Today I am releasing my newest ebook, Refresh Your Kitchen in 3 Easy Steps – without breaking the bank. We are all cooped up in our homes as we shelter in place. If you are like me, I’m noticing little things about my house that are irritating me. I can’t […]
Kitchen
18 posts
This week I visited this project in Oakland which converted an existing detached garage into a studio cottage. We started this project a little more than a year ago and now it is very near complete. The owners are waiting on the Murphy bed to arrive, and they want to […]
With the recent changes to state law regarding Accessory Dwelling Units, you can see how various municipalities are dealing with changing their planning ordinances to come into compliance with the state legislation. In Oakland, they are allowing development within a house, and development attached to a house. They are allowing […]
Is 2017 the year you’re going to remodel your kitchen? It is dark and disconnected from the rest of the house. It doesn’t have any storage, and there’s no place for the kids to the the homework. I recently came across this article about 10 steps to take when planning […]
Continuing my occasional series of posts about buildings that inspire me: The Wimbledon House was designed by the English architect Richard Rogers with his then wife, Su Rogers, for his parents. Design started in 1967 and was completed in 1969. It is located just outside of London. Considered by many […]
Every project has it’s own challenges. Sometimes it is the siting. Sometimes it is the budget. Sometimes it is a tricky space planning problem. This project, currently in the office, is to add a new Secondary Dwelling Unit to a single family house in Danville. The challenge on this project […]
Ikea’s new kitchen system, SEKTION, was released on February 2nd. We are starting to hear more about it. The folks over at thekitchn.com have been all over it. The most recent post there discusses some of the similarities and differences from the old system. In summary, the SEKTION cabinet widths are […]
I read a lot of blogs about kitchen design and residential remodeling. I like knowing what is going on in my field. I often learn something I didn’t know before. I’m often inspired by the designs of others. Sometimes, I wonder what they were thinking. Just this week I read […]
One of the most common questions I am asked is about what material to use for kitchen counters. The current (July 2014) issue of Consumer Reports magazine has a nice article about this question. Much of this issue of the magazine is dedicated to kitchen design, materials and appliances. It […]
Every project has it’s own life. Some go down the road you expect for them. Some take a turn and you have to follow them in the direction they need to go. This project took a turn shortly after we started. The owner’s circumstances took a turn and we had […]
Noted design magazine, Forbes, recently published an article about the “8 Kitchen Design Trends to Avoid“. I happen to agree wholeheartedly with 2 of the 8 – avoid trash compactors and counter top microwaves. These should be avoided. Though, if your existing kitchen doesn’t have space for a wall or […]
I came across this rather large infographic (it’s like an internet poster) about kitchen design. It covers the most fundamental aspects of design. There is more to it than these basics, of course, but this is a good place to start. I told you it was large! by
The kitchen remodel project in Fremont was recently completed. This week I was able to take some pictures of the completed project. But before we look at the pictures of where we ended up, let’s look at the pictures of where we started. The original 1975 vintage kitchen had some […]
It has been a while since my last post and I have been busy. The project in Fremont is complete. I will be taking the official pictures of the completed kitchen in early to mid-September. Watch this space for that. Right now, I have a house remodeling project underway in […]
Late last week I visited the kitchen project in Fremont. This is the part when it starts really looking like what was conceived. In this photo you can see that compared to the original kitchen, we have doubled the counter space and storage. The cook top and exhaust fan have […]
Construction of the kitchen remodel in Fremont is underway. I went down to Fremont for a site visit. It is so much fun to see how quickly things can change. The owner told me that the contractor had the entire room stripped down to the studs in a little more […]
I like this look at Kitchen Remodeling. But, unless your remodel is VERY simple, I would add #3a-Hire an Architect or Kitchen Designer. The value that professional designers can bring to the process in terms of function, looks, and defining the scope for the contractor is well worth the additional […]
I’ve added a project to the Residential projects. It is a remodeling of a condo kitchen in a 1960’s era Russian Hill building. The old kitchen was dark and odd. The new kitchen is bright, functional and modern. Check it out. by