Balancing historical accuracy with modern storage needs can be a struggle, but  Grenier has a few tips for upgrades that can blend in without sacrificing function. 

Builder and Massachusetts native Peter Grenier is the owner of Wicked Good Woodworks LLC and is skilled in cabinetry. He also loves historic homes and finds one of the biggest challenges homeowners of older properties face is adding storage in a way that does not compromise the home’s historical integrity. 

From the kitchen to the bathroom and all areas in between, there are opportunities to maximize storage space without sacrificing key architectural features and compromising a home’s overall aesthetic. 

Historic Home Cabinetry Basics

Depending on the era of home construction and the type of home, many older properties would not have featured an abundance of cabinetry as part of their design. More exclusive properties, such as Queen Anne houses and other Victorian homes, were designed with myriad bespoke features, including built-in cabinets, shelving, and drawers. Per Peter Grenier, standard family homes were typically less detailed and featured more functional storage or standalone furniture options, such as now antique hutches, china cabinets, and cedar wardrobes.

The complexity of outfitting a home that was not designed with cabinets and storage spaces and maintaining a feeling of historical accuracy lies here and requires a blend of retro craftsmanship, historic finishes, and an eye for smooth transitions between strictly honoring a period and blending in contemporary touches. 

Kitchen

The kitchen typically has more cabinetry than all other areas of the home combined, so getting this room right is essential for the overall aesthetic of a home attempting to maintain a period feel. Peter Grenier of Massachusetts recommends a strategic approach that involves the construction of cabinets using design principles of yesteryear coupled with accent pieces that harken back to the era of construction. 

Kitchen cabinets have experienced a variety of transitions over time. From cabinet door position to trim and handles, there are various factors to be considered that can add historical appeal. For example, older cabinets often formed smooth lines with the cabinet itself when closed, while contemporary options often rest on the cabinet. Older cabinets may also feature more trim work around the edges or have a freestanding look with legs, even if the legs were not essential for weight-bearing. Mixing and matching these details can make a big difference when attempting to blend a modern cabinet configuration in terms of size and number into an older home. 

Another great way to ensure consistency is nailing an antique finish. For wood options, this may mean choosing a stain that either matches other wood tones in the home or is at least complementary. For a home with lots of painted detail, coordinating paint colors work. 

For smaller kitchens or when the desire to maintain extreme period accuracy is felt, Peter Grenier recommends keeping the kitchen as retro as possible and then relocating the conveniences of modern cabinetry to a larger walk-in pantry with ample storage solutions. Open shelving and historical furnishings can command attention in the kitchen without stripping a home of all convenience.

Bedroom Storage

Storage in the bedroom can also operate by similar standards. If a closet exists, custom cabinetry and storage in the closet area can help maximize tight quarters, according to Peter Grenier. If there is not a closet and room dimensions allow, a custom solution can be crafted to create a flexible storage space behind an antique door or double-door configuration.

An alternate option is to convert an unused room into a closet and dressing area with custom cabinets and storage befitting the period. Balance can be achieved with unique built-ins on one wall and antique furniture, such as an armoire and dressing table sprinkled throughout.

Does anyone like to meditate on the dirty floor where flies are hovering? Of course not, no one likes their home filthy. But the point is that we love cleaning our homes all the time. Even though we put in our extra efforts, it still did not shine like new. Why not leave it to the professionals instead of getting out the buckets, brushes, mops, and special cleaning products? Many advantages are there if you get a professional cleaning service for your home. For example, visit Bond Cleaning. To make your life easier, let us know about the advantages of hiring expert cleaners.

1. Clean air in the home

All of us prefer healthy and clean air to breathe. However, despite our knowledge, there are a great number of allergies, dust, dirt, and various infectious particles that may enter through your air conditioner. Professional cleaning services help in achieving the best quality of tidiness at the home. The dust and dirt get attached to the home’s carpets, mats, rugs, curtains, etc. To avoid buildup, these must be cleaned regularly, eliminating embedded dirt and dust, as well as deep stains in the fibers.

2. Unwind and enjoy

People are crazy to get themselves a clean home but is it a good utilization of time? Use the time you save by enlisting the help of a professional team for your creative efforts, education, family time, or simply resting. When the crew takes care of your home cleaning needs, you can spend the time saved doing whatever you want – even just sitting, reading, or binge-watching your favorite shows in an immaculate home – while appreciating the fact that it all happened without you having to lift a finger.

3. Long-Term Investments

Furniturebegins to deteriorate if they are not deep cleaned regularly using professional equipment and processes. The fiber inside luxury fabrics gets loosened up and may get rough in their finishing. Cleaning these valuable things regularly might assist in ensuring their longevity. Call the staff to properly extract all impurities and restore your things to prevent natural deterioration of fibers and surfaces. The carpet cleaning equipment, which is placed on a truck, gives genuinely exceptional results.

4. Perfect tools for the right task

The tools and products you use don’t work as well as the professional cleaning instruments used by cleaners, no matter how hard you scrub or mop. Rather than spending hours scrubbing stains out of grout and tile, we can restore grout and tile—as well as other surfaces such as granite, stone, and cement. The tools and methods are truly industry-leading.

5. It helps you save time.

It’s all about living a good life so people love to earn more amount of money. Tile and grout repair, stone cleaning, carpet cleaning, drape, and blind cleaning, and air duct cleaning are some of the additional services you will require over time. This can be saved by hiring a professional cleaning service.

Therefore, these are some of the best benefits of professional cleaning services.

As someone who is well-known for having a beautifully designed home, Lori Nazemetz knows a thing or two about decorating rooms. Many people enjoy home design and decor because it enables them to turn their homes into spaces that they can be proud of. Here are some small things that almost anyone can do to improve the state of their home. 

Paint Walls

If you have the time and means to do so, painting your walls can give a room a completely different ambiance. Dark blue and green colors are suitable for bedrooms since they convey a sense of calm and serenity. Bright yellow shades are often used in kitchens because they are cheerful and increase appetite.

If you do not have the time to paint the walls of an entire room, consider painting certain sections, such as door frames and window sills, or painting one wall an accent color. You can also give some color to pieces of furniture for roughly the same effect. 

Rearrange Furniture

You can rearrange your existing furniture to make a space seem larger and more open or smaller and cozier, according to your wishes. One common mistake people make is setting all of their furniture against the walls. There are many more creative ways to place items in a room that are more appealing than lining the pieces up against a wall. For example, having a bed at a diagonal angle when you walk into a bedroom gives the room a cozy and intimate vibe. 

Use Your Outdoor Space

Remember to utilize any outdoor space that you have when thinking about home design and decor. Lori Nazemetz might suggest putting plants on the back porch or installing a flower garden. A garden is not only aesthetically pleasing but provides light physical activity to those maintaining the space. If you do not have a green thumb, there are additional ways to upgrade your yard, such as by:

• Installing lights along a path leading to your front or back door
• Putting up a fence for aesthetic or privacy reasons
• Laying down stones or bricks to serve as a walkway throughout the yard 

If you enjoy spending time outside, redecorating your yard is something to consider. 

If you wish to redecorate your home, think about starting with one or more of these three things. 

Lori Nazemetz Bio

Lori Nazemetz enjoys spending time in her wonderful home with her family and helping her children pursue healthy lifestyles. As part of her mission to bring physical fitness to others, Lori Nazemetz established Dragon Fighting System, an organization that helps people learn the valuable skill of martial arts. Lori, a former NFL cheerleader, now assists with numerous volunteer organizations, including the Special Olympics and Bags of Hope.