BIA Awards Night..what an honor!

Building Industry Association of Southeastern Michigan (BIA) honored the top residential industry professionals in southeastern Michigan April 3, in conjunction with the Spring Home & Garden Show at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi.

~Outstanding Subcontractor of the Year - Kristen Shellenbarger of Midwest Cabinet & Countertop in Detroit

~Mark Renn of H.J. Oldenkamp in Warren for service to the remodeling industry

~Remodeler of the Year - William Borchert of Borchert Construction in Washington Township

Congratulations to above NAHBR members too, Mark Renn on my left, and Bill Borchert on my right in picture above!

We are staying focused on a positive year for S.E. Michigan in 2009 and beyond!

Hate doing laundry? Not anymore!

Paneling a dishwasher, refrigerator or warming drawers in a kitchen, has been a common practice. But now...washers and dryers can be added to that list, with Asko's laundry care system that accepts cabinetry panels for seamless looks.

For many laundry rooms, this will be an exciting new look!

In many small city kitchens, where having an extra room or basement for laundry space isn't an option, you can hide a small unit in your kitchen.

For a more contemporary look, stainless panels are available too.

Shown above is a washer and dryer unit stacked vertically.

To the right, the tall cabinet is a 'drying cabinet' (for all those clothes and items that can't be tossed into a normal dryer like shoes, delicates, etc.).

What cool new appliances sure to make someone say, "How did I do laundry without this?!"

Michigan remodel brings in southern sunshine

The sunshine in this kitchen is best enjoyed with an iced tea and lots of friends and family.

I often say, I am lucky to meet my clients because so many of them are just amazing, fun people. This was the case for these homeowners, the LaFaves', who treat entertaining as part of the norm. My job was to create their dream kitchen in a casual elegant manner for their family and friends to enjoy alongside with them.

Seen below is a dual height island, allowing for wheelchair access and function, without compromising on beauty and design in any way.

Darin LaFave installed his kitchen himself and wow, did he do an incredible job. Not an easy task!

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Below is the 'Before kitchen'....look familiar?

Time to get your design envy going and remodel your space!

A 'Glass' Act

When considering counter top materials to use for your kitchen or bathroom..have you ever thought of glass?
Yes, glass.
It is available thru many speciality glass companies, and we have designed with it with amazing results.
Glass counter tops can come in the same thickness as granite, either in 1-1/4" or as thick as 3"
It creates a tranquility that stone can not capture, and offers many more benefits..see below!

-Wow factor that makes it the focal point of your kitchen
-High-end appearance that looks very sexy
-Easy to clean
-Non-porous
-Most hygienic counter top on the market
-No Cross-contamination
-Can endure high heat without cracking or scorching
-Impossible to stain
-Texture finish underneath that masks fingerprints, common wear and allows scratches to go unnoticed
-Can be lit up from beneath to create ambiance and make it look like ice.

Detroit Home Magazine Design Awards Gala 2009

Last night, we at Midwest Cabinet & Counter Inc., attended the Detroit Home Design Awards..what a beautiful and fun night!

Below is a picture of me and my good friend, Erin Keating-Dewald of SKBK Sotheby's International Realty.


I was nominated for 'Rising Star Design Award' and although I didn't win, it was a great honor to be considered!

Below is my design, that won FIRST PLACE for Utility/Storage space.

Major kudos and thanks to our wonderful photographer, Jen of JK Photography who helped us capture our design work.

Inspiration from traveling to Cape Town, South Africa

When traveling, I always find it so interesting to see how other people live in their homes. Whether it be the style of decoration, the use of the home, or the selections used, I often see how the location determines certain looks.

Below are three different kitchens I viewed and actually cooked in, while on vacation in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa.

This beautiful maple kitchen, outside of Stellenbosch, embraced a clean Scandinavian look while keeping a warm contemporary vibe. This kitchen design and scheme quietly blends into the house keeping your eye wandering through the home. Truly beautiful and functional.

In Muizenberg, this lovely artistic kitchen boasts a calling to all cooks to come and try your recipes here. With the open shelves, open lower storage cubbies and concrete tops, this kitchen's function proves to benefit the casual but elegant entertainer. As a guest in this home, it was very easy to find what we needed to cook our meal, with ease and enjoyment.

The lovely Mosaic tiles behind the sink area reminded me, that not far there is a beautiful ocean nearby waiting to surf in. Those dishes can wait! :)

Below is a guest condo, that as you can see serves well in a small space. The washer/dryer unit is neatly place near the sink, open shelves above create open height and storage and keeping the cabinetry white displays the ceramic pieces nicely.

Isn't it fun to see the differences and similarities across the world? Keep your eyes open and perhaps on your next travels you will find inspiration to bring back for your home.

Commercial buildings embracing good design

Here are some photographs from my Builder friend, Bob Johnson, for his work with our cabinetry designs for a commercial building in Livonia.

We, at Midwest, have been doing a lot of commercial work using our beautiful wood cabinetry in place of the old laminate cabinets that were seen so much of in the 1980's.

Much more reminiscent of home cabinetry, which lends to a warmer working environment.

What you see here is our "Medallion Cabinetry" in Cherry Brookhill-Burgundy stain

For more information on this Builder, please click on his website: www.johnsonbuildingco.com

The man's kitchen

This is purely for humor's sake!

I thought many of my designs appeal to women..a builder friend of mine shared this hilarious clip with me! To all my male clientele..enjoy! :)

Lowly storage reaches new heights!

Did you know that the average woman's height in the United States is 5 feet 3.8 inches? And for an adult male it is 5 feet 9.2 inches?

That being said, let's take a look at the way typical storage in a kitchen usually works.

Where do you reach for the majority of your items such as glasses, dishes, pots, pans, spices? Usually up high in your upper cabinetry, correct?

Take a peek at some low storage that I design with, that could leave your step ladder in your closet for good!

Keeping dishes in large heavy duty drawers that can support up to 100 lbs, can make for an easier lift for many vertically challenged clients. No more tippie toes!

This pantry storage is great for giving children their 'own' section of the kitchen, where they can retrieve snacks or help out during prep, by keeping the organization at their level.

A Michigan condo stands out on it's own

Doesn't this 'before' kitchen look all too familiar?

The typical laminate cabinetry with an oak trim. While it serves it's purpose of storage it certainly doesn't say anything about the home owner.

Here is our "before" with the typical soffits (what's a soffit? It is the drywall box above the wall cabinetry)
And now, the "after"...oh yeah!


Here is what I did for this sweet client in conjunction with her talented remodeler:

• Removed the soffits and ran taller upper cabinetry right up to the ceiling, now our client gained a foot of space in each cabinet for additional storage!
• Used a clean door style (Hancock Maple from "Quality Cabinets") in a soft beige tone.
• By measuring her new appliances, I was able to use every inch available for cabinetry and create her Refrigerator appear more built-in without the high cost.
• We put in 9 new drawers for storage and organization
• Having her floor tile run in a diagonal pattern creates a wider appearance in her kitchen
• The dark green granite creates a rich finish and sheen

What is so wonderful about this project is, you don't have to have HUGE amounts of space to create a beautiful kitchen that has great design and function!

A Florida kitchen re-design

Many of our 'before' pictures are in need of an intense makeover.
This Florida kitchen, is not our typical "bad" kitchen, the design layout works, and the space is large. However, the cabinetry material does not suit today's beautiful available materials.

So..along with the 1980's lawn ornament of pink flamingos, out goes this champagne washed Oak raised panel kitchen, shown below here:




Grab yourself a fresh squeezed O.J. and make yourself at home in this beautifully re-designed kitchen:

Choosing a pillowed raised panel Cherry wood door, with stain and glaze adds new warmth to this space. (featured here is "Medallion Cabinetry" Cherry Valencia in Pecan Burnish)

In addition to the new look, the design was tweaked by adding varied heights with the cabinetry and crown. We added a new large pantry space equipped with large roll outs inside, as well as a glass cabinet coming down to the counter top for additional storage as well as ease of use. With the client's selections of new paint, back splash, granite tops and wood flooring, the whole kitchen exudes a warm elegance that is sure to please for years.

Oak cabinetry revival

For a Thanksgiving treat, I thought I would showcase this kitchen from "Medallion Cabinetry" due to it's lovely warm hues..and surprising wood use of Oak.

It's not your Mother's old Oak anymore, it's updated by combining two cabinetry styles:
First seen is the "Bella" slab with the grain running vertically in the soft 'Wheat' stain.
The furniture-like upper cabinetry is in the "Gable" door style in a Quartersawn Oak, in delicious dark 'Walnut.'
This kitchen embraces how today's modern kitchen isn't just cold contemporary and definitely not the overly busy patterned Oak wood of yesterday.

As I hope you enjoy this Thanksgiving holiday with your family, ask yourself...'are you thankful for your kitchen design?'
You can be...

Bath re-design on a dime

When re designing a space, you don't always have to start from zero.
In this master bath, I designed a spa-like space by keeping the walls, the tiles, the plumbing and electrical all in the exact same space. The only differences are; new cabinetry and layout of cabinetry, granite counter top with under mount sink, new faucet and new mirrors. Voila..this dollars stretches well beyond the cost, into a beautiful zen-like space.

Above, is the "BEFORE" with a short 30" height vanity, two storage drawers, laminate top with an outdated sink, and a small mirror. Blech..






Below is my simple but beautiful "AFTER" design...ahhhh...much better!

By using new cherry cabinetry from our "Medallion" line, the dark Espresso stain creates a modern look. Installing mirrors along the "L" shape wall instantly brought in more light as well as making the space seem larger, not to mention..functions much better.

Increasing the drawer space from the original design, from 2 drawers..to NINE. Who doesn't need more drawer space in their bath?

Mixing a contemporary waterfall polished chrome faucet with a more traditional door, creates a transitional look. Don't be afraid to get creative with accent elements. I carried the polished chrome throughout by matching it to the cabinetry knobs, and shower head.

Placing a lighter granite on top with chocolate flecks brings in the white tile that surrounds the walls and floors, along with the new espresso cabinetry. Shocking enough, this granite piece was also a remnant piece, which means it was on SALE! Don't forget about the remnant pile, you can often get a stone slab for a fraction of the cost, and usually get more exotic patterns that aren't often as readily available.

By lifting the vanity height from 30" high, to a 36" height (kitchen height) often creates a much more comfortable height to wash your face, brush your teeth, etc., as shown in the new design.

The pillowed raised panel door design is a bit different than a traditional square raised panel. I love how soft it looks, almost as if carved from blocks of chocolate. In a bathroom and small room designs..have fun with it, get brave and creative with your choices.

All these changes were made by not TOUCHING the original tiles, walls or plumbing and yet..it looks brand new and totally updated, don't you think?

What a brand new kitchen looks like on a budget...

Election day folks!

A new president..a new and better (hopefully) economy!

Today I would like to share some 'before' and 'after' pictures of an Oak Park kitchen, done on a budget.

Yes, a brand new..kitchen..on a budget!

What you are about to see was done entirely new, from ceramic floors and back splash, new cabinetry and appliances, with granite counter tops, all installed...for $8,300.00

So..here are the two before shots:....yikes!

And now, thanks to my client, Lyle Schaefer of Century 21-Today Inc., we redesigned the space, it now looks like this.....ahhhhhhh, welcome home:

If you are looking for a new home, have Lyle's trained eye expertise on your side:

Lyle G. Schaefer,

GRI,CRS,ABRAssociate Broker
Century-21 Today Inc.

6755 Telegraph Rd. # 200

Bloomfield Hills, Mi. 48301

www.lyleschaefer.com

e-mail: lylec21@aol.com

Direct line 248-283-2246

Fax # 248-647-7727