Ask yourself, of all the kitchens you’ve ever graced with your presence, how many stand out in your memory as flat-out amazing? One, five? None!?

The truth is that even beautiful, well-designed, and expertly crafted kitchens often aren’t outstanding enough to make them permanently memorable. Let’s put a stop to that right now!

Here’s a design tip to help you make your kitchen the one that stands out, etched in the memory of all who cross its threshold.

Add a Splash of Color!

A few examples:

Subtle Outside, Colorful Inside!

I’m a huge fan of glass doors on upper cabinets, even if it’s only on a few of them. This little trick takes that idea to a whole new level!

Add a touch of color to the interior of your upper cabinets and contrast that with a relatively subtle exterior color on the cabinets and you’ve got an inspiring design in the making!

The really exciting thought is how easy it is to change that color, especially if you only do a small section of cabinets.

It’s easy because you really can’t see minor imperfections in the paint inside a cabinet with glass doors and stuff in it. So you have this cool option of switching out your color from time-to-time.

I can see the look on my mother-in-law’s face now. “wasn’t that red last time I was here? I’m losing it…”

Create a Colorful Display

Ok, so let’s be real. There is no way this is going to work for all the cabinets in an actual kitchen in a real house with real people living in it. But that doesn’t mean the idea is bad.

Look at this picture, it’s really just a small section of cabinets, probably in a little piece of wall off to one side of the main kitchen. If you’ve got a space like this, it’s perfect for creating a display.

Think of it as living art! It’s worth doing just for the fun of shopping for the best looking water bottles and cans of beans! Is there a way to work Oreos into this?

Beadboard Blues

So let’s not mince words. Beadboard ROCKS! I’ve used beadboard in every imaginable place in a house and it always looks good. Inside of cabinets, bathroom walls, stairwells, you name it.

One of the most common and great looking places to throw in a little bit of beadboard is the front of an island or high-bar. People do it all the time.

Don’t you want to be different? Aren’t we looking for that one-in-a-million memorable kitchen?

Then add a splash of color! Paint that beadboard front a blue, or a red, or a green. Any color that works for your design. And like the inside of the cabinet above, it’s easy to change.

Redfrigerator?

No? Then, how about some blue-ish, aqua-ish awesomeness? Like this:

This kitchen has a bit more than a “splash” of color. It’s more like a gatorade bath after the superbowl win. Too much? I think it would be perfect with a more subtle wall splash tile.

I love the appliances and that’s the idea I’m sharing here. Vintage look appliances like this are available now from a wide range of manufacturers. Some companies, like Big Chill Fridge, have made a name for themselves doing nothing but colorful vintage look appliances.

Not quite as easy to change colors on this one though, so make sure you’re sold out heart and soul before taking the plunge!

Paint The Windows!

If the refrigerator gets to be colorful, then the windows should get the same opportunity. This is non-discriminatory coloration. It doesn’t have to be a crazy bright color, you can go a little more subtle, like this picture:

You know how some guys can’t stay focused when a pretty girl walks by? I have that problem, but with open beams. I forgot what we were talking about…

Oh right, the splash of color in the windows! How creative and fun is that?

You would normally think that this is only possible with wood windows and it’s true that the process is a bit easier with wood. But the truth is that you can buy paint formulated for metal or vinyl at most any home center type store today. So if you have aluminum or vinyl windows, I wouldn’t let it hold you back.

Paint Beams or Soffits

Soffits and support beams the kids who always get picked on. Many a remodeling project has been started with the simple goal of getting rid of that ugly soffit*. Maybe the soffit just needs a little encouragement. Anybody ever think of that? How about a nice new outfit to make it feel better…

I’m telling you what, that looks good. It might not be your personal style, but you have to admit its nice and it pulls off a contemporary look without being stark and unwelcoming.

Not everyone has a steel I-beam in the kitchen, but lots of people have ugly soffits or structural beams wrapped in plaster or drywall.

If that includes you and you’ve been wanting to banish the offending bit of architectural malpractice, maybe this will change your mind.

Color Inspires!

One thing all of these kitchens have in common is that they are inspiring! They serve two purposes. One is the function of a kitchen and all which that entails, the other is the function of invigoration! That’s what makes a space memorable. It makes you feel great to be in.

Give it a try!

The photos for this post can all be found on my Idea Kitchens board on Pinterest, where each can be traced back to it’s original source.

*In this context, the soffit is the solid box that’s built either to lower the upper cabinets down or to conceal ductwork, not to be confused with exterior soffit in your overhang.

If you can find it, that is. Bouquet’s like this one are going to be much harder to find.

If you haven’t heard, the cold truth now presents itself:

Home Depot will no longer stock Ralph Lauren Paints… starting like a few days ago!

A little warning to Senor Remodeling Guy sure would have been appreciated. Shows where I stand.

But there is good news and it comes in two sizes:

Gallon Size Good News: If you run out now to your local Home Depot you can buy-up what’s left for cheap! Like $14.00 a gallon cheap, which is more than half off. (hint: if they only have quarts left, you might suggest the gallon price for four…worked for me)

Quart Size Good News: I spoke with a representative from the manufacturer. He told me that the line will still be available in ICI Paint Stores. I sure hope that’s true.

You see… I was a believer. One of the few; apparently.

Oh… I almost forgot, they’re replacing the line with Martha Stewart’s paint, so maybe it’s not a total loss.  Martha’s cool.

Wait! Don’t change the channel just yet! It’s not how it sounds. I don’t mean I rock in the whole “yeah, I know it, I rock” sense of the phrase. That would be vain, and they didn’t write the song about me. Honk if you get it.

No, I don’t mean I rock all the time, I mean that I can RAWK (?) on occasion. We’re talking music here. Rock, roll, the works. I’m trying, in my standard long-winded fashion, to tell you about my night last night. My whole day in fact. Because you’ve been wondering about that. Right?

So, my son AJ is a huge metal fan.

His favorite band is a Christian band that goes by the name of Disciple. I think they have some form of advanced communication enabled, similar to my RSS feed, that lets him know exactly what Disciple is doing at any given moment. So when they scheduled three concerts in Florida he knew it. And then I knew it.

We picked the show in Vero Beach, obviously because it was near a beach, and got our tickets. AJ and I left bright and early yesterday for the three hour drive to Vero. We wanted to be sure that we were there in plenty of time for the 7:00pm show. We made it with time to spare.

I won’t bore you with all the details of our day. It was great and involved body surfing some HUGE waves, catching a movie at a beautiful theater called The Majestic, and getting in-line for the concert at 4:30, ensuring us front row seats for the general admission show. Did I mention it didn’t start until 7pm ?

(I’m getting to some remodeling stuff, I promise…)

There were three bands and the show started right on time at 7:00. That was the last I saw of my seat. It faded away behind four deep teenagers in the two feet of space between the stage and the chairs. Don’t ask me how they fit? They did, and apparently they felt like there was plenty of wiggle room because they proceeded to jump, and flail, and otherwise act out the joy coursing through them.

There were speakers. Let me give this to you in remodeling terms. Imagine two Sub-Zero’s on top of one another. They were about six feet from my head. And a stack of twenty wine cooler size speakers were hanging from the ceiling. But they weren’t wine coolers. Nope. So when I say the joy was coursing through them, I mean it.

So there I was (paperback novel in my pocket in preparation for the potential retreat that never came) on the front row, right on the stage, trying to “blend“…yeah, right, like THAT is going to happen. It was fun. Really, it was.

Kids Are Energy

Whew, you made it to the remodeling part. I woke up this morning thinking of all the room additions I’ve built as hang-out’s for kids. Parents all over are building room additions just to keep the kids at their house where they can see them. They fill these rooms with cool home theaters, pool tables, video games, and bean bags. I’ve built dozens of them.

But I realized this morning that I should have reinforced them! These kids are like little tanks! They can destroy! I started thinking of what I would do if I wanted to “teenager-proof” a room. Here is the list I came up with…

• Door Casing – Kids just kill the doors! What is that? So I would need to make sure that my door casing couldn’t be pulled off. That would mean an extra stud behind my door casing when I did framing, so that way it could be nailed solid on both the inside and the outside edge. I’d use glue too.
• Solid Core Doors – Forget these puny hollow core doors. Any respectable group of teenagers will make mince meat of that in no time flat. You would need solid doors. Either solid wood or LDF (Low Density Fiber-board).
• Light Fixtures – Lighting is important, you might need it for impromptu first aid. Fixtures should be mounted, up-high. Forget the lamps, they’ll never make it.
• Walls – I’m thinking solid wood up two-thirds of the wall. A wainscot type look with a nice cap rail on top. It looks great but is indestructible. You could do drywall, but you’ll need this post on drywall repair.
• Paint – Let’s be serious. I have to tell my son five times in one two sentence conversation to “stop hanging on the door”. He touches everything and despite the energetic bouncing I saw at the concert, teenagers apparently need bodily support from walls and doorways most of the time. So the paint needs to be very durable, and washable, and while you’re at it, I say go with a distressed look that way you don’t care when they take a chunk out of the wainscot in some completely unforeseeable way.
• Floors – Stained concrete? If that’s too cold, then I would go with either a solid 3/4″ thick nailed down hardwood floor, finished in-place, or a laminate flooring like Pergo. You’ve seen the demonstrations where they smack it with the hammer right? There you go.
• Windows – no windows.

So there you have it. The story of my wonderful day with my son, the huge metal fan, and some tips on how to design your remodeling project to be teenager proof. I wish I could go back in time, I’d be selling wainscot and solid core doors leftswing and rightswing. Contractors take notice…change order money here!

I’d love to hear some “my teenager destroyed my house” stories, just NOT FROM YOU MOM!

~ RG

Looking for Who Makes Ralph Lauren Paints?

This is a Remodeling Guy kind of bouquet!

Have you ever used Ralph Lauren Paints? If not, you might want to give them a try. I’ve been really impressed, consistently , for years! So much so that I’m finally willing to come out of the closet and proclaim publicly that I love Ralph Lauren…paints.

Color Is King

With color names like Kayak Yellow, Aegean Blue, Jamaican Green, and Mesa Sunrise , it’s easy to imagine how the conversion started. But truth be told, my now total surrender comes after years of hard struggle. I wasn’t won over easily.

It did start with color. My wife can take credit for starting this transformation and she did it because of color! Ralph Lauren colors are awesome! They have some colors you can’t even get in other paints. She never bought it when I said “they can make that color in MY brand!”

Turns out she was right! No matter how many times I’ve tried, the only way I’ve found of getting those colors true to the color chips is to buy Ralph Lauren Paints and not try and have it made in another brand.

Paint Quality Matters!

I was raised in construction and readers of my Newsletter know that I spent many a day being trained in the how-to’s and how-NOT -to’s of professional painting. Just like any childhood scar, I’ve had to deal with it in adulthood.

I’ve been known to be a paint snob. Benjamin Moore was preferred, other brands would suffice, but good paint made a difference. Coming from this perspective I had a very hard time buying any paint that had the same name on it as my Dad’s tie. Paint and ties are different.

This was a deeply engrained belief and it never would have changed if not for the ultimate test. Using the bottom of an old and almost empty can of Ralph’s finest, Kim painted one of my signature Adirondack Chairs in Aegean Blue. No primer, one coat.

That was over a year ago. Since then, that chair has been in the direct weather and hot Florida sun, 24/7. It still looks fabulous today! No loss of sheen, no fade in the color. The only damage at all is regular wear and tear. That’s good paint .

Hands-On Research

We’ve since painted all kinds of things with Ralph Lauren Paint and it performs well in every area. I’m impressed with:

• Coverage (both in how well it covers and how much it covers) 
• Ease of application (it lays out smooth and easily) 
• Color consistency (good matching with paint bought later) 
• Color is true to the sample 

We Used It Outside 

I searched the internet today looking for somewhere that says it’s okay to use this outside. Couldn’t find it. All I can tell you is that we’ve used it on numerous outdoor projects and it’s holding up extremely well in a harsh paint environment.

It has a higher content of “solids” than many paints and that makes it durable. I don’t know about UV inhibitors, but the colors we’ve used outdoors have stayed true.

If you want to read a discussion about it over at the iVillage GradenWeb Forum, here is the link.

I’m not getting paid to say this. I wish I was…if you’re from the company that makes Ralph Lauren Paint (which also makes Glidden, and Devoe Paints), then please contact me and I’ll be happy to accept your contribution. But the point is that I was so pleased with this product that I wanted to give it a public thumbs-up!

So, do you have any experience with this paint? Did you like it? I’d love to see a discussion on it right here in the comments!

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

~ RG

Arrggh – Ralph Lauren Paints is no longer at Home Depot, so now people are wondering Who Makes Ralph Lauren Paints?

If you ask me, chalkboard paint is in one of the coolest products ever! The uses are nearly unlimited! Check out these photos for some inspiration!

I love garages! So I’m starting with that! It may not be the prettiest place in the house, but lots of pretty stuff can get made in the garage!

I think these chalkboard paint cabinets are kind of cool! Look at how they let you easily indicate what’s in a drawer! I could use this to help me clean-up! It might help! Maybe…

photo:bhg

Martha Knows Best

Martha Stewart is so creative! I want to be like Martha. Sort of. In some ways.

Look what she did with these pots! I know it’s not technically remodeling, but I like to use term in the broad sense!

And that’s not all! She also was the first person I ever saw use custom color chalkboard paint! I’ve seen it since, but she broke the story!

How About A Chalk-Door?

I fell in love with what Melaine, over at My Sweet Savannah did in her kitchen the first time I saw it! Look:

And she’s not done with the chalkboard paint yet! She’s got some plans for this weekend that I’m sure she’ll be showing-off soon!

Melaine was so inspired by the Beam Me Up post over at RG:Lite that she’s got me designing some beams for her kitchen ceiling! Hopefully, we’ll get to that next week too!

Make Your Own Chalkboard Paint

In my searching around, I came across some simple instructions for making chalkboard paint. According to the folks at Lowe’s, you can make it out of any regular latex paint…

1 Cup Paint & Two Table-Spoons of White Unsanded Grout – Mixed Well

=

Custom Colored Chalkboard Paint

Round-Up Post in A Can!

So, now you have an idea for the Round-Up! I might give this one a try myself. Oh the list of “things I want to try here!” just keeps on growing! I better get busy!

Stay tuned! Friday is the Spring Remodeling Guy Round-Up and I’ve got a surprise in store for Monday as well! If you sign-up for the Remodeling Guy Newsletter now, you’ll hear about Monday’s surprise a little early! Besides, the Newsletter is a great free resource! Sign-Up here!

Ever wish you could see what color would look best on your front door? I spent some time yesterday playing with Photoshop to see if I could do just that.

Pretty neat, huh? You can see larger, non-flashy, versions of these over at Blissful Home where I write a weekly column. While you’re there, look around a little…there is a lot to see and read there.

Of course, it’s my mission in life to tie everything back in with the upcoming Remodeling Guy Round-Up and I think this helps. What if you did a post showing pictures of what you WANT to do, even if you haven’t done it yet? That would work.

The idea is to encourage everyone by showing what people are doing, dreaming about, and have done in the past. I hope you join in on May 1st.

Back to the flashy door… which color do you like best?