If you want to know where to start with a kitchen remodeling project, we’d suggest this: kitchen design trends for 2010 and beyond from Susan Serra, a certified kitchen designer. Among them: people trending toward more open layouts and creating “the social kitchen.”

She writes:

More than ever before, we want our kitchens to be social. So social, that I see islands becoming larger as walls continue to come down, even taking center stage to include a sink and a cooking appliance, and seating. I see soft furnishings (the kitchen sofa for example, a concept that I strongly believe in, which is raised to meet the breakfast room table) in the kitchen and is all about comfort. I see finishes and colors which do not match, but blend. Fireplaces and larger windows in width and height create an open feel and add architectural interest as they do in surrounding rooms. … Multiple work stations providing optimal function for various social lifestyle situations will be designed into the space. A desire for real comfort is strongly connected to the social kitchen trend.

Susan also writes, on Houzz.com (she’s prolific!), about the usefulness of a good kitchen window, saying they’re “one of the most important features in our kitchens! … [T]hey provide light, a connection to the outdoors, a green catalyst to control temperature in the kitchen, depending on the window’s directional exposure, and of course, great architectural interest in terms of proportion and style.”

The bloggers at CalFinder identified a few of their own kitchen design trends, including custom cabinets and hardware, designer and built-in appliances, and even unique features like warming drawers. But it’s not all modern flashiness: CalFinder also found a wealth of awesome retro kitchen appliances and furnishings.

As you get set to embark on your kitchen remodeling project, consider these tips from Home Design Find and these nice before-and-after shots.

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Many people interested in interior design and home decor are familiar with the cool, modern style depicted in the photos you find in the likes of Dwell magazine. They often show off gorgeous, stunning examples of home design, but they don’t often reflect the reality of a kid-filled household.

The DIY Maven at Curbly explains the opposite problem: a home taken over by kids.

Is kid stuff taking over your place? Do you feel as if you’re living in the middle of a Toys R’ Us? Does it look as if your decorator is a seven foot tall yellow bird? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you might want to check out these very inspiring interiors from Design is Mine. They’re proof that you CAN keep your stylish sensibilities while living the kid-centric life.

Neither extreme — a potential kid-unfriendly ultramodern home or a messy kid-overrun home — is desirable. These tips might help you balance your desire to make your home (or at least the kid-oriented parts of it) fun, safe and stylish for your children.

For starters, consider this article on basic principles for kid-friendly design from Home re-Design Kaleidoscope, including this interesting observation:

Furniture for young children should be interesting for them. Their furniture should be safe, stable and relatively light to provide the opportunity for kids to perform various manipulations and transformations. For example, chairs can be transformed into cars and a bed can become a boat, etc. Easily transformed furniture helps develop kids’ imagination.  Kids like to dream of space voyages and adventurous driving trips.

The article also suggests leaving an “open corner” in a child’s room to allow plenty of comfortable, uncrowded space for playing with toys and giving school-age children a quiet space to read and do their homework.

Beyond the function of a space, designing for kids opens up a whole new world in terms of style. Consider a child’s room an opportunity to play with bright and bold colors you might not try elsewhere in your home. You could even add some home-grown design elements — perhaps something like the cardboard playhouse shown in the photo above. And the photo below reminds us that there’s no need to sacrifice true style in the interest of creating a perfect kid’s room.

As a parting note, we’ll leave you with the sentiment of designer Debbie Wiener, who advocates “enduring design” that will hold up to just about anything your kids might throw at it:

A glass door links the kitchen to the family room, which is turned out in a similar ready-to-rumble fashion. “We wanted a kid-friendly room with space to play and furniture and carpeting that’s basically indestructible,” Amy Mauser says. As with many of her projects, Wiener opted for a stain-resistant nylon rug and — her object of obsession — Crypton, an antimicrobial, stain-repellent fabric originally engineered for the health-care industry. “With over 20,000 [choices], ranging from velvet and chenille to damasks and Ultrasuedes, why would I source anything else when budget is a factor?” she asks.

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“Incorporating design elements from other people’s homes into your own.” That’s one super-fancy way of saying “stealing ideas from your friends and family.” Before we dive into a full-throated breakdown of how you can engage in such risky behavior, let’s discuss the ethics of it.

For all intents and purposes what we’re endorsing is stealing – of a sort. We are about to tell you to walk into the home of a casual acquaintance and rip off a feature that they likely paid someone handsomely to create. Or even worse, something to which the homeowners committed their own blood, sweat and tears to create.

And we’re telling you to walk in and make it your own.

Ethically challenging? Maybe (but it’s easier to swallow if you call it “inspiration” rather than “plagiarism”). Aesthetically important? Absolutely! And here’s some proof that it’s a perfectly legitimate practice.

When you’re ready to borrow some design inspiration, consider:

How close are you to your target?

Is this a family member? A close friend? The parent of one of your kid’s schoolmates? A valued customer? Your neighbor? This is the most important factor in determining how far you should be willing to go in “absorbing” some of their design ideas into your own abode. If you’re dealing with a family member, you may be able to take some greater liberties with your “incorporating.” As they say in the design business, blood is thicker than water treatments, so go ahead and re-create your cousin’s fountain.

If you’re dealing with a friend you should ask yourself how often they’ll be visiting you. Are they frequent guests? The road becomes a little slipperier because chances are you won’t be able to cover up your copycat work forever. Carefully consider the relationship and the violation of trust you’re about the engage in.

Be discreet.

Considering the stakes (a failed relationship and/or the aesthetic quality of your home), you need to be thorough in your research while operating under the radar. Whipping out a camera or a drawing pad isn’t recommended, unless you’re armed with a really, really solid fib. You not only have to be able to misrepresent your near-term intentions, but you also don’t want to create a suspicion that would cause your victim to be on the lookout next time they visit your home.

If you’re able, there are any number of small cameras and recording devices you could employ to get a thorough rendering of your soon-to-be masterpiece without giving the impression that you’re up to something. Other things to avoid include asking for left-over materials, staring, and trying to remove fixtures and swatches during your stay.

Be prepared for the fallout.

Inevitably the day will come when your victim strolls through your home and sees something familiar. When that day arrives, will you be ready? Your response depends on your level of coolness. Once you’re accused, will you stutter and stammer your way into a guilty plea? Or can you look your friend or family member in the eye and say with all sincerity, “I don’t see the resemblance”?

It is at this moment you’ll seal your fate. Make no mistake: You’re guilty of design larceny. But the level of guilt will be determined by your victim, and if you are properly prepared to convince them otherwise, you might be able to beat the rap, enjoy your newly designed home and maintain some semblance of a friendship.

Following these three simple rules will allow you to beautify your home while maintaining a solid relationship with your friends and family. Keeping a clean conscience is a different story!

Our blogging friends at DigsDigs shared a heap of photos depicting a variety of clever and attractive interior design ideas that could help save precious space in nearly any place. From couches that fold into themselves to desks that tuck under stairs to steps that provide drawer storage, there’s sure to be something that’ll help you around your house.

From DigsDigs:

The main idea of all this furniture is the clever use of all available places. For example you could find below a modern black and white furniture with many drawers, which could easy solve a storage problem. There are even more practical furniture such as folding bed integrated in cabinet systems and a lot of expandable tables and convertible sofas, which are ones of the most indispensable items in any small room. Below you could see that the practical furniture can be not only very functional but also looks very modern and stylish.

Meanwhile, over at About.com’s Interior Decorating section, there’s a huge collection of articles providing a nearly endless amount of tips and tricks for saving space and making the most out of whatever square footage you have.

Today’s post is a guest contribution from Susquehanna Photo and co-authored by Mandy Arnold, of LightStyles, Ltd., a window, door and hardware distributor based in Carlisle, Penn.

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Many small towns often look inward for their sense of identity. The town of York, Pennsylvania, turns to its 250-plus years of history and local culture to identify itself. The town is full of independent businesses and artists, each trying to put their own personal stamp on their products.

While much of the country spirals toward chain restaurants and cookie-cutter products, the people of York are as enthusiastic as ever about new local endeavors. Specialization and customization are where Yorkers shine. Matthew Shober, 29, is a local wood craftsman that has recently turned in this direction, though he did not begin his career as a craftsman:

I went to college for my degree in architecture [but] it just seemed like something was missing for me… I took my love for design and headed another direction where I could do something with my hands. I started in the construction industry. After a bit of time, I was given my first table saw, [and] that’s when I discovered my love for woodworking.

After finding frustration in the lack of personalization in the construction business, Shober stumbled into entrepreneurship. He learned to create beautiful, detailed pieces of furniture, each one a small masterpiece. He started Matthew Shober Artistan Woodworks, a business he hopes will tug on the independent heartstrings of local residents.

He has begun to fit into his community, establishing relationships with fellow craftsmen. He was recently invited to join a craftsman collaborative hosted by an area artisan glass business.

My collaboration with other local artists is new to me, and I have found it to be extremely motivational. Collaboration has truly intensified my view of how a supportive community can be the heartbeat of inspiration.

Shober also gives a nod to the environment, as well. Recently, he used all local, recycled wood for a Tansu step chest he made. After nearly running out of the 25-year-old wood, he took parts of his basement and salvaged them for the piece. His logic is refreshing:

I like to reclaim lumber for numerous reasons such as deep sincerity for the life of the tree itself. We owe it to all of creation to utilize as much as we can to its best purpose. I’m intolerant of wasting what could be beautiful again.

Pouring his heart and soul into each piece, Shober has ended up with a special product reflective of his artistic spirit. His pieces are widely varied, from a headboard to match a 100-year-old bedroom set to a Chinese-inspired wardrobe. He reflects:

Every piece of wood is individually unique. Every pattern you see in the grain is to never ever be repeated again by nature. It’s a bit of a blessing to be the first to see the story of a tree in the picture it creates through its grain as it is sawn in to usable slabs.

It is this kind of personalization that draws clients to Shober.

Customizing my projects to each client gives not only me but, most importantly, the customer a bond between them and the project. As the provider of the craft, it appears to me that each piece I sell to a client is so much more meaningful than if they were to just go to the store and purchase a rubber-stamped, mass-production piece that a factory spit out.

To me, woodworking is soothing. It requires much patience. If you force the lumber to do what you want it to do, it will never work. In a way, you almost have to ask the lumber to cooperate. Working with wood is a bond to nature.

For more information, visit Matthew Shober Artistan Woodworks. To read a local blog covering Shober’s work, read here. And a gallery of more photos of his work is here.

Photo courtesy of The Susquehanna Photographic

There is nothing like the shorter days of winter to remind us of how much light (or lack thereof) can affect our mood and our health.

Scientists and doctors tell us that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is real, with the lack of sunlight during the winter months adversely affecting most people. SAD is now known to wear us down, bring out bouts with depression, lower productivity, and generally make us feel lousy.

As a window and door manufacturer, Marvin Windows and Doors takes a keen interest in shining light into your life. Shouldn’t you be maximizing the light in your home this winter during those rare daylight hours?

Take a look around your home and at your windows. Is there room to expand your window area? Do you have window treatments that do more to block light than they do add style? Of course, some window treatments are designed to block light, but some, when not in use, can cut out valuable sunshine, such as when bulky curtains are pushed away but still cover much of the window area. If you’re considering replacing your windows, consider increasing their size, too. It might make the replacement project a bit of a bigger one, but envision the brighter home and the nicer view!

There are also benefits above and beyond the added light that new (and bigger) windows would bring into your home. It certainly gets a little chilly in the house during the winter months. Why not try leaving the drapes and curtains open while the sun’s shining, allowing its warmth to come through those beautiful windows and take some of the burden off of your furnace? The heat of the sun, regardless of how cold it is outside, can be powerful. Your furnace will thank you for easing her burden, and once the heating of the day is gone and the coolness of the night starts to set in, reverse your course and close those window treatments to trap as much of the heat inside your house as you can.

Some other ideas? Consider adding skylights, which can be a great way to lighten up interior rooms like some kitchens or bathrooms. Use mirrors to help make rooms feel larger and to reflect light. The DIY Maven at Curbly offers some more suggestions on how to put a little more light in your life, too. What have you done around the house to bring more light in?

Photo courtesy of chatiryworld on Flickr

MSN Real Estate, via House Beautiful, has three very amusing slide shows on state-of-the-art kitchens from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s. The really funny thing, however, is that most of these kitchens look pretty palatable to the modern eye. Function-wise, they may need to be updated, but they still look beautiful.

See if you can guess what decade each kitchen is from:

The decades are, from the top: 2000s, 1970s, 1960s, 1990s, 1950s and 1980s. Take a look at the rest of the kitchens in the slideshows. The more things change, the more they stay the same…maybe you will find yourself taking a cue from the past for your next kitchen project!

Images courtesy of MSN Real Estate.

With a faltering economy and a slow-recovering housing market, more and more homeowners are choosing to upgrade their existing homes rather than make a move to larger or newer home. Whether they’re trying to increase the value or make the home more livable, one sure fix for a homeowner is a new or renovated kitchen.

Your kitchen is the centerpiece of your home. It’s the room that sees the most traffic and, more often than not, becomes the gathering ground for your family and friends. With that in mind, here are a few tips for planning and smooth and effective kitchen remodeling project.

Plan a budget and stick to it

You should always be aware of the potential return on investment of your kitchen project. No other project in your home will be as effective when it comes to adding value, but if you let things get out of hand, you will be losing money fast. Do some research on the big-ticket items like flooring, cabinets, countertops, windows and appliances.

You might have to make some decisions on where your “luxury” dollars where be spent and where you might have to make some sacrifices. The folks at HGTV have some great ideas here about how to manage your money.

Be thorough in the design process

Hire a designer if you’re not sure of how the whole thing should be put together. Elements to consider include lighting, where your appliances and water service will be located, layout of the cabinets and countertops, energy efficiency in heating and insulation, window treatments and the natural lighting of the room. Since your kitchen was last done, there have been huge advances in energy efficiency and other design elements. Take advantage of these advances to make your kitchen easier on your wallet in the long run.

Who’s going to do the work?

Most homeowners will choose to work with a contractor who has experience in kitchen remodeling, who will therefore have a list of subcontractors he or she uses and works well with. If you make the right choice in a contractor, you should end up with a well-oiled machine that works efficiently enough to get your job done on time and on budget.

Never, ever get just one bid on the job from one contractor. Do your due diligence to avoid trouble down the road. Here is the best advice we can find for you on hiring a contractor, courtesy of your federal government, no less!

Go green! Be energy efficient!

There is no shortage of ways to be energy efficient and be a green consumer when remodeling a kitchen. Start with windows and insulation. Depending on the age of your home, your level of insulation in the walls and windows can probably stand to be seriously upgraded. Your contractor will likely take care of the insulation issue for you, and there are plenty of resources for you to use when it comes to choosing a window. Keep in mind that you won’t have to sacrifice design when it comes to window efficiency, so have a little fun and make your windows pop!

When it comes to appliances, you can also have a little fun. There are seemingly endless design and functionality options with kitchen appliances, and today most of them are designed for energy efficiency in mind. One word of warning: Kitchen appliances can be real budget-busters, so keep an eye on the bottom line when you’re choosing your oven, stove and refrigerator.

One other tip for energy efficiency: Consider a heating system under your floor treatment. Whether you choose vinyl, tile, or wood, a heated floor can save you money and feels great on a cold winter morning!

The finishing touches: Cabinets, countertops and flooring

Like every choice you’ve made, the options for these final touches are almost limitless. In fact, there are far too many to mention here, so take a look at a couple of these links to help you come up with some ideas:

• http://www.calfinder.com/library/kitchen/cabinet/material
• http://www.calfinder.com/library/kitchen/countertops
• http://www.calfinder.com/ideas/kitchen/kitchen-flooring

Patience is a virtue

Unless there are TV cameras around, a kitchen remodel is almost never finished overnight. There will be dust and there may not be running water. You might have a microwave but not a conventional oven. You’ll have to deal with your home being turned upside down, but if you keep your eyes on the prize, stay on budget, and keep your contractor moving to stay on time, you’ll make it through and come out on the other side with a beautiful, functional, and energy efficient kitchen that you and your family will enjoy for years to come!

Photo courtesy of Susan Serra, CKD

We’ll all get older, and along the way there may be some setbacks. With most people wishing to remain in their home as they age, or in case of a sudden disability, universal design is an important consideration when building, buying, selling or remodeling.

We’ve talked about it before, but let’s go into some tips on two of the most important and most-used rooms in the house: the kitchen and bathroom. Both are used regularly for basic activities of daily living, so it is of vital importance that their use be accessible to all.

Charles and Hudson had some tips by way of Susan Serra, CKD, of The Kitchen Designer. She reminds people of the following for universally-designed kitchens:

• Contrasting colors make it easy for visually-impaired people to see things
• Make sure that you can easily open and close cabinets and drawers with easy to use hardware
• Keep the things you use the most easily accessible
• Use rounded corners on counters to avoid injury

There are lots of other things you can do, but these easy tips can set you on your way to a universally-designed kitchen.

Kohler has a lot of bathroom expertise, and they have some practical tips for universal design in the bathroom.

• Make sure to install a toilet with a higher height
• Curbless showers are handy for those with limited mobility or who need help bathing
• Wall-mounted sinks look fresh and modern, plus they leave space underneath for a wheelchair user, unlike vanities and pedestal sinks
• Don’t forget to think about the things you can’t see — reinforced walls give the option of putting grab bars anywhere

With an eye towards universal design, you can live in and enjoy your house for many years to come.

Photo courtesy of Susan Serra Associates via Flickr

Recently, MLuxe contributor P. Allen Smith wrote about choosing plants of certain colors to evoke certain moods, feelings or effects in your garden. Today, we’re going to talk about a similar topic: bringing natural color into your home.

Green-living blog Re-Nest had a great post a few days ago about using naturally-occurring colors in designing and decorating your home. Re-Nest quotes a book called Color in Interior Design, saying:

The colors of nature are, in the main, beautiful, harmonious, and satisfying [...] the use of only the natural colors of materials will guarantee successful color in architecture and interior design…

The idea of natural colors is, of course, opposed to colors not found in nature. It’s more than a matter of “mellow” or “calm” colors vs. bright and bold colors. It’s a matter of designing a consistent theme and feeling throughout your home.

Natural colors cover a range from the more subdued hues in the photo at right to a variety of stunning, bright natural colors. What array of natural colors do you have in your home?

Photo of blue-to-beige slate tiles courtesy of International Slate Company