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Transforming A Finished Basement Into A Home Bar

Scarce on square footage? Multipurpose spaces allow you to prioritize everything you need and want no matter how big or small your home is. In this post, we’re going to focus on transforming a finished basement into a home bar in 2021 — just in time for our President’s Day Sale February 12th through February 22nd!

Now is a great time to save big on our all wood cabinetry and build the basement bar of your dreams while on a budget. Cheers to an even better at-home happy hour! Here are some things to keep in mind before starting your project.

Maintain your basement’s storage without sacrificing style.

You can still use your basement for storage purposes after transforming it into a home bar. After all, the whole point of having multipurpose spaces is that they serve more than one function. Start by optimizing any closet with an organization system that will help you to make the most of any existing storage space. Then, depending on your basement’s floor plan, install sleek all wood cabinetry along one wall or as an extension to your bar cabinets. These extra cabinets can accommodate any additional odds and ends you want to keep in the basement. With discreet, stylish storage solutions incorporated right into the room’s design, your holiday decorations and memorabilia will be out of sight while still safely tucked away.

Create a basement bar that has everything you need to enjoy a drink at home.

When designing a home bar, custom is your best bet, since every homeowner seeks different features. Whether it’s a wine storage cabinet to keep extra bottles of your favorite red, a refrigerator filled with champagne for big game celebrations, or glass door bar cabinets to showcase your collection of whiskey glasses. You want your home bar to have everything you need to enjoy a drink at home, as well as an entertainment center for your big screen TV and some comfortable seating. If you’re looking for assistance with your design, tap into our complimentary design services. We’d be happy to help you bring your dream bar to life!

Brighten up your basement to make it more inviting.

A common concern when turning a basement into a finished living space is the inherent darkness. Most basements lack natural light, so they tend to lean more toward the dark side. This is obviously not ideal, but not to worry! You can offset your basement’s naturally dreary ambiance by adding layers of artificial lighting. First focus on ambient lighting, which is best delivered through recessed or pot lighting. This type of overhead lighting is built into the ceiling, so it won’t make the (already low) ceiling appear any lower. If recessed lighting is not an option, short stemmed track lighting can work as well. From there, strategically place floor and table lamps, sconces, under cabinet lighting, and task lighting to add extra brightness where it’s needed most.

Think outside of the box when it comes to color scheme, theme, and decor.

From coastal themes to industrial chic designs, your home bar has no limits. Don’t feel boxed in by your basement. Forget what it used to be and allow yourself to fully imagine what it could be. Choose the colors and design that complement your home and style without worrying if it’s the right concept for a “basement” bar. With good lighting, comfortable furniture, and detailed decor, your basement bar will hardly feel like a basement at all. We can’t wait for you to open a bottle from your wine storage cabinet, and relax in your new finished space!

Welcome to Willow Lane Cabinetry — the #1 place to buy affordable, semi-custom cabinets online! Let us help you create the kitchen, home office, home bar, laundry room, closet, TV room or bath of your dreams with our 100% free room design tool. We offer all wood cabinetry, fully assembled and delivered for free, plus all the accessories needed to complete your remodel. Visit our website to see our products today!

Inspiring Kitchen Design Ideas For Spring 2021

Spring is a time of beauty and fresh starts. If your renovations checklist includes a brand new kitchen in the new year, but you are unsure where to start, look no further. From custom cabinets to on-point accents, here are some spring-inspired design ideas and tips to help set you on the right path.

Classic Comfort

According to interior design experts, comfort and a classic aesthetic will be the hallmarks of 2021. Embracing a more traditional approach is key, but that does not have to mean overly ornate or fussy. Instead, try to balance contemporary and classic sensibilities when choosing furniture, decor and kitchen cabinet finishes. This transitional approach opens many possibilities for personalization, with timeless, thoughtful details like retro appliances, curved table legs, corbels on a large kitchen island, or full overlay cabinet doors. Adding these steadfast, familiar elements help to craft a more traditional space while still maintaining a liveable and cozy vibe.

Natural Beauty

Earthy neutral colors and natural elements are still on trend this year, and spring is naturally the ideal time to bring a soothing bit of the outdoors in. Paint your walls and ceiling in a tranquil palette. Then, layer in organic textures and softer materials that have a calming effect, such as caned or rattan chairs, jute area rugs, seagrass baskets, burlap table runners, cotton or bamboo Roman shades, ceramic pottery canisters, and natural stone countertops. Consider adding an air purifying houseplant in an empty corner or on the kitchen island, and opt for healthier, green-friendly materials, such as CARB2 compliant kitchen cabinets or NSF and Greenguard certified flooring options.

Light And Bright

Custom cabinets typically top a kitchen renovations checklist. This year, timeless white and light kitchen cabinet finishes remain popular with homeowners and buyers, with a trendy, two tone twist. Take a quick scroll through Pinterest or the pages of your favorite home magazine, and you are bound to notice dream kitchens with white or light cabinets and a darker kitchen island. This two tone look is right on point and helps to create a more dynamic kitchen design, whether you are pairing crisp white Shaker cabinets and a dark blue kitchen island or a combination of light and dark grey kitchen cabinet finishes.

A spring makeover should be a natural transition to a more comfortable and liveable home that you and your family can enjoy for seasons to come. Are you inspired and ready for a fresh start? Shop our President’s Day Sale, February 12th through 22nd, 2021, and begin your free room design before another season passes by!

3 Clues That Prove You Need To Rethink Your Storage Space

When things go missing and you’re tripping over misplaced items, it may be time to rethink your storage space. Recent trends show that there is a demand for custom cabinets that offer more storage in the home, with both homeowners and buyers looking for smart organizing solutions in every room. If you’re hesitant to make a change for the better, here are some clues that prove you need to reconsider.

Clue #1: Everything is overflowing and you can’t find your favorite sweater.

There’s nothing more frustrating than rummaging through your closet and not being able to find that perfect piece of clothing — especially when you are in a hurry! Some closets are so messy, you may even forget what you have in there. This leads to buying even more clothes and accessories, because you “have nothing good to wear.” Or so you think. And let’s not forget that overflowing dresser stuffed with socks and undergarments. Solution: Design a custom closet system, complete with rods, shelving, drawer stacks, and efficient extras like sliding belt and tie racks and lingerie organizers.

Clue #2: Your shoes are kept in a big pile and are they getting ruined.

Piling your shoes up on the floor or throwing them haphazardly in a basket leads to dirty, flattened footwear and wasting time digging around to locate a matching pair for the occasion. Shoe racks are an easy solution, but they tend to be flimsy and are prone to collecting dust. And if you have a large collection, you’ll soon discover a small wire rack won’t hold much. Solution: Adding adjustable shoe shelves or cubbies to a custom closet design plus space for bins at the top of the unit.

Clue #3: There are toys everywhere and you’re always losing the remote control.

If you’ve ever stepped on one of those little plastic building blocks or tripped over a stuffed animal, you know how painful having toys all over the house can be. And it’s not just the little ones making a mess. Teenagers leave things wherever they go, and then they need your help to find their stuff later. You can try to get a handle on it by making kids clean up at the end of the day, but without adequate storage, you’ll end up with piles on every table and in every corner of the room. Solution: Install TV Room Cabinetry to surround the big screen in style, and house books, games, toys, electronics, and that annoying remote control.

Other game changing storage solutions include laundry room cabinets to keep wash day essentials neatly behind closed doors and inside cabinet accessories for a more functional kitchen, to name a few. Now that you’ve solved the mystery behind the mess, browse our selection of custom cabinets for the home, and take advantage of our free room design tool to finally fix your storage issues. And don’t miss our President’s Day Sale, February 12th through 22nd, 2021, online at Willow Lane Cabinetry.

3 Valentine’s Day Breakfast Sweets To Make Together

Celebrate Valentine’s Day morning by whipping up a sugary-sweet breakfast in the heart of the home. From sticky cinnamon buns made with love, to warm, chocolatey waffles and a sugar-topped breakfast cake bursting with red cranberries, here are three delightful recipes to make together in your very own kitchen.

Homemade Cinnamon Buns

You’ll find lots of good recipes for tasty homemade cinnamon buns on Pinterest, but Jo Cooks has discovered the secret to making those giant, gooey buns that are the highlight of the best mall food courts. This easy-to-follow recipe is broken down into three sections: dough, filling, and cream cheese icing. You’ll need some of the usual suspects commonly found in the refrigerator and kitchen pantry cabinet, including butter, eggs, flour, salt and yeast, plus three different kinds of sugar. Oh, and don’t forget the big jar of ground cinnamon in your spice rack! For the complete list of ingredients and instructions from Jo Cooks, click here.

Chocolate Waffles

A crisp and tender Beligian waffle is a treat in and of itself, but adding chocolate to the mix gives this breakfast favorite the ultimate Valentine’s Day twist. If you have a waffle iron in your kitchen pantry cabinet, this recipe from The Salty Marshmallow can be done in 30 minutes and makes around 6-10 waffles that are light, fluffy and delicious. Plus, there is a secret ingredient that we’re sure you have sitting on your kitchen island countertop right now — leftover coffee! Cold coffee actually helps to coax out the rich flavors of the cocoa. Serve your waffles topped with powdered sugar, whipped cream and pure maple or raspberry syrup. Click here for the Chocolate Waffle recipe from The Salty Marshmallow and click here for a homemade raspberry syrup recipe from Taste of Home.

Cranberry-Orange Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

Bright red cranberries make this Cranberry-Orange Buttermilk Breakfast Cake the perfect Valentine’s Day treat. This festive recipe comes from Alexandra’s Kitchen and calls for fresh cranberries, buttermilk, and orange zest — so you’ll also need to dig out that zester from your utility drawer! Cranberries can be a tad on the sour side, so we suggest coating the cranberries in some extra granulated sugar to tone down the tartness, if you prefer. Visit alexandracooks.com for the Cranberry-Orange Buttermilk Breakfast Cake recipe, and make the batter the night before. Then, simply pop it in the oven the next morning, pull up a stool at the kitchen island, and enjoy Valentine’s Day with the ones you love!

This Valentine’s Day, grab your sweetheart or gather the whole family, wear some adorable matching holiday pajamas, and get cooking! Which breakfast sweet are you most excited to try?

The Top Home Interior Colors Of 2021

If you are planning a high-end kitchen remodel in the new year, or are looking to give your living spaces a fresh dose of color, you may be wondering where to start. Dark blue is still right on point as we head into 2021, but this rich hue has some good company. Here are the top interior colors of 2021 to infuse your home with style.

Illuminating and Ultimate Gray: The Color Combo Of The Year

In January, the color experts at Pantone picked not one, but two gorgeous shades as their Color of the Year for 2021. This dynamic duo is a “marriage of color conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting,” according to Pantone. PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating is a cheerful, vibrant yellow with a positive and optimistic vibe. Paired with this bright and energetic color is the more subtle PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray. Like pebbles on a beach, this serene, timeless shade offers a solid foundation that strikes a perfect balance when teamed with Illuminating as an accent color. Together, this combo helps to create a warm and inspiring interior and would be right at home in a modern kitchen design.

Urbane Bronze: A Hue Rooted In Nature

S oothing neutrals are here to stay, from soft shades of creamy beige, green and gray, to moody dark blue, brown and charcoal. These colors are rooted in nature and help to create a more liveable and comfortable interior that will never go out of style. With that said, Urbane Bronze SW 7048 was the natural choice when Sherwin Williams picked their 2021 Color of the Year. Refined yet down-to-earth, this tranquil shade has an organic feel, and is the greige of choice for homeowners who want a bit of bold contrast against crisp white cabinets and trim. This color also works beautifully with the mixed metal trend, from oil rubbed bronze knobs and pulls, to stainless steel appliances, hoods and kitchen sinks.

Aegean Teal: Celebrate The Simple Pleasures
There’s a reason Benjamin Moore chose Aegean Teal 2136-40 for its 2021 Color of the Year. This versatile hue is perfect for a coastal-themed bathroom, a contemporary home office, or the trendy farmhouse style of modern kitchen design. As a neutral shade of blue-green, it offers a pop of color that is both chic and comfortable. Like a cozy bed with rumpled sheets, enjoying a warm cup of coffee in the kitchen on a lazy Saturday morning, or the scent of laundry fresh out of the dryer, this color feels like home wherever you decide to use it.

Which color is your favorite? If you want to save money on that high-end kitchen remodel and other projects on your home renovation checklist, be sure to shop our Friends and Family Sale, January 27th through February 8th, 2021!

How To Pick The Perfect Sink For Every Space

Kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, wet bar sinks, oh my! When there are so many great options for the various wet areas in your home, how can you even begin to make sense of it all? Before your head starts spinning, take a step back and read on to learn how to pick the perfect sink for every space.

Kitchen Sinks

When selecting a sink for dream kitchens, placement is key. If you are remodeling an enclosed kitchen area with a window, installing the kitchen sink below can offer natural light and maybe even a lovely view that makes washing dishes less of a chore. In a spacious open concept space, a kitchen island facing a wall with exterior windows achieves the same effect, and is therefore the most popular kitchen sink placement for builders and contractors.

Whether you opt for a single, double or triple bowl, it’s important to keep the overall style of your home in mind when shopping for kitchen sinks. A sleek quartz sink or seamless acrylic solid surface countertops with an integrated sink are hallmarks of modern kitchen design. On the other hand, a copper or stainless farmhouse sink works well in both traditional and transitional homes.

Wet Bar Sinks

A wet bar provides a convenient source of water for making ice cubes, washing limes, and rinsing glasses while entertaining. If you wish to include a sink in your bar cabinet design, size (and material) matters quite a bit. Without a doubt, a small size and low-maintenance material works best for a wet bar.

Typically, an undermount, single bowl sink is the ideal option, and stainless steel is the material of choice for several reasons. Stainless steel is durable, easy to clean, and resistant to stains when serving up cocktails and wine spritzers. The perfect size for a bar cabinet sink is 15” wide to 18” wide. House Beautiful recommends placing your wet bar sink off to one side to make conversation easier when playing bartender.

Laundry Room

A laundry room sink generally rests close to the washer and should be large and deep enough for hand washing clothing and delicates. A stainless farmhouse sink fits the bill, or if you prefer a more modern look, opt for a 24” stainless steel or quartz/acrylic sink.

If you don’t mind shelling out a few extra coins, a freestanding basin sink is a classic choice for the laundry room and can provide a touch of vintage or industrial charm, depending on the material. Similar in form and function, but bit more refined than the plastic utility sinks commonly found in a garage, this style is often made of metal or enamel-coated cast iron.

Bathroom Sinks

When pairing sinks with your bathroom cabinetry, there is a wide array of styles and installations to choose from. Vessel sinks provide an opportunity to add some artistic flair to a powder room and can complement modern bathroom vanities in a master bath. Dream bathroom options include colorful tempered glass, bamboo, porcelain, marble, granite, onyx, and cast bronze. When planning a redesign, keep in mind that bathroom sinks should be scaled to suit your bathroom cabinetry, leaving enough countertop space for morning and bedtime routines.

Designing The Ultimate Closet For Your Winter Wardrobe

When the weather outside turns cold, it’s finally time to bring those puffy coats, cozy sweaters and fleece-lined boots front and center. While warm and stylish, these bulky pieces certainly take up a lot more space than sundresses, t-shirts and flip flops, and they also require a bit more thought and care when storing. If winter is your favorite time of year, here are some tips for designing the ultimate closet for your winter wardrobe.

Custom Cabinets To Neatly House Winter Wardrobe Pieces

When rethinking your closet this season, consider adding custom cabinets with smart storage solutions that maximize space. Personalized options include single-hang rods, double-hang rods, drawer stacks, adjustable shelving, and functional accessories. When you shop online at Willow Lane Cabinetry, you can create a closet with custom cabinets designed and made just for you and your favorite winter wardrobe pieces. Click here to get started, or read on to learn more.

Shelves For Sweaters: When it comes to that cozy sweater collection, marthastewart.com recommends folding thick, chunky knits to save space and preserve the structural integrity of these items. Simply stack sweaters on a shelf, like they do at your favorite department store.
Adjustable Cubbies For Tall Boots: When including a shoe rack in your custom closet design, make sure you take stock of what you have, and group footwear of similar heights. Then, adjust shelves to house tall boots together on one, and shorter sneakers, slippers and shoes on another.
Single Rods For Long Items: Adding a designated space for long skirts, dresses, and wool coats is vital during the cold winter months, so be sure to include a section with a single-hang rod to prevent wrinkles.
Drawer Stacks For Socks And Tights: Come winter, you’ll need lots of socks to keep cold feet warm and snug. Drawer stacks put items like socks, tights, and legwarmers at the ready whenever necessary, as well as hats, gloves and scarfs.
Functional Accessories: Accessories like sliding belt and tie racks, velvet jewelry trays, lingerie organizers, pants hangers, and valet rods keep everything in reach and easy to find, and they also help to streamline getting dressed on chilly winter mornings.

Other items to consider for your cold-weather closet makeover include plush area rugs, comfortable seating, a full-length mirror, and even a closet island! Is the ultimate closet for your winter wardrobe on your ultimate holiday wish list this year? If so, be sure to shop our Winter Holiday Sale, December 14th through 18th, 2020, at Willow Lane Cabinetry, and take advantage of our free online closet design tool!

Welcome to Willow Lane Cabinetry — the #1 place to buy affordable, semi-custom cabinets online! Let us help you create the kitchen, home office, home bar, laundry room, TV room or bath of your dreams with our 100% free room design tool. We offer all wood cabinetry, fully assembled and delivered for free, plus all the accessories needed to complete your remodel. Visit our website to see our products today!

How To Get Your Kitchen Holiday-Ready

More than any other time of year, dream kitchens are the true heart of the home during the winter months. From prepping spectacular holiday dinners to baking cookies and pies, ‘tis the season for making sure your kitchen is clean, organized and in tip top shape. Read on to learn how to get your kitchen holiday-ready for all the extra cooking, baking, eating and gathering to come.

Keep countertops uncluttered.

A clear kitchen island and countertops are essential now more than ever, so stash away those small appliances and cooking utensils behind closed doors and drawers. Inside cabinet accessories, such as utility trays in drawers, a door mounted spice rack in tall kitchen cabinets, or a heavy duty mixer lift in a kitchen island base cabinet, can help maximize your storage space and make your kitchen more functional, organized and efficient in time for the holiday season.

Start fresh in the fridge and kitchen pantry cabinet.

Now that you’ve eaten all your Thanksgiving leftovers, it’s time to give your refrigerator a good cleaning. Take everything out one shelf or drawer at a time, wipe away drips from containers and condiments, and discard anything that is past its prime. Clean the inside of the refrigerator and regroup like items together in easy-to-access zones. Then, do the same with your kitchen pantry cabinet. Starting fresh provides space to fit the extra sugar, flour, eggs and butter needed for holiday baking, plus all the groceries and ingredients you’ll be buying for feasts to come.

Make sure your kitchen is stocked and fully functional.

Dream kitchens should always be equipped with quality cabinets and appliances — but don’t stop there. While important, a fully functional kitchen requires more than just an on-point design. When it comes to holiday cooking and baking, make sure your cabinets are fully prepped and stocked with all the necessities, like fresh spices, dinner and servingware, baking dishes and trays, and an ample assortment of cookware and utensils. Place unnecessary items on a top shelf in your tall kitchen cabinets to make room for these holiday season essentials, and make sure you have plenty of storage containers for all those Christmas cookies and other festive treats.

Gathering in the heart of the home is an important part of the season, whether it’s baking cookies or sharing a special meal together. What are your favorite tips to help get your kitchen holiday ready?

The Key To Making Confident Color Choices At Home

With so much talk of neutral color schemes, decorating with color can be an intimidating prospect for many homeowners. But even the most monochromatic interiors deserve a dynamic pop of complimentary color for personalization and added visual interest. Here, we’ll unlock the secret to making confident color choices at home, whether you want to surround yourself in color or simply want to add a favorite hue to accent neutral walls and furnishings.

Understand The Color/Mood Connection

Have you ever noticed how certain colors can affect your mood? Whether you’re designing a home office infused with energetic orange walls, a tranquil bedroom retreat in a soothing shade of green, or a timeless kitchen with dark blue Shaker cabinets, keep in mind the purpose of the room and the way colors make you feel.

Here is a quick breakdown of the attributes associated with some of the most popular color families:

Blue: Timeless, Serene, Inviting
Green: Earthy, Refreshing, Peaceful
Yellow: Warm, Cheerful, Invigorating
Orange: Inspiring, Energetic, Creative
Red: Stimulating, Passionate, Powerful
Pink: Refreshing, Sweet, Joyful
Purple: Refined, Optimistic, Soothing
Brown: Comforting, Reliable, Cozy
Gray: Calm, Reflective, Balanced

Now that you better understand the connection between color and mood, decide which hues are most liveable for the unique personalities and spaces within your home, and use basic color theory to help determine which shades are complimentary to your palette.

Take Advantage Of Online Tools

Step into any paint store and scan the wall of color swatches — we know, it’s enough to make your head spin! Before you purchase a slew of samples and turn your walls into a patchwork quilt, check out these tricks that will make choosing a paint color so much easier, or take advantage of online tools, like the Sherwin Williams ColorSnap® Visualizer. This handy tool lets you explore color options for your walls, from Exuberant Pink to Anchors Aweigh, an on point shade of gorgeous dark blue. You can even upload a photo of your room to virtually paint in the colors of your choice.

When it comes to quality cabinets for the home, the free room design tool at Willow Lane Cabinetry gives you a custom layout and photorealistic renderings, so you can see how your selection of kitchen cabinet finishes will look in your space before you make a purchase. These online tools remove the guesswork to help you feel confident about the color choices you make at home.

4 Common Kitchen Storage Dilemmas Solved

If your kitchen is two parts clutter, one part chaos, then the missing ingredient is a storage system for your custom cabinets. In our busy lives, most of us lack the time or expertise to put systems in place that will solve our storage dilemmas. But without a storage system, maintaining order in the kitchen is challenging (to say the least).

This part of the home contains a wide variety of everyday items, from silverware and dinnerware to s’mores ingredients and dog food. You need a functional way to store and separate the endless list of things that live in your kitchen. Here, you’ll find solutions to some of the most common kitchen storage dilemmas.

“I can’t find what I’m looking for!”

Most organizational gurus believe that everything needs its own place. Without a go-to spot, you end up putting things away wherever there is space. This not only leads to overcrowding your custom cabinets, but it also makes it impossible to find what you’re looking for.

Items get shoved to the back of your kitchen pantry cabinet, never to be seen again. And forget about whatever you tossed into your tall kitchen cabinets. Do you even know what’s up on those top shelves?

To stop the endless search, create sections within your kitchen that store items by category. For example, you might keep everyday dishes in an accessible spot and your more formal dinnerware on the top shelves of your tall kitchen cabinets. With this approach, you will always know which area of the kitchen to head when looking for a specific item.

“My cabinets and drawers are a total mess!”

Piling things up on your cabinet shelves and shoving them in drawers is clearly going to get messy. Kitchen items are all different shapes and sizes, so it can be difficult to organize them in a way that optimizes space and still keeps everything in reach.

Inside cabinet accessories like tray dividers, tiered cookware organizers, and Lazy Susans can calm the chaos brewing behind your cabinet doors and drawers. These cabinet organizers store items in the best way possible, whether vertical, stacked or swiveled. After organizing items with these types of accessories, you’ll find that you not only have more space, but everything is now in plain view.

“My shelves are overflowing!”

If you seem to have more stuff than storage, opening your cabinet doors could be risky business. On any given day, an avalanche of food could come pouring down on you. Instead of dodging kitchen pantry cabinet items, start utilizing hidden space like behind cabinet doors and inside base fillers.

These sneaky spots are usually forgotten but can carry some of the load for your shelves. Tall, lean items are best, such as spices, seasonings, oils and cooking sprays. Take a look at this base filler or our door mount spice rack for some inspiration on what hidden storage space might be waiting within your custom cabinets.

“I have way too much overstock!”

It’s great to have a backup box of your favorite cereal or a couple jars of your go-to pasta sauce. But when you end up with way too much of the same type of item, you risk things going bad before you have time to use them all. Overstocking also takes up valuable real estate in your kitchen pantry cabinet that could be better utilized.

Instead, keep all of your overstock in one designated cabinet or storage bin. When you run out of something on the shelves, check your “overstock bin” before adding that item to your grocery list. Limit your overstock bin to one or two backups (depending on how frequently you use that item and how much space you have to spare). Keeping all of your overstock in one place, and following this process, will make sure you never run out of your morning cereal. It will also keep your kitchen pantry cabinet in check.