Check out some of our Frequently Asked Questions about kitchen and bath design:
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Are granite countertops going to look dated in a few years?
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Here's why we encourage clients to use granite countertops. It is a natural, beautiful stone that is very difficult to damage, unlike concrete or solid surface material. The slabs that go into your kitchen are unique and full of character. Further, natural materials are and always have been appreciated in interior design. So, if "everybody" decides to use something else for a three-year time span, so what? Granite is timeless and you'll be glad you chose something so practical for some of the most hard-working surfaces in your home.
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Why is it that the really cool kitchens and baths in design magazines are always designed by architects?
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Probably because the kitchen and bath industry, although extremely large, is relatively new, and most kitchen designers associate themselves with a showroom, where they eke out a living selling cabinetry, countertops, etc. What they design is limited to some degree by what they sell. Architects, however, have been around for a long time and have successfully marketed themselves as designers, period. Architects are, generally, more apt to think "out of the box" than other residential designers. We at ReAL Design are proud to be recommended by architects who appreciate our creative solutions to their clients' wish lists and tricky building codes.
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Can I have concrete countertops?
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We love the look, too, but it's important to realize the limitations of any questionable material you choose. Concrete will chip and crack, with virtually no way of repairing it. Also, it's at least as expensive as granite in this area, if not more. Like granite, you'll need to reseal it a few times a year. Concrete, limestone, and marble countertops are all aesthetically pleasing initially; if some nicks, scratches, cracks and stains won't bother you over the years, then we support your courage.
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Can we have good kitchen lighting without making our ceiling look like swiss cheese? Do we really have to have fluorescent lights?
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Yes, and yes. We keep several things in mind when drawing up your lighting plan: code-compliant, effective fluorescent light, getting the light where you really need it, and your ability to have lighting options at the flick of a switch. In direct response to your question about recessed can lights, the spirit of the building code wants your first choice for lighting up your space to be energy-efficient fluorescent lights. These can be recessed cans, or uplighting on top of your wall cabinets, or under-cabinet task lighting, to name a few options. The trick to make you willing to use these fluorescents is specifying the actual bulbs so they burn at the same "color temperature" as incandescents or sparkly, full-spectrum halogen lights. For your lighting plan, we listen to your concerns and your preferences, and come up with a lighting plan that will make you happy.
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We're working with an architect, an interior designer, and a lighting designer. Do we really need a kitchen designer?
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Our clients who have asked this question tell us later that we helped make their kitchens much, much better than they had imagined possible. Kitchen design is both art and science, and whatever you're spending, it should look like you spent more than you did, and it should function so well that it becomes one of your favorite places to be. At ReAL Design, we work well with others on board your home-building dream team. Our job is to make sure your finished kitchen is safe, convenient, as spacious as it can be, accessorized to make you efficient every day, and also to make sure it makes you and anybody else who drops by say "Wow!" because it looks great overall as well as in detail. The ability to do this time after time comes from the experience of our Certified Kitchen Designer and staff. We really do make a difference.
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