Memorial Day History

While we're all looking forward to a three-day weekend, we don't always stop to consider the meaning of Memorial Day. Established in the aftermath of the Civil War, Decoration Day was intended as a day of healing, with graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers being decorated with flowers. Today, Memorial Day recognizes fallen service members from all American wars.

Awesome Before & After

We admit it, we love "before & after" photos! So when we ran across this fantastic remodel, we had to share...

Which Kitchen Style Are You?

While a few us find a design style that is a perfect fit for our taste (French Country, Arts & Crafts, Mid-Century modern, Cottage), many of us find that we like elements of many different eras and designs. When it comes to creating the perfect kitchen, how do we blend all those different looks?

We found an article from the Chicago Tribune that gives a great explanation of Transitional design, and offers tips on how to achieve the right mix.

The Importance of First Impressions

The president of the local Master Builders Association recently wrote a thoughtful message about first impressions that is applicable no matter what business you're in.

In a nutshell, every point of contact between you and your customer is an opportunity to make a first impression. That means yourself, your showroom/storefront, your receptionist, voice mail message, website, delivery vehicles and personnel (the neighbors are looking!), your advertising....anything that has your company name attached.

I'm thinking spring cleaning might just focus on the first impression this year!

Let's Give Some Love to the Pantry!

The pantry may once have been a forgotten part of the kitchen, but not any more! We found a great article with tons of good pictures showing how you can incorporate a useful and stylish pantry into your home.

Creating your new kitchen with Canyon Creek? You can replicate these designs with open-shelf solutions from Closets Plus, or choose from one of our three cabinet lines for more specialized storage.

The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget

We've seen a retractable TV in a kitchen island, and of course we've all seen screens that retract up or down to create a home movie theater. Now, with a used scissor lift and a lot of ingenuity, one man has built a retractable kitchen island - really!

Cool, but somehow I don't think this is going to become one of our standard product offerings...