When it comes time for planning your kitchen remodel, you must make many decisions. As your kitchen designer, I like to think of myself as your guide. It’s part of my job to make sure you get what you want. Even if you’re not sure what that is yet!   And not all your choices will be sexy. There are things that go on behind the scenes that are just as important as your countertop selection and cabinet finish. One of these is the range hood and how you vent your stove. Looks?…

Part of my job as a kitchen designer is to provide you with the information you need to make informed choices for your kitchen remodel project. And you will have to make lots of choices! Since the cabinets are the most expensive item you’ll have to choose for your new kitchen, and they form the backbone of your new kitchen design, it’s important to have the facts before making any decisions. Let’s Start with the Fundamentals – Cabinet Construction At first, the method used to build…

If you’re building a new kitchen or remodeling an existing one, it’s important to consider how to best utilize the available space. One way to do so is to specify built-in cabinet accessories that improve both the function and appearance of the room. Cabinet built-ins will provide all the storage you need. And you can keep your new kitchen clean and uncluttered when you store things like your coffee maker, blender and toaster out of sight but well within reach.  My job as a kitchen…

  Do you have plans to remodel an existing kitchen? If so, lighting is something you should consider as carefully as the other items that go into making up a new kitchen, such as your appliances, cabinets, flooring type, and color scheme. Just as a healthy meal must be balanced, so does your remodeled kitchen require the right balance of lighting to accomplish the work you do in that space, from meal prep and cooking to homework and list-making. Three different types of lights –…

The kitchen style I get asked for most often is “Shaker”.  Homeowners see it in magazines, on design-themed websites and tv shows — pretty much everywhere — and they like what they see and want Shaker for their own remodeled kitchens. And, as the lead designer at Craig Allen Designs, I’m happy to help them get what they want. But what is “Shaker” exactly? One thing I know for sure is that “Shaker” as a design style is so popular that, more than 150 years after the Shakers…