Neal's Home Remodeling and Design Blog

Craftsman style is known for warm, earthy colors, well-crafted woodwork, and artistic details, as seen in this kitchen by Wood-Mode Cabinetry.

There are very few architectural styles in America as pervasive as Craftsman. Also referred to as Arts & Crafts, Mission, or bungalow style depending on where you are, Craftsman architecture, grew out of a European movement that challenged the ornate frivolity of Victorian style at the end of the 19th century. By 1905, the movement had taken a firm root in America, and influenced architects and designers, as well as home decor artisans like Cincinnati's own Rookwood Pottery. Read on for a look at how a Craftsman look can be achieved in the kitchen.

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The bathroom vanity is a make or break element in the design of a bathroom. The style, scale, placement, size, and storage of the vanity in your bathroom are all key to the room's function and feel. In many cases, the vanity is a crucial visual focal point, and may even be the only thing really making your bathroom unique or interesting. With so much resting on the vanity, it deserves a good amount of thought and planning in any bathroom remodel.

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There might not be any surface treatment better suited to the wet environment of the bathroom than tile. With a huge amount of styles, colors, materials and installation options, tile makes a good backdrop as well as a focal point. In a bathroom, your choice of tile can have a bigger impact than in a larger space like a kitchen, so it's important to consider all the options available within your budget and style. Here are some of the key planning considerations for bathroom tile:

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The inclusion of an island can bring a lot of value and function to the kitchen. Adding counter space is the primary function of any island, large or small, but sometimes the island needs to do much more than that. Hard-working islands need to earn their keep by offering more than just a work surface. Here are six great examples of kitchen island designs that are the workhorses of their kitchens.

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