No matter what the economy, kitchen interior design seems to be unaffected. Floors and appliances wear out and need replacing, cabinets get old, paint fades and the family cook suddenly finds the whole room unworkable. That's when it's time to renovate, and designers say this year's kitchen interior design trends are pleasing both to the eye and the environment. "We're noticing less new construction and more renovation. More clients are staying put, and want their current space to function properly and look great," said Kati Curtis, an interior designer with Kati Curtis Design in Manhattan and a member of the American Society of Interior Designers. "They are more willing to spend on top-quality, energy-efficient appliances and materials that look great, perform well and will last." Kate Talbott, a kitchen and bath designer at Millbrook Cabinetry and Design on Route 44 in Millbrook, said this year's trends lean toward big open rooms for dining and seating — the great room concept. Perhaps because of that, furniture styling is also of interest to homeowners. "Making things look like furniture … furniture legs on islands, furniture details on bases, making islands look like tables, things like that. It's definitely a popular look," she said. In cabinets, people are opting for painted wood rather than a natural oak or cherry wood stain. "White is incredibly popular for anyone doing paint," said Talbott, adding that a glaze on top of the standard white is a...

This Manhattan interior designer is always on the lookout for a great sleeper sofa, as it's almost a necessity for those who live in NYC. Here are our top picks

As in everything we do the "yogic" way is of course, to consider the environment first. What are some necessities you will need for your yoga studio?

Never place a large mirror in front of your bed! This is a big no-no in Feng Shui. Having a mirror in front of your bed can redirect harmful chi back at you.

Kitchens and bathrooms are by far the most important rooms in the house when it comes to remodeling, selling and buying. Interest in these highly specialized and technical areas of the home gobbles up a huge portion of HGTV and DIY Web sites, and is a specialty among designers like me.

Put simply, an induction-cooker element ("burner") is a powerful, high-frequency electromagnet, with the electromagnetism generated by sophisticated electronics in the "element" under the unit's ceramic surface. When a good-sized piece of magnetic material such as a stainless steel skillet is placed in the magnetic field that the element is generating, the field transfers ("induces") energy into that metal.

In hopes of avoiding the last minute scramble to try and make the virtually impossible happen for a client, I wanted to provide a post on basic tenant fit-out costs in NYC. We want our potential clients to be armed with the proper information to plan wisely, from both a timing and a budget standpoint.

How much carpet goes to landfill? It is estimated 5 billion pounds of carpet was sent to the landfill in 2003. The previous year, The Carpet America Recovery Effort was formed and the numbers have been decreasing every since. But there is still a lot of work to do to truly eliminate this global dilemma.

I had never been to the USVI before, and as I was in awe of their beauty, it got me thinking about inspiration from nature. Living in the Urban Jungle, winter in New York can literally be black and white. But as I commonly think of "natural" colors as being fairly neutral, my surroundings on St. John were anything but. The islands inspired me to think of color in an entirely new way, and to add a dose of tropical inspiration to my designs as we venture into the long winter ahead!

Which got me thinking...Although it's never an exact science, there are a few guidelines we can use to determine what your project will end up ROUGHLY costing before even beginning the design.