In The Shadow

This past weekend I decided to do a little redecorating/ space redesign in our bedroom. For seven years, the bed has been against the same wall and for seven years, the dresser has been in the same spot and so on for the other items in the room. I needed a change and I finally was able to talk my husband into helping me move that double pillow top king size bed (only movable with two or more people). The transformation is amazing and I can’t believe what a difference the feel is for this room. 

After the furniture was moved and the closet doors were removed, the organizing began. We are trying to condense all of our clothes and personal belongs (my husbands and mine) into one room in order to make our “office” room into more of a spare room for company. In order to do this, we tossed any piece of clothing we had not worn in a year or longer. It is amazing how much room we have in our closet now and was able to bring everything over from the “spare” room. The next step is moving all my jewelry into our room. I have to perfect spot and I happened across the perfect solution this week on an amazing blog, http://craftylaine.com/. The shadow box jewelry box http://craftylaine.com/1151/shadow-box-turned-jewelry-box/

I am set to completing it this weekend and will let you know how it turns out. As I was studying this box I realized this could also be reconfigured for the kitchen. Measuring spoons, sauce packets, twist ties and other trinkets can be stored in this visually pleasing shadow box. Have fun making yours!

Lori's Weekly Bella Bling

Item: Door Spice Storage     Rating: 2 Carats

The door spice storage rack hangs on the inside of a wall cabinet door and once the door is open, you have full visibility of all of your spices.  The shelves inside the cabinet are reduced in depth to allow room for the spice rack. This is a great area to organize the salt, large spice containers, dry baking goods, and oils. The shelves in the cabinet are adjustable and depending on the cabinetry manufacturer, the spice rack shelves may be adjustable as well.  It received a 2 carat (and not a 3 carat rating) because the door unit shelf is less than  4” deep  and depending on what spice brand you buy, they may not fit in the space.  In addition, the wide horizontal wood bar on the unit may obscure some of the spice labels, making them hard to read.  Also, as I said before, the door unit shelves are fixed for most manufacturers.  But, none the less, this is an ideal accessory to organize all your spice bottles in one cabinet.  This may be a little over board, but I have all my spices alphabetized.  Doesn’t take long to do, and once done, they are always easy to find.

Some manufacturers even offer this door rack storage in a wire/metal version.  Ideal for the contemporary looking kitchen.

Lori's Weekly Bella Bling

For the next series of  accessory “bling”, we are going to concentrate on spice storage for the upper wall cabinets. In the next 3 weeks, I will explore 3 solutions. 

Item: Spice Drawer Storage     Rating: 1 Carat

The first item is spice drawer storage to be installed in the wall cabinet area. The drawer units are available both horizontal (shown left) or vertical (shown below). I give them a 1 carat rating because they are not the easiest items to use. Imagine having the vertical spice drawers the same height as your wall cabinets (usually 54" off the floor). Now, try to open and look into the top drawers, especially if they are 30" high. You can’t, unless you are on a step stool. As for the horizontal spice drawers, accessibility is a bit better than the vertical, but still awkward to fully open and see what is in the back.  The top of the drawers at left would be about 60" off the floor.  Very hard to see what is inside when pulled out.

 Although these units are labeled as spice drawers, I do not see them used for this function 90% of the time. I have designed them into office spaces for pencils, paper clips and mail or into bar areas for bottle openers and wine charms.  I also feel that this look of closed, small "cubbie" drawers are trending out of style.

Next week I will be evaluating door storage spice racks in wall cabinets.

Lori's Weekly Bella Bling

Item: Two Tiered Cutlery Divider

Rating: 3 Carats

Last week we looked at the wood cutlery divider which has movable dividers for ease of organization. This week I am featuring my 3 carat rated two tiered cutlery divider.

The 2 tiers double the amount of cutlery storage and give great flexibility as to what I can store on each level. The top "shelf" glides front to back on smooth operating metal glides giving you access to the items below. I can store my everyday cutlery on the top, then slide the unit back and that is where you will find my serving spoons, steak knives, openers, the list is endless.

Next week we will move on to great, unique spice storage. Spice storage can be in drawers, wall cabinets and base cabinets.

Father's Day!

Father’s Day is this coming Sunday!

Here at Bella Domicile we have five fathers on staff and I would like to take this time to introduce them to you. 

 Name: Dan Luck
Children: 2
Grandchildren: 3 and 1 on the way
Position: President/ Owner

 Name: Ed Johnson
Children: 1
Grandchildren: 3
Position: Vice President

 Name: Keith Nechvatal
Children: 5
Grandchildren: 5 and 3 on the way
Position: Friendly Installer







Name: Bernie Borchert
Children: 2
Grandchildren: 0
Position: Lead Designer

 Name: Al Curran
Children: 1
Grandchildren: 0
Position: Senior Designer

I love hearing these fathers’ stories about raising children and how proud of them they are. It brings a smile to everyone’s face to hear of the achievements and successes these fathers share with us. Sunday is a time for families to in turn show how proud they are of their fathers.

Enjoy the day and HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

Lori's Weekly Bella Bling

Item: Adjustable Drawer Partition

 
This week I want to show you the adjustable drawer partition that I rate as 2 carats. Last week I rated the standard wood cutlery divider as a 1 carat mainly for its lack of flexibility. In this accessory, the dividers are adjustable and removable depending on your needs. Pegs are inserted into holes at the front and back of the drawer that the wood partitions slide into for ease of adjustment. This item is an excellent choice to have near the cooking surface for larger spoons, spatulas and tongs (all over sized utensils that do not fit into the standard cutlery divider). The picture below shows the divider on the left removed, allowing space for hot pads. I love this divider because I can choose how big each space should be and organize accordingly.













Next week I will showcase my 3 carat pick....

Lori's Weekly Bella Bling

Welcome to Lori's Bella Bling. This will be a weekly post dedicated to cabinet accessories or the "bling" that can help organize your kitchen. I will rate each accessory as a one carat (good), 2 carats (better) or 3 carats (best). I will start with items in the kitchen and gradually work my way through the rest of the house. Please ask any questions you may have. I want to help you make the best decisions for your cabinetry.


Item: Fixed Cutlery Divider

Rating: 1 Carat

       For the standard wood cutlery divider, I give it only a one carat rating. The dividers are not adjustable and the component is only set into the drawer, not screwed down. Items can get pushed under the divider, causing them to spill into other areas of the drawer. Being able to adjust where the dividers are located, would give this item a higher rating. It is better than a "no bling" divider or the plastic cutlery dividers you can retrofit from the big box stores. The wood look is far more aesthetically pleasing than plastic.

Next week...... the 2 carat rated divider