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Remember the days when all your finishes had to match? Not too long ago, if you had satin nickel door and drawer pulls you had to have satin nickel faucets and lighting fixtures. Today, things are getting more interesting and mixing metal finishes is actually accepted and popular!

As we close another year of working with great clients and completing lots of remodeling projects, we thought it might be fun to create our own list of the top 5 remodeling selections we saw this year. All the magazines do their own "Best of" or "Top Trend" lists, so we thought why shouldn't the Thompson Remodeling team get in on the fun too. So, without further ado, here's our list of the Top 5 Remodeling Selections for 2015!

Every year Remodeling Magazine releases its Cost Vs. Value Report, which provides data on how 22 popular remodeling projects, ranging from bathroom additions to siding replacement, are retaining their value throughout the country. The studies are broken down by geographic area and are based on professional remodelers completing the renovations. We study it annually to see which projects have the top recoup value in the Grand Rapids area.

Every year, Houzz surveys homeowners 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, their kitchen survey revealed many design elements are maintaining their popularity into the new decade.

Each year I like to take a look back to see which of our blogs were most popular with our readers. In 2019, we wrote about a variety of remodeling topics and found that those featuring kitchen updates were the most read. It’s no surprise considering a kitchen remodel is always at the top of most homeowner’s wish list. If you’d like to learn more about kitchen remodeling, read about common kitchen design challenges, or get your creative juices flowing, check out our Top 5 Kitchen Blogs from 2019.

As we get ready to usher in a new decade, Pantone announced a very safe selection for 2020’s color of the year - Classic Blue. It’s not flashy, unusual or unexpected, but rather a very typical, basic blue, described as the color of the sky at dusk. We’ve become accustomed to the world-renowned color experts making surprising selections like last year’s Living Coral or the unconventional choice they made in 2016 by crowning two colors instead of one with Rose Quartz and Serenity. We were curious about how this selection came about and why and here’s what we found out.

The holidays are upon us! This is one of my favorite times of year. I love seeing the Christmas lights and checking out some of the holiday festivities around town with friends and family. If you are looking for something fun to do with the family, there’s a lot of great options in Grand Rapids. Here are some ideas to consider that will be fun for adults and kids of all ages.

Many larger neighborhoods have a Home Owners Association, also known as an HOA. As the governing body of the community they are responsible for maintaining common areas, managing neighborhood amenities, and creating and enforcing architectural guidelines. So, when you live in a community that has an HOA, your remodeling project could be subject to certain specifications and/or approval before any work can commence. In this blog, we are going to do a quick Q&A that will help you better understand what you need to know about remodeling when you have an HOA.

Fall is the time of the year that the paint companies begin announcing their color of the year selections. The picks from three of the top paint companies for 2020 reflect the natural canvases of our world; from the night’s sky to the great depths of ocean, down to the green foliage covering the earth. From those hints you may have guessed that two of the colors are shades of blue and the third is a green hue. Each company referenced a need for coming back to nature as one of the key reasons for selecting their color of the year.

Freestanding tubs add a touch of luxury to the bathroom. They are beautiful to look at and the ideal spot to relax and soak the stresses of the day away. Freestanding tubs are like functional pieces of art in your bathroom. Add one to your bathroom design and you will be creating a beautiful focal point that will enhance the overall aesthetic of the space. And with the wide variety of size, shapes, and styles to choose from you can go with something traditional like a clawfoot tub or go a more modern route with a clean oval shaped tub. How do you choose which one to go with? Continue reading to get some tips on how to select the right freestanding tub for your bathroom.

Designing a shower might seem like a pretty simple task, but there are several important elements you must consider to ensure that it will be comfortable and fit your needs. Some homeowners are looking for something basic while others want all the bells and whistles of a luxury spa shower. No matter which you prefer, you should review each of the elements listed below when developing your shower design.

Lighting your bathroom vanity can be tricky. Have you ever been in a bathroom and felt that it was either too dark or that the lighting was not flattering at all? Knowing where to place fixtures, what type of fixtures, how many to choose, and selecting the right light bulbs are important considerations. But, where to you start?

If a kitchen or bathroom renovation is on your horizon you’ve probably spent some time thinking about what type of cabinets you want to choose. Cabinetry accounts for a large portion of your remodeling budget, so it’s important to consider your finish options carefully. Do you go with painted or stained? Each has its benefits depending on your preferred design aesthetic and your budget parameters.