mosaik design & remodeling

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Kitchens: In-House vs. Outsourced Designers

May 3, 2012

When designing or redesigning your home, you are faced with many options. The hardest decision may be determining who is actually going to do the work. You can select a designer and a general contractor, and then they will hire additional help to complete your project. You also have the option of choosing a firm like Mosaik Design & Remodeling where your designer and construction team work together seamlessly under one company.

Our time-tested design/build model minimizes mistakes and takes the anxiety out of the remodeling process through close collaboration between the design team and the construction team. An in-house design firm like Mosaik Design & Remodeling is perfect for clients who don’t want to spend their valuable time communicating between designers and contractors.

Clients can trust that their needs and wants all reside within one firm. The result is a beautiful project that is completed on time.

Designing a Family-Friendly Kitchen

April 23, 2012

A good kitchen designer will always create the best design by collaborating with the client and getting very specific about the family’s needs and wants for the space. This involves asking a lot of questions about how they live and what their lifestyle is. Do they have kids? Dogs? Do they entertain? Is it casual or formal? How many cooks will be working in the kitchen at the same time?

It is important to create one or two spaces to eat, do homework or crafts, and gather as a family. We have found that adding an eating bar on an island in the kitchen is one attractive and practical solution. Adjustable stools are always a good idea to accommodate growing kids at different ages. Eat-in nooks and banquettes are great too, since they provide a cozy space for casual family meals. Brightly-colored cups and plates add to the mealtime fun.

Also, the kids and parents need to have a place in the kitchen to organize daily life and to display the children’s artwork. Chalkboards and bulletin boards are handy and fun options that are available as clever built-in features.

If you have the space, why not add something just for the kids like a drinking fountain? This allows the kids to drink their water out of the way of the main kitchen, and also conserves on washing glassware. They may even drink more water because the fountain is a novelty.

High Impact on a Tight Budget: 5 Design Concepts Using Just Paint

April 12, 2012

The quickest way to transform a space or feature in your home is to change the color. Here is a list of five high impact ways to use paint to make fresh design statements while on a tight budget.

Stair Rail: A few coats of paint to provide contrast can create a dramatic effect on an interior stair rail. As seen in the photos above, changing the paint on the stair rail immediately renews the feel of the area.

Walls: Having a designer help you select new paint colors for your home and then doing the painting yourself is a great way to save money. You get the expertise of the designer, but the labor is free!

Molding: Adding a dark color to moldings can help bring a more formal feel to a room without committing to changing the paint within the entire space.

Fireplace Bricks: Painting the bricks around your fireplace is a great way to make over an existing focal point in your home. Dark natural bricks can often pull the light out of a room, so brightening them up with a coat of paint can really shift the mood of the environment. Alternatively, adding a dark coat of paint to fireplace bricks can add an air of glamour and sophistication.

Cabinet Backs: If your cabinet backs are visible, use them to your advantage. A coat of bright paint that coordinates with your room is an unexpected pop of color that can really help tie a room together. Adding interior lighting will showcase unique items within the cabinets and create a gallery effect in your home.

The options are extensive when it comes to using paint to give your home a new look. The best part is that you are capable of making most of these changes on your own. When you do need help or reassurance, a designer should be your first call! At Mosaik Design & Remodeling, we are happy to offer design consultation services for your remodeling project.

Kitchen: Building Your Remodeling Budget

April 4, 2012

It is true that building your kitchen remodeling budget is not nearly as much fun as dreaming up color schemes and looking at backsplash samples. It is, however, a necessary step in your kitchen remodel to prevent a large financial headache.

When creating your remodel budget, it is helpful to sit down with your designer to discuss the budget that you have in mind and the components of the remodeled kitchen that are most important to you.

Some considerations:

Know if you are planning on living in the home for over 5 years, or if this home will be an investment to sell in the next few years.

Determine if this remodel will put your house in a pricing position that is comparable to other homes in your neighborhood.

Don’t forget to include labor costs; these can add up to one-third of your budget.

Leave a cushion in the budget for the unexpected.

Once the remodel has begun, keep a running total of what you are spending and how it compares to your budget.

And lastly – plan, plan, plan! Having solid, researched construction and design decisions in place before work begins will help eliminate costly mistakes.

Hiring an experienced designer and remodeler will help you plan your kitchen makeover with a design that works for you and your budget.

Green Remodeling: Knowing the Basics

March 27, 2012

If you want to minimize the environmental impact of remodeling your home, choose a remodeler who understands “green” options. Our team at Mosaik Design & Remodeling is conscious of our effect on our surroundings throughout the design and construction process. The U.S. Green Building Council has created a point system to determine how “green” building design, construction practices, and operating processes are through the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Program (LEED.) However, the LEED Program has not yet developed a system for remodels. Instead, the Regreen Program has been established for remodelers by providing a set of tools and resources that offer guidelines for environmentally conscious remodelers.

Some of the guidelines to be aware of in your remodel are:

Choose energy-efficient lighting and appliances, as well as water- and energy-efficient fixtures and faucets.
Select a design that allows aging-in-place, which will eliminate the need to remodel the home later in life.
If a kitchen remodel is on your radar, request resource-friendly, low-emission cabinet and floor materials, as well as install ventilation to keep air quality high.
Remodeling doesn’t have to mean adding on. You can reconfigure your space to make it more efficient and functional.

There are many other guidelines that the Mosaik Design & Remodeling team would be glad to incorporate into your “green remodel.” Please give us a call and we can discuss all of the details!

Luxuries You’ll Love: Radiant Floor Heating

March 19, 2012

Radiant floor heating is a cozy luxury that anyone would enjoy in a home. Imagine waking up on a cold winter morning, and stepping onto the bathroom tile. Instead of being startled out of your sleepy state by shocking cold tile, your floors are warm; and you are able to gradually wake up at your own pace.

We recommend and use Nuheat Floor Heating Systems which allow for programmable and non-programmable thermostat options. These easy-to-install electric heat mats can be used under a variety of flooring surfaces, giving you the flexibility to add extra warmth wherever you choose in your dream home. Please contact us if you want to discuss adding this appealing luxury to your home.

Kitchen Remodeling: Why You Should Use a Designer

March 12, 2012

The kitchen is undoubtedly the most used and cherished room in your home. Often called the heart of the home, the kitchen is the place where functionality and design style meet—both of which need equal attention. Because this balance can be difficult to achieve, a kitchen designer is often needed to help navigate the endless possibilities of design styles, materials and cabinet choices avalable today.

We often begin our process by asking the following questions:

What are you trying to achieve? A complete overhaul or cosmetic update?
What is your current lifestyle? Is it casual or formal? How do you entertain? Cook? Does the entire family help with meals or is there just one main cook?
What is your design style? We often take cues from the style of the client’s home and incorporate that look into the kitchen design.
What is your budget? The budget will affect all the remodeling decisions, so it is extremely important to discuss budget first. It is the kitchen designer’s job to offer a smart design solution that is within your budget without compromising the integrity of the design.

You can hire a kitchen designer to just create a kitchen design so you can get multiple bids from contractors, or you can contract with a design/build firm like Mosaik Design & Remodeling to help smooth the transition from the design phase into the actual construction phase. The design/build model minimizes mistakes and takes the anxiety out of the remodeling process by providing seamless communication between the design team and the construction team, resulting in an excellent quality project that is completed on time.

In The Know: How To Choose Your Remodeler

March 1, 2012

Choosing a remodeler to make your current home your dream home can be a big chore. This isn’t a tiny job that you are hiring someone to complete. You want to research your options, and make sure that the company you hire is up to the challenge. Simply choosing the lowest bid may cost you more money in the long run.

You will want to look for a few key pieces of information, aside from price, while choosing your someone to run your remodel:

How long has their company been established in the area?
What do their references have to say about the quality of work performed and of the service and communication they received?
Does the remodeler have a reputation for satisfying their client’s expectations and doing so on schedule?
Are they licensed, bonded, and insured in accordance with the local laws, and
Does their prior work speak to the ability that you are looking for with your remodel?

Making sure that these 5 questions are answered properly will make your remodel less stressful, and the finished product more enjoyable!

Themes That Work: Period Styles Today

February 23, 2012

When remodeling period homes, it is extremely important to take a holistic approach with the new design by incorporating elements that evoke a period “feel”, but that are updated for today’s consumer. The style of home, client’s furnishings and existing elements, such as built-in cabinetry, provide design inspiration for the new space.

To achieve a furniture feel with custom cabinetry, vary the finishes, types of wood and even cabinet heights and depths. This creates a charming, “homey” look that also includes all the modern conveniences and necessary gadgets.

Finally, details like period lighting and hardware, a decorative mantle with paneling over an existing brick fireplace, fabric or glass panels in a hutch or cabinet, and carefully selected accessories can add the final touches that bring historic authenticity to your newly remodeled home.

Changing an Ordinary Room to Extraordinary: Beautiful Crown Molding

February 15, 2012

We often remodel newer builder “spec” homes that usually lack the charm of vintage bungalow and cottage-style homes. One of the best ways to add character to ordinary rooms is to install crown molding in the dining room, family room and sometimes the kitchen for added elegance. The crown molding can stand out as an accent or can be incorporated into the kitchen cabinetry, depending on the dimensions and the look and feel of your space.

If your ceilings are low, we recommend painting the crown molding the wall color to draw your eye up and to give the impression of more height. Another option is to paint or stain the molding to match your existing millwork throughout the house to create a consistent yet interesting overall look for your home.

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