Tag Archives: diode

Hazelwood Homes- Coal Valley, IL Kitchen With Family Friendly Farmhouse Style

We are so blessed to be able to become a part of the building process for our customers. Anything we can do to make that process more easy and of course exciting is such a great part of our work. This new home built in Coal Valley, IL by Hazelwood Homes is one of our favorite recently completely projects. This busy family wanted a stylish space but one that can be enjoyed and lived in as well.

An “open concept” layout is certainly the direction most new home plans are going. This home includes a great room that opens up into a dining space and then the kitchen. Now casual family moments and even more formal meals can all be shared within this family-friendly space. Having the kitchen within reach of the play areas and main social spaces of a home can be so helpful for families with younger children. Even though we are calling this kitchen “family friendly” we still believe it still could grace the cover of a glossy magazine don’t you?

Flat-panel, “Ridgegate” cabinets in a “White” paint are a classic choice from our Koch line. Modern Farmhouse details like Hickory hand-scraped wood floors and a farm sink help to nudge this Transitional style kitchen into the Farmhouse Transitional style category. Wall cabinets stretch just shy of the ceilings leaving enough room for a stacked crown molding detail. So much storage throughout plus a glass-door corner pantry area (shown below with someone sneaking a snack).

“Fossil Grey” quartz counters mimic an almost cement slab look on the perimeter of the kitchen and Cambria® Quartz “Brittanicca” graces the center of the kitchen on the island. This beautiful look of natural stone suggests marble with the no-maintenance appeal of Cambria®! This non-porous, durable product is a fantastic choice for counters in this busy family hub!

With the wall cabinets so tall, a stacked look to the doors was desired to avoid long, exaggerated doors to open and close. Many kitchens with this look include floating shelves. The look can be great, but difficult to keep clean. You also become limited to weight the floating shelves may hold. Consider glass-front cabinets as an option to still give an open look. One section of this kitchen design has been arranged as a built-in hutch area (see above).

The main kitchen perimeter includes just glass inserts in the top section for a “clerestory” effect. This hutch area section includes glass door inserts entirely. The finished look is clean and stylish. We love how the dishes and glassware are able to be displayed but kept from dust. The kitchen backsplash adds to the white-on-white space a new texture and design detail. An “Arabesque” shape tile in a glossy “Coronado” color helps add curvy intertwining lines to soften the look of the kitchen. Of course we can never mention a stunning backsplash without also reminding you it is being washed with light by our Diode undercabinet lighting system. There is no better way to showcase your new kitchen investments than with this low-voltage lighting.

The refrigerator for this kitchen is located right at the entrance from the Dining area. A KitchenAid® 20 cu. ft. counter-depth model has a deep cabinet above and a refrigerator end panel on the right side of the unit for a built in look. A “family-friendly” kitchen without water in the door?!? Well, this French Door unit may be shallower to allow maximum walkway throughout the kitchen…but it does still have water and ice!

The filtered water is just inside of the door and an icemaker is located down in the freezer drawer. Including the icemaker and ice storage down below frees up more space in the fresh food storage area that can become quickly crowded in a counter-depth model. Cooking and baking just got a lot more stylish and easier for this family as well!

A 48″ wide commercial-style KitchenAid® gas range is the focal point of the entire kitchen. With two ovens and 6 burners this duel fuel range can prepare a meal for the smallest or largest of crowds! The ovens include Convection baking, roasting, and broiling settings plus the KitchenAid® EasyConvect™ takes the intimidation and guesswork out of convection.

An easy-to-clean electric chrome griddle is also a part of this 48″ wide unit. What an all-star appliance choice! Village Home Stores isn’t just Cabinetry and Counters. We also offer Appliance Sales and Service, Lighting, Flooring, and Blinds and Shades. Did you know that when you are building a home you can purchase the products you need from all departments of our store and end up receiving credit for free lighting because of it!? We offer a Local Low Price Guarantee plus a Lighting Bundle Program that can save you a significant amount of money!

We love the lighting that was selected throughout this entire home. The kitchen lighting is so perfectly paired with the style of the space. It keeps the space feeling light and bright and doesn’t distract from the other focal areas of the kitchen. Above the farmhouse style kitchen sink is a white and chrome pendant light by Golden Lighting.

Working with an expert lighting staff when building makes the designing and selection process easier on you. Don’t spend months and months driving all around the area to handfuls of specialty shops. Come to the experts at Village Home Stores. Above the kitchen island hang two “Tabby” glass mini pendants from our Feiss line.

We love how the clear glass keeps the space feeling bright and open. The kitchen island includes a microwave drawer from Sharp®. This microwave option is wonderful for busy families. Easy to reach and plenty of counter space above it, microwave drawers can be a wonderful option for your kitchen design. The microwave controls for this unit can be found on the tilt-out panel on the top frame of the unit. This sleek new design allows for the Sharp® unit to pair well with many appliance styles and brands.

See the full album of photos from this new home in Coal Valley, IL over on our award-winning Houzz page right here. There you will also see some of the other spaces, materials, and lighting in the new home. To learn more about Hazelwood Homes visit their website here. We work in-depth with all of our new home customers and their contractors to help the end result be a finished home everyone is happy with. Village Home Stores is your locally-owned one-stop shop for everything for your home. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with our New Home team (309) 944-1344 or by completing this online form. We can’t wait to see the plans for your new home come to life!

Rock Island, IL- A Kitchen Customized But Not Resized!

Village Home Stores is completely capable of having a wall removed or opened up to create a beautiful new space for your kitchen. Many of our full project management remodel projects involve some kind of wall work like that….but not every project. This Rock Island, IL kitchen remodel is a wonderful example of how you do not need to make drastic changes to the room to still get a winning result!

This kitchen was remodeled and only the soffits above the cabinetry were removed. But seeing the before and after transformation you would think this was an entirely different home! The original kitchen was a medium tone wood and crowded by a small peninsula area.

The new kitchen is bright and beautiful. Painted cabinetry from our Koch Classic line in the “Prairie” door and “Pearl” finish is paired with “Chakra Beige” quartz counters. Not only is the kitchen light and bright, its packed with smart storage solutions!

Behind any of the base cabinet doors you can find adjustable slide-out shelving to help easily utilize every inch of cabinet space. Of course the corner cabinet includes a lazy susan for the best way to access the corner. This style of susan is called an “all wood susan” or “super susan” style. A fixed center shelf with a susan tray attached allows a sturdy construction.

Not only are there special inserts in the cabinetry, there are some custom additions. The stack of drawers to the left of the dishwasher includes a pullout cutting board. This option is a wonderful feature to add to your kitchen space. The cutting board can be removed completely for use or cleaning.

We love the coffee station in the new kitchen. This area near the refrigerator is the perfect breakfast station including coffee and the toaster. Below the counter is a Stainless Steel microwave drawer. This 24″ wide unit from Sharp has a flip out front control and blends well with many appliance brands and styles.

Of course a tall and wide pantry is the fastest way to add great storage to a kitchen. This new layout includes a large pantry with slide-out shelves. Now pantry storage items are within reach of fresh food storage. Keeping this tall pantry next to the refrigerator helps to keep the rest of the kitchen seem less crowded and more open.

Not every kitchen design includes the kitchen sink beneath a window. In this case, the sink area has been accented with a lighted glass-front cabinet above and a tile accent. The Soho 3′ x 6″ Subway Tile in “Linen” color and glossy finish is accented with a strip of glass mosaic.

Adding a lighting plan to this new kitchen also help brighten the space dramatically! Not only are there recess cans throughout, but also a lighted ceiling fan. Our Diode LED undercabinet lighting system is installed underneath the cabinetry and also inside the glass-front cabinets. This low-profile and low-voltage light system is always a favorite feature for those that have it!

The casual dine-in area on the end of the kitchen has just enough room for a small round table and chairs. Instead of a shallow tv stand, this client asked to have a custom hutch area created to match the new kitchen. Not only is there plenty of space for a TV but also display space, storage below and even wine cubbies on each end!

This beautiful new bright kitchen all sits atop a new Luxury Vinyl Floor from the Tarkett Permastone series in Travertine “Weathered Beach” color. LVT is a durable product with many benefits for kitchen applications. Call or stop by today to speak to one of our flooring experts about LVT in your home.

Curious what potential your current kitchen space may have? We can’t wait to help show you! Contact us today to start the conversation about your project. Complete this short online form or call us at (309) 944-1344. See the full album of photos from this kitchen remodel project over on our award-wining Houzz page here.

Moline, IL- White Painted Kitchen With Red Accents

This kitchen in Moline, IL is classic in the permanent elements and fun and playful in the accents! We love how this customer has accented this finished space with red! Let’s take a look around the newly remodeled space!

White painted cabinetry from our Koch Classic line is arranged in an L-shape layout with a built-in look for the refrigerator across from it. The flat-panel “Prairie” door style is a classic and Transitional choice. The drawers are a smooth, slab style perfect for the bin-pull hardware. A modern twist on a classic concept is the use of a Stainless Steel farmhouse sink. This single-well model is a sleek looking detail.

The new wall cabinets stretch all the way to the ceiling with a stacked crown molding application. Stacking a crown molding atop a riser or valance allows a very forgiving application for your trim carpenter if the home is older and may have a varied ceiling height. The range wall of cabinetry includes a corner susan cabinet and two angled cabinets to cap off the end. A wide window above the sink provides a lot of great light and plenty of space for two pendant lights.

There are glass door cabinet included in the new kitchen. A white painted finished interior and clear glass inserts provide a great space for displaying items and help to give the kitchen even more of an open look. Don;t forget that our Diode LED undercabinet lighting system can be installed inside of a cabinet too. Lighting your glass-door cabinets help showcase you displayed items and the overall kitchen perfectly.
This Diode lighting is our best recommendation for any kitchen that has invested in a tiled backsplash. Why tile a surface if you can;t show it off? We love the glass subway tile here with a red accent strip. The main 3″ x 6″ subway tile is by Jeffrey Court in the “Haze” color. The red 1″ x 3″ accent tile is from the “Crystile” series by Glazzio in the “Ruby Red” color.

The engineered quartz counters are from our Hanstone Quartz line. The color is named “Concord” and the standard “Eased” edge profile has been applied. Across from the L-shape of kitchen cabinetry is a tall pantry cabinet. This cabinet offers 24″ depth of great storage and a stack of deep drawers below.

This kitchen was remodeled using the complete Project Management program at Village Home Stores. We managed it all from start to finish.Reach out to us today to learn more about our proven process for kitchen remodeling in the Quad Cities region. Call us at (309) 944-1344 or complete this online form and we will be in touch as soon as possible to get started.

Heartland Builders- A New Home With Contemporary Details

Village Home Stores has the great privilege to design so many incredible kitchens in a year. Lifestyle magazines, the internet, and apps like Pinterest and Houzz have revolutionized how our customers are able to narrow down their own personal styles. Because these platforms can showcase that every project can be different from the next, our own clients are beginning to embrace a very important revelation in 2017: you don’t have to do whatever your neighbor is doing. It is your home, make it reflect you! Even in the category of New Construction homes we still can say that every single home is different from the next. Take for example, this new Colona, IL home completed by Heartland Builders:

We have shared countless white painted kitchens here on the blog but this space is a refreshing contrast. Black painted cabinetry from our Koch Classic line has been installed in the full-overlay “Savannah” door. An L-shaped layout is met in the corner with a pantry and a bat-wing shaped kitchen island angles in towards the kitchen. Seating for 4 surrounds the kitchen island.

The kitchen sink is in the very center of the island and a bar-height top blocks view into the sink from the Living Room area. Quartz tops in the “Fossil Grey” color are installed in a standard Eased edge profile. This new Maytag® french door refrigerator includes the easy-to-clean, Fingerprint Resistant Stainless Steel finish. The refrigerator caps the end of the kitchen area and in a small niche for the Great Room a bar area has been installed.

This space is stylish and convenient when entertaining. A glass-front beverage cooler from our Danby® line frees up space in the main refrigerator and allows hosts and guest easy access to beverages. Our Diode LED undercabinet lighting perfectly illuminates the American Olean “Appeal” glass mosaic backsplash. This bar area has been tiled completely in the “Transcendent” mosaic. As mentioned before, the appliance package in this new home is by Maytag®. Maytag is dependable and has the warranty to back that statement up! Each of the new Maytag® appliances in this space comes with a 10 year limited parts warranty on the main components of the unit. Stop by or call our expert appliance team at (309) 944-1344 to learn more about this warranty exclusive to Maytag®.

The appliances include the french door refrigerator, top-control dishwasher, microwave hood, and convection gas range. Each with their own 10 year limited parts warranty and in the Fingerprint Resistant Stainless finish. We love the look of the commercial-style hardware on the handles and knobs in this sleek space.

This kitchen has been installed within a great room that includes a living room area and dining space. The same Luxury Vinyl Tile has been installed throughout the foyer, great room, kitchen, pantry, dinette, hall, mud room, and laundry. This LVT is the “Meridain” series from our Adura click-together line in the “Steel” color. The perfect neutral sleek and stylish platform for this Contemporary styled space.

The lighting selections for this home are fantastic and each can stand alone as a very unique art piece! Four elongated LED pendants hang above the kitchen island. These pendants from our Kuzco line are in the Satin Nickel finish. Sometimes a big design impact can be made with a low-profile item. These long, narrow fixtures are a great example. They almost create columns to the island but are easy to see past and around in the open space.

A 4-light chandelier hangs in the dinette area. This light is named “Coddington” and is from our Feiss line. Talk about sculptural! We are reminded of the balance and shapes of an Alexander Calder mobile when seeing this light.

In the great room space a large 60″ ceiling fan is stunning! This fan is named “Proxima” and is from our Quorum line. The Satin Nickel finish is a perfect choice in this completed space. When turned on, it provides a lot of air flow and when the fan is turned off, it has an almost sculptural look.

That corner pantry may look large enough, but open the doors and you will find that this is just a pantry front. This cabinet walk-through pantry front leads to a large walk-in pantry area. There is plenty of style AND storage in this space. New homes like this tend to have an “Open Concept” to the spaces but you need to plan for including plenty of storage options concealed from that “open” area. This walk-in pantry if perfect for food storage but also can be great for other bulk household items.

Are you planing on building a new home soon? Perhaps considering remodeling the one that you are in? No matter what your project or budget is, we are excited to hear about it! Our award-winning team will help you determine your own personal style and create a complete design with you that reflects you and your tastes. Learn more about Heartland Builders here and be sure to reach out to us with any questions about what you have seen or read here. See the full album of photos from this project over on our award-winning Houzz page here.

Showroom Updates 2017: First Impressions

We are beyond thrilled to share our 2017 showroom updates with you here on the blog! Village Home Stores has a lot of great things planned as we move into 2017. This showroom update is a significant start! We have purchased a third storefront and added 1,200 sq. ft. of space for a brand new lighting showroom. We will show you are that complete lighting space and our remodel process later this week. Let’s begin today with a tour of our brand new front reception area:

As our business continues to grow, we have changed and adapted our customer experience so that every person that visits our store leaves feeling glad they came. Our entire showroom now is over 9,000 sq. ft. that’s a lot of product and space all in one location! You will now enter the center door off of State Street and be greeted and guided by Therese. That’s Therese in the photo above, look how happy she looks in her new desk area! She creates all of our beautiful full-color renderings for our Kitchen & Bath Design customers. She will now be the first smiling face you see whether you are shopping for a single lightbulb, a full appliances package, or an entire home of products. The back wall of this new reception area is easily one of our favorite new areas of our entire showroom. Layers of texture and a variety of materials make a big first impression.

Have you seen our new signage inside the store? It looks so amazing day and night! We gave the folks at ItsaSchmollworld our logo and they gave us this incredible metal sign! We installed it over a Dahltile Limestone named Martinique Arctic Gray. The logo is back-lit with our Diode LED lighting system.
One of best benefits of using our Diode LED lighting to back-light this sign is the fact that it is low-voltage. That means we can leave this sign lit all day and all night and use very little energy for the bold statement it makes. See for yourself how amazing this back wall looks in the evening when you are passing the store. The pendant lighting flanking the logo is another great element to the finished design.

These pendants are from our ELK Lighting line. The series is named Gramercy. We love the schoolhouse shape to the glass and the brushed finish pairs perfect with the metal logo sign on the same wall. The wood panels behind each pendant are a unique new product we have just launched, DuChateau wall coverings. These panels are from the Kaudra series in the Brown Ash finish. We are so excited to has access to this great new product! Consider these wall coverings for a fireplace wall or as an accent wall in a Master Bedroom. Below is a moodboard of the variety of finishes included in this new front desk:

Brushed Bronze handles from our Top Knobs line add a warm matte-finish gold look which is right on trend for our industry. Two finishes and styles of DuraSupreme Cabinetry have been included in this desk design. Gray Painted cabinets in the Middleton doorstyle and paint called Moonstone. The warm gray/bronze laminated cabinets are the Talia Horizontal style in a finish named Wired Bronze. Many times the countertops selected can easily become overpowered by everything else in a complete look. These Cambria Quartz tops in the Seagrove design wrap just about every available remaining surface and command your attention!

This installation technique is called a “Waterfall” edge. Cambria seems to spring up from the floor, wrap the cabinets and desk surfaces and cascade back down again seamlessly. The front face of the desk includes a recessed area of paneling that repeats the Wired Bronze finish from the back wall of cabinetry.

All of this sits atop a new floor from our Marazzi line. This is a wood-look porcelain tile that will be a durable and stylish choice to hold up to the high-traffic area of the showroom. This 6″ x 36″ tile is from the American Estates series in the Natural color. If you want the look of wood but a durable and easy to clean surface, ask one of our flooring experts at Village about a wood-look tile.
We have loved showing you around this beautiful new space online but as you can imagine, it makes an even better first impression in person! Your best experience with our store if you are working on a project begins with an appointment. That being said, you do not need an appointment or and excuse to stop by, look around and say hello! Consider this your open invitation. If you are ready to get started on a project with us contact us online by completing the short form at this link or call us at (309) 944-1344. We can’t wait to hear what you are working on!

Davenport, IA- Warm Cherry Cabinets and Large Black Painted Island

This Davenport, IA kitchen has been completely remodeled to extend its footprint into a nearby dining room. There is now plenty of space for a long L-shaped layout with a large island. Warm Cherry cabinetry from our DuraSupreme line has been installed in the full-overlay “Kendall” doorstyle and “Clove” finish. A “Black” painted island in the same raised-panel doorstyle offers a bold contrast to the kitchen cabinets and new LVT White Oak flooring.

With the removal of a wall that divided the original kitchen from the dining room taken out, there is now plenty of space for a large kitchen island. The new island measures over 8 feet in length and includes large drawer storage and doors that open to reveal slide-out shelves within. Press play below to watch this entire remodel story unfold on Season 2 Episode 6 of the Village Home Show.

This episode of our show helps to walk you through the entire remodel process from start to finish with us. We often share just the before and after parts of a remodel story… but that is not the whole story at all! This episode allows us to return to the jobsite while the real work is happening. With our show, we are able to give you access to more of the entire story that went behind the beautiful finished kitchen tours we share here on the blog. Take a look at the before and after images from this kitchen below highlighting how much more cabinet space is now available with the center wall removed.

Because it can now stretch into the original dining room area, this new kitchen design is nearly double what it once was. There is even an area remaining for a casual dining space with 4 chairs. Just because we have absorbed the original dining room as part of the new kitchen, doesn’t mean this home is left without one. An adjacent front room has now been claimed as the new formal dining room area. The before and after image below shows the view into the new kitchen from this new front room dining area.

The window that now sits above the sink was far to low in the original dining room to accommodate a kitchen beneath it. A new window was installed at a taller height and now instead of looking up to a pass-through, the sink user gets a beautiful view! The cabinetry surrounding the new kitchen window has been finished with raised-panel ends for an added design detail. Can lighting is concealed behind a matching cherry valance and a cherry dustcover on the ceiling completes this look.

Beautiful Cambria® Quartz counters in the “Fairborne” design are installed in a standard “Eased” edge profile. A Tumbled Travertine tiled backsplash is a perfect match in tone adding a new texture against the smooth, polished quartz tops. A 50/50 well sink by Blanco in the “Biscotti” finish has been undermounted to the quartz.

The remodel process with Village Home Stores doesn’t begin on that first demo day. Your remodel starts with us in the store during the designing and material selection phases of your project. A wood hood look like the one shown above begins as a full-color rendered design you can see in your first presentation from our store. Renderings help you get a better vision for the finished space including the materials you have selected.

As you will see in the episode, there are plenty of specialty cabinets within this kitchen design. Dura Supreme offers a wide variety of pull-out options including knife blocks, spice racks, and this towel bar cabinet. Keep cleaning supplies accessible but separate from food with one of these unique specialty cabinets. This towel cabinet also works great in a bathroom or laundry room design.

Surrounding the refrigerator is a tall pantry cabinet that has been fit with adjustable slide-out shelving. There is a built-in pantry storage area on the end of the kitchen that is not shown in these images. That pantry can now be used for household items and food storage can be exclusively in this tall unit adjacent to the refrigerator.

The tall pantry is capped off with an open shelf cabinet that faces those entering from the garage-entry end of the kitchen. Applied doors have been attached to the end of this cabinet to sit flush with the pantry doors and customize the look. The shelves can be used to display seasonal decor, cookbooks, or decorative dishes. This design also works well on the end of an island as we have shown in this Moline kitchen tour.

Has this remodel story got you excited about the possibilities in your own home? Are you ready to start your own before and after story with us? Browse the full album of photos from this project over on our award-winning Houzz page by clicking this link. If you are ready to start the conversation about your project with Village Home Stores contact us today! Reach us at (309) 944-1344 or complete this online contact form and a member of our team will get in touch with you to get started. We can’t wait to hear what you are working on.

Colona, IL- A Laundry Room With “Loads” of Style

This may be a Laundry Room tour, but don’t miss out on an opportunity to see inspiration here for any space in your home. Every design detail and material selection showcased in this tour translates perfectly into an option for your own kitchen or bath project with Village Home Stores. As we show you around this incredible new spacious multi-purpose room, take note of what grabs your eye. Pardon the unavoidable play on words but there is “loads” of inspiration in this space! Press play below to watch a video tour of this finished space on a recent episode of the Village Home Show.

A spacious new layout for this Laundry Room includes a long wall of storage and countertops divided into three sections. This wall of the design has been designated the “folding wall”, a place to sort, hang, and organize laundry tasks. The dark painted finish shown above is a painted finish from our Durasupreme Cabinetry line. The paint is named “Graphite” shown here on the “Silverton” doorstyle. Cabinetry throughout provides added storage to this hallway room for far more than just laundry items. On the wall opposite is a sink and cabinet area finished in the “Zinc” paint with “Slate” accent glaze. These cabinets surround a Maytag® laundry pair ready to tackle your toughest loads:

This front load Washer and Dryer is in Maytag®’s stylish new Metallic Slate finish and has been raised up onto storage pedestals. With 4.5 cu. ft. capacity in the washer and 7.4 cu. ft. in the dryer, that is enough capacity to clean 29 towels in one load. Maytag is so confident in this laundry pair (manufactured in Ohio) they include a 10-year limited parts warranty on the key components of your investment: The Direct Drive Motor and Stainless Steel Wash Basket on the Washer, and Drive Motor and Drum on the Dryer. This Washer delivers best cleaning in the industry driven by Maytag®’s PowerWash® system, featuring the extra cleaning action of the PowerWash® cycle and an internal heater. Other great features of this laundry pair are:

The Fresh Hold® option keeps clean clothes smelling fresh in the washer with an internal fan and tumbling feature that circulates air through clothes for up to 12 hours after the wash cycle ends.
An internal heater provides steam and sanitize cycles. Use steam settings on tough stains and remove 99.9% of household bacteria with the high-heat sanitize cycle.
Steam settings on the Dryer help to relax and prevent stubborn wrinkles , refresh clothes and reduce static. Learn more about our Maytag® laundry options here at this link.

The “Summerhill” Cambria quartz design is the perfect compliment to each of the painted cabinet finishes. A standard “Eased” edge is used with no quartz backsplash installed. The sink wall of cabinetry includes a large single bowl undermount sink from Elkay. Elkay’s “Dusk Gray” finish mimics the accent glaze of the cabinets as well as the laundry pair and “Graphite” painted cabinets across the room. While a stainless steel or warm brushed nickel finish would look right at home in this space, polished chrome is a bright and stylish choice. The countertops and textured glass tiles are illuminated by our Diode LED lighting system. We love the little reminder system this homeowner has started using with her Diode lighting. If there is laundry running that will need to be changed over to the dryer, all the lights are turned off but the undercabinet lighting remains on. Since these lights are low-voltage, this system is a cost-effective way to remind her as she walks down the hall that there is laundry to check back on. The sink wall of cabinetry that faces a window is fit with great storage solutions. A pull-out double bin waste basket on one end, and sliding shelves on the other. Also concealed within the top drawer of one of these cabinets is an innovative way to store and access your ironing board. Press play below to see this cabinet reveal and unfold to access this fold-away ironing board feature.

Stylish and interesting, the Adorne series of switches and outlets has been placed throughout this new Laundry Room. This unique system is available from our legrand line and has customization options that are almost limitless. Read more about the Adorne series here in a past blog post about the Master Bathroom in this very same home. The finish shown in this space is the “Satin Nickel” wall plate. The perfect choice against the American Olean textured glass tiles. These “Elegant Crystal” tiles in the “Sand” finish measure 4″ x 12″ long and add texture and dimension to the space.

That same tile is installed on the folding wall of the design. Taking a suggestion from the elongated wall tile shape is a 12″ x 24″ sized tile from our Florstar line on the floors. This series is names “Matrix” and the color is “Azul”. This versatile wall of cabinetry now includes hanging storage, cabinet storage, and a floating drawer area in the center for folding and sorting laundry. Below this counter is space for three rolling laundry carts that can be easily moved from here to the laundry units across the room.

See the entire album of photos from this stylish Laundry Room remodel over on our award-winning Houzz.com page. We are winners of Best of Houzz many years in a row and have been awarded the title of “Houzz Influencer” by this rapidly-growing platform. Click here to see the entire finished space and save the images to your own project ideabooks. This room was not originally the Laundry Room for the home. Do you have a project that may require someone to help you space-plan you existing home into a better functioning space for your lifestyle? Our expert design team can help! We can provide you with a design and material selection. From there you can do the work yourself or we can arrange to coordinate everything for you. Contact us today to start the conversation. Call (309) 944-1344 or complete this online contact form and someone from our staff with reach out to you. We can’t wait to hear what you are working on!

Port Byron, IL Remodel: An Upscale and Pet-Friendly Before & After

This Port Byron, IL couple wanted their remodeled kitchen to have an upscale look but still seem approachable and warm. We think their design and materials from Village Home Stores have achieved this look perfectly! Rich dark cabinets in a Beech wood have been stained in a “Mocha” finish from our Koch Classic line. “Yukon” Quartz countertops are a contrast in color and sheen.

Such a transformation has taken place! The original kitchen (see before photo below) included soffits at the ceiling and basic slab-style cabinetry. There was plenty of space in the center of the kitchen to accommodate a temporary island/table area. An L-shaped section of cabinetry on one side of the kitchen and a row of cabinets beneath the window on the other side.

The new design took all usable space and kitchen a new design solution has been installed including a peninsula. This peninsula helps divide the kitchen from the living area and it also adds an overhang area for counter-height seating. There is a pub-height table right outside of the new kitchen for more seating when needed. The remodeled open concept now seems more like one large and cohesive look from kitchen into the dining/living space.

The dark cabinets and quartz counters look sophisticated and beautiful but the flooring and backsplash once again almost steal the whole show! The customer pointed out when we arrived to photograph the finished space that new visitors are always first to mention the flooring. Good thing their dog “Buoy” seems to have a bright future in modeling because he can’t wait to show you his new floors.

Just look at this guy. Buoy is a very good dog but he does have paws and claws. No worries though because his owners selected Mannington’s Adura Plank flooring with Scratch Resist Technology. This patented performance coating with Aluminum Oxide helps keep floors looking newer longer by providing exceptional resistance to everyday household scratches. Watch a video on Scratch Resist here to see how this product is so durable it wears off the ridges of a quarter before any damage is made to the floor the quarter is rubbed onto. No worries Buoy, this Oak “Rawhide” colored floor is as pet-friendly as you can find! Adura Plank flooring is a Luxury Vinyl Tile. We call this material “LVT” for short and while you may have seen us feature more ceramic look LVT here on the blog, the wood look planks are just as awesome!

With the new cabinet layout came added storage solutions for the space. A tall pantry caps off the window wall of the kitchen. This cabinet has been fit with five slide-out shelves so there is plenty of space in this 24″ deep unit for dry goods and even small appliances. This tall piece really helps anchor the look of this section in the kitchen.

This wall of the kitchen includes a window and a nice stretch of countertop surface. With the new addition of the peninsula, the counter space has doubled. This corner has now become a fantastic place for many tasks. meal prep, serving, and even a dining space with the counter-height seating. Even though there can’t be wall cabinets above this added peninsula, the base cabinets make up in great storage space. A stack of two deep drawers can house pots and pans. A 5-piece drawer front option has been selected for this project. Instead of a smooth, “slab” style these 5-piece option looks more similar to the doors of the cabinetry.

Many times selecting this 5-piece drawer-front option is no added cost to your cabinet purchase. Be sure to discuss which drawer front style is best for your project with your designer from Village Home Stores. There are of course other specialty cabinets included in the new kitchen. A pull-out trash cabinet, tray divider cabinet, and even a wood divided silverware drawer (see below). Making the most of your cabinet space is how you end up with a great design that you can fall in love with every time you use it.

The doorstyle selected for this Port Byron kitchen is named “Aspen” by our Koch Classic line. A flat-panel is the most common door choice when you are looking to end up with a more “Transitional” finished kitchen. It is important to point out though that flat-panel doors can come in a variety of styles and even construction. If you scroll back up to look at the open pantry door you will see the inside of that open door looks like a raised panel of wood. That is because the center of the “Aspen” doors are solid wood center panels. This makes for a more sturdy construction and gives a more rich and realistic woodgrain than a veneered look.

The rails and stiles that create the frame around this center panel are also varied in size on the doors. Transitional meets Contemporary, the narrow sides with thicker top and bottom portions of this door give a unique style and look to the cabinet. The look it finished off with a standard crown molding. The soffits have been removed and the new layout has cabinetry stretching all the way to the ceilings. The depths of some of these wall cabinets has been varied to add extra design interest.

If the cabinetry or flooring didn’t steal your attention, the mosaic tile backsplash certainly will! Pietra Art mosaic tile from the “Woodland Park” series has been installed throughout. This mosaic tile perfectly blends the colors from the cabinetry, countertop, and flooring all into one multi-colored mosaic.

The kitchen tile backsplash is illuminated and showcased by our Diode LED undercabinet lighting system. The high contrast from the dark cabinetry to the lighted tile and counters make this tiled surface even more dramatic. We love that there are even Stainless Steel lines in the mosaic to help tie in the appliances with the complete look.

This kitchen remodel is the type of space that we think anyone can take something away from touring. The blend of materials and colors all showcase just some of the many options available when working on your own kitchen. Transitional style kitchens give clean and timeless looks without heavy or ornate design elements. This look reads high-end and effortless. We can say though that getting this effortless look did take work. Our thanks to Durian Builders for the work they did in this home. “Buoy” and his family love their new kitchen from Village Home Stores.

This remodel was managed from start to finish with our full remodel Project Management Program. This means that from early estimates until the day “Buoy” moved his food dish, we were there taking care of it all. If you are ready to make the first steps to getting your own Before & After story started call us today. We can’t wait to hear what you are working on and how we can help. Call us at (309) 944-1344 or reach out to us with an email to info@villagehomestores.com. Be sure to check out the entire album of photos from this kitchen Before & After story over here on our Houzz page.

Geneseo, IL Remodel- Rustic Beech Kitchen

This kitchen remodel was done by a homeowner in Geneseo, IL with design and materials coming from Village Home Stores. The original kitchen included a wall that divided the kitchen from the dining area. With the wall now removed, the new space is full of light and space. Now in place of the wall is a peninsula of cabinetry and countertop that has quickly become a favorite place for visiting grandchildren.

One of the sure signs that this peninsula is the place to be in this new kitchen is a plate of treats awaiting guests. What grandchild (or visiting Village Home Stores employee) can resist pulling up a stool to chat or help out in this great new space. The countertops selected for this remodel are by Silestone Quartz in “Sierra Madre”. Added piece of mind is that Silestone includes Bacteriostatic Protection which means silver ions are included in the quartz to prevent the propagation of bacteria. A perfect added value to this selection since this new peninsula area is ideal for for preparation and serving. Can’t you just picture a “gaggle” or grandchildren all gathered at this top making Christmas cookies? An outlet has been installed at the very end of the peninsula for small appliances or even a laptop or tablet can be plugged in if used as a desk.

With all of those guests and a bright new space to enjoy, these homeowners better stock up on some snacks! There is plenty of places to store them within the pantry zone of the new kitchen design. The wall that is home to the refrigerator is also where you will find a wide pantry cabinet.

Three adjustable-height sliding trays of storage plus a stationary shelf above that allow full access to the lower section. The trays are a very versatile way to use the space and extend out to allow the user to see everything within. Above is a 24″ deep space for appliances or bulk items. Click play to watch this cabinet and all of the trays in animated form. We love the addition of baskets to the slideout trays! This kitchen was so full of great storage we had to include it on a storage-themed episode of our local TV show. Watch that full episode here to see the full details tour of this great remodel!

Two incredible kitchen remodels both featuring storage solutions perfect for each home. It is amazing how something as basic as adding sliding shelves can help you enjoy and use your kitchen space more. Don’t miss out on the oportunity to fill your cabinets with the best storage potential possible.

Believe it or not this tall pantry cabinet is not the only great pantry storage section in the new kitchen. Just down the wall is a walk-through corner pantry front with a glass-door display cabinet to the right.

Ordered to match the “Seneca Briarwood” Rustic Beech cabinetry from our Koch Classic line, this front and two panels were used to assemble the corner area. The homeowner even installed a motion-sensitive light on the interior so that when the pantry doors are opened, the lights turn on. After just a few minutes they automatically turn off. Walk-through pantry fronts are fantastic because you can truly customize your shelving behind them any way you would like. Click play to see the pantry!

While we didn’t do any of the install work for this kitchen, we knew the project was in great hands by a VERY skilled carpenter (who has installed countless projects for our customers). Wait until you see some of the extra work that he put into making this kitchen completely customized for them. This display cabinet with mullioned glass doors got an extra custom detail added to the interior shelves.The center section of the finished shelves was routed out to accommodate tempered glass inserts. Now the light installed at the top of these cabinets can pass through the glassware AND the shelves completely! Across from the pantry storage zones of the kitchen is the main prep area of of the kitchen. The sink, dishwasher and cooking areas are all found here.

Each of the base cabinets on this wall is full of fantastic storage solutions perfect for any kitchen. The corner of the peninsula includes a lazy susan cabinet to access the entire corner space for storage. Note that there is no center pole in this susan design. Instead, a fixed center shelf has a susan resting directly on it. The base cabinet to the right of this susan is a space designed for storing baking sheets and cutting boards. Instead of the expected metal or wood center divider, a slide-out tray is installed. Because the walls of this tray are tall, nothing will tumble out when you pull one from the cabinet.

Pull-out trash cabinets have officially moved from the “specialty” cabinet category and have instead become so expected of any new design we rarely sell a space that doesn’t include one. Many times we are even installing more than one. The double-bin option allows you to sort recycling at the time you are cleaning up. At the very end of the peninsula area is wide stack of drawers. The top section has been ordered with two top drawers in place of one wide drawer.

Wood silverware dividers have been added to the right top drawer. Deep drawers below offer a lot of extra storage. Many items are now available right within reach of this great new prep space. The tile backsplash in this kitchen is a subway tile in an “Almond” color by Daltile. The mosaic insert is called “Rocky Beach” by Glazzio.

The field tile is bright and the mosaic is the perfect blend of colors that can be found throughout the new kitchen. Our Diode LED undercabinet lighting helps showcase this tile. The main sink wall of the new kitchen includes a new Whilrpool range and microwave hood. This range is a front-control electric range with convection oven. We love how the front-control design allows for a smooth and sleek area where the range meets the backsplash.

This Whirlpool unit comes with the new Frozen Bake™ feature. Read more about this timesaving feature on this past blog post. Above this range is a combination microwave hood also from Whirlpool. With 400 CFMs and 2.0 cu. ft. of interior capacity it is a great choice! The surrounding cabinet design is eye-catching from all entrances into the new kitchen. Fluted details on either side of the hood are the perfect place to catch the “Black” accent glaze that has been applied to these cabinets. This accent glaze is also a great way to help allow the design to combine Stainless Steel appliances with Oil-Rubbed Bronze cabinet hardware. The accent glaze highlights the door details and even the rustic knots found in the wood. The dark finish of the hardware is right at home with this combination. Dark Hickory flooring adds extra drama to the overall look.

This Hickory hardwood floor from our Hallmark Flooring line is stunning in person. The dark contrast to the cabinets looks rich and the “Sagebrush” finish is perfectly at home with the accented Rustic Beech cabinets. One of our favorite parts of the new kitchen isn’t even a cabinet! We must also point out the handwork by this homeowner in this chalkboard area he created.

He used just a few pieces of Rustic Beech trim to create a custom magnetic chalkboard area on the refrigerator wall. The lower section of molding even can hold a piece of chalk. What a great way to “extend” the cabinetry finish into a functional piece right between the kitchen and the dining areas. Be sure to check out the full album of photos from this project here on our Houzz page.

Are your ready to remodel your own space into a functional and family-friendly kitchen you can make many new memories in? Village Home Stores is excited to hear about what your dream kitchen looks like! Contact us today to make an appointment with one of our expert designers! (309) 944-1344.

Diode L.E.D. Lighting: Think Outside The Kitchen

It is that time of year in the Midwest where we get to spend more time outdoors. Outdoor living spaces have become an extension of the home itself. Did you know that the same system of lighting we are always showcasing in our kitchens offers Diode L.E.D. “Wet Location” systems? There is even one series that is fully-submersible! This poolside bar is a great example of how just one layer of light can make an entire area look like your own high-end brew pub.

Highlight structural details of your home’s exterior, landscaping, even outdoor bars and kitchens like this one. All of the same qualities we love about our Diode L.E.D. system indoors can be said for uses outdoors. This system has a low profile, is energy efficient, long-lasting and extremely versatile. Especially when you think outside the kitchen.

Images courtesy of Diode LED

Our Diode L.E.D. lighting has many great products for outdoor settings. BLAZE™ Wet Location lighting offers maximum brightness at only a quarter inch high and a third of an inch wide, you can really add a lot of light to even the tightest of spaces. The FLUID VIEW® Wet Location L.E.D. Strip Lights can be for commercial-grade higher traffic and more rugged conditions. With no UV emissions from these lights, they are safe to use to light artwork or wine and craft beer cellars as well. The HYDROLUME™ system (shown in center above) is an L.E.D. strip light that is waterproof, fully submersible, and UV resistant. It is also resistant to chlorine and saltwater. If you have a water feature you have been wanting to highlight with lighting we can work closely with you on that. Call a salesperson at Village Home Stores today to find out what parts and components will be right for your project.

The low profile of the strip lights allow you to really think creatively as to where to add light to your space. In this case, the strip lights were tucked away beneath the granite counters and concealed with some trim. The end result is a consistent wash of light that looks amazing on the stone facing of the bar.

This is an efficient and long-lasting system of lights. Once installed this Diode system will be operating for a long time…no seriously a long long time. How long? We have been told you could leave a Diode system running 5 hours a day for 25 years or more before needing to replace any lights. So with a glowing ambient light like this poolside bar, you could leave these lights on as much as you would like and see little energy use because of the low wattage used.

Diode LED colored lighting. | VillageHomeStores.com

Images courtesy of Diode LED

Another fun feature to mention about this Diode lighting is that it is available in many varieties of color. Ranging from warm to cool colors of standard white light but also bold colors all across the spectrum. This system can be used in commercial applications in restaurants or bars but also in creative ways inside and outside of your home.

If you have a project indoors, outdoors or even underwater our expert lighting team from Village Home Stores can help you figure out the right system and components needed for you project. Estimates are always free and questions are encouraged! We have many examples of this Diode L.E.D. system in the showroom. And this system of indoor lighting is featured in just about every kitchen we showcase here on the blog. Call today for an appointment. (309) 944-1344.