The Evolution of Kitchen Islands. Freestanding surfaces in the kitchen are nothing new. They have been used for centuries in the flow of meal preparation. Worktables and chopping blocks were central stations to mixing, rolling, dicing and seasoning before recipes were sent to the fire, stove top or oven for boiling, baking, smoking or frying. Today’s free standing kitchen island has definitely evolved from a simple wooden table to all manner of custom designs offering a myriad of modern conveniences. How you intend on using your island is the most important question to consider before meeting ..read more

Dear Sir or Madam, will you put me on a hook? To be at hand for that spill or mess when you cook?  I’m not very pretty but you always want me near. And I do the job So I wanna be a paper towel holder.  (To the tune of Paperback Writer by The Beatles) The Quicker Picker Upper! Scrub Strength Brawny! Strong Absorbent & More on a Roll! Rosie the Waitress, played by actress Nancy Walker of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda fame starred for decades in the Bounty commercials when I was growing up. When we saw her memorable face, my brother and I would race to the kitchen for a snack ..read more

Have you encountered a dishwasher that is so quiet, you have to look for the light indicator to make sure it started? If you’ve always lived with a dishwasher that you can hear when it’s on, it’s a shock to encounter a really quiet one. I’m in a condo with a new GE dishwasher that is literally whisper quiet. I thought it was disconnected until I put my ear right up to the door. In a small space, it’s great to be able to start without worrying about the noise. Moving many times, I’ve experienced a wide array of options… fancy brand name units that came with purchased properties and those that ..read more

Finding the perfect house in the right neighborhood at the right price in this current market is downright fanciful. It rarely happens. Instead, most young couples seek that perfectly priced fixer upper. Ideally, this means one that needs cosmetic, not structural improvements. Full stop. If this means anything beyond a fresh coat of paint, take a seat. “If we just… “ •reconfigure the kitchen with new cabinets  •remodel the bathroom •create a storage area •move the laundry room upstairs  Remodeling takes a lot more than day dreaming. It takes a sharpened pencil and serious budget disc ..read more

Just five short months ago, 30-yr fixed mortgage rates were below 3%. Six weeks ago, they averaged under 4%. This past week, they are sitting at 5.20%. Interest rates coupled with inflated housing prices have caused homeownership to recently become very expensive… especially for young buyers who have seen nothing but cheap money their whole lives. Some of us older folks can remember the 1981-82 recession- worst economic downturn in the United States since the Great Depression. Job losses were felt acutely in the goods-producing sector i.e., manufacturing, residential construction industry and ..read more