Goodbye OAK!

There are still quite a few men out there, and even an occasional woman, who think there is no more beautiful wood than oak. I've been around for a while and, in my opinion, nothing dates a home more than oak: oak cabinets, oak moldings, oak furniture....Oak is out. That's a general
rule of thumb, of course, and there are exceptions: quarter sewn oak in a beautiful old bungalow is an example. But your standard gold-toned oak is not the premium upgrade that it was once considered. I do remember the days of almost awestruck enthusiasm when one was describing a new kitchen-'It's solid Oak!' was a sign of prosperity. Unfortunately, that's no longer true. Now it's more common to hear-'well, it's only oak'. Poor oak. I almost feel sad for it.

Earlier this year I visited a new client who was interested in doing some redecorating. She was talking new furniture and painting woodwork and new window treatments. I listened to her wishlist as we sat in her very oak kitchen and when she was finished with her list, I asked her what her budget was like and what she was planning to do with h er kitchen. Well, doing anything in her kitchen-other than possibly painting-hadn't made it to her list. My suggestion was that, given her fairly healthy budget, she should consider giving her kitchen an update. She is such a great client! She jumped on the bandwagon almost immediately.

She remembered that she had a neighbor who was in the refacing business and so she gave him a call. With very little mess to her home, his fabulous company (http://www.elitetrm.com/) was able to come in and reface the old cabinets, provide new doors and drawers, update the general look of the room by replacing a catch-all desk area with new glass uppers and counter height lowers. He even refaced the cabinets in the adjoining family room.

While one might think this is a much less expensive fix than new cabinets, it's actually not all that big of a savings in terms of money. What it does save is a lot of time and mess. I'm even thinking she didn't have to empty all of her cab inets! The result is really beautiful and updated the looks of her home tremendously.

And, yes, you will notice that there are also new appliances and painted trim and light fixtures-all part of the plan when redoing a kitchen. But!! She is very happy that she made this investment in her home. Buying new drapery and furniture may make your home look nicer, but it adds no value, and it is my opinion that when faced with the dilema of new furnishings for your home or adding value by updating, the later should always win.

Oak, you symbol of strength and stability, have no fear you will always have fans....maybe just not when it comes to kitchen cabinets.