Designing For Wellness – Your Home Impacts Your Health
Multiple level shower heads, a comfortable seat and no lip to stumble on make this an excellent example of designing for wellness.
Your home has a huge influence on your well-being and designing for wellness makes sense. Everything from the materials you choose in your Madison WI home remodel to the layout of rooms, lighting and colors plays a role in family health and happiness.
Scientific study shows that spaces where we spend a lot of time – like our homes – have a big influence on our lives. Homeowners and remodelers are realizing how they change structures and space can either enhance or hinder healthy lifestyles.
There are two spaces in every home that deserve top priority – and get the most requests for renovations: the kitchen and the master bathroom. These rooms are centers of attention every day. Family activities focus on them and so should you. Continue reading
Home Renovation For The ‘Empty Nest’
Planning ahead includes taking into account special needs as you age.
As our population ages more and more families plan a home renovation project to redo their “empty nest.” The Madison WI area features dozens of attractive, mature neighborhoods. They are home to many life-long residents. A common suggestion is “downsize” when a family lifestyle changes. An option growing faster all the time is to “right size.” People take the homes they love and remake them to accommodate a new daily routine. They make the most of the space they are comfortable in.
When the time comes there are plenty of questions on what to do – move, remodel or expand? And, of course, there is no right answer. One size does not fit all. Continue reading
A Unique Custom Ceiling Design Makes A Statement
Simple and elegant this ceiling combines creative lighting, architectural elements and a versatile ceiling fan.
A custom ceiling treatment is a sure way to make a statement when you update or expand your home. In fact, one of the latest architectural design and remodeling trends is a “statement ceiling.” Once an afterthought, the ceiling is now a blank canvas for creative expression. With homes in Madison WI representing decades of styles there are opportunities for transforming dated ceilings into showpieces.
Creating an expressive ceiling doesn’t mean tearing out existing structures or going overboard with accessories. While vaulted ceilings, exposed beams and tray treatments all qualify there are other ways to extend your personality above your head. Continue reading
Create An Open Concept In An Older Home
A classic bungle renovation opens up the space for an active family.
Two, three or four decades ago the “open concept” for home design was a radical idea. Walls and separate rooms for everything were the accepted style. The Madison WI area has a wealth of homes built in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, making it ideal for older home remodel plans to expand indoor horizons.
Modern design includes opening sightlines and taking down walls. Cape Cod, Craftsman and contemporary styles in local neighborhoods are ideal candidates to in interior makeover.
If your home has too many walls, too many nooks and hallways, consider the most popular alternative: Continue reading
Range Hood Styles Combines Form and Function
This farmhouse-style kitchen features a range hood that blends perfectly with cabinetry and décor.
No matter what the goal for your new kitchen, there’s a modern range hood style to compliment it. Range hoods that blend into the background so you hardly know they’re there, or exhaust hoods that are a focal point in your kitchen renovation. There’s a wide array of sizes, shapes and materials to fit for your Madison WI remodel.
If you’re restoring one of the area’s classic older homes, the original kitchen probably didn’t come with a range hood. Adding, or upgrading is an important step. When you cook, especially if you fry food, smoke, odors and particles are released into the air. They hang around long after food preparation is complete. An efficient range hood literally clears the air. Depending upon the range hood style you choose, this vital appliance also: Continue reading
Planning an Energy-efficient Remodeling Project
A new roof, efficient replacement windows and insulated siding anchor an energy-efficient remodeling project for this older home.
Planning to remodel or up-grade your home – make it an energy-efficient remodel. When you decided to take apart your kitchen, build onto the garage, finish the basement or add a bathroom, the idea of increasing your home’s energy efficiency to reduce heating/cooling costs probably wasn’t the driving force. But it certainly should be a major factor in any home renovation in Madison WI.
The technology going into new home construction has advance tremendously in the last decade so even a home built at the turn of the century benefits from an up-grade. Continue reading
Kitchen Island Anchors Kitchen Makeover Plans
Long and narrow, square or round, a kitchen island is a workable space when it fits the needs and expectations of its owner – the “right” design is what works for you.
It’s rare in the days of open concept design to find a kitchen without a versatile kitchen island. And the kitchen island is the anchor of nearly every kitchen makeover from simply making room for the island to a total kitchen remodel. No matter the style, age or design of your Madison WI area home, there’s a unique island that will improve your workspace.
The only element of a kitchen makeover coming close to the importance of an island is the idea of completely new cabinets. Since “more space” is the most often cited reason for wanting a new kitchen, the additional of an island makes perfect sense – unlike cabinets, it adds storage where none existed before. A custom-built island incorporates storage in many configurations while contributing to work space, preparation and cleanup room as well as making a nice transition from kitchen to living space. ‘ Continue reading
Home Restoration Puts New Life In Vintage Homes
Throughout Southern Wisconsin classic farmhouses sit ready for a home restoration – bringing them back to their original appearance while including today’s energy-efficient and safe materials.
There’s a vast selection of classic architecture throughout Madison WI and Dane County and home restoration has taken on significance as people appreciate its value. Home owners, in efforts to bring back the traditional and respect its history are putting more thought into their overall home renovation and home remodeling plans.
Whether you’re a new owner of a vintage home or have lived in your 1950s – 1960s era house for decades, there’s a detailed process involved in making changes. Begin by understan
ding exactly what you want to do – define the project. Continue reading
Screened In Porch Extends Outdoor Enjoyment
The décor of a screened in porch can be rustic, contemporary or anything your design style dictates as it brings your indoor living space outdoors in a protected, welcoming space.
The addition of a screened in porch expands a family’s enjoyment of its surroundings by extending the indoors out under a protective cover. Whether the addition of a porch includes covering an existing deck or patio or investing in new construction, there’s a porch design for nearly every Madison WI home.
Intense afternoon sun, periodic showers and the seasonal insects all contribute to limiting the use of even the finest backyard. Decks and patios provide positive elements, but there’s nothing like the protection and comfort of a screened in porch. Planning and foresight are the building blocks of an ideal porch design, beginning with a list of “must have” elements: Continue reading
Small Renovations for New Look and Major Impact
Among top popular remodeling projects, under cabinet lighting, custom backsplashes and new cabinets represent small renovations with huge impact.
If the thought of a major remodeling effort is overwhelming, consider the lineup of small renovations that have major impacts on your lifestyle and home’s value. Simple remodeling projects deliver huge results and can rejuvenate your Madison WI home.
Consider the “big 5” when it comes to simple updates:
- New Paint – A fresh coat of paint, including new colors, adds flair and interest to any room. Bright colors add depth. Light colors make small spaces appear larger. New paint opens avenues to bringing in new decorating styles and accessories, too.
- Up-dated Lighting – New light fixtures can increase the overall comfort of a room by reducing shadows on workspaces, providing even brightness and even an inviting feeling of warmth. Using dimmer switches in a simple way to change the impact of lighting. So can adding lights to ceiling fans.
