How Do You Want Your New Kitchen to Feel?
We often ask our clients how they want their new kitchen or bath remodel to feel when the project is complete. The question often catches our clients in South Florida off guard. We are trying to understand what features of a new kitchen or bath will strike a resounding chord with our clients. A well-designed kitchen is not only functional and beautiful, but it also hits “home” emotionally. Outstanding design enables homeowners to make a personal statement that resonates with family and friends.
In our showroom, we want to know about our clients’ lifestyles, including those who will be using the kitchen regularly and their particular design preferences. You should feel confident that the designer you select to create the kitchen of your dreams truly understands interior spaces and how those spaces are to look, feel, and function.
How to Create the Kitchen of Your Dreams
Homeowners in South Florida frequently ask what type of cabinets best suit their needs, preferences, and budgets. The answer almost always depends on the style of the home and the look and feel that the client wants to achieve. Your cabinet style should match your home’s decor.
Frameless versus Framed Cabinets
For homes with a modern or transitional style, we will often recommend frameless cabinets. Frameless cabinets are built without a face frame. They will have minimal space between the doors and drawers, which maximizes interior storage and drawer space. One reason why frameless cabinets are popular is that they offer 10% to 15% more storage than framed cabinets.
Framed cabinets feature several pieces of wood that are fastened to the forward edge of the cabinet to create a frame literally. The inside part of the frame extends slightly past the inside edges of the box. The frame provides structural support for the cabinet. The doors and hinges of a framed cabinet attach to the face frame, allowing more stability for the box.
However, framed cabinets have a smaller opening because the frame reduces the amount of available storage space inside the cabinet box than frameless counterparts.
Cabinet Color
Cabinet color is another common question. Recent industry surveys found that white continues to dominate kitchen cabinet colors, specified for more than 50% of new kitchens. However, we have seen a steady increase in clients who want to introduce color into their kitchens to create an aura and make a personal design statement.
Countertops and Backsplashes
After selecting the type and color of your cabinets, we typically move onto countertop and backsplash selections. In her new book, The Perfect Kitchen, Barbara Sallick explains,
“Cabinets always have tops and bottoms, and the counter is the connector. The process of layering both the countertop and the backsplash, which can be two completely different materials (and I often prefer them to be), is about the way they talk to each other.”
Her point is well taken. Countertops and backsplashes need to connect.
Count on the Kitchen Design Professionals
It is almost impossible to create a kitchen that combines superb functionality with beauty and emotional connection if you do not rely on a kitchen design professional. Contractors may know how to install kitchens but rarely do they bring the same level of design expertise that is offered by a professional kitchen and bath showroom. You’ll know you are dealing with a pro that you can trust by the questions they ask.
We can help you make your kitchen feel like a million dollars. Give us a call at 954-564-1611 or visit our showroom at 616 W. Oakland Park Blvd. Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33311 to learn how you can make your dream a reality.
