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Month: March 2020

Mar272020

Amp up Storage with Pull-outs

When renovating or building your new kitchen you want to ensure that the space is as functional as possible. If you’re spending the money to create your dream kitchen every detail should be regarded with a close eye. One area that seems to be frequently overlooked, but can make a huge impact and boost the functionality of your most heavily used space in the house, is pull-outs. The pull-out comes in a broad range of styles, types and uses and these days you can find a pull out for just about anything. Pull-outs help maximize the performance of your kitchen.

 

One of the most commonly used pull-out options is cutlery and utensil dividers. Utensil dividers are used for the larger cooking tools such as serving spoons, cheese graters, and spatulas whereas cutlery dividers are used for forks, knives and spoons used for eating. These dividers are now offered in a range of materials ranging from wood, plastic, and metal and are usually able to be cut to size meaning they can be retro fit to existing drawers after the fact. There are even double-tiered cutlery dividers available, although if one decides to go that route they should be careful not to over-stuff the space. Knife blocks and aluminum foil dispensers can also be used in correlation with other drawer inserts.

Another great place to look into adding storage accessories is in narrow base cabinets near the range or uppers above the fridge. These spaces are great places to use vertical storage such as dividers for baking sheets, trays, and cutting boards. Oil and spice pull-outs are another popular choice to place near the range. There is a large number of choices for these ranging from oil and spice pull-outs, stepped spice drawer inserts, and attachments for a door on an upper cabinet. Some people find it easiest to decanter their spices from the store-bought containers into uniform containers to maximize their storage.

Cleaning supplies are another area that can become cluttered and difficult to find room for. That said, there are many options for the storage of these items available on the market today. Sink tilt out storage was very popular 5 years ago and while it’s a less common option now it is still available. The largest use for such tilt-out storage is on sink cabinets located in the kitchen island so that sponges can be tucked away out of sight. The difficulty with these tilt outs is that the plastic trays are difficult to keep clean so many people are opting for one of the many alternatives. One of the most popular options is slide out storage baskets which are actually removable. Meaning if you just need something quick, like a sponge, you can easily slide the basket out and push it back in, but if you are doing a deep clean you can actually remove the entire wire caddy and carry it around for easy access to all of your cleaning supplies. Pull-out towel racks, wire baskets attached to cabinet doors, and custom broom closet storage are some of the other ways to keep your cleaning supplies in peak organizational check.

Garbage and recycling centers have become a staple in the typical kitchen. These pull-outs come with a range of bin sizes and layouts including options with space for garbage bag storage and paper towel storage so that these necessities are always right where you need them. With the societal shift to a greener planet there has been a push for compost bin options as well and there are now many options that do allow for 1-2 compost bins.

For the wine lovers, cellars and wine storage has been a growing trend. Wine racks can be built into upper cabinets, base cabinets as well as pantry units, and many shapes and styles can be used to create a cohesive look in the kitchen. Roll-out wine racks are less common, but are also available. When creating a kitchen or bar for a wine lover, designers can also incorporate a hanging rack under an upper cabinet for easy access to the wine glasses, thus preventing any slowdowns in the wine drinking process. For the true connoisseur, perhaps a full wine cellar would be desired, if this is the case a rolling ladder makes a brilliant and functional choice.

With the baby boomer generation comes a growing trend for adults aging in place. Designers can help with this as there are tons of options to help. Of course these options aren’t just limited to the aging in place demographic, but they are very practical for this use. Lazy Susan’s and magic corners are greatly useful for accessing the back of those pesky corner cabinets. Magic corners are a great choice as they are inserted into blind corner cabinets and allow simple access to the entire cabinet. Lazy Susan’s are good for this propose as well, but often homeowner’s struggle with light object falling off when they are over-packed. Pull-down shelves are one of the most under-rated accessories for aging in place. These accessories allow the home owner to access the top shelves without having to get onto a ladder and running the risk of falling.

When it comes to more specific storage needs there is a wide range of niche options that can appeal to the most organized homeowners. Making use of a previously un-tapped storage option is toekick drawers. These hidden storage drawers don’t allow for a ton of added storage, but are a great addition for someone trying to maximize every inch of their kitchen. Pull-out pantry systems and pullouts in pantries are fantastic options which allow home owners to access the very back of the pantry shelves. Pantry pull-outs refer to pull-out systems that allow the whole pantry unit to pull out, whereas pull-outs installed within a pantry are more popular and allow the client to pull-out each individual roll out and access the back. Plates can now be stored in base cabinets too! That’s right, with plate holders you can fit your collection of dinner plates into this easily accessible accessory which can be pulled out and accessed at any time. Handy Tupperware storage can also be built into large base drawers.

Kitchen layouts are only part of the design process. Using pull outs that will help clients with their daily use can be an effective way to boost the kitchen’s functionality. While they may add to the cost of your kitchen, their usefulness far outweighs the initial cost. On average home owners  renovate their kitchens once every 15 years so it is important to ensure that this high traffic area is extremely well thought out.

Mar182020

Message from Cedar Ridge Designs re:  COVID-19

Dear Clients and Partners,

We are monitoring the Covid-19 situation and at this time Cedar Ridge Designs is still manufacturing our products and designing new projects for our clients, using the modified methods  below.  The health and safety of our clients, contractors and employees is our utmost priority, therefore, we have further improved hygiene measures within our facility, ie.  increased sanitizing, hand-washing and social distancing.

Our Showrooms in Ottawa and Maxville are still available for meetings if absolutely necessary and at each clients’ discretion (one on one), however, we encourage doing business remotely using  various options, ie.  phone calls, emails, video chats, etc.  We have always used these methods successfully, but will for the foreseeable future, expand our use of these methods.  We would still love to talk to you and discuss your ideas!  Although we will restrict in-person interactions, meetings, and visits, we will continue to provide the same high level of service and support whether on the telephone and/or online.

Our installation team will ask the following questions before they enter a site/home:

Do you or anyone in the household have cold/flu type symptoms (fever, cough, difficulty breathing)?

Have you or anyone in the household travelled anywhere outside the country in the last two weeks?

If yes, have they been quarantine or are in self-isolation?

Have you been in contact with anyone that has been out of the country in the last two weeks?

If the answer is yes to any one of these questions, we reserve the right to postpone an installation to protect our installers, and will do our utmost to reschedule the installation as soon as it is possible.   

We work continuously to provide our clients with the highest quality product and service while striving to protect the health of our clients and staff in these challenging times.  

Mar22020

Making a Statement with Colour in the Kitchen.

Flowers aren’t the only thing in bloom this spring. Where classic white and wood tones have long dominated kitchen styles, bright and bold pops of color are making an appearance—and we’re taking notice. Colour influences much more than just the appearance of a space, it can also affect our moods and emotions. Deciding on what you want colour to do for you in your space is just the start, figuring out where to apply it is equally as daunting a task. Learning how to use colour like even the most sophisticated designers is challenging, but using tools one can make the task manageable.

Colours and emotions are closely linked. Warm colours can evoke different emotions than cool colours and bright colours can create different feelings than muted colours. Red is a great example of a warm colour and it is known to stimulate the appetite which is likely why it has been a staple accent colour in kitchen spaces for years. Gray is what is referred to as a neutral colour and is a great base to build on with other colours. Gray is typically considered to be a cold colour, but there are warmer grays (Such as taupes) and cooler ones. Light blue is crisp and clean making it great for walls and cabinets. Dark blue can work well when accented with whites, grays or other neutrals. Blue is an invigorating colour that should be used sparingly so as not to overpower a space. Yellow is a bright, warm colour believed to make people hungry and to improve their mood. Yellow has a soothing quality that will make people feel calm in your kitchen. This is a great colour for small spaces as it makes rooms feel larger than they actually are. Yellow is a colour that pairs well with white and gray accents. Greens come in many different shades from mint to apple and hunter (A personal favourite). Greens pair well with white and wood accents. Green is a restful colour that evokes a feeling of refreshment, peace and rest.

Now that we understand how colours make us feel, we need to tackle the next obstacle, where to add colour. If you’re looking to make a real statement, painting one or all of the walls in your kitchen is a great way to go. Alternatively, if you’re really committed to a bold colour you can also purchase your cabinets or even countertops in a wide array of colours. For a slightly more subtle approach you can use colour in your choice of backsplash tile, or even in your choice of grout. A predicted trend for 2020 is a boom in the sale of coloured appliances. Again, this option is a longer commitment than simply repainting a wall, but what better way to showcase your favourite colour! If you have a white kitchen you can consider it a blank canvas and add colour in a multitude of ways from an accent vase to your island barstools. A more creative injection of colour would be to add it to your ceiling or the interiors of cabinets with glass doors.

So now we’ve decided where we’ll inject colour, but how do we add it with style? Colour schemes are combinations of colour selections that use a standard colour wheel. A monochromatic scheme is one which uses various shades and tints of the same colour. The triadic scheme is a scheme which selects 3 colours. The selection of these colours is made by forming an equilateral triangle on the colour wheel. Analogous schemes use colours which touch each other on the colour wheel. Typically an analogous scheme uses 3 colours from the wheel. A complimentary scheme uses colours which are directly opposite each other on the wheel. An extension of the complimentary scheme is the split complimentary scheme which uses the two colours next to the compliment colour. A second extension of the complimentary scheme is the tetradic scheme or double complimentary scheme. This scheme uses 4 colours on the wheel which create a square (Or 2 compliments).

At the end of the day the most important thing when selecting colours to use is to select those that YOU love. A good designer can build off of your selection and will work with you to bring your vision to life.