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Gone are the days when kitchens are supposed to be all one color. Designers are playing with different palettes and styles and consumers are loving it. As kitchens grow in size, so does the amount of creativity that goes into designing them. Today’s kitchens often tout a certain style or wood on the bottom cabinets and a contrasting or complementing (but definitely different) style or wood on upper cabinets. Another popular option is using different styles or wood colors to separate the different workstations. It is not uncommon to see an island or planning desk looking decidedly different than the cabinets that surround it. Countertops are often mixed and matched, too. While this trend works well in larger kitchens, professionals recommend using one color and style in smaller kitchens to produce a cohesive look that will help the small space appear larger. To find out more about this mix and match trend, see these articles: http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080608/news_1hs08kittren.html and http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/newhomes/chi-choices_nh_125jan25,0,7012719.story. Regards!

If you’re like me, you have lots of big ideas, but it isn’t necessarily easy to make them materialize. I know what I want and sites like www.housebeautiful.com/pictures and www.kitchenbathideas.com/gallery are unbelievably helpful when turning my thoughts into real solutions. They offer high-quality photos of a variety of styles and rooms. Kitchenandbathideas.com even offers blueprints of the rooms they photograph. For other pics and ideas, try your favorite furniture or accessory store. I love Pottery Barn’s catalog and website for photos and unique ideas. Most cabinet manufacturers also offer slick catalogs and websites with high-quality pictures of their cabinets in cool, up-to-date kitchens. So, go ahead, find a picture of your dream room and get busy!

If you have your own sites you visit regularly for decorating ideas, please share in the comments section. I have mentioned some larger commercial sites, but I am always looking for individual sites with great designs and would love to get your feedback.