Monthly Archives: May 2022

Mondays with Mike…5-30-2022 Edition Eighteen

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Making the most of a small space with smart design choices.

Let’s direct our attention to this charming tucked-into a cubbyhole powder room. It’s clear to see that the designer has made the most of a small space with smart design choices. Wall bath hardware also helps by using vertical space rather than floor space. I can appreciate this challenge from a design perspective, as the room is small from but by choosing the perfectly shaped sink bowl and faucet into the design they’ve come up with a sure fire winner of a powder room.

To further compliment the work done here, let’s not ignore the fact that they matched the cabinet hardware and bath ware accents so beautifully to the faucet. Believe it or not, that’s a detail that often gets overlooked. Hardware, faucets and sinks are all considered royalty here at www.WoodworkerExpress.com with loads of them currently in-stock and ready for immediate shipment!

So, regarding the aforementioned times and places, as much as I love this powder room, there’s quite a few large revealing windows, and as such, I think the toilet here is perhaps a bit out of place and could(should) be swapped out for a rocking chair. After all, the toilet paper has completely run out and removing the toilet just might make for less awkward interactions with your neighbors and passersby going forward…just please don’t install a glass shower in its place.

Regardless, love your castle, fly your flag and do what it is that you do.

Although small, this powder room is packed with style. The vessel sink and mat
Photo courtesy of Houzz and Homesmith Construction, Inc.

Mondays with Mike…5-23-2022 Edition Seventeen

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A man cave for todays family

This week we’re looking at not a kitchen, but rather a sports-themed party room, ostensibly sometimes referred to as a finished basement or the ULTIMATE man cave. So batten down the hatches, Matey’s while we walk the underground plank during this somehow decidedly pirate-tinged version of ‘Mondays with Mike’.

Really, this is a ‘Family Cave’ if ever there was. Check out the far right ‘table for two’. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this particular table might get ‘waited on’ by staff. It reminds me of one of those cocktail tables where folks (read: couples) who have things they need to get of their chests sit, regardless of the ‘sporting event of the century’ currently being broadcast mere feet away.

If you look closely, you can surely connect the dots to figure out the team-centric theme they chose here. Sports fan or not, this is one rock and roll-ready bar. topped with fabulous red laminate. Just look at those intelligently placed overhead right and left speakers. You might’ve thought you were in a home theater here….look a bit closer towards the TV, you kind of are!

Dimmable LED puck lighting utilized here contributes greatly to setting the mood and is tunable for that subdued or festive lighting hue. Hardware-wise, the 2 varieties of pulls chosen for these cabinets speak of a modern design aesthetic combined with a heavy duty industrial feel, leaving a bit more surface area for those sweet finishes to be seen…and grasped! I’ve said it before, but if you could see behind these cabinet doors and drawers, you’d witness an unbelievable assortment of specialized organizers from Rev-A-Shelf + other top-shelf manufacturers (you see what I did there?). These products are available in endless variations, materials, finishes, etc. at www.WoodworkerExpress.com.

Once again this week, I sincerely appreciate your time and attention, but it’s indeed time to skedaddle…as you well know, those buccaneers give no quarter.

A red themed "Family" man cave designed to appeal to both adults and children
Photo courtesy of Rev-A-Shelf

Mondays with Mike…5-16-2022 Edition Sixteen

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Update your kitchen with farmhouse style.

Another Monday, another fantabulous kitchen to spill stuff on/into/around. Actually I did just that yesterday at a kids birthday party. I filled up my fashionable and pre-chilled ‘all weather’ cup with a bit too much Green River, and during the ice/soda volcanic reaction we’ve all come to know, it runneth o’er onto their nice glass table. They quickly handed me a paper towel to rectify my idiocy, but there was still a massive sugar glaze/haze when I looked down through the table at my socks. ‘Mom’ assured me it was no big deal, she’d just wipe it down with cleaner after we left. I felt like I was six years old again, but I guess, at least I didn’t spill any on the floor. It’s the small victories, right?

I guess I was starting to talk about the awesome kitchen here, so I’ll continue. The white countertops and bright natural light here make me feel like I’m on vacation. I’d expect you could probably read a book here at the counter with no artificial lighting up until probably 9:00pm. Farmhouse style touches include barn door hardware and matching the ceiling support beam wood tones with the floating shelves…AND the stool-like chairs makes this “shrine-esque.” I’ll quickly mention that those floating shelves along with the seemingly unnecessary (at least during the day) LED puck lighting can both be purchased at www.WoodworkerExpress.com. I’ve noticed that the pull-down faucet chosen here comes across as super elegant and bright, and thusly quite decorative in character…but be advised, they are ‘real world’ ready and these are found in our online shop, as well.

Looks like we’ve got a nice double oven on display here, too. My wife always mentions that she’d love to have one, but we don’t really eat/cook enough to justify buying one. It’d certainly qualify as one of those purchases where you use it (maybe) a couple of times a year, but somehow continue to convince yourself you can’t live without it. SMH!

Look…I LOVE this kitchen, but if I’m asking to see inside the horse’s mouth, do the adjacent cabinets perhaps ascend a wee bit higher than the average NBA star’s height? Crikey! That top glass cabinet might require a call to the local fire dept. to bring in a ladder to reach it.

Since your eyes are still looking upward, notice the super discrete range hood. I mentioned in last week’s edition the brilliant range hood being used and here again, we’ve got another fantastic hood, albeit this one blends in so well, we might want to consider it ‘camouflage chic’. Not in the traditional sense, of course, but here it’s just so cleverly discrete. If that term ‘camouflage chic’ somehow takes off in a ‘viral’ kind of way, you heard it here first and I, for sure, want a piece of that action.

OK, I’m off for now, but who reading this thought it odd that I didn’t address the yarn dish they’re serving for lunch? It’s all about the fiber, I suppose.

A modern farmhouse kitchen using wood accents and contemporary hardware
Photo courtesy of Houzz Modern Farmhouse | 2019 Dry Creek Parade

Mondays with Mike…5-9-2022 Edition Fifteen

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Accenting a neutral palette with bronze tones and distressed wood.

So, I’ve been watching quite a few Netflix true crime documentaries as of late and have found it’s a fantastic way to ensure yourself of a worrisome and tense night of sleep. If you’re looking for one of those stiff-neck next mornings, then those series episode are sure to deliver (for additional discomfort, crack bedroom window enough to allow for cold air entry). Speaking of viewable entertainment, who would’ve imagined that we could watch TV whilst also grabbling into the fridge for your lunchtime ale? There’s some pretty cool technology out there…and we love to buy it! So why not accent your technology with oil rubbed bronze hardware and distressed wood.

Fantastic refrigerators with 4K TV’s aside, we’ve got a kitchen for the ages here. There’s no doubt I’m a huge fan of gray tones, but let me be upfront on this: I typically wouldn’t equate oil-rubbed bronze as the finish de rigueur alongside gray paint, but here then I’d be wrong…dead wrong! Besides, these ORB-legged stools are top-shelf and couldn’t look better…Am I right?

I think it was just last week that I was ranting about the amazing distressed wood range hood in the photo. (That image is likely just below this posting) And it appears I’m still up on that range hood cloud, as this design ties the range hood to the floor here like the well matched shoe/belt combo you might find on an experienced crime fighter like Dick Tracy or Superman (when he’s Clark Kent).

This picture is a perfect depiction of perfect kitchen that quite possibly could have been outfitted with the inventory and expertise of www.WoodworkerExpress.com. There you can find various items on display here like this brilliant faucet, sink, wood range hood, recessed lighting and barn door hardware. Plus there’s always the pulls, handles, and vents. There’s also the organizational items within the drawers and behind the cabinet doors, but you’ll just have to use your imagination to picture those…or you could just boogie on over to the Kitchen Solutions section. As always, help is available and offered to you, so please reach out. If I don’t answer immediately (I will), I’m likely just getting closure on one of these new Netflix true crime dramas.

As always: Keep it moving forward and I’ll be here next Monday…will you?

Neutral gray cabinetry is beautifully accented with oil rubbed bronze accents and distressed barn wood.
Photo courtesy of Houzz and Burge Building Consultants

Mondays with Mike…5-2-2022 Edition Fourteen

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Accenting a Neutral Color Scheme with Hardware and Lighting

Did they nail the color tones in this kitchen or what? I just love the neutral tones so expertly integrated here along with the accents of satin nickel. Never in history, has that NOT looked great. Seriously, look it up! If I didn’t know any better, I’d have guessed that this was a kitchen designed by me FOR me.

Reminds me of this: You know how if you watch enough of those HGTV shows, you can kind of predict what the self-anointed ‘celebrity’ flipper/designer will choose before they actually do. That could just be due to hypnosis for watching too much TV, or perhaps the ‘celebrity designer’ really does need to do a bit of self-scouting to avoid typecasting their design tendencies.

Enough about real celebrities and ‘design celebrities’, let’s talk about what we’ve got going on with the decorative touches on display here. As hinted at above, the twisty satin nickel pulls exude a look of royal opulence…which, if in YOUR real world is a bit too much, then a jelly-swathed hand from a young breakfast seeker can quickly bring this back to a reality more attuned to your own.

And if breakfast is indeed the meal being talked about, then these LED strip lighting lit bottles of what the English sometimes refer to as ‘drink’ will likely remain untouched for at least the next 10 hours or so…but who’s really watching the clock?

I’ll top this all off by directing praise towards this beautiful range hood and its matching ventilator. This ventilator will help remove cooking odors and move it magically into the outside air. This kitchen is aesthetically A++ and many of the key components are found at: www.WoodworkerExpress.com. Be good to yourself and others, and I’ll see you next week.

neutral kitchen with pops of satin nickel
Image Courtesy of Houzz