What’s cooking? The microwave decision

August 17, 2017Leave a comment

Since the 70’s, the microwave oven has been an American household staple and for many people it is the primary way that they cook, defrost and reheat food. However, microwaves are not especially attractive so careful planning and placement of this go-to, time saver are key when creating the kitchen of your dreams.

Different types of microwaves are available to complement a variety of kitchen styles so your designer will help you select the placement and walk you through the decision-making process to choose the right unit. What you decide about placement will also affect the type of appliance you choose but, generally, your choices are between setting the microwave on the countertop, mounting it over the range, setting it into cabinetry or having one built-in.

To enhance the beauty of the kitchen, many re-modelers are choosing to put the microwave into the island by designing the cabinetry to hold a traditional microwave underneath the countertop or installing a microwave drawer. Although this might be a new concept (and test your sense of tradition) there isn’t a lot of bending involved in using a microwave in the island. Controls for a microwave drawer are easily accessible and, for safety, it makes sense to lift food up a few inches onto your countertop instead of reaching up into a microwave to bring hot foods down toward you before carrying them to a safe landing zone.

If a traditional microwave isn’t for you (but you still want to be able to cook and reheat foods quickly), you have some choices that might work better for your kitchen.

Convection/microwave combo ovens are a mix of microwave technology and heat energy, so they can brown, roast and grill. They also have a heating element in addition to a fan that aides in the circulation of hot air. This means that you get the quick, internal heating of microwave technology combined with heat that keeps the outside crispy (or whatever consistency the food should have). A microwave-only unit sometimes makes food soggy or rubbery so you can tell it has been heated that way.

Another option is to select a steam oven. These can be used to steam, reheat, bake, defrost or to cook so they are extremely versatile. You can even cook rice in them. They take a little longer than a microwave but the condition of the food when it is finished is incredible. If you are reheating leftovers it will be hard to tell that they are leftovers after being heated in a steam oven. Also, because of the many features this appliance offers, you can set the oven and walk away from foods that would traditionally take more effort to create. A steam oven is a wonderful tool and a viable choice for replacing or adding as a companion to a traditional microwave oven. If you are remodeling your kitchen it is worth taking the time to look into the benefits of this type of oven.

When planning your kitchen don’t forget to ponder the importance of selecting the right quick-cooking appliance and think about choosing to place it in a convenient location that doesn’t distract from the look of your new kitchen. Perry Newman Design clients get educated on their microwave options and all their appliance selections. Plus, they get someone to walk them through every step of the planning, selection and construction process. Perry Newman Design guides you through your home renovation project from conception, through construction, to completion in less time than you imagine. Call 801.971.0868 today and experience the peace of mind that comes from letting someone else take care of getting all the little details right.

“Wood” you know how to pick the best cabinetry?

July 27, 2017Leave a comment

Cabinetry design and selection is a very important element of a home renovation. While people generally think of cabinetry as being for kitchen’s and bathroom’s, cabinets can enhance many areas of your home. Consider how cabinetry can customize a craft room, create the perfect designer closet, make an appealing feature that hides entertainment components, display art or organize your laundry room. Besides being important for design and function, cabinetry will be one of the biggest expenses in a renovation so shop smart and make sure you balance price, quality and function to find the perfect cabinets for your home.

Thicker materials make better cabinetry. Your cabinetry boxes should be at least three-quarters of an inch thick. Some cabinet makers will try to cut costs by using material that is five-eighths of an inch for their boxes instead. If your cabinetry is made well and of quality materials it will stay sturdy and not shift or warp. There are many things that happen in a kitchen or bathroom that cause moisture to interact with your cabinetry so you need quality materials that can stand up to the test of cooking and bathing so they’ll stay looking beautiful and work properly over time. Melamine interiors are a great choice for cabinets and drawers. In fact, Perry Newman believes having melamine for the interior of drawers is better than wood. “Just be careful,” he warns, “to check the quality of the melamine. There is some coming in from China that is low quality and if you put a hot glass (right out of the dishwasher) on it, it will bubble up and warp. That can also happen with wood in the bottom of drawers so quality melamine is better.”

Doors are the most expensive item of a cabinetry purchase. Take time to educate yourself and know what the doors are made of before you order. So much of your cost and the success of the design rides on this decision because cabinetry is big and expensive and can’t easily be switched out like other things in the home. The cost of cabinetry varies so drastically that you really need to think about how much you want to spend and get the highest quality and function for that price. Perry Newman suggests you decide on your goal for the cabinets and work to achieve the best balance in what you purchase.

Hardware is something people seldom ask for details about but you can spend a little or a whole lot on pulls and handles. Better quality hardware is made in the United States or Germany. If you order online or through a box store without direction from your cabinet maker or designer you might end up with lower quality pulls and drawers that don’t work or don’t last like they would have if more care had been taken in the hardware selection. “There is nothing more frustrating than a drawer that doesn’t work.” Perry Newman explains, “I’ve had people want to renovate a whole kitchen over that.”

Check for gaps, untreated wood, splinters and chipped edges. A well-made cabinet will not have these evidences of poor craftsmanship. Another key indicator is to look for 100 percent, perfect right angles on each joint and corner of the cabinetry. Perry Newman says people should take time to understand how their cabinetry is built. Ask questions, a good cabinet maker knows how to explain the process and can tell you in detail how your pieces will come together.

Checking the drawers can give you clues about the quality of the product. Drawers that have steel ball bearings in the roller mechanisms and metal fittings are better quality than those with plastic and nylon. Ask about the load rating for how much weight the drawers can hold. The higher the number, the better. If the drawer is built to hold more weight, it needs to be built better. Features like soft close and full-extension guides (that allow you to access even the very back of the drawer) can also be indicators that your cabinetry is of higher quality. Also, ask about options like custom pegs and dividers (see below). Quality cabinet builders will offer those types of customization.

Custom drawer dividers in Utah

Custom dish pegs in Utah

Look at the shelving inside the cabinets. Better quality cabinetry generally has more adjustable shelving and less fixed shelves. While you are in there, look at the hardware holding the shelves in place. You want to find a cabinet builder that uses metal hardware, not plastic, because the shelves will hold more weight, stay in place better and last well over time.

Use the cabinets before you decide. Open doors, slam drawers, see how the cabinetry feels in the showroom or in projects that builder has completed before you order it for your home. There shouldn’t be any wobbling and the doors and drawers should feel smooth when you use them. Think about how you utilize your cabinetry and make sure that the way the cabinets you are considering function will meet your needs. One tip that has become quite a work-saving trend is to plan to store your dishes in drawers instead of upper cabinets. It’s so much easier to move dishes from the dishwasher into deep, lower drawers that it is to lift heavy plates up into high cabinetry. Another tip is those drawer dividers and custom pegs mentioned earlier help organize your kitchen, maximizing efficiency and making a place for every kitchen gadget and tool.

If all this talk about testing and quality and finding balance kind of makes your head spin, consider getting the help of a professional designer to lead you through all your selections. The Perry Newman Design team specializes in finding the best choices and guiding you through the selection process to find the highest quality materials while keeping you on schedule and in budget. A designer will also have experience with different products and suggestions about ways to utilize all the latest advancements in cabinetry and the other elements of your renovation. The process starts with a free, in-home consultation so call and schedule today 801.971.0868 or fill out the contact form on perrynewmandesign.com.

10 Tips and Tricks for Exceptional Interior Design

July 20, 2017August 2, 2017Leave a comment

Getting ready to remodel or maybe just feeling like updating and freshening the look of your home? Enjoy these ten, professional interior design tips that will help you get it right.

The most important renovation tip is: Always, always, always have a plan before you start. Whether it’s a big construction project or just a few changes you should think the project through thoroughly, make all your design selections, create a schedule and have everything on hand before you begin. Having a plan means you have thought through and prepared for each step of the project. If you’ve done that, you can deal with the hiccups that inevitably come along. But if you haven’t, the project will take longer, cost more and may not turn out the way that you hoped it would.
Many interior designers say that the most important aspect of a room is the lighting. It makes a room. Perry Newman likes to restate “In great design it’s all about the light.” Get the lighting right and it will elevate the experience of living in your home.
Speaking of light, sunlight is a wonderful tool. Add windows (or at least clean the ones you have so they shine). Remember that glass sparkles and sunlight gives the illusion of a bigger space. Natural light is warm and inviting, it relaxes people. Choose accent pieces that accentuate the light. For example, yellow pillows or window treatments are bright and cheerful. In fact, the color yellow actually stimulates conversation in your gathering spaces.
Mirrors are another tool that can increase the light in a room. They gleam and sparkle and they make the space expand so it appears larger. Think carefully about the placement of mirrors. Be sure that you arrange them so they reflect something beautiful. They can even be combined to form a point of interest or replace art on the walls. Most of the time even quality mirrors will be cheaper than art.
When it comes to art bigger is not necessarily better. Selecting appropriate art to use in design can be intimidating and the whole process is subjective. People like what they like and what one person considers incredible may not be interesting to someone else. Since art can be expensive, it is common for homeowners to get overwhelmed or frustrated while making these selections. If you find yourself in this situation consider using a collection of small prints and having them framed in matching frames. Then, carefully arrange these on the feature wall to make an engaging point of interest.
There is no such thing as clutter in a well-designed room. There can be many things in the room but each piece should have intent and purpose. In most instances, a good rule for homeowner’s is “less is more.” The personal items that you do display should be carefully chosen, have a purpose and a story. You should like the items that surround you in your home and they should reflect your personality and passions.
But, what do you do with all the rest of the junk you’ve collected? Simple, plan for storage in your design so the treasures you can’t bear to part with each have a designated place where they can be tucked away. “A place for everything and everything in its place” is a good guideline. If you don’t have room for it in your home then you probably don’t have room for it in your life.
Layer your space. Your home will look cold, commercial and uninviting if you do not have rugs and furnishings. So, plan for these things when you are first making your selections and your budget. Getting the construction done is important but without furniture what use is a living room? It’s hard to live there if you don’t have anywhere to sit down. In the photos below you see an example of a Perry Newman Design room complete with furniture next to another Perry Newman Design room where the client had not budgeted furnishings into the cost of the project. Although both are beautifully constructed homes, not having a finished room will decrease the satisfaction of an otherwise stellar remodel. At minimum, be sure to include rugs, furniture and window coverings.

Perry Newman Design bedroom

Perry Newman Design renovated room without furnishings

When considering paint choose a base color and then purchase a 50% lighter mix as well as a 150% darker mix of the same color. Use these in your room to simulate texture (as would happen if you striped a wall) or to add interest with accent pieces. Another tip with color is that if your room feels dark (because of color or cabinetry) you can paint the ceiling a lighter version of the wall color and it will instantly brighten the room.
People think that designer homes are all about “the look” but great interior design engages as many senses as possible. As discussed in a previous Perry Newman Design blog, textures add interest and help create the feel of a room. Another way to elevate your home is through fragrance. Fresh flowers bring the outside in to make your home lovely. The smell of clean linens gives people the impression your home is spotless, fresh and well taken care of. Whatever fragrance suits your style can become part of your home by using scented candles, air fresheners and other products described in the “Eleven easy ways to make your home smell better” blog.

Careful planning is the key to a successful renovation or redesign project. One way to plan carefully is to meet with a professional and Perry Newman Design offers a free consultation for homeowner’s who are seriously considering a remodeling project. If you want a new kitchen, master suite, or bathroom or if you are ready to finish or redesign your basement, give Perry Newman a call and we will spend an hour in your home going over your options. As part of our renovation experience, we take you from your conception, through all the planning and construction, to the completion of your designer home.

Four renovation tips to customize your home

June 23, 2017August 2, 20172 Comments

Sample of timeless design: Grand kitchen with custom cabinetry, wooden floors and under-cabinet lighting.

A renovation is an opportunity to take your home from ordinary to extraordinary by customizing your residence to work for you. Perry Newman says one of the biggest mistakes people make is focusing on a particular color or item (because it ends up dictating the whole design). Seeking timeless design for expensive, permanent elements (like tile, cabinetry and fixtures) is a smarter choice because if you choose those things based on a certain color, or a painting, or even a counter-top then you are modifying all your selections around something unimportant. Instead, seek to makeover your home in a pallet that will allow you to pull in patterns, textures and natural elements to give you a designer look. Then, hang that painting and add pops of your favorite color with furnishings and accent pieces. That way, when you tire of the color or the painting doesn’t appeal to you anymore, you simply change the furnishings and have a whole new look to your home. (Click here for more information about achieving timeless design.) The options for customizing your home are endless, from installing light switches in areas that work for you to changing the height of doorknobs, however, here are a few favorites to consider:

Sample of custom bathroom with innovative features.

Bathrooms—Remodeling a bathroom gives you an amazing opportunity for customization. Your bathroom can become your retreat, a place to unwind and rejuvenate yourself. Some clients prefer to create a spa-like setting and others are interested in simplifying and making things efficient. A professional designer can help you think out-of-the-box and let you know about the latest trends in luxury, form and function. Many times, the traditional way of arranging a room is not the most efficient and expense in furnishings, maintenance costs and time cleaning can be reduced with smart design choices and thoughtful selections. For example, niches in the shower can eliminate racks and soap dishes or an oversized shower with a bench can give a luxury spa experience now while providing a solution for the future (when someone is elderly and needs a wheelchair).

Sample of kitchen with custom lighting.

Lighting—In design, “it’s all about the light.” Perry Newman says, “You get the right lighting and you are 75% of the way to great design.” Lighting sets the mood for your residence and customization allows you to adjust that mood to your needs at different times of day or different times of life. The type of lighting you choose affects paint color and how people see and perceive their surroundings. Fixtures should be carefully selected so they fade away and are invisible when appropriate and stand out as an accent or point of interest when that element is a feature of the design. Dimmer switches can give you control and help your house work well for different functions. For example, under-counter lighting in a kitchen can help brighten the room and make your kitchen more functional by giving direct light above the counter-top where you are cooking. It can also be used for safety, as a night light, or can be used for ambiance to help set the mood by dimming the lights in the evening.

Sample of custom shower with multiple shower heads and a bench.

Plumbing Fixtures—A great place to customize and make your home work for you is in your plumbing selections. There are so many features and options that it can be overwhelming but one tip is to not spend a lot on your sink. Choose something functional and then dress it up with gadgets like racks in the bottom, soap dispensers and a faucet with features that make you say, “Wow!” Because there are so many possibilities, you don’t have to spend a lot of your budget to get flexibility in function and a style you find appealing. Extra shower-heads in the bathroom, pot fillers and industrial sprayers in the kitchen, or even a retro, copper-colored faucet that looks just like the one your grandma had in her laundry room can all be yours with careful planning and smart selections.

Sample of custom cabinetry and professionally designed laundry room in Utah.

Cabinetry—The best tip to cabinetry selection and customization is to trust the pros. Meaning, you may have an idea about how you want your kitchen, laundry or bathroom laid out but keep an open mind and listen to the person representing your cabinet company. They have seen it all! They have experience with what works and what doesn’t. They are in and out of kitchen’s every day so they know about the trends and what great ideas people are coming up with to make houses work better. At least set aside your preconceived notions and really hear what they are recommending for finishes and designing your room for the best functionality. Trust them to create the layout. For example, tradition has taught people to put plates in upper cabinetry (because that is what they have always done) however, a smarter solution is to put heavy plates in a drawer that is as close to your dishwasher as possible. It’s easier to put things away down low, instead of lifting them, and these days upper cabinets may not be deep enough to accommodate your large plates anyway. Clients hesitate at making these changes and then, after using their kitchen’s for a while, come back to tell us how wonderful and easy it makes things. They wonder how they did it the old way for so long. Since your cabinetry will probably be one of your biggest expenses, it’s worth taking time to listen and get it right. If it’s done correctly, you’ll be happy living with your choices for a very long time. Another opportunity that comes when you replace cabinetry is the chance to change the height to meet your needs. For someone very short or tall it is a luxury to have the counter-top at a height that makes it comfortable.

When a remodel is in your future, remember it is a great time to plan and think about how to customize your residence. Make sure that the changes you choose for expensive items are ones that can last over time and you can be happy with for the long haul. Feel free to play with color and accent your rooms with favorite items but don’t design a room around something temporary. Think about the little things and how they affect the way you live in and move around your house. Brainstorm creative ways to improve the function and features of your home. You’ll be surprised how much getting the little things right can improve your mood and enjoyment of your rooms. As always, the professionals at Perry Newman Design are here to help you through the process of making the best choices and taking you from your home to the home of your dreams. Give us a call at 801.971.0868 or fill out the contact form at perrynewmandesign.com to get started.

Perry Newman Design: Conception, through construction, to completion

Tag: interior designer

What’s cooking? The microwave decision

“Wood” you know how to pick the best cabinetry?

10 Tips and Tricks for Exceptional Interior Design

Four renovation tips to customize your home