Page 6 - Lakewood Village Real Estate Edge April 2019

improvements and updates
IN THE HOME

by Kathryn Weber

t’s timeless, fits in
almost any era and
Ilooks current. It’s the
white kitchen. It was all the
rage in the 1990s, but it
ran out of steam once the
millennium changed. Wood
made a strong comeback,
and then the white kitchen
made a brief comeback, but
its energy began to flag once
more. The color that’s on
trend now? Gray.

GRAY GROOVE
It’s a color that’s cool,
reflective and reads as a
neutral. Whether you call
it grey or gray, it’s all the
same, from pale oyster to THE NEW WHITE KITCHEN
deep charcoal. Gray is a
color that’s also timeless and
can blend well with many
homes, fitting perfectly into IS GRAY
contemporary to traditional
styles. Think gray can’t be
traditional? Nothing says
classic and timeless like a
gray wool suit or gray tweed personal and welcoming. are grays that are sometimes if you have wood cabinets WHY YOU SHOULD
jacket. Gray may be the color Look at adding called “greige,” and look like you don’t want to paint, such GO GRAY
that can help you cool off dimension, too, with gray gray and beige had a baby. as pricey chair or alder wood. If your white kitchen has
a white kitchen from all its colors. Try a range of colors There are also grays that The gray background can grown dull in its light and
blinding whiteness. for your cabinets, such as are pale, and grays that are help perk up the heaviness airy look, tone it down and
mixing pale and light grays dark. Dark grays can run of wood cabinets without neutralize that white with
GRAY CHOICES together. For instance, try a from almost black to almost covering up their natural a gray tone. Gray can help
One of the best qualities medium gray on the exterior blue. Blue grays and almost- beauty. update and refresh a bright
of a white kitchen is its cabinets and a paler shade black grays are a great way to Create depth and white kitchen that needs some
lightness, but sometimes the inside. For white kitchens pick up and accent veining in dimension by combining gray depth, warmth, and a calm
unity of the color can seem with glass fronts, add a marble counter tops. colors together. To pair colors, stillness. Adding gray on the
one-dimensional. Adding coat of deep gray inside the For something really make it easy by selecting gray cabinets or walls will make
gray to an island or to the cabinets to make dishware different, look for a gray that shades on a paint chip strip. your white kitchen feel both
bottom cabinets can be stand out. reads green, such as Benjamin Select colors from a light new and timeless. n
all you need to add some Moore’s Chelsea Gray. It has shade and a darker shade.
depth to your white kitchen. SHADES OF GRAY a clean feel. Make sure there is enough ©2019 Kathryn Weber
Gray also warms up a white There are so many options Think about using gray contrast to help them play off Distributed by Tribune
kitchen, making it feel more when it comes to gray. There on the walls of your kitchen of one another. Content Agency, LLC.

by Kathryn Weber by fours meet with the old
cabinet. Putty all the nail
f bending over to wash holes, sand and paint or
your face, shave or brush stain to match. Reattach the
Iyour teeth gives you a counter and reconnect the
backache, you probably have water lines and drain pipe,
a low bathroom cabinet. and you’re done.
These cabinets are great for
kids and petite adults, but REPLACE ENTIRELY
they can seem uncomfortably The other option for a
low to a tall adult. Rather raised bathroom cabinet is
than bearing with that old to simply replace the old one
back-aching bathroom with a new kitchen cabinet.
cabinet, why not try raising Standard kitchen cabinets
it instead? have a 35-inch height and
Most bathroom vanity can make excellent stand-ins
heights are about 30 inches for a tall bathroom cabinet.
tall. There may be some However, it’s important
variation of an inch or so, to check the depth of your
but that’s a standard height current short bathroom
for a bathroom vanity. A cabinet. Some bathroom
raised vanity would be about cabinets have less depth and a
34 inches. This can make a kitchen cabinet may not fit in
big difference in how much your bathroom cabinet space.
bending it will take to use If it will fit, remove the old
the sink. cabinet, install the new one
Bringing up a short in its place, and prime, stain
cabinet isn’t as difficult as or paint.
you might imagine. There Regardless of what you
are a variety of ways to do choose, this is also a great time
it, but there are two that can to swap out the countertop
easily be accomplished on a UPDATE AND RAISE YOUR if yours is showing age or
weekend. you want to change over to
granite, marble or another
RAISE IN PLACE type of surface. Having a
One of the quickest ways taller bathroom countertop
to raise a bathroom vanity BATHROOM CABINETS will not only make it more
is to leave the cabinet in comfortable for you, but
place and raise the top. This raising your bathroom
is a moderate-level DIY cabinets will give your
job; if you’re even a little turn off the water supply. removed, it’s time to add the the wall. Next, cut two pieces Next, cut a one-by-four bathroom a more updated
handy, you could get this Next, very carefully separate framework that raises the for the sides and one the the length of the cabinet appearance. n
done in an afternoon. Begin the vanity and surround cabinet. Using a standard center, if you have a center front. Screw the box pieces
by removing the vanity from the cabinet and the wall two-by-four, cut lumber to bar. Make these pieces end together. Cut a small piece ©2019 Kathryn Weber
top. This will require you using a putty knife. create a box on the cabinet. three fourths of an inch from of wood screen trim and Distributed by Tribune
to disconnect the pipes and Once the countertop is Cut one piece to run against the front. tack in place where the two Content Agency, LLC.
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