Whether you’re looking for a bit of that modern style or just some more usable space, this ideabook from Houzz.com, also written by Serra, might be helpful. It will give you some ideas about incorporating an effective and useful islands or workstations into your kitchen, whatever your style or functional need.

If an ultra-modern kitchen isn’t your style and you’re not looking to take the big step of working an island into your kitchen, maybe these simpler kitchen remodeling ideas will give you something to work with. Relatively minor remodeling tasks like updating your lighting or refinishing your cabinetry will go a long way toward making you happier with the room in which you likely spend a good amount of your home time.

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Built Around You: Kitchen makeover inspiration is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

Among the more timely advice: take advantage of “green” incentives. “Collect on these incentives through your state appliance rebate program, or use your renovations to cash in on federal tax credits at the end of the year,” CalFinder says. The site also has a primer on knowing when your remodeling project might require the help of an architect, as opposed to going it on your own.

Kitchens are often a prime target for remodeling efforts and dollars, perhaps because many homeowners spend so much time and energy cooking, cleaning and entertaining in and around the kitchen. Check out these tips on achieving a great luxury kitchen remodel without a luxury budget. The same site also has some simple ideas for incorporating “green” principles into your kitchen remodel, through energy-efficient appliances and environmentally friendly materials.

For more on energy efficiency, check out this post from AOL’s DIY Life blog for some clever ways to save energy (and money) in the kitchen. No remodeling necessary to take advantage of these ideas!

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Remodeling advice: Tips and links galore is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

Check out the story for some more amazing remodels and read all about what needed to be done to get there — hard work, careful planning and DIY triumphs: it’s all there.

Photos courtesy of This Old House

This Amazing Remodel is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

The place was far from trendy; in fact, it had been built back when FDR was president. There was no hot tub in the back yard, no “family recycling center,” and no skylights. But as we stepped inside on that wintry day, I closed the two-inch thick front door behind us and heard a sturdy “thunk” — like an old Mercedes. “This is the house!” I instantly whispered to my wife. “What are you talking about? We haven’t even been through it!” she responded. But I persisted. “I’m telling you, this is the house!”

And I was right. “Which doesn’t happen often.” With my wife’s enthusiastic approval, we bought the place — metal kitchen cabinets and all — the next day. Lots of people, especially real estate agents, think they can define exactly how a house should be renovated and decorated to maximize the resale value, but I think that’s all nonsense. Because when it comes down to it, the only thing that’s truly important in a house is the way it feels — solid, not tinny; a place that will stand up for the ages, rather than fall apart before the next winter. And when you’re renovating and maintaining a home of your own, it’s a lot better to let yourself be guided by that rather than trying to add a few haphazard things you think will attract future buyers.

The first challenge, whatever renovations you plan, is to hire the best contractor. Don’t just take a recommendation from someone. Instead, go out and find several candidates for the job, have them come to your home, and talk to them. And be prepared to wait because good contractors tend to be continuously busy (and if they aren’t, how good can they be?).

As for what you renovate, the choice is yours. If an enlarged family entryway with coat hooks for the kids and shelves for their shoes means more to you than a granite-topped island in the kitchen, go for it. If you’ve always dreamed of a bathroom lined with fuchsia-colored Mexican tiles, rather than the neutral shades preferred by real estate agents, who’s to stop you? Just make sure you that whatever you do, you buy the best materials you can afford, and spend the money to have them installed perfectly. Sloppiness is always offensive, but good craftsmanship — regardless of the style, taste or decor — never is.

Although I hate to think about it, I know someday when we’re older my wife and I won’t have any trouble selling our home if we have to. The new buyers will surely quibble over our color schemes and choice in carpeting. But when that front door closes, they’ll know — as I did — that the best home really is a castle.

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Planning a renovation: How a house feels is more important than how it looks is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

However, as the Wall Street Journal pointed out, the economy has changed the game for remodeling as well. During the housing boom, someone might have added a third story to their home. Now they are remodeling the master bath. Or they might have chosen to gut their kitchen for remodeling. Now they’re replacing the countert0ops.

What have you been seeing? If you had been wanting to move to a new house and are now not able to, are you more likely to splash out for a big project? Or are you looking at remodeling as small things to make your house better? And how are you balancing the urge to remodel the way that you want with the need to think about future resale (in one, five, 10, 20 years?)? Does it even matter to you that the remodeling project “earn” its money back? Or are you just content to improve your home?

Take a look at the Journal article and leave your thoughts in the comments!

Remodeling in the New Economy is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

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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What’s hot in kitchen remodeling? is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

We write a lot about remodeling here at MLuxe, and today’s article continues the quest to help you fight the good fight — against troublesome remodeling projects, that is. So let’s get to the goods.

Todd Fratzel at Home Construction & Improvement offers these great starter tips on making your remodeling project a success. His top ten tips list includes proper planning through patient budgeting and design as well as getting multiple bids and working with only qualified contractors.

To get you started on thinking about what you could do with your home, try this article about 10 home improvement projects for 2010. You could take on somewhat larger projects like a kitchen or bathroom remodel, or you could start a bit smaller by refreshing your home with a new paint job, fresh molding and trim, or some better lighting.

If you’re focused on adding more than just aesthetic value, consider these ideas for adding dollar value, too: ideas from Re-Nest and HGTV’s FrontDoor.com.

Photo via Flickr

Give 2010 a new look with a winning remodel is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

But there is one important caution: Please do some serious thinking and planning before embarking on a remodeling project. Not only can it be an expensive proposition, but unless you have a breezy beach house or cozy cabin to escape to, you will be temporarily living in a construction zone. Even the best remodeling experiences can be fraught with frustration. So you will want to make sure that the end result is something that you love and that enhances your home’s livability and your enjoyment of it.

To find a good remodeler, we recommend visiting The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). The website provides a remodeler locator as well as good information.

To prevent some common remodeling mistakes, our friends at Calfinder present five of the worst remodeling mistakes:

• A raised ceiling can give a sense of spaciousness, but take care: it’s often times not built on a human scale and full of wasted space. Don’t forget that very high ceilings means that noise isn’t muffled and the room can be harder to heat and cool.
• Who doesn’t want a big kitchen with plenty of room to prepare feasts and get the whole family involved? Plan carefully to ensure that your work triangle is compact and you aren’t walking across the room to grab milk for your cereal.
• Proportion your garage to the rest of your home (see photo). Although adding or expanding an attached garage is a convenient use of space, make sure it doesn’t overshadow your house.
• We talk a lot about the importance of light in a room. Don’t go overboard, though! With too many permanent light fixtures, you lose design flexibility for future lighting.
• Be careful where you put a porch. It shouldn’t be tacked on just anywhere. A common mistake is to end up with the porch blocking light from the original space.

Spend some time thinking about good design, and your remodel will be a success! For more information and images that illustrate these remodeling mistakes, visit Calfinder.

Image courtesy of Calfinder.

Remodeling Gone Wrong is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

Always used and often overlooked, one or more of your bathrooms night have fallen in to disrepair or out of style. And either of those problems can affect the value of your home. Even if you’re not in the market to sell, perhaps you’ve just grown tired of the old tile, peeling plaster, or powder blue toilet and tub.

With that in mind, here a few tips for getting the job done on time and on budget – and according to your tastes.

Dollars and cents need to be well spent

Much like the kitchen remodeling project we discussed in an earlier post, make sure you have your arms around how much you want to spend on this project, and then dive into some pricing – both online and in your local shops. You might have some tough choices to make, as that towel warmer could fall by the wayside if you insist on the whirlpool tub and steam shower. The more you know about the pricing of these items, the better your chances are of getting the most value out of your purchase.

Make it the right room for you

Since the last time that room was done, a lot has changed. Cool products, stylish design trends and more can make time spent in the bathroom both more comfortable and more enjoyable. Review some of these ideas and decide what might work well for you.

Be smart about your contractor

This job is going to cost a lot, take awhile, and make things tough around your house. Hiring the right person can minimize the impact of this job on your family and your wallet. Here are some tips from the Federal Trade Commission on finding good contractors.

Plan ahead

Planning to sell your home? Use neutral tones and be conservative about your bath, shower, toilet and sink. Prospective buyers won’t want your style, even if you think it’s great. They’ll want to see a relatively blank canvas on which they can make their own mark, or a house or room they can easily envision themselves in. On the other hand, if you intend to stay awhile, make sure your design decisions are something you will enjoy for a long time.

Green is good

There are numerous options for making your bathroom remodel more energy efficient. The biggest resource-burner in a bathroom will always be your water usage. You can save thousands of gallons of water a year by installing a low-flow toilet or a toilet with dual-flow options so you can choose when you need a little extra water to get the job done. You can also install low-flow shower heads and faucets in the sink to minimize your water usage.

For heating and cooling purposes, consider adding radiant heat to your flooring. In many cases, this heat source can replace your furnace as the primary method of warming the room. Once you’re efficiently heating the room, make sure to trap as much of that heat as possible by properly insulating the walls and installing the most energy-efficient windows possible!

For a few more ideas, check out these tips from CalFinder.

Photo courtesy of urbaneapts on Flickr

Tips for successful bathroom remodeling is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

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

What goes into a good kitchen makeover? is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style