“In 2006, the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) created the Environmental Stewardship Program to help cabinet manufacturers demonstrate their commitment to environmental sustainability and help consumers easily identify environmentally-friendly products. After meeting certification requirements in areas of air quality, product and process resource management, environmental stewardship, and community relations, cabinet manufacturers can display the ESP seal on their products. The ESP seal helps you identify cabinets and cabinet manufacturers who are committed to protecting the environment. Nearly a hundred fifty cabinet manufacturers have already earned ESP certification and more are on their way to completing the review process.”

The ESP is designed as a framework for manufacturers to highlight environmental business practices concerning: product and process resource management, air quality, environmental management policies and systems, and community relations.

Manufacturers must earn a minimum of 80 points based on compliance with stringent criteria to be awarded ESP certification. The criteria for ESP 04-11 include, but are not limited to:

• Manufacturers must demonstrate their commitment to protect the environment as evidenced by a written policy statement.
• The use of CARB ATCM compliant low-formaldehyde-emitting panel products is mandatory and mus tconstitute 80% of all particleboard, medium density fiberboard (MDF) and plywood used in the cabinets.  These products also must be certifeid by CARB approved third-party certifiers to meet low formaldehyde emissions standards.
• 80% of particleboard and MDF used in the cabinets contain 100% recycled or recovered fiber content
• Chain of Custody (COC) Certification of the manufacturer throught a recognized sustainable forestry program is encouraged.
• Hardwoods, softwoods and plywoods purchased are certified through a recognized sustainable forestry program
• A documented energy conservation program is in place
• A written Environmental Management System is encouraged
• An active recycling program for process wastes is in place
• All federal, state and local environmental requirements are observed and manufacturer agrees to report any violations to KCMA.
• The manufacturer demonstrates community involvement and leadership through service or charitable organizations

If you are interested in learning more about Holiday Kitchens green line of cabinetry, please visit our website or give your local Holiday Kitchens dealer a call.

Photo Credit: Thinkstill

Photo Credit: Thinkstill

Photo Credit: Thinkstill

Requests/Challenges

1.   Maximize storage while retaining the exact footprint of the original kitchen.

Solution: Double stacked wall cabinets that extend to the 10’ ceiling and a rolling ladder for easy accessibility.  This significantly increased the amount of storage without increasing the footprint of the kitchen.

2.   Maximize the amount of natural light entering the kitchen (especially in the morning).

Solution: A triple window replaced the original single window on the exterior side elevation and a northwest facing skylight (hidden from view) added to the center of the kitchen allows the maximum amount of light to enter the space

3.   Create visual and audio connectivity between the kitchen, dining, and living rooms while still having the ability to isolate the kitchen in the event of formal dinners.

Solution: Added a 4’ opening with pocket doors above the sink and between the kitchen and dining room allowing light, sight, and sound to travel to and from the kitchen.  These doors can also be closed to create a more formal setting.

Photo Credit: Neffworks

Custom Cabinetry
They needed a functional layout finished with the right materials to achieve their goal.
Holiday Kitchens Cabinetry
-  Traditional Framed and Full Overlay
-  Petersburg Square door with 850 edge profile
-  Snowdrift paint and Suede Brushed glaze
-  Custom trim, decorative feet and hutch brackets

Photo Credit: Neffworks

Additional Products
-  Reclaimed pine hardwoods, finished to match the original wood flooring throughout the home
-  Natural John Boos maple butcher block countertops, brushed nickel hardware by Top Knobs, and Viking stainless appliances help to create the utilitarian feeling that a 1916 kitchen may have had
-  Viking appliances including a 42” built-in refrigerator and a 36” gas range with griddle provides “professional style”   cooking capabilities
-  Rohl faucet in satin nickel and Kohler Smart Divide sink in white


Kaity Slaughter is a lead designer and project manager for DCI Home Resource and has been with the company for eight years.  She received her undergraduate degree in architectural design and her MBA.

Photo Credit: Kitchen Kraft Inc. - OH

Wine is one of the oldest beloved beverages in the world. Combined with the increasing popularity in wine consumption (2010 2.54 gals 784 million ) and wine collecting – wine has become a common luxury in many kitchens.  Whether it is wine decor, wine cellars, wine glasses, wine racks, etc… the love of the grape has made its way into our hearts and our kitchens.

Wine Decor
If you love a great glass of wine, then you’ll really enjoy bringing wine kitchen decor into the heart of your home. The beauty and allure of a vineyard works well as a kitchen theme, whether you are interested in completely redesigning your kitchen, or simply incorporating a few accessories.

Wine Storage

From custom wine glass racks to vintage wine cellulars,  Holiday Kitchens has worked with designers from all parts of the country to create artistic masterpieces. 

Wine Glass Racks
Wine glass racks can be constructed from a variety of different materials such as metal and wood.  Choosing the type of wooden wine glass overhead racks will depend on a few factors such as where it will be installed and what type of wood will be used in the kitchen and/or bar area. We love a beautiful wooden wine glass rack!

Wine Racks
Wine racks ensure your wine is stored properly, allowing the wine to stay in contact with the cork. A moist cork ensures a tight seal, keeping wine fresh. A dried out cork can lead wine to spoil and age improperly. Wine racks can be located anywhere in the home and can be something that simply displays a couple bottles in the kitchen or a custom-made cellar that houses hundreds of bottles of wine.

As you come together with family and friends, raise your glasses and toast the season – Cheers!

Mutual Respect…Partnership…Design expertise…Kitchen Design Partners (KDP) was founded on these principles. For over ten years, Nancy Jacobson has demonstrated her specialty in space planning and cabinetry design with clients throughout the North Shore and Chicago. KDP helps you create the home of your dreams while balancing practical considerations. We look forward to becoming and integral member of your team by working with your contractor or by gladly referring you to one of our preferred contractors.

CLASSIC CONTEMPORARY

The homeowners sought  a classic contemporary style for their new kitchen.  So we did white inset cabinets with concealed hinges and recessed panel doors.  The homeowner had a passionate desire to incorporate X-shaped mullion glass cabinet doors that she had seen in a magazine.  I worked directly with the staff at the Holiday Kitchens’ factory to design the perfect height and width of the cabinet so the X mullions would be perfectly square (not rectangular).

The dark stained island and bar add a furniture look that adds contrast to the white cabinets and the lovely soapstone countertops.  Lighting, stainless appliances and tile complete the classic look.

Other features of the kitchen cabinetry:

• The perimeter cabinets are Nordic paint.
• Island cabinets are Truffle stain on Alder.
• Door style is Petersburg inset.

REMARKABLE RENOVATION

My client’s goal was to improve the flow and function of his kitchen and how it relates to adjacent rooms. So this remodel included redesigning the entire layout of the kitchen, moving appliances, door openings and walls. The homeowner is an avid wine connoisseur and entertains frequently. Since the kitchen has no windows, the goal was to keep it light and inviting, while conveying a sophisticated style that would anchor the entire first floor.

As part of the remodel we:

• Added a wide door opening to the living room
• Squared off angled walls to add a wine bar to existing bar

• Changed the dining room into an office
• Enlarged the “pass through” to the family room
• Added a large custom hood that provides focus for the 60” range

• Enhanced the look with appliance panels that match the cabinets
• Backsplash tile (on order) will add color and texture to compliment the cabinets and beautiful Yellow Wood countertops.

The result is a kitchen now open to the entire first floor, achieving the homeowner’s vision.  It provides functional cooking space, comfortable island seating, separate bars for wine and mixed drinks, and many decorative elements that complement the homeowner’s style.

Watching a design come to life—and seeing the smiles on my clients’ faces—is one of my greatest rewards! A seasoned veteran of the kitchen and bath industry, Lori began her career in 1986 and earned her accreditation with the National Kitchen and Bath Association in 1996. Lori enjoys creating beautiful dream kitchens that are also truly functional. Striving daily to exceed her clients’ expectations with outstanding design and service has earned her many repeat customers and referrals.

My client’s kitchen was only 10 years old, but the cabinet doors were falling off the hinges.  The kitchen was dark, even on sunny days, as there was a wall separating the four-season sunroom and the great room.  The homeowner wanted to open the area up to one open living space.  By doing so, the dining room table would be moved out to the four- season room and the kitchen would be expanded with a large island at bar height to hide the kitchen.  She also wanted to add large appliances and more counter space, as she enjoys cooking and baking.  With two children in middle school and sports, and her own volunteering, she also needed a place to house the calendar (her family bible), her cell phone and purse, out of site, but not out of mind.

The family consists of the father, mother and two children. Since the father is a doctor, and does not have a 9 to 5 day, they wanted a warming drawer to keep his dinner warm until he made it home.   They are also very active, running, biking, boating, they wanted an ice maker so they didn’t have to get bagged ice every time they went out in the boat, instant hot and cold water and beverage area out of the work triangle.  I achieved their needs with:

• A small sink between the refrigerator and ovens and created a hutch look above.  The sink has an instant hot and cold water tap as well as a standard faucet.
• An ice maker to the right of the sink with a door on it to conceal the look.
• A Sub Zero drawer refrigerator in the island with paneled drawer fronts to conceal the appliance.

The homeowner’s are 6’2” and 5’2”, so another challenge was to get storage and accessibility for both.  I achieved this by:

• Lowering the wall cabinets to 16 1/4” above the counter which still allowed for the 14” high mixer to be stored in the appliance garage, but made the upper cabinets more accessible to the bottom two shelves in the wall cabinets.
• Moving the microwave from above the stove into the island using Wolf’s drawer microwave, making it more accessible.
• Adding a tall pull-out pantry to keep the storage of the homeowner’s spices close at hand.

Because they wanted as much cabinet space possible, Holiday Kitchens’ Robin Wilson Home (RWH) custom cabinetry frameless line was selected for this project.

• Perimeter selections were Georgian door style; 3” stiles and rails in cameo with mocha glaze to have the space appear brighter and look larger.
• The islands and hutch cabinetry selections are Embassy door-style with splits and wormholes in a custom color on maple with glaze to anchor them in the room and tie in with the wood flooring.

Ultimate Goal Achieved

We opened the wall up and with using a large beam and pillars, kept the traditional look that the homeowner was looking for.  The original floor in the kitchen was refinished and the hickory floor was extended into the great room area for continuity making the space feel like it was one.  I took out the lowered seating around the island and made it one big work surface, putting cabinets back to back and finished with wainscot end panels.  But rather than just having a standard 1 ½” overhang on the center island tops, we repeated the radius on the ends as on the raised bar top for additional interest.    By using the cameo painted cabinets with glaze on the perimeter and darker accent cabinets for the island, it tied in the darker colors in the hickory floor, it made the space seem larger.

In order to stay organized “Mom” needed a place for a calendar to record all the activities. I designed a raised counter where the top drawer houses her calendar while allowing it to be in a comfortable standing position.  This area also houses her purse and cell phone when arriving home – a spot out of the way of food prep, but easily accessible.  The family also needed a place for the computer, so we placed a small desk in the corner of the four –season room and we used entertainment hardware to conceal it when not in use.  There are also cubbies for the envelopes, stapler, etc, behind the right side door.

Finally – A place for everything and everything in its place.

Additional products featured in this kitchen project:

Flooring: Natural hickory
Countertops/Vanity Tops: Golden beach granite
Sinks:  Elkay ELGULB3322
Faucets: Delta 980T-RB
Instant hot/ cold faucet:  Insink Erator Indulge™ Contemporary (F-HC1100
Dishwasher: Bosch stainless steel
Cooktop:  Wolf SRT364C-LP
Refrigerator: Sub Zero BI-48S/S/TH
Beverage refrigerator:  700BR refg in island (with matching wood panels)
Oven: Wolf DO30U/S
Wolf MWD24 microwave drawer
Wolf warming drawer WWD30, (with matching wood panels)
Uline ice maker BI2115B (with matching wood panels)

Of course we would like to start with the Holiday Kitchens web site, which offers a Product Gallery that features design portfolios, design collections, finished rooms with all the details, as well as a wealth of information on all the different materials, finishes and glazes you may want to consider.

Home improvement programs can help inspire what you are hoping to accomplish in your new kitchen.  The challenge may be that you saw it on TV for a couple seconds but want more information and additional ideas.  A great place to look is on HGTV’s website – they often list products and instructions on how they achieved the final kitchen featured in the programs.

Want to know about new products as soon as they are introduced?  Learn about them from the same resources the experts do  – Signature Kitchens & Baths and K+BB are kitchen trade publications that keep the industry informed.

Local home publications are also a great resource, as they often feature projects by local kitchen designers.  HOMETECH Renovations, Inc in Fort Washington, PA recently had one of their projects featured in the  Montco Mainline House & Home magazine on page 40 & 41.  This is a great opportunity to get a sneak peak at the designer’s final projects and learn more on the challenges they are able to address.  Don’t forget to visit their web site, as you will be able to see lots of examples of their work.

This is a very exciting time and their are lots of decisions to be made.  While all the above are great resources to start – nothing will be as important as finding a trusted kitchen designer that understands you, your family and can deliver your dream kitchen.  Good luck!

Photo Credit: MJA Design in VA

Photo Credit: Inspired Interior of Chicago

In preparing for writing this blog, I decided to do some research on the popularity of the white kitchen.  Turns out this was easier said than done, as there are a lot of articles floating around talking about “trends.”  While some of them indicate the white kitchen is on the way out – most agree that a well done, quality white kitchen is timeless beauty and could never be categorized as a “trend”.  We at Holiday Kitchens agree!  We have worked with lots of very talented kitchen designers that have created traditional, modern, traditional and modern kitchens – yet all timeless architectural masterpieces!
White is a pure color that could be described as “safe”, as it is not subject to changing trends and can be made to suit practically all tastes and styles.  Another key characteristic of white is its capacity to adapt to any other color. These matches can greatly affect the character of the surrounding environment.

Photo Credit: Kitchen Gallery in TN

In psychology, white represents light, simplicity and purity and in the kitchen it conveys the idea of cleanliness, creating a perception of a larger space.  We think you will agree!

Photo Credit: Kitchen Gallery in TN

]]> http://blog.holidaykitchens.com/timeless-beauty-white-kitchens/feed/ 0 http://blog.holidaykitchens.com/thinking-outside-the-box%e2%80%a6-or-in-this-case-%e2%80%93-the-kitchen/ http://blog.holidaykitchens.com/thinking-outside-the-box%e2%80%a6-or-in-this-case-%e2%80%93-the-kitchen/#comments Mon, 08 Aug 2011 21:27:53 +0000 Tamy Severude http://blog.holidaykitchens.com/?p=1532 Schwalbach Kitchens started in 1978 as a small company committed to customer satisfaction and providing quality cabinetry at a fair price. Over the years we have grown and expanded our list of suppliers, products and services, but one thing remains true today: our commitment to our customers.

By Gary Bell

When most people think of Schwalbach Kitchens and Holiday Kitchens, well they think kitchens.  What they don’t realize is that both can do so much more!

I started working with our clients Greg and Deb Lafayette in 2004 on a small kitchen upgrade that included new granite counter tops and Viking appliances. They were so pleased with us that every year since I have done one or two projects with them – from adding cabinets to the kitchen and other rooms in the house including all the closets, with all the materials and cabinets from Holiday Kitchens.

For the last couple of years Greg has been collecting ideas from magazines for window and door trim, and ceiling crown, in which I was able to duplicate using Holiday Kitchens. The latest project was wainscot panels for the main floor stairway with great help from Holiday we were able to duplicate the look. Greg and Deb were so impressed with the finish product we did the same for the basement stairway.

So when you are thinking of projects outside of the kitchen and need a helping hand – think of your local kitchen designer and Holiday Kitchens!

By Joe Dhamer*

Our client came into showroom looking to change her faucet, drop in sink and cooktop.  Sounds like the beginning of a good joke doesn’t it?  Being a full service company, I offered to come out to take a look at her house in order to get a better idea of what she was looking to accomplish.  After pulling up to her upscale Chicago north suburban residence and sitting down to discuss what the ultimate look and feel she was hoping to achieve in the kitchen, we came to the conclusion that her kitchen was not up to snuff and needed more than a just sink, etc.

We played with some different options and ultimately decided the entire space would be better off with the cooktop out of the island.

We entertained refacing with a few replacement cabinets but ultimately decided to go all new with inset cabinetry from Holiday Kitchens.  We removed the soffits around the outer edge of the kitchen in order for the new cabinets to remain open above with crown – this really helped open up the space.

The Holiday Kitchens custom cabinetry is Regency inset briarwood cherry on the perimiter of the kitchen and island features Newcastle inset ebony cherry with distressed splits and rub thru corners and a Spekva sipo mahogany countertop.

Other features in the kitchen inlcude:

• Antique copper farm sink by Native Trails

• Integrated Liebherr refrigerator

• Integrated Dacor warming drawer

• Microwave drawer above

• Dimmable Led lighting above and below the cabinets

We wanted to update the design and create a space that could be easily organized.  Additionally, create a high-end appearance that reflects the community in where the house is located.

Oh, and by the way, the client loves her new cooktop, sink & faucet!

*Joseph Dhamer, a graduate of Drake University, has grown up in the remodeling business and is now the co-owner and vice president of Kitchen and Bath mart.  Being a 2nd generation firm with showroom locations in Niles & Palatine Illinois, the Dhamer’s take on every project with pride.

By utilizing products that minimize VOCs, without added formaldehyde and are 100 percent pres-consumer recycled, Holiday Kitchens cabinetry offers the most complete line of elegant, healthy and eco-friendly cabinetry in the industry.

Established in 1946, Holiday Kitchens has always been a conservative and environmentally conscious company – part and parcel of its Midwestern work ethic.  The company is considered one of the most “greenest” cabinet manufacturers in the industry due its’ stringent manufacturing practices. Their focus has always been on producing beautiful quality cabinets with as little impact on the environment as possible. The result is the Holiday Kitchens “Live Green” collection that offers the most complete line of eco-friendly cabinetry on the market featuring products that are elegant, durable, low in VOC emissions, without added formaldehyde, renewable, sustainable, and much, much more.

You can read more about Healthy Home 2010 in the July/August issue of Traditional Home Magazine.

]]> http://blog.holidaykitchens.com/holiday-kitchens-featured-as-part-of-healthy-home-2010-in-traditional-home-magazine-healthy-child-healthy-home/feed/ 0