Fresh Fall

It comes like a soft whisper at sunset on an unexpected night and as you step outside you feel it, something is in the air …Autumn is here! From here on out its smooth sailing with 70-degree nights and mid-eighties days. The dryer cooler air creates a desire for hearty soups with crusty bread and pumpkin spiced delights. I bit into my first piece of pumpkin spice cake with hazelnut crème cheese frosting, and it felt like a warm embrace from an old friend. As I visited with this old friend, my taste buds analyzed the cinnamon, nutmeg, and rich hazelnut topping only to decide that this was a big flavor filled chunk of L-O-V-E! All things combined, the different flavors create layers of complementary notes that blended so well, I concluded, baking is very much like decorating. Rooms may have different components that singularly don’t excite you but put them together and the harmony is as beautiful as homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. Lovely food should be prepared in lovely kitchens so let’s peek into the brand-new kitchen of a Gardenia model somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

  •  Pristine kitchen
There is nothing like a fresh white pristine kitchen! One of the reasons that white is so popular when buying a new kitchen is that it will stand the test of time. If you are purchasing a new home, you may be open to a different colored kitchen because it comes with the home, but when laying out thousands of dollars for new cabinetry white is the king! White is perceived as the cleanest color, and it keeps the space very light and bright. Often, I will meet with clients that fancy a different color that they have seen on HGTV or want a customized color but in real life when they see how much extra that costs, they appreciate the beauty of white.

  •  Raise the cabinets
If you are buying a new kitchen, extend the height of your cabinets. Many customers will say, “I can’t reach that high so why should I buy taller cabinets?” Taller cabinets will make the space look larger by drawing the eye upward. Taller cabinets look more customized and will provide long-term storage within the kitchen. Finally, the more updated look in a kitchen, is tall cabinets. So, if you are paying to update the kitchen then update the kitchen! Don’t just replace the cabinetry with a new version of short cabinets.

  •  Lower the bar
To lower the bar to countertop height or keep the bar at bar-top height is usually a question of great importance to my customers. Most people lower the bar but not everyone. When you lower the bar and make one large island you gain so much square footage of workspace. You can spread out to do your work on the countertop and the large surface is a great place to put out all the food for a gathering. Lowering the bar is an update and if you’re updating then actually update. The customers who do not lower the bar usually have a good reason like being tall or needing to somewhat conceal kitchen clutter and there are those who say they don’t really cook that much they are just updating the kitchen.

  •  Granite with full granite backsplash
The homeowner chose granite for the new countertop and a full granite backsplash. When you choose the full granite backsplash, there is no grout to deal with and it is installed in one day. The granite is beautiful with crème, grey and white tones running through it. Granite is often more budget friendly when doing an entire makeover. The granite is sealed with a fifteen-year seal called Invisblock and it has a solid guarantee. Quartz is fine to choose as a countertop, but it is often more expensive.

  •  Drawers
Most of my customers are adding drawers to the kitchen rather than cabinets with pullouts. The beauty of a drawer is that you can pull out the drawer and see everything that is in the drawer. There is no need to look back deep in the cabinet or lose lots of room installing a pullout. When you are purchasing new cabinets, the drawers can be sized to fit all your needs.

  •  Pullout trash can
We always install a pullout trashcan. This kitchen had one as most Gardenia kitchens do but if you have another model that did not have a pullout trashcan then be sure to add one to the new kitchen. This is a must, and this is an update. Today even the smallest kitchens come with a pullout trash can.

  •  Wainscot
The wall below the bar needs to be treated with a wainscot. The island is a main focal point, and we want it to blend with the white kitchen. When the wall is treated with a white wainscot it looks complete and visually blends into the kitchen keeping the entire space visually cohesive. In all things we seek visual cohesion.

  •  Paint
The paint color on the walls of the house is Windowpane 6210 and is a light neutral blue. This color looks like air in space, it is so natural and so light.

  •  Above cabinet décor
We added woven baskets above the cabinets, and it really warms the space and looks inviting. We also displayed the homeowner’s collection of blue and white ginger jars. Even with high cabinets you can still display décor, it makes a space look and feel cozy.

  •  Flooring
The flooring throughout the house is luxury vinyl flooring. This product is called Sahara Sand and I use it so much because it looks real. It is very hard to tell that it is vinyl.
Call Ruth your full service decorator at: 352-804-2056
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