Villa Pearl

Here is a Fieldstone vanity area done in the Villa Pearl finish.

It is a really exclusive, hand brushed finish.  Premier Custom Builders Installed this vanity in a house they are building.  The customer just loves it.

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Where style meets function, and design options are limitless...

Designing high definition kitchens in Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia and Chester Counties, PA

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New Fieldstone Finish - Mocha

INTRODUCING A NEW FIELDSTONE FINISH

MOCHA - A DEEP BROWN STAIN

Mocha is available on all Alder, Rustic Alder, Cherry, Rustic Cherry and Maple overlay and inset doors.

A new sample will be in the showroom shortly!

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Where style meets function, and design options are limitless...

Designing high definition kitchens in Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia and Chester Counties, PA

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Good news...

TINTED VARNISH FINISHES NOW HAVE A LIFETIME WARRANTY.

Effective immediately, Fieldstone Tinted Varnish finishes are covered by a Lifetime Limited Warranty. 

Because paints do not penetrate the wood like a stain does, MOST painted finished carry a lesser warranty than a stained finish.  Happily Fieldstone has changed this and ALL their finished carry a Limited Lifetime Warranty.

  Where style meets function and design options are limitless...

Designing high definition kitchens in Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia and Chester Counties, PA 

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So happy!

We are so pleased to have a recent kitchen published on the back of the new Fieldstone Doors and Finishes brochure.

This kitchen was deisgned by both Kristin B. Filosa of HD Kitchens and Cyndi Haaz, ASID  of  Cyndi and Tucci.

Both parties are thrilled to see there work highlighted.  If you have any pictures of your work, PLEASE send it in.  I know they are working on a new catalog, and I would love to see more of our kitchens in it!

All of your clients are provided this book, so it really is something nice for all of us!  I had to use a quick picture here, but I assure you the 

final product is wonderful.  

High Definition Kitchens from Hicks

Designing high definition kitchens in Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia and Chester Counties, PA 

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Lyptus is the latest addition to the Fieldstone wood species palette. Lyptus is a hard, fine-grain hardwood with a rich, warm tone. We offer it in a darker finish palette to minimize Lyptus’ natural color variation, which can be significant. More than most woods, Lyptus mellows and darkens with exposure to light.

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Onyx Oak

I am normally the first person to steer a client away from oak cabinetry, but a new trend is making me double check myself.

Onyx stain on Oak cabinets is amazing. The depth of color and pattern bring out the oaks beautiful grain and help to use it as an accent rather than a distraction. Most of the time oak cabinets almost make your eye dizzy with all the grain and pattern. The onyx (black) stain helps to tone down the chaos. The grain becomes an accent piece almost like glaze. You end up with a cabinet full of depth and character rather than a flat black almost dull Maple look.

The best part of all this, the color is on OAK! Again, normally not something I would put in the pro column if doing a comparison, but oak is one of the least expensive woods to have cabinets built in. This new trend allows for redecorating on a budget...it doesn't get better than that!!!

Where style meets function and design options are limitless...

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Amazing offers from Fieldstone!

15% off of 8 doors styles:
Bainbridge
Breton
Griffith
Romance
Bellmonte
Carmello
Recina
Stratford

10% off everything sale:
Take 10 % off every other door style

Ultimate Upgrade for FREE:
3/4" plywood end panels at no additional charge
Plywood selves are also available at no additional charge

ALL PROMOS RUN TO OCTOBER 1, 2010. this is a great way to close any of those open sales. Please call me with any questions. Thank you!

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Designing custom kitchens in Bucks County, Montgomery County and Philadelphia County,Pennsylvania.
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Our Enkeboll Displays...

Well, as most of you know, we have had a couple displays in our showroom waiting for Enkeboll crown to be placed on them. I have to say that they really haven't complained too much about not being finished, I on the other hand have not been so kind. John did an excellent job of installing all the cabinetry in the showroom, but was a bit stand offish when it came to cutting this molding. I guess when it runs about $100/foot, you measure 50 times and then measure again!

Our friend and business associate volunteered to "help" John cut the molding. It ends up that Herb did most of the cutting - which I think John was 100% OK with - and the vanity area is now complete.

It is really amazing how this 1 piece of molding can make such impact in this small area. The mirror will be hung soon, and the display will be finished. That is sure to mean I will be ready to rip it out and put a new one in very soon!!!

A very special thanks to Herb Schmoock of HJS Carpentry for dedicating his Wednesday afternoon to our showroom. Both Enkeboll areas look outstanding as well as the baseboards and Debut cabinetry display you are currently working on! For information on how to get Herb to install your kitchen call HJS carpentry @ 215-896-8367.




Come in and see the changes for yourself.

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COTY AWARD WINNER!!!

Congratulations to Kradzinski Remodeling...winner of 2 Contractor of the Year Awards (COTY)!

Pictures of the two kitchens are below!

Builder, Dan Kradzinski, has accreditation as a Certified Kitchen & Bath Remodeler. His 20 years as a Registered Master Plumber contribute to his expertise for your kitchen and bathroom remodeling probjects. To learn more about Dan and his work visit http://www.kradzinskiremodeling.com/

These are beautiful spaces that both the contractor and the homeowner should be proud of.

The top 2 pictures courtesy of Mike Irby Photography.

Both kitchens use Fieldstone Cabinetry. (http://www.fieldstonecabinetry.com/)




Hicks Distributors supplied the cabinetry and helped with the overall design.

If you have any kitchens you would like to display on our blog, let us know, it is always nice to let people know about the great work our customers do!!!

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Designing custom kitchens in Bucks County, Montgomery County and Philadelphia County,Pennsylvania.

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Getting the word out!

With February right around the corner,

Fieldstone is offering Sweet Deals on you favorite doors and finishes!

Monday February 1, 2010 - Wednesday March 31, 2010:

• Glazes are just 5%
• Glazes on Tinted Varnish (paint) are 18%-21%
• Stratford and Bainbridge Doors are 10% off
• 6 New doors - Bellmonte, Breton, Carmelo, Griffith, Recina, & Romance are 10% off
• Specialty Finishes like Amaretto and Licorice are 50% off
• No upcharge for inset

To make the deal even sweeter, any of the promotions can be combined with any other promotion!!!

That adds up to substantial savings!!!

Be sure to let your customers know about these options. This is a great way to make the sale, while maintaining quality. Call me with any questions.

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NEW!!! FIELDSTONE HARTFORD DOOR!!!

One thing that Fieldstone does not do is stop expanding it's product line. When all other manufacturers are taking off for the Holiday, Fieldstone is introducing new door styles!!! Here is the newest addition to the Fieldstone line up...

HARTFORD!!!

AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW.

Moulding applied along the stiles and rails creates a classic profile and directs attention to the raised center panel. The variety of surfaces provides opportunity for glaze hang up and an optional five piece drawer header or decorator edge adds even more detail.

The Hartford door is available in Alder, Cherry, Hickory, Maple and Oak and in a variety of finishes from a classic stain to a unique, hand-crafted specialty finish.

Shown above: Hartford door style in Cherry finished in Harvest.

This new door style will be in the show room in early 2010!

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2010 Price Changes & Promotions

Well, as is always the case, cabinets manufacturers will be raising prices in January of 2010. This has been a helpful resource for us as we are trying to close some end of the year sales. Increases are normally only 3-5%, but why pay that if you don't have to.

Also, Fieldstone has been running many promotions that will also be ending in January...glaze and door style discounts will be coming to an end January 15, 2010, and the Inset cabinetry promotion will be ending January 31, 2010.

If you need any modified numbers from me, please do not hesitate to ask. We are also asking all of our customers to let us know if there is anything they would like to see us do differently next year. We are striving to make 2010 a better year for our clients, and your feedback will certainly help us to that.

Thanks you again for all of your patronage through out the year...let's make 2010 a prosporus year for all of us!!!

Designing custom kitchens in Bucks County, Montgomery County and Philadelphia County,Pennsylvania.
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I just went out to measure for some Laundry Room and Bar Cabinets in a previous customer's home. I was so excited to finally get to see the kitchen we worked on a while back. It turned out to be lovely which matches not only the rest of the house, but the customer as well. I can't wait to get going on the new areas. Thank you for the opportunity to work together again!



Cabinets: Fieldstone Glen Cove Cherry Toffee/Ebony & Maple White/Ebony
Black Ribbon Accent in crown
Countertops: Cambria Quartz

The Fireplace wall was also done in Fieldstone cabientry with pocket doors and open display areas to compliment the kitchen...

Kitchen and Fireplace Area designed by Kristin B. Filosa

Home built by Souder and Sounder Contracting

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Where style meets function, and design options are limitless...

Fieldstone Color Expansion - BLACK

Fieldstone has offered Black tinted varnish for accent pieces for a long time, and now you can order Black tinted varnish for Maple cabinetry!

Black tinted Varnish is available in all line: Fieldstone, Fieldstone Custom, and Fieldstone Custom Inset

It has a Low Sheen with No spattering & No distressing.

Black tinted varnish carries the following upcharge:
Fieldstone Custom +13%
Fieldstone Custom Inset +13%
Fieldstone +16%

This is an exciting addition to the Fieldstone line up!

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A playlist of cabinet choices & colors

As I sit at my desk listening to my iPod, trying to get some kitchen layouts processed, it occurs to me that there is a correlation between cabinets and music. The more I think about it, I have rarely been to a job site where some sort of music wasn't being played while the cabinets we being installed, if I call down to the plant where the cabinets are made, there is always music on as well. So, maybe the craftsmen working with these cabinets have been privy to this information for years, and I am just now catching on!!! So here is my playlist of cabinet choices and colors...I hope you like the mix!!!

"White Shadows" Coldplay:

White cabinets can be simple & complicated. The most common whites you find are tinted varnishes on maple, but European design go high gloss, which are much more modern. Painted white finishes bring you many design ideas, and finish opportunities. Tinted Varnish whites can be distressed, glazed, low sheen, etc...they can basically be customized to your taste. A classic white kitchen is pictured here:

"Maplewood" Mary Flower:
Maple is a wood that offers the most versatility. Maple works well with almost everything, and is the go to wood choice for most remodels on a sensible budget. Maple can be both classic and contemporary, both light and dark, both structured and casual

"Cherry Oh, Baby" UB40:
Cherry is one of the most popular wood species on the market. Cherry ranges from natural to Bordeaux finishes. Recently the darker versions of this wood have been making a strong pull in the market. In my opinion, natural cherry is a beautiful wood, but it is not what most clients are thinking of when they tell me they are looking for a cherry kitchen. Most trade publications, and decorating magazines show the darker tones cherries , and therefore most clients request what they see. A Fieldstone Cherry Java cabinet door is shown below. This color tends to lend itself to a more modern or transitional look.


"Dreaming in Color" Jump5:
Color can completely personalize a kitchen, which ironically is why many people shy away from it. It can truly make a kitchen all your own, but for re-sale or longevity, it can be scary. Colors work in modern or traditional kitchens and are most often seen as an accent.

"Fade to Black" Metallica...
Black cabinets have started to get more and more popular in the past few years, especially as accent pieces, though you'll sometimes see a whole kitchen in black. If you have wood cabinets that you really dislike, painting them black can be an easy, affordable update. Black even shines over oak. The graining and patten work well with black paint. Adding a glaze to a black painted oak cabinet can really add huge interest to an otherwise tempermental finish.

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Where style meets function, and design options are limitless...

Fieldstone Promotion is Running out!

I know I have to update the blog more for the week, but I have been pretty busy here (yeah!), so I have 2 posts to be edited, and now I am typing another...I guess I will just call that multi-tasking!

I just wanted to remind you that the Fieldstone Glaze promotion ends in 4 days!!! Let's button up those kitchen and bath orders so we can all have a Happy Halloween!!!

If you need anything from me, let me know and I will be happy to get it to you.

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Where style meets function, and design options are limitless...

Fieldstone Desk, Library and Executive Kitchens Bar

We just got approval on a project in Berwyn which incompases a desk, bar and bookcase area. This customer has great taste, and is trying to create a look that is custom but time-standing.


LIBRARY UNIT:


The Library/Bookcases will be fully custom, so I can not show you a drawing, but they will be similar to the picture above. The door will be Fieldstone Shelburne and the color is White. The bookcase units will reach the ceiling and tye into the white crown molding wrapping the room.

DESK AREA:

The desk will consist of Fieldstone's Stratford Door in Eggnog/Bronze with a Cottage finish. The cottage finish includes edge wear, distressing, glaze & rub-thru.

BAR AREA:

The Bar will consist of Executive Kitchens Frameless cabinets in French Renaissance (top) and Neapolitan Bonaparte (bottom). these finishes are part of the Biltmore Collection and include rub-throuh, glaze, wormholes, spattering, light chain distressing, & breaks.

I am very excited to see these units completed and can't wait to work with this customer of future projects. Thank you Randy and Krista!

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Creating custom kitchens in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties.

Product Knowledge

WOW!!! I can't believe it is the end of the week already, and I have not been posting since Monday. Part of the reason is that the office seems to be picking up and getting busier, which is always nice, and another reason is that I have been out of the office this week at a Fieldstone training seminar.

The seminar was in Atlantic City, NJ and consisted of Product Training, New Product Launches, and 20/20 Training. Although it was a long day, it was VERY informative, and well worth the time.

Most of the new product information I had listed in a previous post. The major thing that is new is the addition of many "custom" items to the everyday Fieldstone catalog. there is not going to be too much that your client is going to NEED to pay for in the custom line anymore. It is nice to know they are simplifying the catalog, and making the bottom line lower. The other big thing that I mentioned before are the 6 new doors. They are also offering those door for 10% off until the end of the year. Here is a look at the new styles. Hopefully we will have them in the office in the next week.

I also learned a few shortcuts on 20/20, so hopefully I will be able to get those kitchen layouts out to you even quicker now!

If anyone is interested in attending one of these training seminars with me, just let me know. They are open to me as well as our clients!

I hope everyone has had a productive week! Keep me posted on what is going on with you.

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Cabinet Comparison

I get a lot of questions from clients about the differences between different cabinet lines. Most people want to know the difference between what we are offring and what they had "so & so" price out down the street. Clients want to know what makes you different than "so & so", and more importantly what makes the cabinets different. To be totally honest, my major concern is the client that DOESN'T ask. When comparing cabinet manufacturs, it is rarely easy to compare apples to apples.

Most box stores (ie: Lowes, Home Depot, 84 Lumber) have different lines of cabinets, but will not have them in stock because of the wide variation in sizes and color. So you are looking at a 4-6 week lead time, which in all fairness, is an industry standard.

Beyond availability is quality. Believe it or not, Lowe's and Home Depot can get away with charging 50-60% more for solid wood cabinets because customers firmly believe that they are offering the lowest price in the industry. Think about it...How may adds did you see when these stores went in telling you to shop and compare?...How many do you see now?

They have established themselves as the lowest price around, so customers are comfortable not double checking their price. They are not always the lowest price around anymore.

To make a fair comparison in price what you really want to look at is:

Construction (plywood vs. particle board)
Door Material (solid wood center panel vs. veneer)
Delivery (boxed vs. flat packed DIY)
Lead Time (10-12 weeks vs. 2-3 weeks)
Drawer Boxes (dovetail vs. stapled)
Drawer Glides (undermount full extention smoothclose vs. 3/4 extention standard close)

Charts like these are helpful:

Courtesy of www.highlandsdesigns.com

As you can see it is hard to get a fair comparison based on just looking at a cabinet door and liking the style and color.

If you are doing your kitchen, you owe it to yourself to look at the quality of the cabinets as well as the look. This is a job you are not going to re-do anytime soon, so you want to get the best you can while staying in your budget. If you are going to go to a box store, ALWAYS get a second opinion. You could end up getting a quote for a higher quality cabinet that is similar to a particle board cabinet, and you would have never known.

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Designing kitchens in the Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Counties!

New Fieldstone Cabinetry Information

Fieldstone just had it's first webinar. It was very informative, and let us know all about what they have planned for the end of this year and the start of 2010.

Fieldstone will be offering SKU expansion, New Doors at lower price points, new finishes, and more hoods.

Here is a quick overview:

• They will be expanding the 15" range mate to include a 24" range mate.
• All Cope and Stick doors will be available is all woods.
• 6 Doors styles being introduced in level 3-5
• 8 New glass door styles are coming
• Paprika stain will be available on Maple, Oak and Hickory
• SOLID BLACK is coming soon.
• 2 New door styles are coming...Hartford and Vail.
• 5 piece drawer headers are available on all cope and stick doors.
• New cutlery tray options are coming.

IN 2010:

• 120" moldings
• ADIP panels attached to back of cabinets in factory
• Onlay attached in factory
• Chamfored Stiles 1/4"
• Aluminium frames with frosted glass
• Lift up TV cabinet with remote and DVD storage
• Corner drawers
• Window seat SKUs with lift up tops
• More options for island ends and end caps
• Expanding the Stanichi Hood offering to all hoods that can be finished by Fieldstone (1000 hoods!)

Another point of interest was the custom quote department. They want to be able to say yes to every request you have. Recent things they have approved are:

• Door styles with different center panels.
• 120" tall cabinets (coming in 2010).
• 120" trim pieces (coming in 2010).
• Solid flat center panels.
• Any outside edge profile on any cope and stick door.
• Different stains on different species.
• Custom finishes for large projects.

To top it off they are offing many promotions that until now were one or the other. Now you are capable of COMBINING promotions! It really is a great offer. Now is the time to buy a Fieldstone kitchen!

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Designing kitchens in the Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Counties!