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Most homes have at least one bathroom without windows. And if you live in a condo, you may not have any bathrooms with windows. Powder rooms or guest baths positioned within interior walls have a tendency to feel dark and small and they can present a design challenge. How do you maximize light flow without any source of natural light? What can you do to make a small space feel larger? Over the years, we’ve designed and remodeled a lot of bathrooms and have some design tips we can share with you that will enhance the look and feel of those without windows.

Whether by purchasing a new build or through a remodel, many homeowners live in homes with an open floor plan. By design, they feature open living spaces without physical or visual dividers such as walls and doors, offering a more expansive feel to the overall area. Depending on your family’s lifestyle the open floor plan may work just fine as is, but some families may prefer to create some type of physical definition of space between the rooms. If the latter describes you, here are a few ideas on how you can create some separation.

Every year Remodeling Magazine releases its Cost Vs. Value Report, which provides data on how 22 popular remodeling projects are retaining their value throughout the country. The studies are broken down by geographic area and look at the average cost to complete each project type by a professional remodeler. We study it annually to see which renovations have the top recoup value in the Grand Rapids area. In years past, this report has come out in January, but this year it wasn’t released until last week!

Need a little help taming the clutter in your home? Let’s face it, we can all use a little help in this area. One of the best ways to stop clutter in its tracks is to create a place where you can drop and store some of your “stuff” as soon as it enters your house. We’re talking about shoes, bookbags, sporting equipment, coats, dog leashes, umbrellas, etc. This is where a mudroom can save the day by providing your household with a functional space filled with customized storage to support your family’s lifestyle. Over the years we've created a lot of helpful resources for those who are thinking of remodeling or creating a new mudroom. We recommend reviewing the 4 listed below if you are considering one in your near future.

Kitchens have long been the go-to family gathering space in many homes. As remodelers, we’ve been incorporating custom layouts and features that support entertaining, tv viewing, multiple chefs, and beverage centers. And within the past year, we’ve been asking our homes to do even more for us, particularly in our kitchens. It’s not a stretch to say that the kitchen has become the home office and/or classroom for a lot of folks, which has resulted in the rise of new design trends.

We enjoy reading about new trends in materials to get fresh ideas and inspiration for remodeling projects we are designing for clients. Coverings is the largest international conference for the stone and tile industry. Last month, as sneak preview to the annual event that will be held this July in Orlando, a panel of experts announced the top 10 tile trends from around the world. Here’s a peek at the latest innovative tile designs that were presented. Maybe you’ll see something that speaks to you!

The pandemic has us critiquing our spaces at home and looking for ways to make them more comfortable and functional for working, schooling, and entertaining. The flip side of all that activity is the real need for a place to relax and recharge. One room in the house that can be used very effectively as a private oasis is your master bathroom. With a thoughtful design, you create a place where you can recharge in the morning and decompress in the evening.

It’s exciting to see historic handmade materials gaining popularity again. If you haven’t heard of Zellige tiles, you’ve probably seen them before, but didn’t know what they were called. Zellige tiles are square, handmade Moroccan tiles that have been around since the 10th century. They are made of clay and water, then hand-shaped, kiln fired, and glazed with enamel for a glossy finish available in a variety of colors.

Each year, Houzz completes an in-depth survey of their users who have completed renovations on their home in the last 12 months or are planning to in the next few months, to learn about trends and preferences in a variety of project types. This year, the kitchen survey revealed a few interesting emerging design trends, including contrasting kitchen island cabinets. In fact, 41% of responders who were upgrading the island as part of their renovation selected a different cabinet finish from their wall cabinets for the island. Blue and gray were the preferred colors for nearly half of the responders.

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the place to see the latest innovations in electronics, including new appliances. Even though this year’s event was held virtually, 2,000 companies introduced new products. We’ve done the research to find the most exciting items coming our way for kitchens and baths. Here are four of the most impressive.

Every year, the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) surveys designers, architects, and remodelers to learn what styles, materials and innovations are expected to become popular in the near future. In 2020, the results from over 700 professionals pointed to four distinct design themes, several of which can be credited to how the pandemic has impacted the need to adapt our homes to support our new stay-at-home lifestyles.

As we look forward to the start of a new year, we wanted to take a quick look back to see which of our blogs were most popular with our readers this year. In 2020, we all spent more time than ever at home, which resulted in homeowners noticing the challenges and imperfections in their most used spaces. Based on our top 5 list, it seems that kitchens were at the top of many reader's lists for needing improvements. We also found that there is a lot of interest in hearing about the newest in appliances, so we will be sure to continue covering those topics for you in 2021.