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orange county kitchen remodeling

Orange County Kitchen Contractor Tips for a Great Kitchen

By / Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off on Orange County Kitchen Contractor Tips for a Great Kitchen

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, Orange County cooks are discovering if their recent kitchen renovations created beautiful kitchens or beautiful and functional kitchens. There’s a big difference! Inspired Remodels is the Orange County kitchen contractor that creates beautifully functional kitchens that look good and work smart. Learn what it takes to create a great kitchen no matter the size.

Oh, Say Can You See?

Whether it’s by the dawn’s early light or the middle of the night, you’ve got to be able to see what you’re doing in the kitchen.

Orange County kitchen contractor remodel of Irvine kitchen after

This Irvine kitchen provides light in oh so many ways. There’s light from the recessed lights scattered throughout the room. And under the cabinet lights provide task lighting when prepping at the countertops. Globe lights hanging from the ceiling light the island and provide a decorative touch. Additional light could have been provided by additional can lights, but why go that route when you can go decorative instead?

This Mission Viejo kitchen remodel makes the most of natural light. Placing the kitchen by a window shows genius when it comes to design. Who doesn’t want a glimpse of the outside when washing a dish, rinsing greens, or grabbing a quick glass of water? Recessed lighting, can lights, and globe lights make an appearance, but appear completely different than in the Irvine job. A great kitchen begins with a great Orange County kitchen contractor that understands the importance of lighting.

Try on a Triangle

A truly functional kitchen makes use of the kitchen triangle to bring elements together in a usable design.

Orange County kitchen contractors shows concept of kitchen triangle using sink, stove, and fridge

In this Foothills Ranch remodel, the Orange County kitchen contractor placed the sink, the stove/oven, and the refrigerator in a triangle pattern. This increases the efficiency of the cook’s actions. A simple pivot takes the cook from the sink to the cooktop (imagine putting a pot of water on for a boil). Just a few steps take the cook from the fridge to the sink or from the fridge to the stove.

Or what about this design? Two triangles really make this Trabuco Canyon kitchen remodel hum. The addition of the prep sink creates additional work triangles. Of course, the kitchen sink, fridge, and wall ovens create a third kitchen triangle. The more triangles you create, the more functional your kitchen.  Come time to prepare a big meal, you’ll be thankful.

The Orange County Kitchen Contractor for Beautiful Functional Kitchens

When it comes to creating beautiful, functional kitchens no one beats Inspired Remodels. Just tell Jason and Joe Mueller your kitchen dreams and they bring them to life.

You’ll be thankful you hired Inspired Remodels as your kitchen contractor.

 

Kitchen Renovation Must Haves

By / Home Improvement, Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off on Kitchen Renovation Must Haves

When you are planning your next kitchen renovation you will be thinking about flooring, cabinet styles, finishes, counter tops, ovens, ranges, and refrigerators.  Those are all key components to any kitchen renovation.  But sometimes its the smaller things that can have a big impact on the finished kitchen.  Inspired Remodels shares a few must haves to incorporate in your next kitchen renovation.

Drawers Over Doors

When you think about new kitchen cabinets, you need to think about more than the finish and style.  You need to think abut how you will be using the storage space.  For maximum efficiency in the kitchen, select drawers over doors for the base cabinets.  Instead of opening a door, bending down, and rummaging around to get the item you need you can just pull out a drawer and the item will be right at hand.

use drawers instead of doors during your kitchen renovation to make space easier to use

These Orange County homeowners understood the benefit of drawers over doors during their recent kitchen renovation and are glad they made the switch every time they cook.  Extra deep drawers are perfect for storing pots and pans out of sight but within easy reach.

Maximize Natural Lighting

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Make the most of sunlight.  It makes even small kitchens look larger.  Saves on electricity too as natural lighting can be used for tasks during most of the day.  Avoid heavy window treatments. They block light and make the kitchen look smaller.

Centralized Pantry Area

pantry wall next to fridgeDesignate at least one wall as your pantry wall.  This saves steps when cooking and makes organizing and storing groceries a breeze.  These remodelers applied this concept to create a wall that looks good and provides plenty of storage just where you need it. This pantry wall is close to the fridge, minimizing the steps needed to gather ingredients.  Another option is to place the pantry wall next to the stove, where ingredients are handy.  Pantry walls don’t need to be next to an appliance.  But if they are, the best looking kitchens use either counter depth appliances or adjust the cabinet size to provide a smooth, finished appearance.

Quiet Dishwasher and Garbage Disposal

As kitchens are more and more integrated into the living space, the sounds emanating from the room are becoming just as important as the smells.  You want to be part of the action as you cook and clean, but your family won’t appreciate the noise from overly loud dishwashers and garbage disposals.

When comparing features, be sure to look at the decibel levels during operation.  Normal conversation is carried on at about 60 decibels.  Get too close to that number and you have to shout over the dishwasher or disposal.  Not good.

Many models made by Miele and Bosch operate in the 40 decibel range, making them perfect for open floor plans.  As the appliance gets quieter, the price tag gets bigger.  If your kitchen renovation budget doesn’t allow for one of these brands, pick a model with a delay start.  This will allow you to run the dishwasher after you leave for the day or go to bed at night.

Undermount Sink

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Single Bowl Undermount Sink

Undermount sinks are not only popular, they are practical. With this style sink, the sink edge lip is mounted under the countertop. It works with solid countertops such as soapstone, granite, and concrete.  Laminate or tile counters will not have enough weight to support the sink. Undermount sinks provide a clean surface between the countertop and the sink. That means fewer crevices and cracks for crumbs and stains to hide in.  Just wipe the crumbs off the countertop and into the sink.  Clean up is a breeze. Speaking of clean-up, opt for a large sink that allows plenty of room to scrub those large pots, pans, and cookie sheets.  The lighter the sink, the more stains it will show.  Darker sinks won’t be stained by red wine, spaghetti sauce or coffee.

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  Double bowl undermount sink

Single bowl or multi-bowl is more a reflection of your cooking and cleaning style.  If you put most of your dishes through the ultra quiet dishwasher, then a single bowl is perfect.  If you prefer to hand wash your daily dishes, a single bowl is not very practical.  In that case select a two or three bowl sink.  If you have the space and the budget allows, a small prep sink is another must have.

Hire a Kitchen Renovation Pro

Hiring a company with expertise in kitchen renovation projects can be the difference between a dream kitchen that just looks good and a kitchen that looks amazing and functions like a dream.  Inspired Remodels can turn your dream kitchen into reality.  They will work with you to design a room that fuses function,, beauty, and your personal style.  Check out our portfolio of kitchen renovations and then call (949) 716-1938 to schedule your  consultation.

 

 

 

Interior Remodeling Fuses Indoor and Outdoor Spaces Beautifully

By / Home Improvement / Comments Off on Interior Remodeling Fuses Indoor and Outdoor Spaces Beautifully

Great design is always aware of the surrounding space.  These recent interior remodeling jobs show how to perfectly fuse your indoor space with the outdoors. When you need inspiration, many times all you need to do is look to nature.

Kitchen Interior Remodeling Incorporates Outdoor Entertaining

This recent kitchen remodel was designed to do more than just update the kitchen.  The goal was to bring a natural flow between the interior and exterior spaces for seamless entertaining.

interior remodeling job extends kitchen to patio

This remodeling started with adding doors that can be opened to connect the kitchen area to the outdoor entertaining area.  When the doors are open, traffic flows seamlessly between the two areas. Notice the subtle design touches such as duplicating the wood pattern from the immediate threshold to the table.  While the wood colors contrast, the lines complement.

 

indoor and outdoor pic 2

When the doors are closed, traditional separation of indoor and outdoors spaces are preserved.  However the glass allows the two areas to remain connected visually and allows natural light to flood the kitchen area.

This kitchen not only incorporates indoor and outdoor living areas, it does so with beauty, style, and function.  The light cabinets are the perfect contrast for the dark flooring.  Appliances placed in a working triangle mean fewer steps for the cook.  This is just one way that Inspired Remodels works with homeowners to make sure that each interior remodeling job results in rooms that are not only visually stunning, but functional as well.

indoor and outdoor pic 3

Notice how the backsplash behind the range pulls together elements from the appliances, cabinetry, and surrounding tile.  Beautiful.

indoor and outdoor pic 4

Bathroom Interior Remodeling Inspired by Nature

 

Bathrooms lends themselves to using materials inspired by nature.  Hard surfaces are essential to a waterproof bathroom that is easy to maintain.  Let nature provide the inspiration for your bathroom remodel.  When you skillfully mix colors and textures from nature all you need to do is add water and a few towels and you have an awesome bathroom.

interior remodeling in bathroom takes inspiration from nature with octupus drainThis design for the shower floor evokes the look and feel of a pebbled surface.  The unique drain cover reminds you of an aquatic creature.  The colors are cool and soothing.

 

 

shower tile floor 2The floor of this shower in inspired by river rock.  What’s more natural and soothing than water rushing over pebbles polished smooth by the motion?

 

The floor of the shower is just the beginning.  You can bring elements from nature with:

  • stacked rock back splash
  • wood floors and cabinets
  • marble and other stone

If you’ve got natural light, make the most of it with glass block windows to bring in light and retain privacy.

Inspired Remodels Brings Interior Remodeling Dreams to Life

 

If you are ready to remodel the interior of your Orange County home, call on the experts at Inspired Remodels.  They can sit with you to discuss your lifestyle, your dreams, and your needs and create a stunning design.  Whether you want a look that is traditional or contemporary Inspired Remodels can make it happen.

As a licensed general contractor, Inspired Remodels is ready to assist you with all phases.  From the initial design to the final construction clean-up, Inspired Remodels will handle it all. So if you are ready to incorporate inspiration from nature and extend the usability of your living space, call (949) 716-1938 or Contact Us on-line to make an appointment for a consultation.