Lunada Kitchen Storage Solutions

Recently, I was reading an article on Better Homes and Garden's website that gave a lot of great ideas for storing your small kitchen appliances.  Not unlike our Laundry room blog (seen below), your kitchen can be easily customized to fit the way you live without a demolition crew.  Don't get me wrong, custom kitchens, especially Luanda's, are amazing and beautiful, but the practical issue is a full blown kitchen remodel is not always in the budget and sometimes new appliances aren't either. Looking to streamline your kitchen? Need more counter space?  Are you embarrassed by your old or dingy appliances when company comes over? There are quick and easy solutions to your problem, my friends.  Well, first of all, we are going to need space and there is no time like the present to clean out those cupboards and make room for those eyesores.  Tuck away those microwaves into the pantry after you add a sliding shelf.  If you are feeling spontaneous, they now have microwave drawers that come in standard sizes so it is easy to replace an existing drawer in your lower cabinets.  Better Homes and Garden also had some great ideas about creating a snack bar or baking station.  You can group  all of your dry ingredients with your stand mixer that is now on a shelf that can be easily tucked inside a cabinet.  Or, you can group your toaster and coffee maker in a cabinet where you can easily grab a quick bite to eat in the morning.  You can find images of these great solutions below and hopefully they will get your wheels spinning.  Almost all of the hardware you need to convert your cupboards or drawers can be found at your local hardware store, or if you are dreaming a little bigger, Lunada is always here to help.

For more ideas on ways to adapt your kitchen, schedule a consultation with Lunada!

Lunada Laundry Rooms

Imagine your laundry room clean, organized and well thought out.  You have a space for everything, and extra space for things you never thought of to keep in your laundry room.  Imagine your laundry room being so beautiful, you didn't have to shut the door when company comes over. This fantasy can come true, it can come true and under budget!!  Here are some great tips to improve your scary laundry room and turn it into a showstopper.

1. Use Pre-fab cabinets.

--You can pick these up at superstores like Home Depot and Lowes, they are inexpensive and although you are limited by size and finish, they can still be very attractive.  No space for lower cabinets?  Add uppers, remember the saying "Out of sight, out of mind".

2. Explore & Take Advantage of Cabinet Organization Solutions!

--When you are considering cabinets, mentally go through your laundry routine.  Think about everything you use in order, everything you touch, and everything that gets in your way.  Now imagine that annoying laundry basket in a pull out drawer, imagine your sink right next to the washer to avoid dripping across the room, imagine a built in pole to hang dry your items out of the way, a ironing board that you don't have to fight, a pull out surface for folding, a window so you don't feel like you work in a closet, a.k.a. Laundry Heaven! These are all things that can be added so easily!

3. Add a Countertop

--No room for cabinets?  Install a countertop above your washer and dryer, this will give you great surface space to fold clothes and prevent your socks from falling in between the machines

4.  Think Built-In

--Built ins always look so custom, but this look can be achieved with pre-fab.  If you are in the market for new laundry appliances, look for cabinet depth appliances, these will fit next to standard cabinets, OR you could pull the cabinets out and just get a deeper countertop to accommodate regular sized appliances. Taking this into consideration, you can get cabinet doors that can be closed over the washer/dryer.  I'll say it again, "Out of sight, out of mind"!

5. Functional Space Planning

--Organize your laundry into 2 categories: wet and dry. Wet locations should have the washer, clothesline and sink, dry locations should have the dryer, folding station, and ironing station.  This will keep you efficient and organized.

6. Don't forget about aesthetic.

--Laundry rooms don't have to be completely utilitarian.  White cabinets seem to be the default when it comes to laundry rooms, why not spice it up with a darker finish or custom treatment?  Farm sinks are great alternatives to the regular utility sinks, they are very large and deep, perfect for soaking and come in a variety of finishes.  Accessorize the space: hang art, use baskets for those items you just can't find a place for, have pretty containers for things like laundry soap, clothes pins, dryer sheets, and hangers, add a rug.  Don't forget to paint the space!! Nothing is more boring than white walls.  Add a backsplash if you have a countertop; introduce color and texture through tile, it will also save your walls from water damage!

Lunada believes in the power of beautiful laundry rooms. If you are interesting in re-vamping your laundry room, visit our website to schedule a consultation: www.lunadaconsulting.com