Neal's Home Remodeling and Design Blog

Islands are a great feature to include in the design and layout of a kitchen, but without understanding some important factors, it can be difficult to get this component right. In many remodeling projects, a poorly designed island is one of the major reasons a kitchen isn’t working the way it needs to, or doesn’t look the way the homeowner wants. Neal’s Designer Jodi Smith has some key insights into how to create a functional island that adds to the design and solves problems. Here are 5 considerations she addresses as she plans a new kitchen island.

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No other rooms in our home may be as humble as the laundry room and mudroom. Typically used as a family or back entryway, it seems like this utilitarian space never catches a break. For families of any size, this room just needs to work as intended in order for the home to feel like it’s running smoothly. We talked to Neal’s Designer Laura Webster about what goes into creating the perfect mudroom & laundry space and how to balance all that function with comfortable style.

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Remodeling a lower level allows you to add extra or specialty spaces that can appeal to the whole family without needing to change what exists on other floors. For this reason, lower level renovations often focus on areas designed expressly for entertaining, playing, working out, or simply hanging out, making these common basement prerequisites for today's households. We got the lowdown on how to get the most out of lower lever remodel from Neal’s Designer Christina Temple. Read on to hear how she approaches the design of these all-purpose spaces.

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Looking at “before” images of kitchens, one thing often stands out as always needing a better solution in kitchens that need an update- the lighting scheme. How well a space is lit is often one of the more overlooked components of a design, so we spoke with Neal’s Designer Lauren Donges about how professional designers address kitchen lighting. She highlights several key considerations for a nicely-illuminated kitchen.

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