Kitchen Dreams Blog

More Television Reno - The Boys of Wednesday Night

Wednesdays are heating up!  Nothing to watch on TV?  Head on over to HGTV from 8:00 to 11:00 pm... even if you don't love renovation shows it could be worth a look!  

Start with Property Brothers - twin hunks, Jonathan and Drew Scott, corner their markets!  First they find buyers, usually a couple, that want more than they can afford.  

Then they tease them (and us) with a wonderful dream home that has everything the buyers could want and more... and then drop the bomb on how much that house is going to cost them. Usually about twice the couple's budget!  You can almost hear the "thud" of the buyers hearts - or maybe it's their jaws hitting the floor.  

But the boys don't leave their clients in the lurch.  They start showing them houses they can buy for much less than the budget... and let Jonathan renovate to include all their dreams.  He uses virtual design technology to show them what each house could look like. Once they choose, Drew is the agent that works to get the best possible price for the property.  In every case, a bath or a kitchen or both need renovation. We get a happily-ever-after ending and eye-candy all along the way! 

At 9:00pm the Kitchen Cousins hit the screen and all eyes are on them!  HGTV says: "Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri run a New Jersey-based family construction company that focuses on turning mediocre kitchens into masterpieces."  Could they be any more adorable?  

This is straight-forward kitchen renovation, usually on the modern design spectrum, with lots of Italian products. Many of the original kitchen's are old and falling apart, with lots of design challenges. More virtual design technology here, with walls flipping and appliances appearing as if by magic, to get their clients on board with the changes.  We get to share a meal with "Ant's" parents, see the newest in kitchen finishes and watch them flex their muscles!  They are definitely New Jersey's proudest moment on television and possibly the most watchable renovation team ever.  

Next up, Income Property at 10:00pm with Scott McGillivray.  Scott helps first-time

homebuyers turn part of their home into a moneymaker to help with the mortgage. 

Mostly centered on  city-dwellers, where renting out a room or a basement is possible, the designs here showcase getting the most from your space - something all of us can learn.  Of course, the renovation of the kitchen and bath is critical to the success of the new rental and Scott doesn't disappoint.  

He works hard on every aspect of the design - again using virtual design to show the viewers how he would lay the space out.  In his case, he is right in the middle of it all as the virtual room takes place.  One has to wonder what the client is actually seeing!  More muscles and dimples as the work gets done - and another happy ending, as the client gets even more rental income than they had planned!

Sweet dreams are guaranteed after a night watching these shows!  Where do I sign up?

Addicted to Kitchen and Bath Renovations on Television

Addicted!  I cannot get enough of it!  Every time I try to pull away, they suck me back in!  I'm talking about the gaggle of renovation shows currently running on TV, led primarily by HGTV and it's sister channel, DIY Network.  

To be honest, I've always watched these shows - way back when the only real option was This Old House on PBS.  That was in the Dark Ages, when you actually had to look up showtimes in a small magazine called TV Guide and then sit in front of the TV and watch the show real time!  No recording... although later you could record them on VHS, as long as the TV was on and you remembered to put a tape in (and remove the peanut butter sandwich your children had fed to it!)

Apparently there are a lot of people with this same addiction, and you can now watch renovation and home shows pretty much 24/7.  Warning:  once you start it is really, really hard to stop!

Several groups of shows are worthy of mention. The first is the Crasher series:  started with Yard Crashers and now expanded to Bath, Room, House and Kitchen.  All are based on a host/designer/contractor that stalks people in big-box home stores across the country, looking for someone (preferably photogenic and energetic) who will take them home and let them tear out a room and rebuild it, all in under three days!  Oh, and the whole renovation is free!

As a spectator, these shows are really entertaining - funny and quick and a little crazy.  They showcase lots of new products, which is no doubt how they finance these shows.  Home owners bring equally fun, beautiful friends and relatives to help out and they learn new skills - and have fun with new powertools in the process!

You have to wonder what they will do next and whether they will get it all done in time.  Of course, this is television, so Happy Ever After can be guaranteed, at least on camera!  And a little stress makes for a better story - a crew injury with a power tool, a mis-measurement that causes a setback, sidebar camera comments that are catty or doubtful.  

Here's the catch (isn't there always?):  they choose everything - from knocking down walls to painting the room tangerine - you don't have a choice once you agree to do the show!  OK, I suppose you could throw them out if they started taking down walls - but then you would be left fixing whatever had already been damaged!  And make no mistake - they always start with sledgehammers! 

As a spectator, it's fun to laugh or cringe at the tangerine walls - or the latest craze of 'textured walls' that (at least in my head) would gather dust, or worse - grease! - especially in the kitchen.  And there are plenty of really great ideas and products to keep you watching. In fact, the more I watch, the more I really want to renovate - just not by stalking the aisles of big-box home stores!  :)  

Family Kitchen

The Holidays = Family & Friends = Food.  Really, nothing makes the Holidays (whatever you celebrate) special like family and friends.  And there really is no better way to celebrate than with food.  Whether it's super casual and easy with delivery pizza and beer or a full Thanksgiving Dinner with all the trimmings, the time people spend together over food is always memorable.  

Think about how your kitchen does and/or does not make your holidays easier, the memories brighter and the guests more comfortable.  Is there enough room for several people to help?  Enough counter space to prepare what you want to make?  Do the appliance still work or do you have to jerry-rig, coax or curse at them while you work?  Is there enough light even on a cold, wintry day?  Can you move around easily, without too many extra steps?

Even if all you use your kitchen for is setting take out pizza boxes and chilling beer, it's still the most important room for entertaining.  Whether you just need to reface the cabinets or update your appliances, contact our designers: make the most of the space you have and the memories you want!  

Longwood Showroom Renovation

The renovation of our Longwood showroom is progressing at a fast pace. If you've not been to our showroom for awhile, you won't recognize it within the next couple of weeks. We will be updated the blog with photos as the days go by, but if you can't get enough of our remodeling saga....tune in to the live webcam. You can view the remodeling as it happens. Follow the link and the prompts on our front page and enjoy.

 

Blast from the Past

                   Can any one identify the man in these pictures?

He was a football player from the late 60's early 70's. He was very popular at the time and even had a part in a TV sitcom in the mid 80's after he retired from football.

These pictures were taken in one of the original displays in the Longwood showroom shortly after the completion of the showroom in 1986. In the photos the man can be seen in a chef's apron and hat. He was there to shoot a commercial for a local car dealer, who's name is lost to history.

These photos came to mind as we remembered the first "live" kitchen we had in our Longwood showroom. The cabinets were Quakermaid custom cabinets and the counter top on the Island where the man is standing was an oak butcher block. We enjoyed that kitchen for many years before we renovated it and made two smaller displays in the space.

Now we are about to launch the first major renovation to the Longwood showroom and create a NEW "live" kitchen. The intention is to have a funtioning kitchen were we can have cooking demonstrations and hold design seminars. Check back in the near future to see updated pictures as we progress towards completion.

In the mean time...if you can name the man in the pictures, please call or email with your guess.  There may be a special prize for a correct guess!

 

 

 

Tile Backsplash trends

Two things in this particular back splash detail make it more interesting visually.

First, the client chose 3 x 6 tile sizes instead of the typical 4 x 4. We installed the tiles in a brick pattern. The by-product of choosing 3" high tiles instead of 4" was to save the client the cost of re-locating the outlets. 

Second, visual interest was added by including the mosaic. The mosaic includes elements of recycled glass and natural stone. It is relatively inexpensive.

 

 

 

S&W Kitchens in the news again: Home Improvement Company Checks Backgrounds

As reported by CFNews13, S&W Kitchens has background and licensing checks conducted by AskTheSeal on all employees.  As S&W Kitchens Lead Designer Bill Burke states consumers "feel like they can trust you, and trust people we are going to place in your home."

 Read more on this important article here!

"See you on the Radio!"

S&W's own Bill Burke will be on the radio this Saturday, August 13th.  WFLA on 540 AM is the place to be for the Home Improvement Show between 9am and 11 am.  Bill is the Senior Designer in the Longwood Showroom and can answer your kitchen and bath renovation questions on air.  See if you can stump him!

Bill is the gentleman on the right in the picture, meeting Bud Hedinger - a longtime local TV news anchor and current host of Bud Hedinger Live-Daily from 6am - 9am.  They met recently at a VIP breakfast held at the station.

The number to call is (407) 916-5400 or call (407) 545-4904 to schedule an in home visit to discuss your project.  Email the show at 540HIS@gmail.com or email Bill directly at bill@sandwkitchens.com.  You can also email your questions in advance and have them answered on the air or text the show by texting the keyword 540HIS to 49330.

Iconic Movie Kitchen & Cook

Julia.  Anyone into food and cooking knows immediately who you're talking about. For the uninitiated:  Julia Childs - the quintessential cook who, arguably, started the cooking revolution, teaching Americans how to cook really good [French] food.  While many families had moved from farmhouse meals to eating canned and processed foods, Julia was reviving basic cooking techniques, fresh vegetables and fruits and adding a rustic French flair that appealed to American tastes. 

Just by being herself (when exactly did reality TV really start?) Julia inspired many Moms to try something new for dinner or to throw a dinner party with something considered very different, like Coq au Vin or Beef Bourguignon. 

She probably never dreamed that her inspiration, along with others, would lead to multiple television channels dedicated to cooking and food, blogs, magazines, foodspotting and who-knows-what-else is around the corner!  We might still be eating canned peas and spam (the original, not the virtual kind) if it weren't for her!

Julia's own kitchen was donated to the Smithsonian and that was used to re-create the room for the movie Julia & Julia in 2009, shown above.  Of course, Julia Child remains a beloved figure in cooking - not less for being spoofed by Dan Ackroyd in the 1978 classic skit from Saturday Night Live.  Nobody does it better!

Movie Kitchen - Armed and Dangerous

This kitchen has lots of light-bouncing surfaces - stainless cabinets and tile that looks like natural abalone.  If it is, it cost more than the rest of the kitchen combined!  Maybe it's iridescent glass - still a pretty penny!  Not sure how either would fare as a counter-top - especially the grout lines... but visually it's beautiful.

Of course, it would have to be, since this kitchen co-stars with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in Mr & Mrs Smith (2005).  Like them, it's beautiful, cool, maybe even a bit cold and somewhat impractical... for cooking. 

Take that sliver of a sink in the foreground!  Very limited in what it could be used for.  Looks like the back counter is black marble - chic but far more porous than granite.

Behind the scenes, this kitchen has a secret (again, like it's co-stars!).  The lower oven doesn't bake - it stores weapons!  Now that's practical!

What else could a kitchen hide?  Actually, hidden gadgets really are becoming a reality!  No-hands garbage areas, table tops that appear seemingly out of nowhere, refrigerator doors and drawers that completely blend with cabinets.  What if you could make the kitchen look like any room you love - a library, a garden room, a sanctuary - these days all it takes is your imagination and a great designer!