If you're not in the market for a brand-new piece of furniture, but you'd like to refresh your tired-looking cabinets or set of drawers, a new set of fun drawer pulls could do the trick. They're easy to install and can bring a new sense of life to your favorite furniture that just needs a little update. Check out these pulled picks and prepare to be inspired!
It's Spring Cleaning Week here at YumSugar! We're urging you to reconsider those foods you've had in storage forever, and get to cleaning your fridge as well as your freezer. But that's not all: whether you're planning a big apartment move, or simply in need of a kitchen overhaul, it's time to reconsider how you want to organize the kitchen. Here's how I manage to systematically arrange everything.
If I were to ask you, "Are you proud of your kitchen?" I would venture to guess that most of you would respond, "No." Considering that the average age of the American home in 35 years, many of you have may inherited an old kitchen with laminate floor tile and countertops or dingy, dated cabinetry that doesn't look exactly as you'd wish.
With home prices down 30 to 50 percent, most consumers are only buying what we need and can afford, but unfortunately, a kitchen renovation is not the most budget-friendly of expenses. The cost to replace your cabinets and countertops stands somewhere between $4,000 and $20,000, depending on whether you purchase stock supplies or have a custom kitchen built. To reface your cabinets, you can expect to pay between $1,000 and $6,000. And painting your cabinets will cost you around $200, but as anyone who has tried this will tell you, the paint will inevitably peel if you don't strip, sand, and prime beforehand — a lengthy process.
So what's the alternative? Luckily there's a new product on the market for refinishing wood, melamine, laminate, and a number of cabinet surfaces that doesn't require sanding, stripping, or priming! Better yet, it'll cost you as little as $80. Find out what it is when you read more!
This week’s bonus challenge for the Get Fit For 2011 giveaway is to give your kitchen a healthy makeover. Now is the time to clean up your cabinets and rearrange the contents of your fridge to decrease unhealthy temptations. We asked celebrity dietitian Ashley Koff for some advice on making your kitchen a safe zone. Watch, learn, and then take up the task.
We've reached the midway point into our health and fitness giveaway challenge — how's it going? This week you're invited to complete any of the previous challenges you may have missed. Remember, the more you participate, the more chances you have to win! And if you are all caught up with our first five challenges, we have a bonus one for you.
Week Six Bonus Challenge: Clean up your kitchen to make it a dieting safe zone and share your before and after photos in the Get Fit For 2011 group. Be sure to blog about the changes you have made. By completing this bonus challenge, you will be automatically entered for a chance to win the weekly prize — this week a $100 Nike gift card as well as our fabulous grand prize — a four day fitness boot camp in Los Angeles. Be sure to create your post by Sunday, Feb. 20 by midnight PST.
We don't expect you to mop the floor but make any unhealthy and tempting food harder to find. Move the Girl Scout cookies to the top shelf, and place your oatmeal so it's at arm's reach. Take your fruit out of the crisper and store it at eye level in clear containers. Put the chips in the pantry and place an edible centerpiece on your kitchen table. Sounds like the perfect task for a wintry weekend.
A year ago, I reported that Martha Stewart was launching a line with Home Depot. Since that time, a number of products have become available through the retailer, including decor, flooring, outdoor products, and paint. As of this month, the Martha Stewart Living line will also include a line of special-order cabinets, countertops, and hardware.
The line includes nine different styles of cabinets available in a variety of finishes, with 32 cabinetry hardware styles and eight different styles of Corian countertops. While the hardware itself doesn't inspire me, I do like several of the cabinet styles. The various finishes also help to customize the look to your particular tastes as well.
Special cabinet features include thoughtful touches such as cookbook popdowns and plate organizers, and the line's designer element and color coordination system guarantee that you can pull a room together without too many hours spent agonizing over paint chips and tile samples. While many of the designs lean towards an elegant interpretation of country living, there are a few that are more streamlined and urban oriented, such as the Perry Street line, shown above.
Take a look below to preview the line!
Source: Martha Stewart Living Cabinets, Countertops, and Hardware at The Home Depot
Who says cabinets need doors? For an economical and easy way to give your bathroom an update, how about removing the doors on the cabinetry? Designer Angie Hranowsky's beautifully chic style always catches my eye as do her innovative ideas, and opening up underneath the sink is a perfect example. So even if a brand new vanity is not in the budget, taking off bulky doors on an old one makes the small space feel larger — add a few perfectly placed (and folded) towels and the look is complete. The exposed copper pipes take the bath from traditional to contemporary, and since I'm always looking for cheap ways to update my half-bath, this fantastically simple idea is going on the top of my to-do list.
Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member ABurlock from the Su Casa group:
My kitchen cabinets were old and dirty, needing either a serious clean or some new paint. I decided to go the paint route. Here are the cabinets before:
I am renting, so I really can't do much beyond painting. I went to my favorite local hardware store and was going to have this white color mixed, but then the paint man mentioned that they had some of the color pre-mixed and on clearance because they no longer had room for it on their shelves. So I got a gallon of this paint for $5.
Julie, who writes the awesome blog Mamaphunk, recently took her kitchen from drab to fab with a total makeover. She writes, "My husband and I did everything except install the cabinets and countertops, we're good but not that good! I wanted to go for an Anthropologie-like vibe and I think I did a decent job. I also love color and really wanted to make a splash."
Here's how the kitchen looked before Julie got started. To see how she infused this dull space with color and life, read more
Traditionally, farmhouse kitchens often featured furniture with panel doors covered with chicken wire or screening. Pie safes and cabinets with chicken wire were usually used to store cooking dishes and food items. I love the country look of this cabinet and wouldn't mind adding it to my own home.
