PicShellsHere are five tips to consider when planning your next kitchen renovation. Bringing your kitchen into the modern age requires a sledgehammer because in 2013, it’s all about openess. Taking out walls and bringing in seating is where it’s at. People overanalyze if guest can see their dirty dishes if their kitchen is too open.  I would be more worried that my rooms look small and uninviting.  Tragic!

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1. Knock down a wall. Don’t try to remove walls on your own.  I’m certain more design renovations become rescues because of eliminating the much needed engineer.   Merge the kitchen with a living area to create an openness and invite your guests to join in the conversation while you cook your culinary creations (after consulting with a professional, of course).

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2. Bring in more seating. Let’s be real. Who entertains in the living room? Parties, good parties anyway, end up — even if they don’t begin there — in the kitchen. If there’s 15 sf of space in a room, I’ll try to create a sitting area.

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3. Wash your kitchen in white. Even smaller spaces look more open with white cabinets. The white reflects the light and bounces it around the room. In this kitchen, we removed the window,so we needed to use other ways of bringing the light in. White cabinetry was the only way to go.

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4. Modernize with millwork. The romanticized farmhouse is a way of marrying the past and present. Hood vents, crown molding, tongue-and-groove, and shelving paired with modern elements give a kitchen an up-to-date, nostaligic make-over.

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5. Light it up by dropping down pendants. Hung in multiples or in a single straight line over kitchen islands, countertops and dining tables, pendants come in a variety of styles and combine both ambient (mood) and task lighting.  I consider this jewelry for the home.  You wouldn’t be caught dead without your earrings would you?  Don’t let your rooms greet your guests without their complete attire.