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17 Foundational principals in Kitchen design

17 Foundational principals in Kitchen design

by Kyle Lindstrom November 10, 2022

The kitchen is the heart of the home and it is the place where day-to-day family life is directed. The kitchen is the place where people tend to have their best conversations and their most thoughtful engagements. It is also repeatedly stated as the most important room in the house by realtors. How kitchens are designed or renovated can have a huge effect on the resale value of a home. Due to the heavy measure of importance carried in the kitchen, it can be intimidating to build or remodel one. Below we have compiled a list of 17 different foundational principals to help you in your kitchen design and planning. 

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23 Things I Wish I Would Have Known as an Amateur Woodworker

23 Things I Wish I Would Have Known as an Amateur Woodworker

by Kyle Lindstrom October 19, 2022

Woodworking is a rewarding hobby, but it is not without its difficulties. We at Open Door Furniture have compiled a list of 23 things you need to know if you're just beginning your journey in woodworking. We hope that you can learn from some of our (and many others) early mistakes and flourish in your own ambitions as woodworkers. 

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The 2 Distinct Styles of Custom Walnut Furniture

The 2 Distinct Styles of Custom Walnut Furniture

by Kyle Lindstrom October 04, 2022

When we receive a commission for a custom piece of walnut furniture, we are faced with the question of how to build it. In traditional furniture building, the highest quality products are made from solid wood. Pieces of furniture built in this style are high in quality, but can potentially lack an even color tone. This is sometimes off-putting to our clientele. We have another method of building with walnut that addresses these concerns and elevates the aesthetic potential of the raw walnut. We call this building style "pattern matched".

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5 Considerations when Commissioning a Custom Conference Table

5 Considerations when Commissioning a Custom Conference Table

by Kyle Lindstrom September 23, 2022

The reception desk and the board room are the most client facing parts of an office. It stands to reason that businesses desire to keep these spaces looking clean, refined, and updated. When it comes to the boardroom, the conference table is the most important feature. Buying or commissioning a new conference table can be daunting and overwhelming. To help with this process we have compiled a list of 5 considerations for commissioning a custom conference table and the solutions we offer at Open Door Furniture to address those considerations.

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Interview: Andrew DePalma Concerning the Origin and Future of Open Door Furniture

Interview: Andrew DePalma Concerning the Origin and Future of Open Door Furniture

by Kyle Lindstrom September 16, 2022

In this interview I sat down with Andrew DePalma, the owner and operator of Open Door Furniture to answer a variety of questions about the origins and future of his business.

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20 High End Kitchen Details that Would Look Great in your Home

20 High End Kitchen Details that Would Look Great in your Home

by Kyle Lindstrom September 13, 2022

According to a study by the University of California, the average middle class family spends nearly 70% of their time in either the kitchen or family room. After years of use, when it comes time to sell a home, the kitchen is referenced (truila among others) as one of the two rooms that prospective buyers scrutinize most closely as they contemplate buying a home. Combining these two facts, we realize that the kitchen is principally important in the lived family life, and when it comes to resale. Because its influence is so great, it stands to reason then that the kitchen the room most worth investing time and money into.  Below we have compiled a list of 20 high end details that can make your kitchen more stylish, practical, and enjoyable.

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9 Furniture styles that will look great in your home and the influences that inspired them

9 Furniture styles that will look great in your home and the influences that inspired them

by Kyle Lindstrom September 01, 2022

Art reflects ideas, architecture reflects art, and furniture design reflects architecture. How did the popular furniture design we see today come to be, and what were the influences that helped form the style? We have compiled 9 different furniture styles with photos to help you understand how individual styles of furniture came to be, and what distinguishes them from one another.

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4 Popular Kitchen Design Layouts and their Unique Advantages and Disadvantages

4 Popular Kitchen Design Layouts and their Unique Advantages and Disadvantages

by Kyle Lindstrom August 29, 2022

There are many different ways that a kitchen can be laid out. Depending on the available space, some of these designs will work better than others. Below is a list of four different kitchen design styles with a list of their advantages and disadvantages, and a photo to provide a visual example.

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The Evolution of the Kitchen in 5 Major Movements

The Evolution of the Kitchen in 5 Major Movements

by Kyle Lindstrom August 19, 2022

It is easy to look at the way we live our lives now and think that is more or less how it has always been. In kitchen design, this is certainly not the case. Below we will look at five major periods that formed the modern kitchen.

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5 wood species that will make great furniture in your home

5 wood species that will make great furniture in your home

by Kyle Lindstrom August 12, 2022

At Open Door Furniture we build 100% custom pieces of furniture on commission. Below is a list of the five most common wood species we build our furniture out of, why we like them, and the design traditions that they work well in.

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Furniture You Purchase Once And Feel Good About

Furniture You Purchase Once And Feel Good About

by Andrew DePalma May 26, 2017

I love nature.  I really do.  It brings a sense of peace, reverence, and awe that is difficult to come by in our fast paced world.  This started when I was a boy on summer camping trips in the Sequoia National parks….yea those trees are big!   

This continued as I learned to enjoy the outdoors on backpacking trips as an adult.  Some of my closest friendships, best memories, and stories have been forged on these trips. 

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What Makes a Piece of Custom Furniture Solid

What Makes a Piece of Custom Furniture Solid

by Andrew DePalma May 26, 2017

There are literally countless ways to put a piece of furniture together.  The specific methods that a builder uses to turn a pile of wood into a piece of useable furniture is called joinery.    

Some types of joinery are time consuming, ornate, and just as much a part of the aesthetic as it is the structure.

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