SW_HI_ZC_090717

20 | September 7, 2017 | 22nd century media home improvement Guide
22ndCenturyMedia.com
Open plan kitchen boasts feeling of
open, clear, light space
An open plan kitchen
is the perfect match for
almost any Orland Park
homeowner. It is open, casual
and free flowing. But
kitchen designs weren’t
always that way. What was
once considered a strictly
utilitarian space — hidden
behind closed doors and
disconnected from other
rooms — has become a
full-fledged member of the
home’s design scheme.
Lifestyle changes precede
the open kitchen layout
A more traditional lifestyle,
the one that baby
boomers grew up in, had
fathers working, mothers
staying at home with the
children. Meals were eaten
in the dining room; there
were only four channels
on the TV, and no video
games. Computers hadn’t
yet been invented. Well,
those days are gone. We
are casual in everything
we do, family members
are always on the go, each
needing to get things done
and a place to do them. In
this on-the-go lifestyle, the
kitchen is a Grand Central
Station for family activities
of all kinds.
This is where the kids
do their homework during
the week, where you have
friends over for dinner on
Saturday and where you
watch football on Sunday.
Today, everyone cooks. In
fact, having space for more
than one cook is high on
many wish lists. This means
that space must be found
so that two people don’t
continually bump into each
other. This space isn’t usually
inside the confines of
a work triangle. This evolution
of kitchen design is
underpinned by a change
in lifestyle. The attraction
of this style of living is the
luxurious feeling of open,
clear and light space.
When walls come tumbling
down
Today, homeowners
don’t want partition walls.
Kitchens are part of open
living areas that include
a place for casual eating
and a family room. Often,
there will be a home entertainment
center focusing
on a wide-screen TV.
The dining room is pretty
much a thing of the past. If
used at all, it’s only at the
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The importance of an
island in the open plan
kitchen
Open plan kitchens —
with their adjacent family
rooms, great rooms or casual
living spaces — led
to the use of kitchen islands.
Islands do important
things. They add useful
counter space to the kitchen
and provide an almost automatic
location for a second
sink or cooktop closer to
a sink. Islands add storage
space, cut down the walking
distances between work
centers and establish traffic
patterns that direct people
easily through the kitchen
and out of the cook’s way.
Large islands function
like big tables, providing
room to eat or to put food
out for buffet parties. Islands
are also natural room
dividers. In open plans,
they are shared elements
between rooms, with specialized
storage on both
sides. They are also a
shared design element.
An open plan kitchen is the
heart of the home
The kitchen is the heart
of the home; it has always
been so. In the 21st century,
kitchens are expanding
and becoming the welcoming
focal point of family
life and a family-oriented
lifestyle. What has evolved
is the notion of the kitchen
as the heart of the home.
An open plan kitchen fully
encapsulates that notion.
Submitted by Glen Borkowski,
of DreamMaker Bath &
Kitchen, 15645 71st Court,
Orland Park. For more information,
call (708) 426-1100
or visit www.dreambkop.com.
Interiors by Diane DeCero
welcomes designer, offers
one-stop-shop experience
Clients who walk
through the door of Interiors
by Diane DeCero are
sure to discover how the
Lockport-based business
can transform their home
or commercial space by offering
a wide range of interior
design services, which
include Hunter Douglas
blinds shades and shutters,
custom window treatments
and bedding, reupholstering,
furniture, flooring and
area rugs, kitchen and bath
design, home décor and
custom floral designs.
Located in historic
downtown Lockport, Interiors
by Diane DeCero is a
collaboration of creativity,
incomparable customer
service and years of experience.
Diane and Patti
have delivered beautiful
interiors for more than 20
years, taking careful consideration
to meet all of the
needs, wants and desires
of their clients to create the
home of their dreams.
Whether one has a new
home with a blank slate or
an established home that
merely needs a facelift,
Interiors by Diane DeCero
can help with one’s latest
project. Their passion is
creating beautiful interiors
by adding expressive color
texture or design to your
walls through the use of
paint, faux paint products
and wall covering.
They are a Hunter Douglas
certified dealer and can
provide latest styles and
trends in privacy and energy-efficient
blinds, shades
and shutters. In addition to
hard window treatments,
they specialize in creating
beautifully dressed windows
and beds with all of
the bells and whistles.
They are careful with
budgets, so instead of
buying a new dining
room set, they can deliver
an exciting new look for
one’s dining room by updating
their area rug, art
on the walls and a gorgeous
floral design for the
center of the table without
breaking the bank.
Once Patti Kallas, of
Lifestyle Designs, came
onboard, they have really
rounded out their services
by adding kitchen and bath
design featuring a wide
selection of cabinets, tile
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talk to one of their designers
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decorating needs.
Interiors by Diane De-
Cero is open Tuesday
through Friday from 10
a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday
from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Evening
hours are available by
appointment only.
More information coming
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Submitted by Interiors by Diane
DeCero, 905 S. State St.,
Lockport. For more information,
visit www.interiorsbyd
ianedecero.com or call (815)
552-2491 and www.lifestylede
signsfloortoceiling.com or call
708-912-4882.