Kitchen Space and the Organized Homeowner

The war against clutter is not just about keeping objects in your space in line. It's about the emotional pay-off of having a space that is easy to move around in. And no room in your home demonstrates this benefit more than your kitchen.

To explore this, guest writer Jenney Maria is here to present a few ideas on de-cluttering and organizing your kitchen.

Photo: American Cabinet & Flooring | Designer Clay Bernard

The kitchen is the central part of every house, as the whole family gathers here to prepare food, enjoy the meal and to entertain friends. It is also the most frequently used portion of your house which needs to be organized on a daily basis. If you utilize your kitchen space effectively, food preparation and cleaning up becomes very efficient and comfortable. Here are some tips that will help you a lot in organizing your kitchen in an efficient manner.

Kitchen space, the wheat and the chaff

First of all, it is very important to make a list of all the items that you will need in the kitchen. You should only include items that you use on a daily basis and try to avoid any unnecessary items. After preparing the list assess the situation, which is, what you actually have and which items you'll have to purchase. 

Zones and your kitchen

Once you have all the things you need; now you can start organizing your kitchen. Divide your kitchen into different zones, e.g. cooking - eating - and washing. Your kitchen can be organized very easily if you arrange things accordingly. Designate a small area for your family members to sit and eat in the kitchen. A well-organized kitchen will give you a pleasant feeling every time you enter and will make your kitchen tasks quite easy and hassle-free.

The right kitchen tools to have

The next step is to place all the routine tools and appliance near you. You must have an easy access to all these items because while working in the kitchen, you have to perform multiple tasks. You should place your cooking utensils in a storing container so that you can save the drawer space. Make use of the cabinet doors by placing cook books, or other type of reading materials that you require while cooking, inside. 

Kitchen space organization

Finally, it's time to position things. Ensure that you have placed the things that work together near each other. For example pots, pans, whisks, spatulas and also ladles should be placed near the stove; bowls, measuring glasses and appliances should also be in the cooking zone. Small appliances, sharp tools and cleaning chemicals should be carefully placed in secured storage areas so that children are not able to reach them. Hardly used tools and appliances should be placed on the top shelf.

Simplify your life in your kitchen

By following these simple tips you can easily utilize your kitchen space and make your life much easier. Dividing the kitchen area according to your work will help you find whatever you require as it's needed and will save your time and energy. Having a well-organized kitchen could make your task movement smooth, and your time in the kitchen will be more enjoyable and comforting.

Rocky Mountain Gardener's October Checklist

Photo: Bev's Colorado GardenOctober is the beautiful bridge month between autumn and winter. The days are noticeably shorter, bright and cool. October is a busy month in the garden, the time to prepare for the harsh cold and snow of winter while enjoying every moment you can spend outdoors.

Winterize Water Features

The freeze-and-thaw cycle of winter weather can wreak havoc on these valuable garden assets. To minimize the damage:

1. Drain, clean and store or cover freestanding fountains and water pots.
2. Remove plant debris from ponds and set up a bubbler (a submersible pump with a short piece of pipe attached to the outlet) to keep some of the water surface free of ice.
3. Disconnect pumps to recirculating waterfalls, especially if the water volume is fairly low. Ice buildup can divert water and cause problems. Moving water will also make your pond colder, which may be an issue if you have fish.

Prepare for Snow

If you haven't had frost or snow yet, you will soon. Early snow tends to be heavy and wet, and can damage plant - especially those that haven't shed their leaves yet. Keep a broom handy and be ready to sweep snow away to lighten the load on tree and shrub branches.

Winterize Your Watering System

Frozen pipes or components can be costly and inconvenient to repair. To prevent this:

1. Drain your irrigation system and insulate the backflow preventer.
2. Remove hoses from faucets and drain them. Store hoses and sprinklers in a handy location for winter watering.

Remove Leaves From Lawn Areas

Leaves left on lawn areas will compact under the snow, smothering the lawn and contributing to disease problems like snow mold.

• Use leaves whole or shred them with your lawnmower or a commercial shredder.
• Add them to your compost pile now or stockpile them for future use.
• Use leaves as mulch, 4 to 6 inches deep. Apply now to new planting areas to maintain soil warmth and permit better root growth, apply to bare soil areas to prevent erosion, or apply after the ground has frozen to prevent frost heave and premature soil warming in spring.
• Keep leaf mulch 6 inches away from the bases of trees and shrubs to prevent damage from rodents.

It's important to remove any diseased foliage from the garden completely - don't compost it.

Amend the Soil

Planning to install a new vegetable or flower garden next spring? Now is a great time to prepare the soil. Use organic amendments to increase water-and nutrient-holding capacity and to improve aeration and water flow. Adding amendments now allows you to work in the garden while the soil is relatively dry, thus preventing the potential for soil compaction that can occur if you try to do it during the wet months of early spring. Come springtime the soil will be ready to plant:

• Amendments must be mixed well into the soil - spade or rototill to a depth of 6 to 8 inches.
• Composts and aged manures work best for sandy soils; sphagnum peat or wood chips are ideal for clay.
• Incorporate 3 cubic yards of amendment per 1,000 square feet of soil. That's about 8 cubic feet of amendment for a 10-foot by 10-foot area of soil.
• Mulch the bed with a couple of inches of leaves or shredded wood to help prevent soil erosion during the winter.

Enjoy Puttering

Pull weeds and spent annuals, plant bulbs and harvest herbs and cool-season veggie for hearty meals. Most of all, spend time with family and friends surrounds by nature's October glow!

October 2012 Newsletter

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American Cabinet & Flooring, Inc. - October 2012 - Newsletter      It's Carnival! Wilsonart launches two new Wilsonart® HD® designs that feature a large-scale structure, dramatic movement with mixed coloration, and AEON™ Enhanced Performance Technology.   Winter Carnival has movement that carries a rich red-brown with accents in cool grey Summer Carnival has movement in golden ambers and browns with accents in greys These new designs are inspired by the luxurious, exotic, natural granite out of Brazil that includes large-scale elements called "Carnival". These designs strategically focus on premium, exotic stones that are typically unavailable to the consumer due to cost, rarity and/or transportation. The new Carnival designs will be front and center at this year's Remodeling Show being held October 10th-12th in Baltimore, MD. American Cabinet & Flooring is a proud carrier of Wilsonart laminate countertops. Come visit our design center and meet with one of our talented Design Specialists to get your remodel project started today! How to Carve a Halloween Pumpkin Whether you are working from a pattern or free-handing it, having the right tools for carving pumpkins makes all the difference. Photo & Article Source: DIY Network Materials and Tools: Pumpkin(s) Halloween Patterns HGTV's  Beginner Pumpkin Carving Templates HGTV's Advanced Pumpkin Carving Templates Carbon Paper Tape Pencil Carving kit Serrated knives Wood carving tools or pottery tools Metal Halloween shaped cookie cutters Light-duty hammer Pliers Steps: 1. Place your template/pattern over the carbon paper and tape onto the pumpkin. Trace around and the image will be left on the pumpkin for easy lines to follow when carving. 2. The tools that work best for carving are the small carving tools that come in those inexpensive Halloween pumpkin carving kits. They're manageable for all ages. Other tools that work well are serrated steak knives and grapefruit knives. For additional detail, carving and pottery tools work great. TIP: the best trick of all is to use metal Halloween shaped cookie cutters. 3. Place your metal cookie cutter onto the pumpkin. (Some plastic cookie cutters will also work, but they're generally not as flexible). NOTE: Don't cut the lid off or clean out yet! Make all your impressions first. 4. Use a light duty hammer to get the cookie cutter into the pumpkin. Work the cutter side to side while hammering. Hammer the cookie cutter in until it's almost all the way in. Pull the cookie cutter out with a pair of pliers. Continue to hammer all of the shapes where you want them in the pumpkin. 6. Once you have your designs traced or stamped in place, you're ready to cut off the top of the pumpkin and clean it out. 7. Once cleaned, finish cutting out the shapes with small serrated blades and pop them out from the inside. Have a safe & happy Halloween! We want to hear from you! We value feedback from our customers and want to hear how we did on your project. You can easily submit a review as well as see what others are saying about American Cabinet & Flooring by clicking on the following links: Angie's List Facebook Google Local CitySearch Yahoo Local Yellow Pages DexKnows Houzz Forward to a Friend GE Capital Fast. Smart. Simple. Quick Credit Decisions Simple & fast application process Low minimum monthly payments Come in & see a Sales Associate for program details and apply today!

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Kitchen Counters | High-Tech Solid Surfaces Make Maintenance Easy

Solid-surface countertops are the stuff of George Jetson, in which high-tech plastics can be heat sculpted into any imagined shape. These modern surfaces take on many appearances, including stone, yet shed the shortcomings of their counterparts with a nonporous surface that doesn't age or develop a patina. In this cutting-edge countertop right for your kitchen? Read on to learn more.

Photo: Wilsonart Solid Surface in BedrockThe basics: solid-surface counters are a blend of acrylic or polyester resins, powdered fillers and pigments, cast into slab. There are many manufacturers of these synthetic counters, including Dupont Corian, LG Hi-Macs, Wilsonart, Formica, Durat, Staron and LivingStone.

Cost: $50 to $100 per square foot installed.

Advantages: solid surface is durable nonporous, making it resistant to stains, mildew and bacteria. Its unique composition makes buffing out scratches a breeze and provides that appearance of a seamless installation, including for integral backsplashes. This product outshines its competitors with an ability to be thermoformed into unusual shapes and configurations.

Disadvantages: its resin-based composition makes this counter material sensitive to heat and vulnerable to scratches. As with many countertops, keep your trivets and cutting boards handy.

Sustainability: many solid-surface manufacturers tout GreenGuard's approval, which certifies that due to the nonporous surface and low chemical emissions, the countertop contributes to healthy indoor air quality.

The ecological shortcoming of these products is their composition, which comes from finite, nonrenewable resources, including petroleum and aluminum trihydrate (ATH), which is strip mined. Choosing a solid-surface product with recycled content, like Durat or Corian's Terra series, will reduce the negative environmental impact.

Maintenance: soapy water will suffice for everyday spiffing up of this easy-to-clean surface. However, it's essential to dry the surface completely after cleaning or spills, as wet counters can lead to a dull or uneven, blotchy finish.

Special considerations: acrylic solid surface is more pliable, whereas its polyester-based counterparts claim a deeper coloration. Dark colors will show more fingerprints.

The Four Things Home Buyers Really Want in Kitchen Cabinetry

A great kitchen design can dramatically increase your property value - if you want to attract prospective buyers, your kitchen  is the perfect place to invest money. The trick is to get it to appeal to the majority of people by spending your money on what most of them really want.

Kitchen cabinetry can do much to attract the right buyers. There are four key factors to consider:

1. QualityPhoto: American Cabinet & Flooring
2. Symmetry
3. Color
4. Layout

If you can get these key elements right with your cabinetry, you're bound to have a higher home value.

Quality

The number of cabinets you have is not as important as the quality of the cabinetry. The fewer cabinets you add to your kitchen renovation, the less expensive it will be. Choose quality over quantity.

DO: choose quality hinges and runners, including soft-close drawers and custom made cabinetry.

DON'T: go for large fillers and ill-fitted modular cabinetry.

Keep the cost down by keeping the cabinet count down. Design the kitchen layout to keep it light, bright and with an open plan, without using tons of cabinets. 

Note: Excessive internal organizers aren't essential if you are planning on reselling your home. They are wonderful in adding value to your personal use of the kitchen but are not always a wise choice if you are renovating purely to sell. Internal drawer and cabinet fit-outs are often expensive, and the extra money you spend on these accessories may not come back to you when you're selling your property.

Symmetry

The eye is naturally drawn to appreciate symmetry and repetition. When you're renovating to sell, keep your kitchen cabinetry simple and appealing. Elegance has a way of being understated, and simplicity is key when you are trying to appeal to the majority of buyers.

DO: keep the wall cabinetry sizes the same where possible. Drawers look nice when they are large and expansive - if you have multiple sets, keep them the same size, with the same proportion of drawers.

DON'T: add multiple cabinets in varying sizes, try to keep the look and feel consistent in the whole space.

Light, Bright Spaces

Many buyers want an open, light and airy space. A kitchen that is white makes the space feel bigger. White is also a universally appealing color and leaves a blank slate so buyers can re-envision the space.

DO: keep the space open, bright and light with white cabinetry. If you want some contrast, go for a darker bench top. Backsplahes should be kept fairly neutral too - try to introduce texture instead of color into the backsplash. The more neutral and elegant the space is, the more potential buyers you will attract.

DON'T: use darker-color cabinetry which can make the space feel closed. While adding a strong color may suit your taste, it may not be to everybody's liking. You want to attract as many potential buyers as possible, and while white may not be the most daring color for your cabinetry, it's the most popular. 

An Open Layout

Designing your kitchen to have a sensible and open layout is pivotal to increasing property value when you're renovating to sell. The trend is moving toward open-plan living and multifunctional spaces. 

DO: have a large open-plan space with a kitchen island if possible. Buyers often want to multi-task in the kitchen. They want to cook, have their kids do their homework and socialize in it.

DON'T: place your kitchen in a small and poky room, the kitchen is now often the hub of the house and buyers want to see a kitchen that is interactive and sociable.