February 2015

Bringing the art of fine cabinetry home...

Tips For Lighting Your Home

How To BringNeutrals To Life

Pick Your Paint

Do I Need A Kitchen Island?

Managing Kitchen Clutter

PLUS Customer Spotlight: NW LifeStyle Homes

In This Issue:

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Canyon Creek Cabinet Company16726 Tye St SE | Monroe, WA 98272

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Tips For Lighting Your Home

Whether you’re building, remodeling, or moving into your first home, lighting will be a key decision in decorating your new space. From chandeliers and pendants to table lamps and sconces, there is a wide range of choices, and it can be hard to decide which is the best option. We turned to Sara at WeGotLites.net for tips on giving each room the lighting it deserves.

Lighting a Dining Room. When it comes to style and size, you should base your choice on the style of your dining room table, and not the room. Your table is the focal point of the dining room, so you should find the perfect lighting that will frame it and give it the proper spotlight it needs.

For maximum effect, your dining room chandelier should be no wider than 12 inches less than the width of the table, and no lower than 30 inches above the tabletop.

Lighting a Foyer. The moment your guests step foot into your home, the entryway foyer creates a first impression for your home. Finding the right lighting fixture for your foyer is crucial when setting the tone for the rest of your home decor. While the bottom of the fixture should be at least 7 feet from the floor, if you have a tall ceiling, you may use a 2 or 3-tier, or larger chandelier.

If there is a window above the front door, center the chandelier so it can be seen from the outside. If the foyer area is large, you may also want to include wall sconces.

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Lighting a Hallway. Hallways can be difficult to light. By measuring the length and width of the hallway, you can determine how many different lighting fixtures you will need to ensure that your hallway is fully lit. In general, there should be a fixture every 8-10 feet. If you have a long hallway, you may want to install wall sconces for added light. Sconces are hung about 60 inches from the floor, spaced 6-8 feet apart along the wall.

Lighting a Living Room. The living room is the place where your family and guests gather to spend time together. It is important that this room is fully lit for every occasion, while maintaining a warm and cozy feel.

Your main light in the living room can be a chandelier, and you may add wall sconces, or portable lamps to add more light and ambience. In a casual family space, a pair of coordinating floor and table lamps allow for relaxed, versatile lighting.

Courtesy of WeGotLites.com

At left: In addition to table lamps, recessed lights in the ceiling and wall cabinet add to the bright, open feel of this spacious room.

Tips For Lighting Your Home continued

Visit WeGotLites.com to see the full article, which includes suggested sizes and placements for the rooms shown here, as well as outdoor lighting ideas and a ceiling fan guide.» »See more

lighting tips

Lighting a Kitchen. When adding lighting fixtures in a kitchen, there are many different stations that you must consider. These stations can include the bar area and island. Each area should have its own unique lighting to help serve its purpose, but at the same time, blend in with the overall lighting theme of the kitchen.

If you have a kitchen bar counter, adding recessed lighting can provide it with the perfect amount of lighting without taking up any hanging space. However, if your ceiling is bit higher, consider installing several mini pendant lights to add character.

To light areas such as kitchens islands, use a decorative island light with 2 or 3 shades, or multiple mini pendants can be installed over your island for sufficient light and add a designer element to that area. The bottom of the fixtures should be no lower than 30 inches above the countertop.

Lighting a Bathroom. It is important to make sure that your bathroom receives plenty of lighting. For tasks such as shaving or applying makeup, it is crucial that your mirror is fully lit without causing any odd shadows.

To light a bathroom with the desirable amount of light for the vanity/mirror and to avoid shadows, install a bathbar or bathroom vanity lighting fixture that is at least 24 inches wide over the mirror. Add two wall sconces (one on each side of the mirror) which are at least 28 inches apart and 60 inches above the floor. This can ensure that every angle on your mirror is fully lit, minimizing shadows.

If you have a truly large bathroom, besides the vanity/mirror lighting, you will probably need an additional flush mount, semi-flush fixture, or even a small chandelier for a designer touch. When selecting several lighting fixtures for your bathroom, check for available fixtures from the same collection, to match the overall look. Or, you may prefer to mix-up the collections for a more eclectic feel.

Lighting a Bedroom. Your bedroom is the place where you can personalize the most according to your style, which gives you a lot of freedom in choosing the lighting you want. Depending on the size of your room, you may need more than just a main lighting fixture. If your room’s walls are empty, you can install several wall sconces to give it additional lighting. Another easy way to achieve more lighting is by adding table lamps.

An updated way to transform your bedroom is to hang two mini chandeliers on both sides of your bed, over your nightstands. This acts better than a portable lamp and wall sconce combined. Functional as both direct, indirect, and ambient lighting. Courtesy of WeGotLites.com

How To Bring Neutrals To LifeNeutral colors like white and beige are some of the most popular decor colors around, and we know why: these shades are unoffensive and are easy to mix and match with other col-ors. It can be a struggle to keep white or beige from being boring, though, so we rounded up a few tips to help make neutrals work for you.

Add colorful accents–neutrals are the perfect canvas for bold, bright ac-cents and keep the room from look-ing overdone. The key when adding

colorful pieces is to pick a shade that has the same warmth or coolness as your neutral. A light brown/beige looks great with warm colors like orange, pink or red, but neutrals that err toward taupe or grey necessitate a blue or green. To keep a beige from becoming boring, create an entire spectrum of the shade in your kitchen. Think coffee brown, a milky off-white and an almost-black shade. Above, maple kitchen cabinets are accentuated by

a pale cream on the walls and floors and deep, rich chocolate on the countertops and barstools.

Using a single color throughout a room can make it flat and uninviting, unless you use lots of texture. Fab-rics in particular are a great way to introduce texture, and an eclectic mix of accessories can bring in even more visual interest. With the ability to match almost any paint shade you’re using, your kitchen cabinets can even match your wall color!

Pick Your PaintWith a renewed focus on individuality in home decor, the days of limited paint colors for cabinets are long past. Ev-ery day, we see at least one eye-catching color come out of our finish room, from bright greens and blues to vivid reds and yellows. Even whites are getting the custom treatment–the photo at right shows just a fraction of the whites we’ve mixed over the last year. While you may not be ready for an entire kitchen in a “sassy” paint color, a laundry room, kid’s room or powder room can be the perfect place to play with color!

If you’re planning a kitchen renovation, you might be on the fence about including an island. Is having one really necessary? Will it get in the way of your kitchen flow? The answer to that question is different for each family and each home, but there are definitely many positives associated with having an island. They have a lot to offer, and if you find yourself needing any of these things, you might want to give one a try:

• Extra counter space• A place to gather around• A bit of kitchen office space• Room for an extra sink (or fridge, or microwave)• Extra seating room• Accessibility from all four sides

The best thing about islands is that you can design them to fit whatever specific need you want to fill. Need a prep sink? Put it on an island. Want a place to stash the mail or the daily newspaper? Set up a bin on your island. They can be made of almost any material in any color, and there are numerous countertop materials you can employ to get the perfect look for your space. Many people add wine refrigerators or trash compactors to the base of their islands, while others use the structure for tons of extra cabinet space. What you do with yours is totally up to you!

Do I Need A Kitchen Island?

Our “Fresh Tips & Trends” page is full of design tips for kitchens, baths and other rooms. You’ll also find articles on current trends, sustainable living, renovation ideas, cabinet styles and more.» »Fresh Tips

& Trends

Some people are born with the natural discipline to keep their homes impeccably clean, but many of us don’t have the time, energy or willpower to be tidy every day. There’s no reason that messy people can’t have gorgeous kitchens too, though - it just takes a little extra strategizing.

If you’re a cook that uses every dish in the kitchen, there’s not much you can do to eliminate the clutter in your sink. You can shield it from onlookers, however. The best way to do this is to situate the sink on your kitchen island and then build a second countertop tier in front of it.

Those of us who are messy are constantly plagued by the same prob-lem: tons of stuff, and no idea where to put any of it. If that’s your story, design in lots of drawers! There are plenty of dividers, organizers, peg systems and other accessories that can help create a place for every last kitchen tool.

That being said, not even drawers will make your kitchen look neat if you have way too many things to stash in them. To make kitchen orga-nization a little easier on yourself, it’s a good idea to think about what you really need. A good way to do this is throw out or donate extras you have of an item - you don’t need three can openers, for example.

Managing Kitchen Clutter

NW LifeStyle Homes is located in Mercer Island, WA, and is led by Michael Burke. Mike has over 50 years experience in buying, selling, and designing, build-ing, managing and developing residential real estate projects. His trusted team is made up of a talented group of family and associates who share in his vision to create homes that bring comfort, efficiency, flexibil-ity, creativity and enjoyment to everyday living.

Linda Mawer Burke, Mike’s wife and business partner, owned her own successful building company prior to their marriage. Her twin sons, Mason and Matt Mawer, have been surrounded by creative construction and architectural excellence from an early age and have been involved with the business since graduating from col-lege. All three work closely with Mike throughout the conceptual design to ensure that every project is maxi-mized for function, marketability and aesthetics.

Megan Atkinson has also joined the company in the role of COO. She directs the daily business operations, leav-ing Mike free to explore new markets, oversee design, and focus on discovering prime real estate opportunities.

With each new project, NW LifeStyle Homes strives to offer their clients unique features that meet modern-day demands and design a home for the way they live. Their new construction homes have unique floor plans to fit the landscape of the neighborhood as well as incorporate design elements that meet the needs of the homeowner.

Their homes exude “Northwest Modern Living” with every detail. The company has been perfecting the open floor plan and great room concept into their home designs since 1992. Their homes

Spotlight: NW Lifestyle Homes

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Learn more about NW LifeStyle Homes: 425-417-7816 | nwlifestylehomes.com

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Spotlight: NW LifeStyle Homes continued

are built to last with smart ingenuity and functionality, and equipped with the latest technology built right in. Each room is carefully designed with an abundance of natural light and mas-terfully planned spaces. Nothing is wasted; every square inch has a purpose and meaning to the livability of the home.

NW LifeStyle Homes has been a long-term partner for Canyon Creek and appreciate the ability to customize the cabinetry to fit their designs. For NW LifeStyle Homes, it isn’t just about gaining more clients – it’s about planning and improving the livability of the house for those moving in and for many years to come.