Kitchen Design Ideas: The Latest Trends

Recently, Zillow, a real estate focused website, wrote an article outlining the latest kitchen design ideas and trends. As I have mentioned before, they too state that the kitchen has become so much more than what it used to be. It functions not only as a place to prepare food, but as your entertainment hub during social events, your workspace, and also a dining room. With this trend taking a drastic shift from previous years, now is a great time to consider kitchen remodeling.

Why Kitchen Remodeling in This Economy?

According to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) the current economic market has lead to cutbacks in other areas of home design and overall room size, but kitchens continue to see more attention in both design and use; one reason being that kitchens, along with bathrooms, are an essential part of the home. New kitchen design ideas are taking hold as home offices become less popular, and desk work is being done around the kitchen table. The AIA says that 43 percent of architects polled saw an increase in demand for computer areas in the kitchen. Here is a home we remodeled in Herndon, Virginia.

Kitchen remodeling projects and new homes are seeing extended countertops to handle other non-typical-kitchen tasks and floor space is being added to expand the overall size. The kitchen is becoming the main source of foot traffic in the home and the room where residents spend the most amount of time.

If you see that your own lifestyle reflects the current trend, now is the perfect time for kitchen remodeling. You’re spending the most time in your kitchen, so it requires the most upkeep and attention! Call Signature WoodCrafters for affordable solutions for your kitchen remodeling project!

Before and After Kitchen ReCrafting Project

Signature WoodCrafters is known for its unique practice of kitchen cabinet ReCrafting. In a home in Leesburg, Virginia, we met with a homeowner who was unhappy with the overall appearance of her kitchen cabinets and island. Previously, she had replaced the countertops with granite and the island was being extended to create a breakfast bar. With those two items being remodeled, she felt that the natural maple color and door style of her kitchen cabinets did not flow well with the rest of the kitchen, and wanted something a little more formal.

Here is a look at the kitchen island as it was being extended, as well as the existing Natural Maple cabinets.

We recrafted the cabinets with full-overlay raised-panel doors in medium-tone maple with black glazing. Tall crown molding was added to the tops of the cabinets along with a black rope inset to coordinate with the glazing. A stainless steel refrigerator was also replaced with a new black refrigerator and custom raised panels were attached to match the cabinetry. Exposed cabinet ends were covered with raised panels as well.

Finally, the kitchen island was finished with matching solid raised panels on the sides and beaded paneling and corbels on the back, giving the homeowner’s kitchen the formal look she wanted.

Our kitchen cabinet recrafting services are completed within days once we receive the custom-made pieces from our Pennsylvania Dutch manufacturing facility. The quality of our work speaks for itself, and our ability to design, manufacture, and install our own work makes us a one-stop-shop for all of your kitchen remodeling needs and services. Visit one of our showrooms to see our work for yourself!

Kitchen Remodeling on a Budget

This summer is already a very busy time for me and it hasn’t even really started yet. I have five weddings to attend and I have no idea how many more to come in the fall. The age of the engaged couples is fairly young and it is likely that they will be either renting a place to live or buying a small starter home. Buying a home is daunting task and chances are that the home will require a little TLC. Nothing is guaranteed to be in top shape, so it’s time for them to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

While potential DIY projects may abound in their new homes, there are some projects that are simply too large to undertake, or projects that require a certain set of skills. Kitchen remodeling is one of those projects. As a newly married couple with a shoestring budget, it’s likely that no major renovations will be taking place. However, kitchen cabinet refacing can be an affordable alternative to cabinet installation.

Kitchen cabinet refacing, or recrafting as we call it, is a process that replaces all of the visible elements of cabinets with new pieces. Most companies will reface cabinets with vinyl tape that resembles wood, but Signature WoodCrafters uses solid wood that is custom made in our own facilities. This makes us a go-to resource for so many kitchen remodeling projects.

The custom look will give your new home a high-end look with a much smaller budge than cabinet installation requires. Kitchen remodeling doesn't have to be super expensive! Owning a home at such a young age requires a little innovation and some research. Come check out Signature WoodCrafter’s showroom and see what we’re all about!

Kitchen Renovation - Your Post-Easter Assessment

Last week I wrote about the cabinet refacing and kitchen cabinet installation process. Over the Easter holiday, I challenged those who were thinking about doing a little kitchen renovation to pay attention to how their kitchen was being used and how easy it was to get around, find what you need, and entertain guests all at the same time. It’s overwhelming, I know!

Hopefully you had the chance to do just that. Assess your likes and dislikes of your kitchen and come up with a few new ideas. The cabinet refacing process, as I briefly talked about last week, can be done quickly and completely gives your kitchen a high-end, custom-built look for a fraction of the price of a complete installation. Kitchen cabinet refacing is much different than a regular installation as it replaces the doors and veneer tape around the framing only. It looks brand new and can be installed in just a few short days.

But for those who have had the time to look around your kitchen and decided that you are absolutely ready for an entire kitchen renovation, we can help you there, too. The kitchen renovation process is fully customizable. Are you looking to add more space to your kitchen, increase the cooking area, install additional cabinets, or add an island? The possibilities are seemingly endless as you can see, but in the end, a kitchen renovation can be as big or small as you like.

Our project managers are there to walk you through each step of the process and to help you figure out exactly what you want and need for your new space. They will listen to your concerns and create a design and plan that will give your kitchen an entirely new look and feel. Something you can truly be proud of.

Contact Signature WoodCrafters today and begin your kitchen renovation process today!

Kitchen Cabinet Installation - How to Get It Done Fast!

Now that you have had Easter weekend to assess your kitchen design ideas and hopefully come up with a few ideas on how you would like to improve your space, it’s time to look at some items that might meet your needs.

Kitchen cabinet installation is probably the most common item to have replaced or renovated. Kitchen cabinets are the “face” of your kitchen. They are seen the most, used the most, and are definitely an essential piece due to the amount of storage space that they provide for your home. Having cabinets installed in your home can seem like a huge project to take on, which is why many of our customers choose our recrafted kitchen cabinet installation.

Having your cabinets recrafted by our kitchen remodeling contractors is a very fast and painless process. Instead of replacing the entire cabinet, frame and all, we replace the doors and veneers with custom-made solid wood that you have selected. Once the pieces are created in our own facility, the recrafted kitchen cabinet installation process can be done within days. What you’re left with is a high-end, custom look for a fraction of the price, and installed in a fraction of the time.

Our kitchen remodeling contractors install the new cabinet and drawer doors within days of receiving the manufactured pieces from our facility. This allows us to cut out the middle men so that you are always dealing with the same company from beginning to end. Our company prides itself on the quality of our work and the products we produce, and our kitchen remodeling contractors provide an excellent service that will have your brand new kitchen fully functioning in no time.

Begin the kitchen renovation process today with Signature WoodCrafters!

Great Way to Get Some Kitchen Design Ideas this Easter!

If you or your family celebrate Easter, then get ready – because it's this weekend. Every once in a while a holiday comes around that is known for its wonderfully-made, home-cooked dinners, and Easter is one of those holidays. As friends and family members flood your home this weekend, pay special attention to just how busy your kitchen gets; not just with cooking, but with socializing. Your kitchen is sure to be the focal point of a social event, and if you have been wanting to have your kitchen remodeled, now is a great time to keep your eyes open for kitchen design ideas.

Our kitchen remodeling contractors are more than happy to work with you every step of the way to make sure that your dream kitchen becomes a reality. However, the process begins a few steps before that. First you have to know what you want!

This Easter holiday, pay attention to what aspects of your kitchen are inconvenient for you. Is your cabinet placement ideal? Could you really benefit from having an island or a butcher's block? What about a counter and chairs? The best kitchen design ideas will probably come from real life experience. Would you like people to crowd around a different area of your kitchen so you can be free to cook? Think about these things this holiday so you can accurately describe your concerns and preferences to our kitchen remodeling contractors.

It may be difficult, but I would even suggest keeping a list of your kitchen design ideas throughout the day. If you are anything like the members of my family, there is zero downtime in the kitchen and if you are trying to pay attention and remember each detail for the kitchen remodeling contractors, chances are you will forget without taking the time to write down a few ideas.

Have a safe and happy Easter and call Signature WoodCrafters for your kitchen remodeling project!

Home-Building Contractors - We save you money!

As a home builder, finding custom built kitchen cabinets at a reasonable price seems impossible. Not to mention paying for kitchen cabinet installation. However, having the perfect cabinets displayed in a home can be a major selling point, so you are often left with a tough decision: Do you pay top prices for high quality products, or do you buy cheap and hope for the best? Thanks to Signature WoodCrafters you don’t have to choose anymore.

Signature WoodCrafters supplies and installs fine kitchen cabinets for some of the top home builders in the Mid-Atlantic region. Unlike high-priced retail stores, we keep our prices low because we buy in volume and sell at wholesale prices. And since we manufacture and install our own products, you always have the benefit of dealing with one company for all your home building needs.

Having worked with home building contractors for 25 years, we have streamlined the custom kitchen design process and kitchen cabinet installation procedures. This financially benefits home builders as we work efficiently to provide the best prices and best service possible.

Signature WoodCrafters offers the personalized service and attention to detail that you would expect from a small business, and wholesale prices that rival large chains. The quality of our products is second to none and our passion for excellence is what has kept our customers loyal for 25 years.

If you are a home-building contractor, feel free to stop by and visit our showrooms so you can see and experience the unparalleled quality of our products.

Contact Signature WoodCrafters today. With better products and better prices, it’s an easy choice.

A Great Resource for Realtors

Over at Signature WoodCrafters, we have a long history of working closely with realtors who are looking an inexpensive way to spruce up a home. Often we come in and quickly renovate staircases, cabinets, and other structures and features that may be outdated or have a worn look to them. We even do full kitchen renovations and cabinet remodeling.

Signature WoodCrafters has the perfect solution for a home that isn’t selling as well as expected. By completely ReCrafting an outdated kitchen with new cabinets, built-ins or countertops, the home will take on entirely new, custom-built look without the headache or cost of a full-scale remodeling project. Quickly doing a full or itemized kitchen renovation is a great solution.

Signature WoodCrafters also ReCrafts stairs. Transforming stained, worn-down carpet into a custom-made wood staircase eliminates the embarrassing walk up to the second floor with a client. The ReCrafting process resembles our cabinetry remodeling process, as we discard the carpet or old wood from the previous staircase, and fit our custom-built wood pieces over top of the existing stairs. This again provides you with a quick fix to a major eyesore in the home you are trying to sell. Once the custom pieces are built, the installation can be done within days so you can get back to work as soon as possible.

Working with Signature WoodCrafters ensures a beautiful, custom-built piece for your kitchen, stairway, countertop, or built-in at a fraction of the price and time it would take to complete an entire remodeling project. Our kitchen renovation and cabinet remodeling services are second to none.

Realtors need superior products in a quick, cost-effective manner, and that is exactly what Signature WoodCrafters provides. Don’t pay more and wait longer. It doesn’t make sense.

Kitchen Cabinet Refacing and ReCrafting

When people think about kitchen cabinet refacing or even cabinet renovation, they visualize a long drawn out process, tons of contractors running around and making noise, and just total chaos. With Signature Kitchens, that couldn’t be any further from the truth.

We want your kitchen cabinet refacing to run as smoothly as possible from start to finish, and the best part is, the cabinet renovation process only takes a few days.

When we talk about our kitchen cabinet refacing process, you may hear us use the word “recrafting.” Our cabinet renovation process involves determining exactly what you want for your new cabinet refacing, then we use the design to custom build your 100% hardwood cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Instead of using the veneer cabinet covers that you have probably seen before, we reface your cabinets and your cabinet frames with solid hardwood, which gives your kitchen a custom-built look without the cost, or headaches of a typical cabinet renovation project.

The best part of all is that our recrafting service does not cost more than traditional kitchen cabinet refacing projects. Since all of our material is built and designed in our own facility in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, we are able to cut out the middle man and make your kitchen cabinet refacing project a worry free experience.

If you are looking to bring new life into your kitchen, but don’t have the big budget, or the time to have contractors running in and out of your home for the next month, kitchen cabinet recrafting is the perfect solution for you. Now is the perfect time to give your kitchen a facelift with the custom built look and feel that you have always wanted. Call Signature Kitchens today to make your dream kitchen a reality!

Kitchen Design Ideas

When you look around your kitchen, its cabinets and counter top, and finally decide that it is time to undergo a kitchen renovation, you are left with the daunting task of coming up with an entirely new design. Kitchen design ideas are seemingly endless and sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming as you begin to seriously decide on your kitchen renovation plans.

Where to Get Kitchen Design Ideas

If you are one of the lucky few who have a vision and a plan for your kitchen before you even begin the kitchen renovation project, count yourself lucky. Most people need to find inspiration for their kitchen design ideas. After all, kitchens are often thought of as the focal point in the home and people tend to congregate there during parties and social gatherings.

Kitchen design ideas can come from a number of places. One of the first places I would check out is our kitchen renovation photo gallery. There you will be able to view some great before-and-after photos of our previous work and draw some ideas from there.

Another great place to gather kitchen design ideas is at one of our 3 showrooms. Located in Haymarket, VA, Owings, MD and Elkridge, MD, these showrooms offer a ton of beautiful pieces to help inspire your own kitchen renovation. There you will be able to speak with members of our crew who will be able to point you in the right direction and offer their expertise in kitchen renovation.

Of course there are plenty of websites and magazines you can look at for kitchen design ideas as well, but sometimes for me, having the opportunity to see and touch the actual handcrafted pieces is much more inspirational when it comes to deciding on the perfect kitchen design ideas.

Stop by and visit us today, and we will be happy to show you around so you can begin your kitchen renovation project!

Cabinet ReCraft: Herndon, VA

Kitchen ReCraft: Herndon, VA, originally uploaded by lauren_taggart1.

This was a kitchen recraft job that Signature WoodCrafters completed in Herndon, VA. The homeowners elected to go with our recrafting process versus our kitchen replacement process because they wanted to have their kitchen in use throughout the entire installation process.  So they kept their existing layout, revamped the look of the cabinets with our recrafting product, added new countertops, backsplash, and flooring.

Because of the bulkhead above, the homeowners decided that instead of adding the traditional crown moulding that most kitchens opt for, they would add lite rail moulding to the bottom of the cabinets, providing that little extra special detail to the new look of the kitchen. The end result is stunning.

BEFORE:



AFTER:





This picture really captures the detail in the lite rail moulding...beautiful...

Kitchen Remodel: Herndon, VA

Another View of Galley Kitchen, originally uploaded by lauren_taggart1.

Signature WoodCrafters took a small galley kitchen and transformed it into a beautiful new work of art. We used Century Cabinetry, new granite countertops, and a great backsplash to tie everything together!



Another "before" view...



Kitchen in Process...New Cabinetry installed!



Signature WoodCrafters helped to create some great storage solutions by adding a corner pantry cabinet and above refrigerator cabinets to the existing layout.




Transformed!  New countertops, backsplash, cabinets, and flooring all flow together in a beautiful piece of design work.  Cabinetry has been extended to the ceiling to create more height and storage space in the space.

Kitchen Remodel: Arlington, VA

Kitchen Remodel: Arlington, VA, originally uploaded by lauren_taggart1.

This is an excellent example of an out-dated, problematic kitchen and the creative solutions our design team came up with to give it both an updated, beautiful new look and much greater functionality.The original design of the kitchen was a typical condo unit with laminate countertops and cabinetry. Storage space was lacking & inefficient, and the sink faced a wall.

To remedy these problems, our designer, Erin Watson, moved the sink to a new location on the free-standing part of the counter, allowing for the addition of more cabinet space on the wall where the sink used to be. Part of the counter next to the entry door was shortened, making room for a new floor-to-ceiling pantry. The cabinets were also re-configured around the refrigerator to increase usable storage space, and one of the floor cabinets next to the new sink was replaced by a stack of large drawers.

The homeowners selected a raised-panel door style in Mocha Maple and Blue Pearl granite countertops.

Kitchen Remodel/Recraft: Warrenton, VA

Before Picture of Kitchen: Warrenton, VA, originally uploaded by lauren_taggart1.

This kitchen was a standard 14-yr old builder grade kitchen from 1994. The cabinets were a gold flat panel oak and the oak wood veneers on the side of the exposed ends had faded from exposure to the natural sunlight, which is very typical in such an old kitchen. The laminate countertop was also the same countertop that had been in the house for 14 years, and while it had held up extremely well for all that time, it was time for a new, updated look.

The kitchen after being recrafted by Signature WoodCrafters. The cabinet boxes were kept in place, but the existing face frames, doors, and drawers were replaced with custom-manufactured Natural Maple Raised Panel doors. The exposed ends, which used to be covered in wood veneers, were replaced with finished door panels. Crown moulding and a valance were added to give a polished, continuous look to the top of the cabinets. The old white laminate countertop was replaced with a Baltic Brown granite countertop. The end result is a stunning difference.

Before

After

Cabinet ReCrafting/Refacing: Fairfax, VA

This video explains the how-to of how Signature WoodCrafters installs its solid hardwood refacing/recrafting product. Enjoy the show!

Kitchen Remodel: Fairfax, VA

Kitchen Remodel: Fairfax, VA, originally uploaded by lauren_taggart1.

Doesn't this look gorgeous? Signature WoodCrafters' Erin Watson completely redesigned this kitchen, adding beautiful details like this corbel on the new kitchen island. Details will be coming soon about an open house to be staged for this kitchen in the fall!

Curved Stair ReCraft

Check out this Curved Stair ReCraft and Rail Replacement project that we completed in Woodbridge, VA. The original handrail was kept for the project...

Where Has the Time Gone?

Before you know it, it is almost time for the holidays and Thanksgiving is right around the corner! It has been a while since I update this blog, for which I apologize to everyone. But there have been many exciting things going on at Signature WoodCrafters, it has been hard to remember to stay in touch!

We participated in three home shows this past fall. One located in Germantown, MD, another at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, VA, and our final show was at Upper Marlboro, MD. We met many interested homeowners who seemed to be very interested in our products and took a lot of our literature, so hopefully that bodes well!

We also have completed a wide range of installs over the past months of kitchens, stairs, and rails and the results are frankly stunning. It is amazing to see some of these kitchens go from such eyesores to genuinely beautiful places. The stairs are even more amazing - you have no idea how such a transformation can completely change the appearance of your home! I will be publishing a few of these slideshows shortly so that people can see our beautiful products.

We have also made many updates on our website, www.signaturewoodcrafters.com, including our Sample Projects page. This page has turned into our best sales tool because of the fact that we list pricing estimates directly on the page. There are more enhancements that we need to do, as the kiss of death of a website is for it to remain static, but we are off to a fantastic start!

Stay tuned for some truly stunning before and after pictures!