CARIBOU, Maine — With the fall season in full swing, we’ve reached a time of the year when home improvement is at the forefront of many peoples’ minds. As we move well into October, the leaves have already begun to change, and autumn has ushered in a new batch of bright colors to the Aroostook County scenery. As homeowners begin raking up the freshly fallen leaves, some may also be pondering the possibility of a home improvement that will provide a fresh look and feel to their homes, as all those residing in Aroostook County gear up for another harsh winter.
Before northern Maine becomes blanketed by a likely series of winter snows, this may be the last chance to begin undertaking any sort of home improvement project, whether it be a complete remodel or a quick paint job. The brisk fall days will soon turn into cold winter storms, and those who don’t act fast may be left in the cold.
For those who don’t want to wait out another harsh Maine winter, the chance to move one step closer to your dream is only a phone call away. The S.W. Collins Co., along with their Home Design Center have been serving the greater Caribou area since 1844, and their dedicated staffs are full of home improvement experts, who can help point customers in the right direction when it comes to almost any of their home improvement needs.
The S.W. Collins Co. Kitchen and Bath Home Design Center is an integral part of the S.W. Collins Co. The design center’s team is dedicated to helping anyone and everyone achieve their dream home or room on a budget they can live with. Located at 41 Hatch Drive in Caribou, the Design Center features northern Maine’s only Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD), Cindy Dufour. Kim Morrill, Jane Griffeth, Kassie Nadeau and Marcy Whipple complete the team in the Caribou location, while Kelly Burtt and Barb Michaud design from their showroom at 21 Rice Street in Presque Isle. Katie Bither and Tracy McDonald design from Houlton’s showroom located at 57 Bangor Street.
Dufour has been a Certified Kitchen Designer since 1991, and owned The Kitchen Store for 17 years before making the decision to sell the business to S.W. Collins Co. in 2004. Dufour joined the S.W. Collins family during that same year, and is currently manager of the 4,000 square foot Home Design Center. She has designed over 700 kitchens, baths, offices, and other room projects such as entertainment centers, etc. throughout Maine, New Brunswick and New England.
In February 2004, Dufour won first-place National Winner and first-place Northeast Winner of the Decora Cabinetry Design Contest in the “other room” category and her design was featured in Decora literature. Despite all her accolades, Dufour will be the first to point out that the success of the Home Design Center is truly a team effort.
“We have such a team here,” said Dufour. “I may be the manager, but we all work very well together. We really are one group and we all compliment each other’s skill sets very well.”
With winter right around the corner, Dufour did mention that fall is a time of year when people are in the home improvement mindset, however, but in Dufour’s line of work, the busy season never truly ends.
“For what we do, we are busy almost all year,” Dufour added. “In the spring and summer people often get started building new homes or building additions to homes, and in the fall people start planning the interior projects they can do, mostly because the contractors want to work inside.” Dufour said with a smile.
“We do a lot of remodeling on kitchens and baths in the fall and winter, basically the inside projects,” she added. “We like people to come in whether they just have a question, or a smaller-scale project, or if they’re looking to remodel their entire kitchen. We can update a counter top or we can remodel an entire room, there’s really no limit one way or the other as to what we’ll work on.”
When asked how a typical project may come to fruition, Dufour explained that many of the customers who come in already have a basic idea of what they’re looking to do.
“With Internet and stations like HGTV, most people come to us with a vision of what they want,” said Dufour. “Here, we have samples of everything, all different types of counter tops, flooring and cabinetry, and we can all help them put things together. There’s no project that’s too small or too big. We’ll take on any project brought to us. Every customer gets the same attention, whether it’s a small project or a large project, and it’s all very individualized.”
As a source of design and materials, S.W. Collins is unique in the wide variety of products and experience they provide their customers. The company offers many styles of quality cabinet lines allowing them to offer a range of products priced to fit most budgets.
“Residential or commercial, we can custom make any kitchen you desire,” she added. “You can check out our Design Center displays for ideas and designs S.W. Collins has to offer.”
Dufour explained that even if a customer can’t find their personal vision on display in the showroom, the Home and Design Center can create any sort of design for any kind of home.
“We create things every day from peoples’ visions and if we can’t get it from a standard company or our custom mill workshop located at Loring, we can still create things and send them in to different companies who will turn a customer’s dream into a reality,” said Dufour.
They also offer several lines of floor coverings and appliances. The team is unique in the way that they can help with your total project. Their experience and product lines allow them to advise and help coordinate the many elements of your home improvement plan.
“As kitchen designers, we care about the total project. We want to see a finished project that is not only beautiful and functional, but we want the finished project to exceed our clients’ expectations,” Dufour added.
The Kitchen and Bath Design Center showroom is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are also open on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. or by appointment.
If you plan to stop by during regular business hours, the Design Center staff recommends calling ahead to let them know what time you would like to visit, therefore they can have a team member available to focus on the customer’s individualized project.
