Giveaway~The Last Step In A Worry-Free Makeover

At the end of this post, please leave a comment for a chance to win $100 Visa gift card!
Welcome to the last post in my series titled, "Four Steps To a Worry-Free Kitchen Makeover." As a design professional, I know firsthand that for many homeowners the thought of a kitchen renovation is accompanied by anxiety over all the decisions that need to be made. I'm teaming up with Sub-Zero and Wolf to share my tips for each stage of a kitchen renovation to help put your worries to rest.
Here is a look back at the other three posts in this series:
Step One: Define Your Goals.
Step Two: Find Inspiration and Create Your Design Plan.
Step Three: Executing Your Design Plan.
Today's post will address the last step: Living in Your New Kitchen and Making It Yours.

Hiring a design professional right from the beginning stages of your project will automatically reduce anxiety associated with a kitchen remodel. In the end, they've helped you make all the big decisions and together you have created a kitchen that will stand the test of design time. When the time comes for the contractors to pack up their tools go home, it would seem like the time to consider your project complete. At this point the main design elements are in place and your beautiful new space is by professional standards considered "installed". However, be prepared that it may not feel like it's really yours until you begin the very last step of the makeover process. Breaking in your new kitchen. Entertaining family and friends, cooking and living in your new kitchen will create memories that bond you to the shiny new space. Here are three ways to get started...
Add Personal Touches
One of my favorite ways to bring an instant dose of familiarity to a brand new space is to incorporate family heirlooms or treasured items. Some of the first things I introduced to my new kitchen after the makeover were my favorite cookbooks, our Grandmothers dishes and a treasured family photo. Not only do we use these things daily, but they double as decorative accessories that give the brand new space a personal touch. There are so many fun and attractive ways to display items such as these. Browsing through kitchen photo galleries or sites like Houzz.com, you can get a lot of ideas for staging personal items. For example, I typed in "cookbooks" in the Houzz search bar and found some great inspiration. I love the way they have the cookbooks styled in this image...

Contemporary Kitchen by London Interior Designers & Decorators Amory Brown
Here is a great example of vintage dishes displayed in fresh, updated, modern day kitchen…

Traditional Kitchen by Decatur Kitchen & Bath Designers Renewal Design-Build
This is fun use of photography in a kitchen…

Traditional Kitchen by Wallingford Interior Designers & Decorators Hartley & Hill Design, LLC
Cook Your Favorite Meal
During every stage of my own kitchen makeover, I envisioned myself cooking for my family. Each design decision was made with this vision in my mind. As soon as the contractors left, I began cooking one of our favorite meals right away. My brand new kitchen and I instantly bonded. Putting your new appliances to use has to be one of the most exciting points in a kitchen makeover. If your new kitchen features Sub Zero and Wolf appliances the Sub-Zero and Wolf website offers exclusive tips to help you master their products and create delicious meals. In addition, industry professionals share their passion for the perfect food and the experts at Sub-Zero and Wolf have created a library of recipes tailored to their appliances.

Contemporary Kitchen by Madison Appliances Sub-Zero and Wolf

Host a Family Party
Another way to instantly bond with your new space is to host a family get together as soon as the space is complete. Shortly after my kitchen renovation, I hosted a big family gathering. Of course I enjoyed showing off my new kitchen, but having my family share a meal together christened the space. The time we spent preparing our food, eating and cleaning up afterwards marked the end of my kitchen makeover project and the beginning of many new memories to be made in my new space. Seeing the new kitchen you love packed with people you love is the best part of a kitchen makeover.
Join in the conversation and follow Sub-Zero and Wolf on Facebook. For more information on their appliances, visit Sub-Zero or Wolf online, or view their Kitchen Design Planner kit here. To enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, leave a comment below letting me know how you would upgrade your kitchen!

Sweepstakes Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
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4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 11/6/14 – 12/4/14.

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