For more ideas on decorating small kitchens with peel-and-stick decals or easy-to-install wallpaper murals, visit www.wall-pops.com, www.roommatespeelandstick.com or www.seabrookwallpaper.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Personalize Your Home with Custom Cabinetry

(ARA) – Custom cabinetry has become increasingly popular as homeowners look for ways to make their home feel more like their own. Cabinetry is an easy way to make a home unique, and it doesn’t need to stop in the kitchen. Families can create their own perfectly styled cabinetry for the bath, dining room, office, bedroom, laundry room and any other room that begs for storage space. The beauty of custom cabinetry is the ability to create an unlimited variety of looks with exceptional functionality through finishes, wood species, door styles and storage options.

In the bedroom, customized armoires and dressers provide generous storage space through built-ins, pull-outs and adjustable hanging spaces. In bedroom closets, custom cabinets can organize everything from clothes to shoes to purses, offering a beautifully organized closet where favorite possessions are easily accessible. A jewelry shelf is a simple way to keep earrings and necklaces from becoming tangled, and can be tucked away within an armoire. In the bedroom and family rooms, entertainment centers can be customized to conceal less-than-attractive cords and outlets, and can protect and hide the television screen.

Cabinetry in the bathroom can hide toiletry items that aren’t meant to be on display and give the room a polished look. Even laundry baskets can be concealed by cabinetry to create extra space by reducing clutter. If space allows, a customized vanity can accentuate the bath by offering a sophisticated look.

In the office or den, custom cabinetry is a great way to unify the look of all elements, from the desk to the printing station to filing cabinets and shelving. By selecting similar wood species and finishes for every piece, the office can quickly be transformed from the room that is always messy to the room where everyone feels comfortable spending time.

Custom cabinetry is the best way to design your home around your family’s needs with a true reflection of your personal tastes. “Customers want to efficiently utilize every inch of space in their home, and they want to do it with style,” says George "Butch" Achey, president of Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry. “Custom cabinetry offers homeowners a solution, they can pick and choose door styles, wood species, even a customized color so that cabinetry not only serves its purpose, but also doubles as decoration for any room in the home.”

To learn more about the benefits of custom cabinetry and to create a personal portfolio, log on to www.plainfancycabinetry.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent