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- December 17th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
A reader asks: flooring for a partial remodel
Okay Kelly, I'd like your take on floors for 5 cents, that I can afford, maybe! I cannot, however, afford to replace our kitchen cabinetry...yet, but I feel completely compelled to replace the vi…
- December 14th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
The worst choice you can make in a partial kitchen remodel
Your kitchen is old. You’re looking for some way – any way-- to update it without blowing the bank account. After much thought, you decide to replace the countertop. I hate to break it to you,…
- December 11th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Is our American past influencing our kitchen futures?
(Credit: “Migrant Mother” by Dorothea Lange, 1936) By American, in this case, I mean North American. A chance comment by a reader got me thinking. She was disappointed because her and her husban…
- December 8th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
What I learned on HGTVs Househunters*
(Click on cartoon to enlarge) ** Do you watch Househunters? For those of you who don’t, here’s the premise: a potential buyer or buyers views 3 homes and selects one of them. Here's…
- December 6th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Steampunk Sunday: Iron brackets
Since iron was a large factor in turn-of-the-century design, I thought I might show you some designs for your steampunk home. Brackets are a nice touch, whether you use them for a countertop overhang…
- December 5th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Do people tell you how you should remodel your kitchen?
Let’s face it – you’ve got a lot of research to accomplish. You think you need all the help you can get. Your friend was going to remodel her kitchen two years ago and you know she’d be a weal…
- December 1st, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
What does an ideal kitchen mean to you?
Credit: Alessi via Trendir We’re easily swayed by the beautiful kitchens we see in books or on tv that we need a winning lottery ticket to afford but in reality? Ask any person: who has drawers…
- November 29th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Steampunk Sunday
Well, I hope all of you who celebrated Thanksgiving had a happy one (you can move off the couch now, can't you?)Okay, if you don’t yet know what steampunk is, it’s – well, I’ll refer to Mr…
- November 24th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Wood cabinets – “tree” facts you should know
One of the interesting things about the next generation of home buyers is they appear to have very little knowledge of wood and its properties. I thought of writing this post when our young office man…
- November 21st, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Link Saturday
I’ve got ideas for some posts, but no time to write them. *grin* In lieu of content, I thought you might like to pop around the blogosphere to see the interesting ideas of other designers: …
- November 13th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
And the winner is...!
...Susan R., who wrote:"I really wish I knew the design rule for walking/clearance space amongst furniture pieces in a private residential setting. I hate tripping on my own furniture and would h…
- November 12th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Last chance - Design book giveaway Friday!
Last call - the drawing will be tomorrow. I can't believe so few of you have entered. :( I know I have a lot of overseas reader who unfortunately can't enter, but not THAT many.It&#…
- November 11th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Reader Kitchen! Solutions for a 90sf kitchen
One of my readers left me the nicest email a few days ago:Kelly~ Just wanted to say thanks for your advice and inspiration. I just finished remodeling my kitchen about three weeks ago and I wanted to…
- November 10th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Reminder: Enter to win a copy of Design Rules
Do you know the correct height to hang a pendant light over the table? The rules for mixing furniture? That white tile/white grout, while it looks marvelous, needs more tending than a cranky 2-year-ol…
- November 8th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Book Review: Design Rules by Elaine Griffin
First, let’s get the housekeeping out of the way. I was asked if I wanted to review a copy of Design Rules – The Insider’s Guide to Becoming Your Own Decorator by Elaine Griffin, which hit th…
- November 3rd, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Managing Expectations: Stealth costs
What I want to share with you today is one of the biggest enthusiasm-killers to any project, the shock you get when what you had in your mind doesn’t match up with the actual costs. I’m not talki…
- October 28th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
A Reader Asks: How to proceed on design?
Hi Kelly, I loved reading your article; your conversational tone is fun to read and very informative. We are in process of designing a 540 sq. ft. addition that will be part kitchen and part screened…
- October 26th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Kitchens - yesterday and today
Okay, let’s dispense with the tips and soapbox and talk design fun! There’s two websites I thought you might have fun poking around in. One of them I’ve known for awhile; the other is one Paul f…
- October 24th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Do you know what you\'re really getting for your 3 bids?
Sometimes, after all these years in the business, I feel like Don Quixote, batting at windmills. (Does anyone even know or care who Don Quixote is?) I grow tired (and, yes, a bit feisty) from people o…
- October 18th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
A quick note on dinnerware
(Photo: Wikipedia) If you’re planning your kitchen and looking for a space for Grandma’s dinnerware, make sure you measure the dinner plates first. Some of the older plates were bigger than they a…
- October 12th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
How the recovery will affect your remodel in the upcoming months
I'm at our local tile shop last Friday. All three of the store’s tile designers are literally running to get samples for their existing clients. There are four sets of customers waiting for help, in…
- October 8th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
How many design books did you buy…
…for your kitchen remodel? I know I have quite a few more readers than what my RSS feed suggests – I’ve talked with several of you, whether we’ve e-mailed, or you’ve sent me links to your DI…
- October 7th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Gear yourself up for DIY
I found this buried in the PR news releases yesterday (no, it wasn’t sent to me. I have my finger on the pulse. The pulse, I tell you!) If you don’t think that DIY is going to be a growing...
- October 4th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Let's talk zones
So you might remember me stirring the pot up a while back with a post on killing the work triangle. If you didn't see it, have a look. I'll wait here and drink my coffee. Back? Okay. In the comments,.…
- September 27th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
A reader asks: A cooktop or range in the corner?
I am working on a kitchen remodel and saw the idea of placing a cooktop or slide in range in a corner in a book. This appeals to me. Are there specific problems with this? Things to consider? Any sugg…
- September 20th, 2009
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Kellym has added The "Green" Home & Garden Blog to their favorite blogs.
The "Green" Home & Garden Blog
Your source for home and garden stories and videos with a emphasis on going green at home -
Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Sunday Blog Links
There are some interesting blogs and blog posts lately I wanted to share: Peggy notes on her Kitchen-Exchange blog that Vetrazzo, the maker of recycled glass countertops, is having an inventory cleara…
- September 13th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Two Designers Tackle Episode 2 of HGTV Design Star
A few weeks ago, Susan Serra of The Kitchen Designer posted her disquiet with Episode 2 - Dueling Kitchens from HGTV’s Design Star. The post is here. Out in the blogosphere, it stirred up a bit of c…
- September 8th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Designer Grab Bars
Since I'm working on a bathroom right now, let's talk grab bars. I know. Those of you who believe grab bars are for your parents and grandparents, let's see if I can show you what a good idea grab bar…
- August 30th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
A $30,000.00 faucet, or how to prepare for scope creep
One of the biggest challenges in remodeling, whether you're a D-I-Y-er, or hiring professionals to do your work. is adding additional items to the project after your budget and scope has been determin…
- August 24th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
A design suggestion for refrigerators
Roll-out shelves. Seriously, think about it. We accept it as a very useful function for our cabinets. We love full-extension hardware and soft-close mechanisms as opposed to getting down on our hands…
- August 20th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Three tips to get you from overwhelmed to involved
CHOICES, CHOICES, CHOICES Here's what I've been seeing the past few years - a client's decided this is the year to remodel the kitchen. They've watched the television shows and think they might like a…
- August 16th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
A Reader Asks: A place for garbage in the kitchen?
When I posted the Julia Child kitchen and noted that her garbage can was in the middle of the floor, a reader commented: "...and there's absolutely no room for the garbage can." Thats so right! We've…
- August 9th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Julia Child's kitchen yesterday and today
(Photo: Sony Pictures) Like many of you, I can't wait to see "Julie and Julia". I grew up with French cooking, with butter and cream and gallons of wine tossed in a pot. So along comes a movie with al…
- August 3rd, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
A reader asks: Kitchens for left-handers?
Are there any guidelines or rules for good design of a kitchen when the cook is left handed? I know that for a desk I need the drawers on the left, the sitting area on the right. Thanks, Ellen Hi...
- July 30th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
What does a designer really do?
(Credit: fromthefloorsup) In lieu of actual content (because I'm running to keep up with my excited clients!), allow me to direct you to the blog of the talented Shannon Bilby of fromthefloorsup. She…
- July 28th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
LED lighting: the next wave?
I came across this interesting interview from Consumer Reports. 10 Questions for Nadarajah Narendran, Ph.D., Lighting Researcher. Basically, he's saying everything that I've been saying for the past y…
- July 26th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Refrigerator hinges
Someone wandered into the showroom last week with a fairly common problem that I thought would be a good tip to share with you. He bought a new refrigerator which didn't fit under the existing wall ca…
- July 22nd, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
A reader asks...about pendant lighting
I am in the process of deciding on my kitchen lighting.I have a peninsula with an induction 36" cooktop. What type of lighting do you suggest? For simplicity, an architect said just to go with recesse…
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
A reader asks...about pendant lighting
I am in the process of deciding on my kitchen lighting.I have a peninsula with an induction 36" cooktop. What type of lighting do you suggest? For simplicity, an architect said just to go with recesse…
- July 14th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
The design bonus of Twitter
Quick post because I'm running today, but I want to point out to my gentle readers the Twitter postings in the right column. Many of you might have heard what Twitter is, which is simply real-time pos…
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
The design bonus of Twitter
Quick post because I'm running today, but I want to point out to my gentle readers the Twitter postings in the right column. Many of you might have heard what Twitter is, which is simply real-time pos…
- July 12th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Tiles that change color
Remember mood rings that were everywhere in the 1970s? No? Me neither. *cough* The basic premise was a stone that changed color as it reacted to body temperature. Now imagine that for a glass tile as…
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Tiles that change color
Remember mood rings that were everywhere in the 1970s? No? Me neither. *cough* The basic premise was a stone that changed color as it reacted to body temperature. Now imagine that for a glass tile as…
- July 10th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Steampunk pendant light
Searching for some island pendants and came across this light and my first thought was, wouldn't this go well in a steampunk kitchen? (Photo: Lighting Universe) I'd stick a couple of them inside the s…
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Steampunk pendant light
Searching for some island pendants and came across this light and my first thought was, wouldn't this go well in a steampunk kitchen? (Photo: Lighting Universe) I'd stick a couple of them inside the s…
- July 7th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
A twist on interior French doors
A French door, also called a French window, is a door that has multiple windows ("lights") set into it for the full length of the door. Traditional French doors are assembled from individual small pie…
- July 5th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Design links
A belated Happy 4th for my American readers. In between my work (I'm playing catch-up; it's a perfect foggy morning for it) and typical weekend errands, I thought you might enjoy the following links.…
- July 1st, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Canada Day: West Coast kitchen style
In hono(u)r of Canada Day, I thought I might show you some of the kitchen designs from the Canadian West Coast. From my blogroll, Arne Salvesen,CKD of useful spaces and Paradigm Kitchen Design in Vanc…
- June 29th, 2009
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Kellym has posted a new entry on: Kitchen Sync
Home Trends to watch from the PCBC show
The Pacific Coast Builder's Show was smaller, finer version than it's been in the past. 50 years old this year, it's smaller, as in one football-field worth of displays instead of 3-4. Much easier to…
