Did You Know? Refinishing kitchen cabinets can save you significant money over a full replacement. If your cabinets are in good shape but you've grown tired of the look, consider refinishing or repainting them and adding copper or steel panel inserts! Tip of the Month If you're replacing an existing piece of furniture or gate with something new, consider recycling or donating the old one instead of throwing it into a landfill. CK Valenti Designs will recycle any existing piece you replace with something custom built by us. Tell a friend about us >

Welcome to the new CK Valenti Designs Newsletter, designed to share projects, pictures, news, and education.
 

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Billiard Room Built-ins

Seating and storage were the two main themes in this game room makeover. The Chandler, AZ homeowners commissioned CK Valenti Designs to design and build a seating system to give their friends a place to sit , and provide some much needed storage. The built-ins are mahogany, designed and stained to match an existing bar in the room. "Tabletops" spaced throughout the seating provide areas to set drinks (using a coaster, of course), and provide vertical shelves behind cabinet doors. The door insets are steel, finished with a colorful patina. To complete the room, CKV also built coordinating cornices over the room's two picture windows, a steel wine rack to match the cabinet doors, and matching baseboard with shoe moulding.

WEBSITE NEWS

Patina Samples Now Online

Based on feedback from our customers, we have added our most often requested patina samples to our website. Each unique finish is shown against a light-colored wood (maple) and a darker wood (oak) for your reference. There are numerous other patina options, spanning the spectrum of colors and patterns, so if you don't see one you like on the site, set up an appointment to look through our patina book!
Click here for the patina gallery

Recent Projects

The following projects have been added to our gallery:

• Tibetan Window Inserts: Steel accent window inserts of mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" in Tibetan script for Phoenix residence. Steel was patinaed with darkening brown patina to simulate rubbed bronze.
• Agave Patina Art: Three-panel art hanging for Chandler residence. Agave silhouette in raw copper forms a stark contrast to the darkened patina of the remainder of the panel.
• Built-in Bench Seating with Storage: This is the project featured in the "Project Spotlight" section above.

EDUCATION CORNER

A Cleaner Finish

These days, we’re all looking for safer, healthier choices for our families and for the earth. Not long ago the only choices for durable finishes on wood furniture were solvent-based. Solvent-based finishes can contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), released into the air during application. Clean-up of these solvents also requires harsh chemicals that release their own pollutants! Bad for the earth and your lungs. As the green revolution sweeps through the home furnishing industry, smart companies add water-based finishes to their product lines. It is now possible to find water-based finishes that are just as durable (if not more so) as their solvent-based cousins, and have several added benefits:

• Minimal Fumes: Water-based finishing products produce minimal fumes, which means your new media center won’t make the whole living room smell for days after installation.
• Non-flammable: Water-based finishing products are safer to use as there is no associated fire hazard.
• Easy Clean-up: Water-based finishing products can be cleaned up with good old soap and water. No need to open the can of lacquer thinner and introduce more VOCs to the air.