Kitchen Renovation: Our Choice of Oven and of Range Hood

A. Maytag Gas Stove from M E N A R D S.  It was purchased because our Contractor owns an oven of this brand.  We have had to do an easy repair of a bent oven-door hinge (under warranty). 

pc: Menards

pc: Menards

B.  Zephyr Savona Hood from A B T Appliances. Chose Zephyr because it was used by someone whose online account I follow.  The one "problem" we had with a light was an easy fix via customer service/telephone. 

pc: Houzz

Maytag® 30" Gas 5.0 cu ft Range

Zephyr Essentials: Savona

Popular: Kitchen Counters, Walls, Backsplash

Kitchen: A House We Built

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LIST: Hubby's Employer Ranking for Yr 2019

My husband's company made it among the Yr 2019 TOP 10 employers (1000+ employees) in the Chicagoland area, hoorah! -- beating-out Comcast (BIL's employer), MacDonald's Corporation,  and Lou Malnati's Pizzeria (what?!!).

Who would not like a company that shuts down during the Holidays so that more family-time could be had, and gives gifts and decent bonus checks?! 

Praising God for His provision thru the years.

	Company	Sector	Years on TWP list
1	Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices KoenigRubloff Realty Group	Residential Real Estate	1
2	Salesforce	Information technology	7
3	Abt Electronics	Retail sales, services	10
4	@properties	Real estate	7
5	Baird & Warner	Agents/brokers	8
6	Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises	Food	2
7	Panda Restaurant Group	Food	2
8	US Cellular	Wireless communications	4
9	Ace Hardware Corp.	Hardware	5
10	S&C Electric Co.	Electrical utility industry	1
11	Accenture	Consulting	10
12	Lou Malnati's Pizzeria	Food	10
13	William Blair	Investment banking	10
14	Discover Financial Services	Banking/financial	10
15	First Midwest Bank	Commercial Bank	3
16	Now Health Group	Supplement manufacturer	4
17	Wintrust Financial Corp.	Investment management	6
18	Comcast	Telecommunications, cable	3
19	Fifth Third Bank	Financial Services	3
20	KPMG	Public accountants	5
21	Barrington District 220	Primary/secondary schools	1
22	Rivers Casino -- Des Plaines	Gaming, entertainment	7
23	JLL	Commercial real estate	8
24	McDonald's Corp.	Food	1
25	Sargent & Lundy	Engineering	5
26	Thresholds	Nonprofit	6
27	Morningstar	Investment research	4
28	Coyote Logistics	Transportation	10
29	Aldi	Retail	3
30	Medline Industries	Health care supplies	9

Source: Energage, Chicago Tribune

Top Workplaces 2019






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Kitchen Renovation: Backsplash That Wow

"Moon" via Floor & Decor

We wanted a statement wall -- a can't-miss element in our kitchen. So we chose a 17 x 17 inch porcelain tile from Spain. It's bold, linear/round, modern. 

We also wanted a niche (to add to the 5 we already have in our bathrooms) above our stove.  My Contractor warned me of the possible issues  when you have a niche against an outside wall come the time our wall siding is to be installed.  We'll cross the bridge when we get there. I gave the go-ahead.

Aren't these walls nice?!!

Photo by Square Footage Inc. 

Photo by Finch London 

By Emser Tile Los Angeles - See more Home Design Photos

Photo by Space Harmony

Where Should You Start and Stop Your Backsplash?

Photo by Kinswater Construction Inc.

Houzz: Kitchen Backsplash

What’s Popular for Kitchen Counters, Backsplashes and Walls

New Looks for Cabinets and Countertops Emerging in 2019

Beautiful Wall Tiles You’ll Be Hankering After

10 Kitchen Backsplashes That Make a Statement

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It's 84 Days Before Christmas 2019

Christmas is coming soon!

October 2:  On this day in history: 





1869 - Mahatma (Mohandas) K Gandhi was born. He was known for his advocacy of non-violent resistance to fight tyranny. 

1870 - Rome was made the capital of Italy. 

1919 - U.S. President Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. 

1920 - The Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates played the only triple-header in baseball history. The Reds won 2 of the 3 games.

1937 - Warner Bros. released "Love Is on the Air." Ronald Reagan made his acting debut in the motion picture. He was 26 years old.

1941 - Operation Typhoon was launched by Nazi Germany. The plan was an all-out offensive against Moscow. 

1950 - "Peanuts," the comic strip created by Charles M. Schulz, was published for the first time in seven newspapers. 

PEANUTS © 2005, United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

1955 - "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" debuted on CBS-TV. 

1959 - "The Twilight Zone" debuted on CBS-TV. The show ran for 5 years for a total of 154 episodes. 

1967 - Thurgood Marshall was sworn in. He was the first African-American member of the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Thurgood Marshall

2001 - NATO, for the first time, invoked a treaty clause that stated that an attack on one member is an attack on all members. The act was in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. 

2015 - The reorganization of Google into Alphabet Inc. was completed. Alphabet became the parent company of Google and several other companies previously owned by Google. 

pc: wikipedia

They that sow in tears 

shall reap in joy.

Psalm 126

On This Day: October 2

Thurgood Marshall

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LIST: 32 Home Design Trends That Will Rule in 2019

The complete List by Houzz's of Year 2019 design trends is H E R E .   I am happy to note that a few of my own recent renovation choices  have kept us up to par with  a portion of their list. (The question now is what will be trending in Yr 2020 and beyond, Lord willing?)

#1. Full-tile backsplash feature walls. 

Attention-grabbing backsplash tile is nothing new in well-designed kitchens. We’ve seen colorful geometric and quirky patterns show up in a lot of kitchens for years now. 

Photo by Carl Mattison Design 

But what many professionals are seeing more of lately is an interest in taking the tile from countertop to ceiling, including behind floating shelves and flanking range hoods, to create a striking feature wall.


# 4. Cream-colored cabinets. White is still the top choice for cabinet color, according to the Houzz kitchen report, but no two whites are created equal. Some paint companies offer more than 150 white paints — how do you choose? 

Many homeowners are moving away from the bright, stark whites and embracing off-whites that feel warmer and cozier, like Skimming Stone by Farrow & Ball, shown here in a Boston kitchen by Lisa Tharp Design. 

Photo by Lisa Tharp Design

5. Quartz countertops. Engineered quartz was finally crowned the most popular countertop material in 2018 following a three-year decline in granite, according to Houzz research. 

The natural stone and resin material is incredibly durable and can visually mimic the look of more expensive and maintenance-heavy materials like marble and slate. 

In fact, quartz is so popular that even risings costs associated with trade tariffs haven’t dissuaded homeowners, who save elsewhere in their remodeling budgets in order to still get quartz countertops. “Prices for quartz that either was made in China or routed through China are now seeing 20 percent markups to make up the increased purchase price,” designer Carl Mattison says. “I find in my world people are relying on me, the designer, to help offset costs so they can still get what they want.”

Photo by Sutro Architects

# 25. Glass-and-steel room dividers and interior doors. Glass and steel have been popular materials in recent years for front doors and shower enclosures. But good ideas spread quickly. 


Expect to see a lot more glass-and-steel dividers and doors between interior rooms. They create an open feel and allow light to pass between rooms while still providing some privacy and noise control. Plus, they just look cool, adding a stylish graphic element or contrasting color to otherwise white walls.

Photo by RoomSecret

Photo by Deirdre Doherty Interiors - Browse bathroom photos

Link:  32 Home Design Trends That Will Rule in 2019

32 Home Design Trends That Will Rule in 2019

Quartz vs. Granite: The Battle of the Countertops

29.04.2020
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