Kitchen Remodeling Tips

Alice Williams

 

Thinking of remodeling your kitchen? As the center of the home, the kitchen is one of the places we spend most of our time. It’s not just a place to cook, but also to entertain, to work, and of course to eat. Why spend so much time in a drab kitchen when a makeover can add so much value to your life and home. Upgrading a kitchen is full of possibilities to refresh and modernize your space. Simple projects like updating décor, improving your layout and adding more storage can dramatically change your kitchen for the better. No one said kitchen remodeling was easy so here are some tips to think about before starting!

 

 

1. Maximize Storage:
Storage is key to a well organized and functioning kitchen so make sure your cabinets are at least 12” wide, otherwise they will be useless.

 

2. Organize:
Items should be close to where you use them. Dishes should be stored a step away from the dishwasher and pans near the stove. The more steps you have to take to get an item, the less efficient your kitchen runs. Think about this carefully as you are laying out cabinets and drawers if these new materials are part of your plan.

 

3. Clean-Up:
Countertops that are littered with a clutter of appliances such as coffee makers, toasters, and blenders make the room look messy. Some people even have duplicate appliances and then it becomes a battle between the magic bullet vs nutribullet for counter space, things can get pretty competitive. These items most often end up in the way when you are trying to actually cook. Also, why spend money adding a beautiful countertop when you’ll just cover them up?! Put all those things away in your improved storage and let your counters show off their true beauty.

 

 

4. Open-Up the Space:
No one wants to be left alone to cook. Think about how you can open up your kitchen to the rest of the house, which allows the cook to be part of the party. It allows you to utilize your countertops as buffets or keep up with the Super Bowl while preparing the dips!

 

5. Plan Wisely:
Make sure paths running through your space are at least 36” wide and cooking areas are at least 42” wide for one chef, 48” wide for two. Avoid placing a cooktop in a heavily traveled pathway, especially with children. Give yourself a landing space of 15” on either side of the cooktop and fridge. All these things will allow your kitchen to function in ease.

 

6. Personalize:
Since the kitchen is most often the center of home life, you may as well bring your style into the finishes and furniture. Think about the other colors and styles that are prominent in your home and apply them to the kitchen as well! Adding molding, a custom backsplash, interesting light fixtures and perhaps a window treatment are all ways to show off your style.

 

Carpet Materials

Alice Williams

Last time, I discussed various methods of carpet construction.  In this post, I’ll be discussing what sorts of materials are used in carpet construction.  Carpets can be made from many single or blended natural or synthetic fibers.  These fibers are chosen for their various properties such as durability, appearance, ease of manufacture and cost.  Nylon and polypropylene comprise 90% of the commercial carpet market.

 

Nylon is the most common type of fiber used in carpet construction.  It can be dyed topically or while it is in a molten state.  It can also be printed easily and has excellent wear characteristics.   Nylon possess many dye sites on the fiber which must be filled to try to avoid stains, which is why many nylon rugs are treated with stain-guards.  Because nylon is a petroleum-based product, its price tends to vary with the price of oil.

 

Polypropylene is used often because it is quite inexpensive.  However, it is difficult to dye and does not wear as well as nylon or wool.  Polypropylene is often used to construct Berber carpets, and is then referred to as olefin.  Large looped olefin Berber carpets are usually only suitable for light domestic use and tend to mat down quickly.  Smaller looped Berbers wear much better than larger looped ones.  Commercial grade carpets of this type have very small loops and are well-suited for offices.  This type of carpet generally has good stain resistance, but not against oil based products.  If a stain is allowed to set, it can become very difficult to treat.  Outdoor faux grass carpets are usually made from polypropylene.

 

Polyester (PET, or polyethylene terephthalate) became more competitive in the early 2000s as a carpet material.  It has good physical properties and is inherently stain-resistant because it is hydrophobic and does not have dye sites like nylon does.  It is dyed in a molten state.  The biggest disadvantage of polyester is that it tends to crush and mat down easily and is typically used in mid-to-low-priced carpets.

 

Acrylic is also used in carpet production.  It is a synthetic material first invented by DuPont in 1941, but it has gone through many changes since then.  Acrylics have been developed that minimize the original problems of pilling and developing fuzz easily, which happens when the fibers degrade over time and short strands break away with contact or friction.  Acrylic is fairly difficult to dye but is colorfast, washable and has the feel and appearance of wool, making it a desirable rug fabric.

 

As for natural fibers, wool has excellent durability, can be dyed easily, is fairly abundant and is a renewable resource.  When wool is blended with nylon, its durability is increased.  Blended wool yarns, typically made up of 80% wool and 20% synthetic fibers (an “80/20” blend), are used extensively in the production of modern carpet.  However, because wool is relatively expensive, it comprises a small portion of the global rug market.

 

Some rugs are made of silk.  These are rare, and very expensive.  True silk rugs are made with fibers that come from the cocoon of the silkworm.  Often, rugs made of artificial silk (typically mercerized cotton or rayon, both made of almost pure cellulose) are passed off as real silk by unscrupulous dealers.  Mercerized cotton is stretched, swollen and treated cotton that allows it to take on the same sheen and luster of silk.  Like mercerized cotton, rayon is made of almost pure cellulose, but it is produced by dissolving wood pulp or cotton to produce a thick liquid called viscose, which is then extruded into long filaments which can be spun into thread and yarn.

 

Cotton is a natural, soft fiber sometimes used as thread for the base of a rug.  It is easy to clean and maintain.  Sisal stems from the agave plant and is a highly sustainable product.  It does not attract dust and is static free.

 

Jute is a shiny, vegetable-based fiber that is one of the most affordable fibers on the market.  It is second only to cotton as the most produced vegetable fiber.  It is durable, has low thermal conduction and anti-static properties, all of which make it a popular choice with consumers.

 

Stayed tuned for more carpet information!

Carpet Construction

Alice Williams

As with any product you are interested in purchasing, it pays to be an educated consumer when you are shopping for a new carpet or rug.  What kinds of carpets are out there?  What materials are they made of?  How are they constructed?  The answers to these questions can give you more information about which carpet might be right for you, and will help you decode carpet terminology.

 

First, what is carpet?  It is a textile floor covering which consists of an upper layer of pile (the term used to describe the fibers used to make the weave on a rug or carpet) attached to a backing.  Pile is generally made from man-made materials, wool or, sometimes, silk.  The pile tufts are often heat treated to maintain their structure.

 

There are many different types of carpets, and there are several methods of construction.  Tufted carpet is made with a large machine similar to a sewing machine that an individual operates.  The rug design is drawn onto a canvas backing, and the worker fills in the pattern with the appropriate color fiber.  The tufts are individually inserted into the canvas, which is then coated with a compound to anchor the tufts.  Tufted carpets almost always require the addition of a second backing for stability and strength. There are patterning attachments that give a variety of textures and patterns. 90% of all manufactured carpets are tufted.

 

Woven carpets are produced on a loom, similarly to woven cloth, and the pile can be either plush (cut) or Berber (looped).  Typically, many colors are used and a wide variety of intricate designs can be produced.

 

Needlefelted carpets are an advanced carpet construction method, produced by intermingling and felting individual synthetic fibers using barbed and forked needles.  These rugs are incredibly durable and are typically found in contract applications such as hotels, where there is a lot of foot traffic.

 

In a knotted carpet, the structural weft threads are drawn through the warp yarns to create cloth.  The warp is the lengthwise thread, and the weft is the transverse thread.  The warp threads are set up on the loom before weaving begins.  A row of knots is completed and cut.  The knots are typically secured with one to four rows of weft.  The warp is usually cotton and the weft is usually jute.  There are two main types of knots used: symmetrical (also called Turkish of Ghiordes) and asymmetrical (also called Persian or Senna).  Knotting by hand is most prevalent in oriental carpets and rugs; Kashmir carpets are also hand-knotted.  Shag rugs are also a type of knotted carpet.  Hand-knotted rugs are made by a weaver who sits behind a loom and hand ties the knots.

 

Flatweave carpets are another type of construction created by interlocking warp and weft threads.  Types of oriental flatweave carpets include kilim, soumak, plain weave, and tapestry weave.  Types of European flatweave carpets include Venetian, Dutch, damask, list, haircloth and ingrain.

 

Finally, there are hooked rugs, which is a simple type of rug handmade by pulling strips of cloth such as wool or cotton through the mesh of a sturdy fabric such as burlap.  This type of rug is now often made as a handicraft.  Historically, people would recycle worn out cotton and wool garments into hooked rugs.

 

Stayed tuned for more carpet information!

Green and Sustainable Home Furniture and Furnishings

Alice Williams

I recently held an open house on green and sustainable home furniture and furnishings. I partnered with two other professionals – Christiana O’Brien and Kim Quirk. Christina is the co-owner of SISR Architecture, a firm that specializes in green building designs and products. Kim is the owner of Energy Emporium, which provides alternative energy products. Both are experts in their fields.

 

My presentation covered furniture and furnishings for your home that are made from green and sustainable products, as well as ways that you can make “greener” purchases for your home.

 

I have found that it is increasingly important to my customers that they are buying environmentally friendly products whenever possible. This starts with products that are made in America in factories that have smart energy and waste plans. It includes furniture that is made from wood that is harvested from managed forests and products that are trucked from shorter distances.

 

I am happy to report that the design industry is beginning to follow the trend towards more environmentally friendly products. There is also an increase in green products in lighting, fabrics, wall coverings, carpet, tile and more. Please be in touch if you would like more information or have products you would like to bring to my attention. I’m always interested in new green products or our homes!