If you are looking to remodel your bathroom, but haven’t done it before, you might be wondering what you’re in for. Here is a list of ten things you will want to keep in mind when planning your remodel.

1.       Buy Everything First- The best thing to do before you begin tearing things out is to have everything on hand first. Whether you are gutting the entire bathroom or just making a few changes, picking out all of your paint colors, tiles, and fixtures beforehand will save you time and a lot of headache.

2.       Unforeseen Costs- Another important thing to think about is the cost. After you’ve set your budget and priced out everything you will need, it is a good idea to consider extending your budget. You might run into an issue like having to update all of the electrical wiring, in which case you will be happy you set aside some extra money in the budget.

3.        Shower Storage- Designate a few spots to add some shower storage with ceramic tile shelving. It will keep the space looking sleek and new, and keep you from having to hang a caddy around your brand new shower head.

4.        Dealing with Old Flooring- Old vinyl or tile flooring can be a huge pain to rip up, but an easier way to deal with this is to tear up the underlayment along with it. You will have to put down new underlayment, but this process will be quicker and easier for you.

5.       Choosing Cabinetry- The aesthetics of your bathroom cabinetry can make or break the space. Think about the style you are going for and how a beautifully crafted cabinet will help get the look you want.

6.       Shower vs. Tub- It used to be that having a bathtub was a must if you wanted to sell your home at some point. Now more and more people are opting to only have a shower in their bathroom. Before you start your remodel think about whether you really need a tub or if you would rather have all that space for a nice roomy shower.

7.       Choosing Accents- If you want a pattern in your tile, but don not want to blow your whole budget on the pricy options, consider doing some accent tiles along the top or middle of a shower.

8.       Lighting- If your old bathroom is scarce on lighting think about how you might be able to add more. A skylight is a great option to allow more natural light into the bathroom if your space and budget allow for it.

9.       Down The Road- If you are planning on staying in this house the rest of your life it might be a good idea to consider adding things like a nice tile or wooden bench to the shower, forgoing the threshold to the shower or adding a safety bar.

10.   DIY vs. Not- If you come up against something you are not sure about; don not be afraid to call a pro. It is better to spend the extra money and have it done correctly.

About LifeArt

LifeArt is a wholesale cabinet company that offers a broad range of ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinet lines, in both framed and frameless styles. LifeArt provides dealers with beautiful custom all-wood cabinets, in the most effective and time efficient way possible.

There’s more to selling cabinets than, well, selling cabinets. In order to get a cabinet business up and running, you must first find clients. Finding clients means marketing, which can be both expensive and ineffective if done incorrectly. If done correctly, however, marketing does not have to break the bank and can reach many potential clients.

The following suggestions can help jumpstart your marketing and gain more cabinet clients.

• Expand your services. Use every talent and resource you have to offer services to clients. Talents might include interior decorating or consultations. Expanding your services will help you reach a greater variety of clients, who will in turn recommend your business to others.
• Expand your market. Kitchen designers tend to focus on one type of client. This client has money to spare and will redesign their kitchen often. While this client is obviously profitable, in order for the business to grow, it will help to find other, perhaps less wealthy clients. These clients can still be profitable if you market the correct services for them.

“When trying to work with clients who have less disposable income, get more creative with your service offerings. For example, offer consultations and design plans that customers can execute on their own or with their own contractors, instead of full-fledged services in which you design, contract, manage and complete the work using your own crew. You could also offer design by sections. This would let you work on small portions of a kitchen at a time—such as the dining room, cooking area, cabinetry and storage areas—for clients who need work done but who cannot afford a complete job all at once.” http://smallbusiness.chron.com/grow-kitchen-design-business-44950.html

• Get back to basics. The standard practices of marketing are standard for a reason. They have worked for a long time. Make sure you have taken care of these easy, inexpensive steps: put your business name in the phone book, create social media pages, and print business cards.
• Build on the basics. Once you’ve employed all the customary marketing tricks to get your name out there, it’s time to get a little more creative, and put in a little more effort.

“Look into setting up a booth at trade shows and local home and garden conventions. Submit articles to home design blogs, websites, and publications. Make your website more interactive by adding a forum, videos, or a blog where you encourage readers to comment.” http://smallbusiness.chron.com/grow-kitchen-design-business-44950.html

• Know your message. Deciding what you want your marketing message to be means knowing who your audience is. What type of client are you trying to attract? What about your cabinets will meet this type of client’s needs? Design your message to answer both questions.
• Know where to deliver your message. Again, think of the client you are trying to attract. Are they more likely to respond to a direct mailer, or a sponsorship on public radio.

"In addition to the message itself, where you place your message will have an effect on the response you receive, both in terms of quantity of responses and quality." http://www.kitchenmarketing.com/kbdn-406.htm

• Track leads. Tracking leads is as simple as asking clients, “Where did you hear about us?” and watching profits for increases. Tracking leads will help you understand which marketing efforts are working and which should be abandoned.

Keep in mind that not all marketing means instant results. It can take a while for word to spread, but the easiest way to ensure eventual business growth is a strong marketing plan. 

“Remember, no matter how wonderful your firm is, it will never reach its potential without a strong marketing plan. In a world where perception is just as important as reality, kitchen and bath design firms need to be sure that they, just like their finished projects, look as great as their work”. http://www.kitchenmarketing.com/kbdn-406.htm

There’s more to selling cabinets than, well, selling cabinets. In order to get a cabinet business up and running, you must first find clients. Finding clients means marketing, which can be both expensive and ineffective if done incorrectly. If done correctly, however, marketing does not have to break the bank and can reach many potential clients.
The following suggestions can help jumpstart your marketing and gain more cabinet clients.
1. Expand your services. Use every talent and resource you have to offer services to clients. Talents might include interior decorating or consultations. Expanding your services will help you reach a greater variety of clients, who will in turn recommend your business to others.
2. Expand your market. Kitchen designers tend to focus on one type of client. This client has money to spare and will redesign their kitchen often. While this client is obviously profitable, in order for the business to grow, it will help to find other, perhaps less wealthy clients. These clients can still be profitable if you market the correct services for them.
3. Get back to basics. The standard practices of marketing are standard for a reason. They have worked for a long time. Make sure you have taken care of these easy, inexpensive steps: put your business name in the phone book, create social media pages, and print business cards.
4. Build on the basics. Once you’ve employed all the customary marketing tricks to get your name out there, it’s time to get a little more creative, and put in a little more effort.
5. Know your message. Deciding what you want your marketing message to be means knowing who your audience is. What type of client are you trying to attract? What about your cabinets will meet this type of client’s needs? Design your message to answer both questions.
6. Know where to deliver your message. Again, think of the client you are trying to attract. Are they more likely to respond to a direct mailer, or a sponsorship on public radio.
“When trying to work with clients who have less disposable income, get more creative with your service offerings. For example, offer consultations and design plans that customers can execute on their own or with their own contractors, instead of full-fledged services in which you design, contract, manage and complete the work using your own crew. You could also offer design by sections. This would let you work on small portions of a kitchen at a time—such as the dining room, cooking area, cabinetry and storage areas—for clients who need work done but who cannot afford a complete job all at once.” http://smallbusiness.chron.com/grow-kitchen-design-business-44950.html “Look into setting up a booth at trade shows and local home and garden conventions. Submit articles to home design blogs, websites, and publications. Make your website more interactive by adding a forum, videos, or a blog where you encourage readers to comment.” http://smallbusiness.chron.com/grow-kitchen-design-business-44950.html
“In addition to the message itself, where you place your message will have an effect on the response you receive, both in terms of quantity of responses and quality.” http://www.kitchenmarketing.com/kbdn-406.htm.
7. Track leads. Tracking leads is as simple as asking clients, “Where did you hear about us?” and watching profits for increases. Tracking leads will help you understand which marketing efforts are working and which should be abandoned.
Keep in mind that not all marketing means instant results. It can take a while for word to spread, but the easiest way to ensure eventual business growth is a strong marketing plan.
“Remember, no matter how wonderful your firm is, it will never reach its potential without a strong marketing plan. In a world where perception is just as important as reality, kitchen and bath design firms need to be sure that they, just like their finished projects, look as great as their work”. http://www.kitchenmarketing.com/kbdn-406.htm

                                                                                                        Closet Hacks: How to Make the Best of Small Spaces

Not everyone is lucky enough to have their very own spacious walk-in closet. Chances are you’ve had to deal with a very small closet at some point in your life, and you might even have one now. Luckily there are some easy closet hacks to make the most of your space- no matter the size!

Clean It Out

The fist step in making the most of your small closet is making sure you’re not storing more than you have to. Go through your clothes and look for things that you never wear or don’t fit in, and donate or sell them. The same goes for shoes, old boxes of things, and any other junk that’s cluttering up your space. Next you’ll want to rotate out your wardrobe by season. If it’s springtime take all of your winter sweaters and put them in a box, or better, a vacuum-sealed bag that can keep dust out and eliminates space. Store it all under your bed or hide it away in another place. After doing this, your closet should be looking bigger already!

Hanger Hack

To get the most out of your closet you should hang as much of your clothes as possible, saving precious drawer or shelf space for items that can’t be hung. A hanger hack that can free up more space on your closet rod uses something you probably already have lying around: a soda can tab. Grab the tab and slide one hole of it over the hanger hook so it’s resting at the base. Now you can use the other hole of the tab and hook on another hanger so you’re getting two items hung in the space of one. If you have room to add whole other rod behind or below the one you already have, that would be another great way to double up on space as well.

Don’t Waste Any Space

Look for empty walls in your closet—these could be a prime location for new hooks or organizers for your stuff. A bag rack would be an easy way to store any purses you have lying on the ground or a good way to organize ties or accessories. That extra space above your door could be used to hang items you only use occasionally, such as weekend bags or luggage. Hammer in some heavy-duty hooks and your duffle will be out of sight. Make sure to use all of your space wisely. If you can’t hang an entire organizer, hammer in a couple hooks on a thinner wall for smaller items. Using the back of your closet door is critical too. Hang a shoe organizer over the back and use the compartments for whatever you like.

Don’t Ignore Your Floor

While you don’t want to risk tripping yourself, you can still do a lot with your floor space. In order to avoid having the floor look cluttered, you’ll want to use some kind of organizer. Whether it’s a shoe rack, bins, or decorative boxes, you can create a lot of extra storage at the ground level. Line the wall with these storage savers and test out the new space to make sure you can still walk from side-to-side and reach what you need without any issues.   

Want to learn more about closet hacks? Consult the experts at LifeArt Cabinetry. With years of industry experience and a wide-variety of options to choose from, you can transform your kitchen cabinetry into more than you imagined. Contact one of our experts today at: (770)582-0098. 

Whether you’re looking to spruce up a space, or gut it and start from scratch, there are all kinds of ways to make your closet space work for you. Not everyone has a sprawling walk-in, but size or expensive treatments don’t always necessarily matter when it comes to achieving the closet you’ve always wanted. Here are five ways to design your dream closet on a budget.

1.      Assess Your Space and Any Waste

Whether you’re dealing with a one-door shallow closet, a two-door sliding closet, or a bigger walk-in, you’ll want to take some careful measurements. Look at the way you’ve laid things out and note any empty, unused spaces. Measure things like the distance between your top shelf to the ceiling, the closet rod to the back of the closet, and empty wall spaces. If you find that you have extra room you can implement things like a double closet rod (add one behind or below the one you have already, and double up on the space).

Next you want to look for any waste cluttering your space. This could be clothes or shoes you haven’t worn in ages, or even bulky boxes you have sitting around. Selling your old items can boost your budget and allow you to do more with your closet. Another tip is to rotate out items that you aren’t wearing that season. Fold them and put them in a vacuum-sealed bag (to reduce dust or damage) and slide them under your bed until that season comes around. The fewer clothes you have in your closet, the cleaner it will look, and the easier it will be to find what you’re looking for.

2.      Storing Your Clothes

The way you store your clothes is directly related to the space you get out of your closet. Here are some rules of thumb:

·         Hang pants and skirts under shirts and give longer items like coats and dresses their own nook.

·         Use cabinets or drawers for your shoes so they’re easily accessible.

·         Use a special rack or organizer within a drawer for things like ties and belts or other accessories.

·         Reserve dresser space for delicate clothes or small items such as undergarments.

3.      Make the Most of Your Floor Space

You don’t want to overcrowd your floor or risk tripping yourself, but you do want to make the most of your floor space. Add a shoe rack or decorative boxes or baskets to store items like handbags. This could also be a prime location to put your hamper and store dirty clothes.

4.      Transform Unused Space

Look for things like empty walls in your closet. This could be a prime location for a bag rack for your purses. If it’s a smaller sliver of wall, simply add a hook and hang ties or necklaces. Another good trick is to use the back of your closet door. Hang a shoe organizer over the door and use the compartments for anything you want!

5.      Customize Your Closet

Now that you’re all organized, this is your chance to really customize your closet. Visit an antique shop and look for vintage knobs to add to your drawers. Find a paint color you like and add a nice pop of color to the walls. An easy way to add the appearance of more space is adding a mirror to a wall or door. If your closet is dark and dreary, brighten it up with a new light fixture or warm up the space with a soft rug. A few touches later and you’ll be organized, customized, and left with the closet you’ve always dreamed of.