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You can't
stand the look of your "old" kitchen,
but dread the thought of going from store to store,
looking through samples of color chips, wood grains
and faucet finishes. Wouldn't it just be easier
to simply click and print your choices to create
the kitchen (or other home improvement project)
of your dreams?
According to Allison
Beatty, RenovatorsPlace.com founder and regular
real estate suggests, many consumers now prefer
to do their shopping or research on the Internet
because they can shop at their convenience without
feeling pressure from a salesperson. "Consumers
can pull together a vast amount of research online,
sort through it, save it, or print it for future
reference," says Beatty. "Then, when
they do go into a store, they are better prepared
to make decisions. In essence, it gives them greater
control over the decision-making process."
"The Internet
also saves time," she says. "People
lead busy lives -- the last thing they want to
do is drive around to five stores to comparison
shop. Instead, they can do their research online,
and then narrow down their selections before driving
to a store."
Beatty says consumers
will continue to spend money to improve their
homes. They want to make their space more personalized,
even if that means taking a 5-year-old kitchen
and remodelling it to match their lifestyle. The
tendency seems to be slowing the economy, shifting
more people toward fixing up their existing homes
rather than buying newer, more expensive residences.
So if a kitchen
or other room remodel is in your future (or at
least in your dreams), what are some of the best
manufacturer sites to check out? Here are a few:
Moen recently launched
its latest Web site module, "Design Your
Own Kitchen," which allows users to create
different design and color schemes for the kitchen.
This module complements existing sections for
consumers to "Design Your Own Bathroom,"
"Design Your Own Vertical Spa," "Design
Your Own Faucet," as well as view other tips
and trends in remodelling.
This latest addition
to
www.moen.com
allows users to choose from more
than 60 Moen faucets and seven different colors
of MoenStone sinks to see what each would look
like in their kitchen. The faucets include all
of the company's most popular models, including
PureTouch filtering faucets. In addition, users
can choose their faucet finish, including new
copper and stainless steel, to create a host of
different looks -- from traditional to modern
to country. Users also can see different combinations
of kitchen cabinets, countertop and wall colors
with their faucet selection with this unique visualization
tool.
"We are continually
expanding the user experience and moving beyond
the typical manufacturing site to provide more
interactive and design flexibility," says
Ginny Long, Moen director of Public Affairs. "With
the new functionality of our site, consumers and
trade professionals can now actually see what
the products will look like before they are installed."
And what's a new
kitchen faucet and sink without some new cabinets
as well? Check out
www.schrock.com
to evaluate and plan a kitchen
remodel. Schrock.com
shows consumers various cabinet
styles and colors, shows them how to measure their
kitchen and even sets up the design process. Homeowners
can then take these measurements and selections
into a designated dealer for a free kitchen design.
"Our site
starts with an area called 'Your Master Plan'
that includes a variety of worksheets to help
consumers design their kitchen while at home,
says Stacie Gilles, Schrock marketing-communications
manager. "The site also includes important
planning and starting points, like budgeting,
selecting your layout and design, and making your
kitchen more functional with storage accessories."
Another helpful
site for consumers is www.GELighting.com/virtualhouse.
As visitors navigate through each room of the
Virtual House, they can stop on special "hot
spots" that highlight featured products or
lighting techniques. The "Designer Notes"
section offers a detailed account of the design
process, tips and an overview of the final lighting
effect. For those who'd like to try different
techniques for themselves, visitors can click
on the "Virtual Lighting Designer" option
to compare lighting options through online, interactive
product demos.
"The Virtual
Lighting Designer was developed with exact configurations
for each room -- particularly the kitchen -- of
the Virtual House, so the comparative lighting
techniques are rendered as they would appear in
real life," says Joel Hutt, GE Lighting's
general manager - marketing and communications.
And since we've
covered the kitchen from top to bottom, how about
the flooring? A good Web source to "walk
on" is
www.armstrong.com.
It has a colorful "step-by-step" tour
of the floor purchasing process including choices
in vinyl, laminate or hardwood. Your choice is
then put into a realistic residential kitchen
setting.
The site's "Room
Viewer," for example, lets you pull up a
sample kitchen setting, choose wall and cabinet
colors, browse flooring by color and pattern families,
then select your choice of complementary or contrasting
floor products.
"Our site's
Room Viewer is designed to take the guesswork
out of the purchase decision by letting consumers
see an entire floor pattern as it would appear
in a real room, rather than just one small sample
piece," said Thomas A. Cook, Armstrong corporate
design manager,
And finally, Beatty
recommends consumers visit her site,
www.RenovatorsPlace.com.
It is filled with information on topics from financing
and budget issues to advice on selecting kitchen
cabinetry and making product and design decisions.
There also are graphic images of room designs
and household products. This allows visitors to
go from A to Z in planning a remodeling project.
The site also has
project cost analysis and planning tools, such
as the Renovators Portfolio. Visitors can save
pertinent information in a personalized portfolio
for easy reference later or to print out and give
to a contractor and architect.
The site is also
an objective resource for consumers trying to
select materials and products from the vast assortment
on the market. It offers advice from people who
have been through the process and can offer an
informed perspective. The site is updated frequently,
as information is gathered on new products and
trends in the industry. In many cases the updates
are daily to reflect the need for current information.
"Web sites
have to do more than just list store locations
or showcase pretty pictures of a manufacturer's
latest products. These sites should include helpful
information that will guide the consumer in understanding
the products and making decisions about which
products to buy," says Beatty.
She also pointed
out that overall, sites should be easy to navigate
and quick to load, taking into account varying
computer and modem speeds, and should have good
visuals. Interactive tools that let consumers
estimate the cost of a project or select a retailer
that sells a particular product are also helpful,
so that you can start your remodel project with
the right products, at the right cost and be headed
to the right place.
Courtesy
of ARA Content
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