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/search-for-new-faucet-leads-to-dream-kitchen/ http://blog.holidaykitchens.com/search-for-new-faucet-leads-to-dream-kitchen/#comments Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:39:11 +0000 Tamy Severude http://blog.holidaykitchens.com/?p=1511 Kitchen & Bath Mart is a full service design/build kitchen and bathroom remodeling firm with over a 50-year history in the Chicagoland area.  The company works in a round table environment, which allows each project to be scrutinized at by more than one set of eyes – turning a nice project into a spectacular project.

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 Joe Hazellief

Our clients were a retired couple who loved to entertain and cook.  They were looking to update and maximize their living space in their condo that they spend half their time in.   They were hoping to open up the kitchen to the dining and living room area in order to create the ideal entertaining  and living space. They wanted a soft traditional feel with a little bit of an island flare.  Since they enjoyed cooking a lot they needed a good spice and cooking storage area.

Before

Before

The challenging part of this kitchen remodel were in two areas:

1)  The ceiling in the dining room and hallway was 8’ high and the ceiling in the kitchen was 9’ so we had to transition the cabinets, which you can see in the pictures.  The dining side of the cabinet bridge  is only molding applied, but in the interior kitchen they have glass wall cabinets.

2)  There was a 7” drain pipe on the outside corner that ran from the roof to the garage in this condo unit, and with it being a condo we could not move it. I had to design cabinets around this pipe  without losing all of the storage, which resulted in having the bridge of cabinets.

The homeowners wanted to use Electrolux due to the sleek look and induction cooking elements. They needed two ovens to use in separate areas, a microwave and French door counter depth refrigerator. This kitchen also includes:

• a double pull-out trash cabinet right of the sink with a silverware divider above
• two lazy susan cabinets in the corners
• two pull-out spice, one on each side of oven
• deep pots and pan drawers
• glass doors with LED strip lighting on the inside edges
• a center cooking area that we designed bumped out with some bun feet for more of a furniture look
• cabinet storage that could be accessed from the dining room side

This kitchen was done using Holiday Kitchens’ Traditional custom cabinetry line with beaded inset, Summit square door with Newcastle molding, hastings drawers, and custom paint glaze finish with distressing.

At the end of this job we accomplished everything they wanted, we opened the kitchen up to the dining room, we gave them ample storage space and integrated all the appliances they wanted. This job was challenging, but that is the fun part of this business!

*Joe Hazellief has been in the design industry for 8 years.  He started his career in the architectural field with designing and drafting custom homes for a small architectural firm.  From there Joe transcended into interior design which lead him into the kitchen and bath field where he worked his way from drafting and designing, to field supervision and ordering, to head of Signature Kitchens of Vero Beach.

*By Brooke Edwards, AKBD

Custom…

Our clients, both engineers, fell in love with a cabinet display in our Winter Park showroom and I knew Holiday Kitchens could handle the challenge.  We did a custom color match stain and custom slab cherry doors with radius corners.

After

Before

Other custom pieces include a curved drawer bank under the cooktop, custom trash pullout with foot pedal, custom appliance garage cabinet in the corner, and a convex curved crown molding.

True Quality…

This is the reason I directed them to Holiday cabinets and why they chose Subzero/Wolf appliances.  They fell in love with a beautiful Blue Pearl granite and I designed a sparkling backsplash with the Sonoma crushed glass to compliment the granite.   At the end of the island I incorporated a glass door cabinet, which created support for the large piece of granite.  It also broke up the “sea of cherry,” so the kitchen didn’t feel too heavy.

Another key feature of the kitchen is the dramatic contemporary stainless cabinet hardware.  The client found a photo on the Holiday Kitchens website and loved the look.  It was quite a challenge picking all the sizes to make sure the proportions were kept the same on all the cabinets.  It adds a really unique feature to the kitchen.

One of the main requests was to keep the existing tile flooring (which also meant the shape of the partial wall).  Even though we were working with the same general footprint of the kitchen, the client wanted to enlarge the countertop space on the bar top of the island for an area for seating.  Other requests were the large 48” Subzero Pro fridge, two microwaves and a specialty trash cabinet.

We did some specialty storage including a chef’s chrome pantry, custom located rollout trays, two rollout shelves for the client’s mixers.   The cabinet finish was a custom matched stain.  The cabinet construction style was a full access box.  The doors were solid cherry slabs with radius corners.   We also did a convex curved crown molding.

The client could not of been happier with the end result!  One change we added as the job was underway was to panel the back of the island. Originally the client was thinking a tile or paint but as the job was underway I suggested paneling the back.  Our clients and I were very happy we did, as it really creates a stunning island.   The client said it best, “I still marvel at it sometimes, that it’s ours.”

S&W Kitchens installed the cabinets and granite.  The homeowner installed the very intricate backsplash.  You can see his level of detail, as it turned out extremely well!

*Brooke Edwards has been a professional Kitchen and Bath Designer working in the industry for 7 years after graduating from Ringling College of Art and Design with a degree in Computer Animation and Sculpture.  She is certified with the National Kitchen and Bath Association, on the board of the Central Florida Chapter of the NKBA, and an award winning designer in an NKBA design competition.  Her passion for design is bringing custom, one-of-a-kind spaces to life with unique materials and innovative design solutions.  Kitchens and bathrooms are just like any other sculpture, where composition, scale, and proportion are crucial to a cohesive and well defined space.

We have definitely seen an increase in hiding appliances with decorative panels at Holiday kitchens and it has presented some interesting challenges, not only for us, but for kitchen designers, as well. The designer comes up with the idea and then partners with us to figure out how to manufacturer and create the look for the homeowner.  We have extensive experience at Holiday Kitchens helping designers and homeowners achieve their dream kitchens by hiding the appliances.  We have mastered the process of gathering the very intricate and measurements of the appliances, as they have to be spot-on to make the fridge look flush and built in.

Photo Credit: Nordic Kitchens in LA

Photo Credit: Unique Custom Cabinets of Ohio

Unique applications that we are seeing at Holiday Kitchens are:

• Dishwasher drawer cabinets
• Glass front wine coolers
• Built in refrigerators
• Microwaves built into tall oven cabinets or bases

Also, we are seeing a trend of stainless steel appliances being worked into contemporary kitchens almost as if it is decoration.  As you can see in the photo below of a contemporary kitchen, the stainless steel becomes the accents, coordinating with the hood unit, chairs, etc.

Photo Credit: Nordic Kitchens in LA

The kitchen is the center of our homes, and we want it to be personal and beautiful.  This is just one of many ways – what have you done to personalize yours?

Cabinet Masters offers full design and remodeling services, refacing, cabinetry, countertops, and custom cabinetry and millwork. We make life kitchens.

The following Q&A was completed by Walter Riddle, CKBR, of Cabinet Masters Inc.
1. What were the homeowners needs/requests

The homeowner had one of the smallest kitchens I had seen for a home that size. This home is located on prime lakefront property on a large bay overlooking the city skyline. She loves to entertain and found the dining room small and not reflective of her personality. She wanted an open kitchen that was inviting and fun.

2. Were there any requests that were challenging or unusual?

Considering the size of the kitchen/dining room an open space that maximized entertaining was a challenge due to a couple quirks of the home. The home is on a boiler system and the radiator was positioned on the interior wall. We had to find a way to turn it and also continue to feed the upstairs room above. Once we figured out what had to be done with the plumbing, we had to make it look good with a cabinet surround.

Another task that was unusual was the arched doorway into the kitchen that would mimic the dining room arch.

3. Any background on the family – i.e. # of kids, pets, how they planned on utilizing their new space

The homeowners are a professional family. The husband is a surgeon and the wife is an accomplished artist. They have one teen age child and two dogs that weigh over 100 lbs each. She wanted a huge island, which was another challenge in a 12’ wide room, to entertain more informally. She wanted a cook top and oven cabinet with microwave because of the size limitations, we had to make the island move in certain angles to meet code.

4. Specific products that went into the kitchen – are there reasons why you or the homeowner choose those products?

The owners wanted to be green as much as possible so we used Vetrazzo and granite, Mesabi Black, from MN. She also wanted a display cabinet to put her bottle collection in. She wanted to introduce color and give the home more of her personality which I think we did a good job of.

5. Specific Holiday products i.e. cabinetry line, finishes, etc…

Holiday Kitchens cabinets Seattle in Cherry Fireside was used to reduce the Oak influence and give the kitchen a warm feel.

6. Ultimately what were the goals of the end result?

To match the existing trims, gain more space and update the look and modernize this 1926 Sears kit home. We did it as an entry to the Contractor of the Year for 2010 – it was the winner of the $40-$80K category.