Hardwood floors are beautiful and they complement any Chicago kitchen design. That being said, they aren’t for everyone. Hardwood floors are durable and long-lasting (otherwise you couldn’t “ooh and ah" over the original hardwood flooring in your neighbor’s historic home), but they also require work and all hardwoods are prone to scratching, denting, wear-and-tear without proper treatment and maintenance.
The kaleidoscope of kitchen trends is compelling, but remodeling a kitchen is no walk in the park. That’s one of the reasons we recommend creating a timeless kitchen design – one that remains relevant for years to come. When that’s the case, it becomes easy to embrace current kitchen trends without having to remodel the whole shebang.
Question: What’s the next best thing to a stunningly well-designed bathroom?
Are you interested in designing a self-cleaning, self-maintaining kitchen? Aren’t we all! While product innovations are making kitchens easier and easier to care for (check out, Kitchen Design Ideas for Making Cleaning & Maintaining Easier). In the meantime, those interested in a Chicago kitchen remodel requiring minimal maintenance should pay careful attention to the manufacturer’s instructions for the features that interest you most; this is certainly true if you’re debating between quartz and granite countertops.
Are you getting ready to re-design your powder room? Truly, it’s one of the most exciting Chicago bathroom design opportunities we have because those smaller spaces make it so much fun to add all kinds of pop, punch and pizazz that might be overkill elsewhere if you're design tastes are more understated in general.
Your Chicago kitchen remodeling budget begins with a specific number, but that number can be divvied up in a myriad of ways. In addition to knowing what your budget maximum is, it’s also helpful to have an idea of what is worth splurging larger chunks of money on, and what isn’t.
If you want a quick turnaround on a kitchen remodel, the average “eight to twelve weeks…” it takes to complete a full kitchen remodel seems daunting. The reality is that while speedy and shortcut-targeted Chicago kitchen remodels are possible – and sometimes recommended – they aren’t typically the route for anyone planning to live in the new kitchen design for any length of time.
Sustainability and eco-friendly features are a priority these days, and appliance manufacturer’s are stepping up to the plate. By and large, the refrigerator is the most energy-consumptive appliance in the kitchen line-up. Using roughly 4% of the household’s total energy use, followed by the electric oven and the dishwasher.
Often, when we talk about prioritizing function over form in a Chicago kitchen design, we’re speaking of things like layout and personalized workflow, smart storage options and extra nooks or niches to better serve your family. However, for busy homeowners – as well as those planning to age-in-place – a functional design is one that also considers what it takes to clean and maintain the beautiful new kitchen from day-to-day - and year-to-year.
Technically, you can absolutely wallpaper a bathroom space, and wallpaper can add a level of detailed pattern and texture less-available via paint. That being said, the moisture and condensation inherent in bathrooms – regardless of how adequate the ventilation system is – means higher-maintenance potential and a vulnerability to peeling, wrinkling and plain ol’ coming-off-the-wall-ness that should cause you to think twice.
