New Kitchen Ideas That Work - Book Review

New kitchen Ideas That Work, by Jamie Gold is, simply, a good book, a great reference, and a source of inspiration for the entire kitchen design process. Upfront, I've got to say that I heartily endorse this book as a go-to manual for homeowners to get those "kitchen ducks" in a row before you spend your first (or second, first being this book) dime on your kitchen.

As I've said before on this blog, I've lost a friendship over choosing not to review a book on kitchen design due to its errors and overall sub-par quality and have declined to review another book by an author I did not know for the same reason. Thus, I take the subject matter very seriously, being a certified kitchen designer for many years. 

I know the author of New Kitchen Ideas That Work, Jamie Gold, quite well. We have been friends and colleagues for a number of years. Of course, I must also mention that images of one of MY kitchens is in this book. That's all well and good, but still, if this book did not meet my standards, overall, for kitchen design information, I would absolutely pass on doing a review. And, as noted above, my knowing the author has no influence on my decision to review this book.

 

Review Notes

I love the way the chapters are organized. The topics have a progression which makes perfect sense within he framework of a kitchen project and makes it easy to understand the process and to find the information you need. The tone of the text is conversational and the content is easy to understand, making it read almost like a novel - it's actually a pleasant read! You feel as if you are being spoken to by a trusted design professional whom you have known a long time and have a lovely rapport with. 

The reader is not being told to replace everything, but to pick and choose - wisely, with recommendations: choose a facelift or complete remodel which, of course, also relates to budget issues. Jamie walks you through this decision making process and many others throughout the book.

Islands, work zones, appliances, layout, storage must all be considered together, at once, in the preliminary design process. Jamie addresses each of these issues in depth, making sure the homeowner asks himself/herself the right questions to get to the essence of the appropriate design solutions for his/her/their individual lifestyle needs. Let me tell you - these are big issues as most people only do a kitchen once! 

There is a wealth of design information covering styles and themes of kitchens as well as how individual materials nudge the design in one direction or another. In addition, the properties of many materials are discussed including durability, cleaning, preparation and specialized installation requirements. Jamie goes beyond noting the most common materials used in kitchens and notes materials that you may not have heard of.

Decorative details - a decorative "layer" that I have always said must be considered at the start of the design process, are discussed. Beautiful images are seen throughout the book providing information and inspiration. In fact, I would definitely say that this book has equal parts of each - information and beautiful visual inspiration.

There is so much more good content that I do not have room to mention in this post. Sinks, faucets, lighting, backsplashes, the role of technology in kitchens and more, more, more. Your money will be well spent with and is a smart initial investment toward your new kitchen project.

Kelly's New Kitchen - It's Personal, Smart, and Flexible

Kelly's kitchen (see Kelly's picture on the right sidebar and wave!) was just finished a couple of months ago after a year of planning and 2 months of renovation! While our images quickly show the overall design of the kitchen, there are MANY features, both aesthetic and functional, that bear dissecting and sharing with our readers. 

Design is often the art of nuance, and this kitchen is all about nuance!! You'll see how soon - this is the start of our series! In each post, we will provide important tips, insight on how a designer thinks, the collaborative process and product information.

When you design a small kitchen, in this case, close to 200 sq ft, (small for the suburbs, huge for Manhattan-and we have (separate) personal living experience in no less than 6 Manhattan kitchens) every decision, no matter how small, is critical! With no additional dining space in the home and needing to accommodate a wide range of activities, it's a design that is either pass or fail once kitchen living begins post-renovation.

Kelly's new kitchen reflects the choices and compromises of real life needs and desires of a young family in their first home. It's a mix of DIY, designing around architectural elements we chose to keep in place and others that we chose to remove and replace. It's about designing with the end always in sight, including the surprisingly important decorative layer.

The kitchen (as many do) needed to serve these purposes:

• A social kitchen - comfortable to be in for long periods of time
• Able to accommodate as many people as reasonably possible
• Appear as spacious as possible while balancing storage needs
• Allow for a decorative layer including "real" artwork and treasured artifacts
• Capable of change, which we will talk about in depth later, possibly the most exciting aspect of this kitchen renovation
• To add an enhanced dimension of efficiency and function to the cooking process
• Accommodate multi-functional activities (more about that later)
• Reflect a highly personal design aesthetic overall

We are fortunate to have wonderful partners who donated their products and who had the foresight to see that this kitchen design would provide intelligent and interesting solutions to common design issues. We're proud of how it all came together, and as mother and daughter, we didn't even have a whole lot of drama during the process! Ok, we each took turns with some creative techniques of persuasion...true enough! I may or may not have coached Kelly on how to present controversial design ideas to her husband, a "trust but verify" kind of guy. ;)

So, thank you to our partners:

• Bosch
• Kohler
• Silestone
• Kessebohmer
• Hafele
• Kravet

Next up, Kelly talks appliances - what was selected and why, where they should be best positioned, features, design integration, and more. Here's our nuclear family-the only one missing is baby Annabelle.

Kitchen Design Trends At IMM Cologne - LivingKitchen 2013

As I get settled in to closely study the nearly 1800 images that I took in a 3 day period at the fabulous IMM Cologne's fabulous LivingKitchen trade fair, I see that this first post needs to simply be an overview of the trends that I spotted. The images that I captured of the stunning displays at the show demand multiple posts, an expanded visual documentation of these trends-coming next. 

I will also be spreading the image love throughout my other social channels, so please follow me here: The Kitchen Designer blog - right here! Sign up for the feed top right or via email, under my picture on the sidebar:   Twitter  +  Google+  +  Facebook +  Pinterest (Pinterest will have both blog images as well as lots of new images from my hard drive). I'm barely beginning to add those images, so check back.

As I look through the images, there are two main categories of design that come to the forefront for me. The first category is those companies whose sole purpose is to be on trend and second, those companies whose purpose it is to do their own thing without much, or less, concern for trends. BOTH types of design are extremely creative, but that word, "trend" can manifest itself in a tricky way if the entire kitchen design one puts in one's home in 2013 is solely based on the hot, new, trends. Like chocolate, trends are fun to indulge in, but an all chocolate diet (while enjoyable to dream of) will cause problems later! Don't trend-binge design! 

Since I also attended this show when it was last held two years ago, it's an interesting exercise to compare both sets of images that I took to get a better sense of how design has evolved in Europe. Here and there, I will be mentioning what's evolved since 2010. And, a thank you to the U.S. and German teams at BLANCO for inviting their U.S. Design Council members, of which I am one, to experience this show with them, providing opportunities for our group to bond as colleagues and friends.

Here are the 2013 Kitchen Trends I Spotted - Brief notes are below with more details/features/thoughts to come in subsequent posts! "M" means it's a mainstream trend throughout the show. "P" means some dots were connected throughout the show but it is not mainstream. "P+" means more than peripheral, less than Mainstream.

Cabinetry

Cabinetry Style:

• White (lots), light woods, and greige colors - NEUTRALS as a foundation - M
• Use of texture/natural elements integrated into the design, whether in countertops, backsplash, or cabinetry, often driftwood-y looks, real or faux - M
• More warmth in the designs overall than I found two years ago-definitely, added comfort - M
• Gloss or glass combined with texture/more glass in general - P+
• Color blocking - the color accent of choice for this show was orange! P
• Blue/dark gray, usually medium to dark GE's new slate finish is on that one! P+
• Warm, modern design overall - M
• Usually soft contrast in coordination of material colors in a kitchen display, but sometimes bolder contrasts - P+
• Use of horizontal lines in overall design (not new, but an important European design element) - M

Cabinetry Features:

• VERY long drawers, lots of countertop lifts for multi-use (countertops/wall cabinetry/more) and as always-useful, very cool drawer inserts - M
• Seemingly even shorter toekicks - P+
• More cabinet cubicles than open shelves-often in unexpected places, always with lighting - P
• As in 2010, lots of fun and playful geometry in cabinet design - P
• Integrated benches to rest, sit, or display decorative or useful items - P
• Tight/seamless appliance integration - M
• Integrated handles or long, modern, pulls - M
• Same countertop as cabinet fronts - P
• Channels between drawers and under countertop - P+
• Concealed close-like tall and wide sections  - P+
• Open concept philosophy, considering a kitchen's design connection to surrounding living areas-very clear to me - M
• Intersecting design elements - P+
• Open cubicles designed into tall cabinetry for interest - M

Accessories

• Organic in nature via textural ceramics, hand carved wood pieces, real greens and other handmade items - M
• A fair amount of skins seen on floors and benches - P+
• Rather than pattern, accessories communicate the style and theme - M
• Large in size (perhaps to call attention to the display since it is a trade show) - M
• Lots of rail systems - attention to universal design, seemingly even shorter toekicks - P+

Countertops

• All thicknesses - super thin, thick, or in between - M
• Different materials next to one another in a flush installation - P+
• Patterned countertops - plaid, modern art, new designs (new look, not a trend) - P
• Glass - P
• Wrapped countertops - waterfall on each exposed side (not new, but it's still current and is SO chic) - P+
• Lifts to raise/lower or conceal a cooktop - much more prevalent than two years ago - P+
• Cooktops integrated flush with the countertop - P+
• Built in dining configurations - M
• Intersecting design elements - P+
• Stainless steel with integrated/seamless stainless sink - P
• Virtually no granite or marble - just simple, understated, tightly patterned surfaces - M

Backsplashes

• Simple, plain, continuous, whether wood, engineered stone, or glass - M
• Sometimes a 1/2-3/4 height, leaving wall space below the upper wall cabinets - peripheral trend - P
• Very little tile - M
• Real wood or faux - M

Appliances

• Hoods - Look like lamps (not new, but getting nicer) - P+
• Hoods - double hoods over cooktop - P+
• Hoods - Integrated/toned down/hidden hoods and blowers - P
• New, warm, greige mid tone to dark glass appliances - P+
• Stainless/color mix (reminds me of Whirlpool ICE - P
• All appliance types very seamless/tightly integrated into cabinetry - M
• More white appliances seen - P+
• Ovens concealed - as seen last time too - P+
• Ovens as an important design element - M
• Flexible, open, vessel placement (anywhere) on induction cooktop - P+
• INVISIBLE refrigeration - M
• Sinks & Faucets - matte, modern, quietly elegant - M

General 

• Doubles - double hoods, double light fixtures, double cabinets, other doubles - P+
• Not much vintage/retro/industrial representation - a touch here and there but mostly warm/earthy/modern design - M
• Occasional attempt at what looks like American Shaker - P

Cool Factor! - Images to come, for now, just descriptions (these are sometimes one-offs)

• Countertop lifts 
• Glass patterned countertops
• Framed multiple ovens
• Nearly invisible induction burners integrated into countertop
• Choice of touch screen or knob controls
• Plaid cabinets
• Colored glass cabinetry applied as modern art (wait for the image)
• Awesome, seen more than once, patchwork of wall cabinetry
• Glass countertop, cabinetry and glass supports in one display
• Loved the function of a glass sink surround
• Glass drawer inserts
• I'm sure I'll select more! 

Lighting

• LED lights for shelving, around cabinetry, in open shelf cabinets - M
• LEDS een as a feature in color in appliances (not a trend, just something new)
• LARGE lighting fixtures, oven seen in doubles over an island - M
• Simple, rounded, modern shapes in fixtures, often in matte finishes - M

Flooring

• Lots of light, textured, natural wood, very light, very Scandinavian - M
• OR, gray or white solid flooring of some sort, with no pattern, perhaps vinyl - M

Dining

• Benches - M
• Benches with cushions or skins - M
• Modern design - M
• Natural, matte, wood surfaces or matte stone tabletops - M
• Fresh, modern, designs - M
• Surprisingly, chairs are often matching or closely coordinated - M

This post is so long that I'm only going to show one image that I took from the show - shortly, LOTS AND LOTS OF IMAGES to illustrate my points above!!!

Leicht Display-Image by Susan Serra

House Beautiful Kitchen of The Year 2012 (KOTY) Designed By Mick DeGiulio

I always look forward to attending House Beautiful's Kitchen of The Year and this year was no exception - it's one of the highlights of the summer for sure! House Beautiful is such a great American brand (I love great American brands partially because they have trudged through so many crazy times-in this case since 1896) with lots of good old American sheer determination. Impressive, to say the least. But, I'm digressing a bit. Point is, I have great respect for House Beautiful and what it has stood for and this is a good excuse to express that!

This piece will be a critique, as it has to be, in one sense, since I've been a certified kitchen designer and owner of a kitchen design studio for many years. For this reason, my perspective on this kitchen must include both pros and (constructive) cons.

Mick DeGiulio designed the KOTY (Kitchen of The Year) for House Beautiful. I've known of Mick's work for many years. Mick is a talented kitchen designer and produces exquisite kitchens. At the press event last Monday, in opening remarks, Newell Turner, EIC of House Beautiful, said: "Mick DeGiulio is one of the best kitchen designers in the country, if not THE best kitchen designer." That last part immediately threw me for a loop and I can't not address it!

Being very involved in the kitchen industry in various ways, which includes having built/financed a website for kitchen designers that was in place for 8 years with thousands of members, serving as a judge of kitchen design contests, and having a wide circle of kitchen designer friends and colleagues, I know that there are MANY kitchen designers throughout the U.S. who do truly amazing (amazing) work. 

So, as a long time ally/friend/passionate advocate of the kitchen design profession and supporter of kitchen designers (the good, dedicated ones) the first part of Newell's statement has a good deal of merit to it, but the second part does not. It's very important to add in a little real world perspective. 

Following is my critique of this year's House Beautiful Kitchen of The Year, and here we go!

THE KITCHEN - THE GOOD

Open Shelf/Breakfast Section: The kitchen as a whole is lush, it's gorgeous, it's luxurious, it's stunning. The separate area, "la mattina", Italian for "morning" is a wonderful, highly useful area in which to prepare a light meal. The storage behind the backsplash of fabulous Ann Sacks tile with a beautiful visual depth to it, is a fantastic idea. I have seen a strong upswing in the use of sliding doors for upper, lower and tall storage this past year.

This backsplash storage area solves several problems - it reduces countertop clutter, provides a home for small appliances, is a virtually (visually) seamless design element and is great to use, ergonomically. It's very smart, too, to continue the tile on the inside of the storage area. The open shelves add charm, but not just charm, CHARM. Charm meets elegance meets usefulness in this open shelf feature.  Nice hardware and nice configuration of base cabinetry in this section. The non white toekick creates a floating effect for the cabinetry.

Chrome and Stainless Accents: What comes to mind next are the polished chrome accents throughout the kitchen. They are smart and stunning. This accent adds significantly to the luxe feeling all around the space. You do not normally see a wood hood trimmed in polished chrome, a simple but very creative touch. The polished chrome trim surrounding the tall appliances-oven and refrigerator, was also highly creative. The trim makes the refrigerator look high end and the ovens are just beautiful. Appliances by Whirlpool. I'm crazy about the brushed stainless steel handles on the white refrigerator. It could have been a no brainer to do a stainless refrigerator but white works well in this context.

Cabinetry and more: The tall pot/pan storage with glass doors, dark gray lower cabinets, brushed stainless interior and polished chrome and glass exterior, left of the cooktop section is (that word again) stunning. This grouping of tall, dark, cabinetry visually balances the larger white cooking section to its right. Speaking again of the emerging popularity of moving panels, this design element, used behind the cooktop for additional storage is a useful and smart feature, especially with the dark gray contrast behind the panels which showcases colorful spice jars.

The cabinetry, (all) by KraftMaid, on the island is beautiful, and I love the hardware. The variety of countertop edges adds interest and is another opportunity to create unique design elements throughout the kitchen. I love the feeling of the zen-like sitting area - overall, it's all about comfort. 

High/Low Budget: This kitchen illustrates how one can selectively choose fabulous (and fabulously expensive) products as well as very affordable products. It's a strong trend in kitchen design today, and a smart one. 

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

THE KITCHEN - CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

Misc. Observation: This has nothing to do with Mick's design or any sponsor - it's just an observation but as a kitchen designer, I can't resist. The wonderful non-cooking lite meal prep area with the open shelf feature begs for a refrigerator drawer due to the main refrigerator being situated so far away. Whirlpool does not offer an under counter beverage appliance, so that was not possible to include. I might also have wanted to include a single drawer dishwasher or a small, 18" dishwasher, given there is a good sized sink in this section.

The Island: Looking at the island when standing at the sink, the white dishwasher really stands out to me as being a very different white than the white cabinetry. In a kitchen with so many luxury touches and finishes, it does not work, especially, too, with a very modern handle next to traditional hardware.

First, there could have been a piece of the stainless toekick attached or otherwise adhered to the bottom white access panel for a continuous toekick on the island. Second, since this dishwasher does not take a front wood panel, a stainless steel dishwasher should have been used here. Here's why: the white (different colored) dishwasher is viewed as a large, unadorned white slab, visually incongruent with the busy surrounding cabinetry. The white monolithic refrigerator fares much better being separated via chrome trim from the different white of the nearby cabinetry. While the opposite argument is that a stainless dishwasher is visually "choppy", it's an upgraded and improved look, more conducive to inclusion in a KOTY design.

I do not love the island in general. I think it is too big (and I do love big islands) and/or it could have had a more interesting cabinet configuration, and general shape. I would have positioned the wood countertop section about an inch or so above the Caesarstone white countertop and made the Grothouse wood countertop thicker. I think a little dimensional interest with this separate countertop section would be a natural choice. I did not care for both countertops being on the same plane.

I would not have added the open shelf lower cabinet facing the table - it just does not seem to contribute design value to the kitchen as a whole or to the island, specifically. I would have included a 3rd white/dark gray cabinet there or designed something entirely different. As is, I would have added more space in the island seating area and taken away space from the cabinets at left - the seating area seems slightly out of proportion to the cabinets at left.

Actually, when viewing the island and cooking wall from the seating or dining area, the short/wide cabinets behind the island do not balance well with the tall, narrow dark gray pot storage cabinets just beyond. Balance and proportion of these lines seem off to my eye. One does not always have to follow the rules, of course, but I'm not seeing a visual connection here.

Cooking Wall: At the cooking area, I'm not sure if the hood, notched up into the soffit area above was intentional or a mistake. The execution looks a little awkward to my eye. It does look very out of proportion to the 30" cooktop in this particular context (although an enormous hood over a smaller cooktop is done in highly styled kitchens but is a design element used most often over larger cooktops/ranges.) I would have added a second 30" cooktop, two cooktops side by side, relating better to the hood, and configured the lower cabinetry differently. With an island this large and with multiple work areas in this large kitchen, this section needs more than one 30" cooktop!

Living/Dining Areas: I like living flexibly, and I may have put casters on the upholstered chairs, loveseat, or both so that the furniture (by Kravet) can easily relate to the table or the island or both on a whim. There was ample room for a larger sofa, in part, to balance the very large island. 

I can't say that I am on board with the concept of a small dining table. With such a large kitchen (and a large island) presumably, the kitchen, being talked about as a living area, also requires either a larger dining area that is more proportionate to the island and other kitchen elements, or, a table that is capable of expansion. The living and dining areas looked unnecessarily small to my eye. 

I assume that the higher than normal coffee table can duplicate as a dining area. I did not sit and experience the upholstered chairs and table. I would like to have known who the TV serves, the dining or sofa area or both. I may have tried lining the right edge of the tv up with the left edge of the fire wood recessed enclosure. 

Refrigerator/Oven Wall: My eye very quickly wanted the trim area immediately surrounding the refrigerator to be brushed stainless steel to coordinate with the brushed stainless cabinet above the ovens and on the ovens themselves. I think that would have been a perfect opportunity to further tie in height-wise, the refrigerator and oven sections. Overall, this wall is a little awkward and the vertical lines in the center cabinet are busy.

Lighting: I would have added lighting within both backsplash storage areas and in the pot/pan cabinet as well. If it was there, I missed it.

Overall: I would like to have seen more artwork. The lack of color was obviously part of the plan (except for Kohler's gorgeous sinks) but it did not leave me with a warm feeling as I experienced the space despite touches of linen and other textures, but with a cool, formal feeling overall. With this much time taken to critique the kitchen, there is no time to discuss the butler's pantry. I'll say this - awesome countertops and ceiling treatment! I mentioned that the various countertop edges were a creative touch and they are, but, and this is a quibble, I feel it was one "note" too many to do the thinly wrapped countertop at the cooking wall.

CONCLUSION

It is certainly unclear how much time is available for a designer to micro manage this (KOTY) project. I think it's important for a designer to do that (micro manage it) and I hope House Beautiful provides adequate time, and I also know, having designed and produced many projects this size, that it can take many months and super focus to get your head fully into the details to get it all right. Delegation to others vs. complete hands on control vs. a combination of these is also a factor in how a project comes together.

Some issues above are more significant to me than others. I leave it to you, the reader, to decide which issues are more or less important for you.

And, then there's this: everyone's a critic! Actually, I think I may be the only one! But, this critique and analysis has been done in the spirit of pointing out that there are many ways to experience a kitchen design as well as to offer my detailed professional interpretation and insight, hopefully, in a constructive and interesting (ok, I know it's a tome) way. It sort of took on a life of its own... I know one thing - it's an exciting event and it always stirs the senses!

French Kitchen Design - Paris Inspiration!

As the Tour de France (which I LOVE to watch every year, often multiple times a day) is heading toward the great finish in Paris this weekend, my thoughts this morning went to the incredibly inspiring colors, textures, materials that I encountered in the streets of Paris over a week long leisurely stay. I've been compelled to write about the Tour de France and kitchen design more than once!

I started looking at my many images of Paris. I began to look at which pieces within a given image could be used as design inspiration, to be translated into a kitchen plan. By looking beyond and around the objects in an image, you can bring a sort of abstract yet highly authentic design concept into a kitchen design. Open your eyes and your mind and the inspiration will come!

Inspiration for your kitchen design theme can come from travel, nature, your home town, a literary work, really, anything. It doesn't have to come solely from looking at images of other kitchens! By looking elsewhere for inspiration, in unexpected places, you can create a kitchen design that is highly personal. That, to me, is a very exciting way to plan the aesthetic layer of your kitchen!

I isolated 40 images that I felt had great ideas that could be translated easily into design concepts. Maybe I'll do a few of these posts. 

Below: Soft, calm, green-as-neutral accented with a small amount of black and oh-so-elegant soft and light silver...music to my eyes and what a color palette for a kitchen. Don't miss the gilt gold factor!

Below: Complementary colors on the color wheel, this warm blue and warm gold are perfect aesthetic companions. This hardware can translate into lighting fixtures, faucet, sink, hardware and other accents combined with blue cabinetry, countertop or flooring.

Below: Colorful artwork brings life into the kitchen as well as a feeling of culture, telling a story about the overall design of the kitchen. Anywhere you can find room for art in the kitchen, do it! I've been saying this since I started this blog in 2007 - art will stir the emotions in this very utilitarian space

Below: Industrial and authentically worn stainless steel meets elegantly worn wood flooring in the always wonderful European herringbone pattern. The cool/warm thing - always an interesting contrast

Below: That elegant look of paneling, but look closer and you'll see that it is applied molding - SO easy to do, even diy. Anywhere you can logically frame something will transform the kitchen into....Paris, and don't forget to frame the ceiling and possibly paint sections within the paneling

Below: These 3 images below feature a similar color palette, lovely for a kitchen. Again, the cool/warm factor is a natural, and the images show various combinations of lights and dark, each color, allowing the opposite color to pop. To my eye, these are all sophisticated yet easy to use colors in the kitchen. The very dark door MAY be a bit of a trendy color in kitchen cabinets today, but I would like it as a countertop color. Love the blue/gray street!

Below images pertains to the above grouping but is intentionally blurred to remove bad things that happen on the street!

Below: Happy color as seen in the very traditional door design yet viewed as a friendly, casual design element. A color such as this blue can be used in an accent piece in the kitchen which is usually a better choice due to an otherwise potentially overwhelmingly heavy balance. Or, do small pops of color like the great purple color seen in the flowered vine, an analogous color to the navy door and window, but in a light color for added interest and contrast. Love the navy, beige and gray colors in that image.

Look for inspiration anywhere! Start a folder in a project management system of some sort that might be labeled color, inspiration, ideas, design concepts, what I love, whatever makes sense. Or, of course, in pinterest! It's a fabulous way to discover your own, very personal, definition of creativity. It's fun too!

Kips Bay 2012 Kitchen

Last month I went to see the Kips Bay Decorators Showhouse in New York City where there were not one, but two great kitchens, and I will feature the second kitchen soon. The walnut species kitchen and living area of this first kitchen were designed by James Rixner, interior designer from New York city. Here are my thoughts on this kitchen!

Below: The view from kitchen to living area. Someone tell me, what's not to like...not much! The kitchen is (relatively) simple, clean, modern, colorful and interesting. What I love is the use of white, seen in the kitchen and in the furnishings. To my eye, the white shade, especially in the kitchen, serves to reflect light, always a good thing in a small space and it also sort of tones down the feeling of formality.

In addition, the seamless white countertop and backsplash allows the space to flow, undisturbed by visual clutter (I'll get to that later.) Less is more is a mantra I always have in my head and having the strong interest of the rug as a patterned visual anchor...on the floor, in this case, is an excellent place to use pattern. I don't think I would have used the stainless steel apron sink, but that is another quibble where there is no right or wrong to attach to it. The rug's connection (and the floor as well) to the living area also makes perfect sense visually. Love.

Below: Here is where I will talk about visual clutter and in one respect, it is a quibble. For those who have not lived in a New York City apartment (among my immediate family, 3 of us lived in NYC apartments for a collective total of 22 years) a few things out of place have a way of pretty much drastically affecting the feeling of spaciousness. To my eye, there are too many accessories in this kitchen. It's also a simple fix to edit the accessories here.

Below: Another quibble - the shelf is so shallow, I would have continued it across range or included a stainless steel shelf of the same dimension. You never know what a coop board will or will not allow, however.

Below: A visually strong feature, I think I would have designed this stunning stainless steel wall cabinet to be in the center of this particular countertop section with an equal amount of wood on each side, probably ending in line with the base cabinet corner, but it's an interesting and creative feature, very much so.

Below: I do really like the shallow wood shelf that runs along the backsplash. It is useful and a great feature, as it is elegant, simple, and just different. I like it.

Below: Another view of the shelf. It works for me. The stainless material throughout in various places ties in beautifully, accentuating a cool/warm feature, allowing each element to "pop."

Below: Yes, it's a narrow ledge for casual dining, but, hey, it's New York City and you are lucky to have that alternative dining spot!

Below: To me, this is near perfect. I'm good with all of it. Too many accessories? Maybe, and that's a quibble.

Below: Warm, stunning, lively, absolutely beautiful.

Below: Love the glass table and love the white. I also love the varying shades of blue and the analogous color scheme.

This kitchen is a beautiful execution with a feeling of elegance, the right amount of comfort and great function. What do you think?

House Beautiful KOTY - And Kids!

By Kelly Serra Donovan

The much anticipated House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year descended upon Rockefeller Center in NYC yesterday.  I was lucky enough to attend, my inaugural visit, and see the fantastic display in person this year.  And, consequently, so were my two daughters, Chloe 3 years and Annabelle 6 months, courtesy of a last minute emergency that kept my childcare unable to come through.

From the moment we clumsily pushed the extra wide double stroller through the gates, we were greeted with nothing short of hospitality and grace, despite the marketing staff most definitely not anticipating a bottle-sucking, mommy-tugging crowd amongst the early visitors to their "press only" debut. Susan sent an email the day before asking if it was ok, with a reply "it's fine with us!" They handled the underage party crashers with aplomb, even doling out an extra name tag so Chloe could rub shoulders with Newell and Mick.

 

This hospitality was tangibly conveyed (over and over again by House Beautiful staff-and others) once we were inside the event, as we instantly felt as if we were in a cherished friend's warm and cozy home.  The wooden ceiling beams and heringbone floors offered a nice contrast to the clean lines, stark shades (save for a rich pop of blue from the beloved Kohler Jonathan Adler Atlantis Sink), and ever so slight industrial edge of the Kitchen of the Year.

 

I'll save the full nuts-and-bolts review for our resident expert, Susan, to follow shortly, but I would certainly be remiss to not shout from the proverbial rooftops my appreciation for the welcome reception and accommodation we received from the House Beautiful staff.

 

Susan here: Oh, and Newell...Kelly and I enjoyed chatting with you and when Chloe, uh, whipped the nametag lanyard against your shins, you didn't skip a beat! :)

As Kelly, Chloe, Annabelle and I departed the event en route to the Bryant Park carousel and lunch, Chloe proudly wore her nametag through the streets of New York (and insisted I keep mine on as well...which I did.) I think House Beautiful just scored a positive brand connection with one member of Gen Z.

Kitchen Design Consulting

I've just opened up my schedule to do kitchen design consulting for homeowners who need smart solutions for tough kitchen design issues.

I have offered this service before and have helped many homeowners work through important design, construction, product issues and more.

To avoid mistakes, design errors or just to get that second opinion to help work through a project that you may only do once or twice in your life, is certainly invaluable. Taking this step makes good sense in the "big picture" of your project.

I've purposely reduced my workload in a few significant ways, so I have a little room in my schedule to add this service back into my design practice and help you work things out. Being able to get back to meeting and helping so many nice people came right to mind!

Go to this page on kitchen design consulting and you will see what to do next.

I look forward to hearing about your project. Smart solutions, flexible problem-solving based on solid real life experience and a heartfelt interest in doing what I can do to help will point the way forward.

-Susan

Kitchen Backsplash Height

The height of the backsplash, the space between the countertop and the bottom of the wall cabinets, is often left as an afterthought by many kitchen designers and homeowners. It's rare in my experience that the client expresses an opinion about the backsplash height. However, If the height of the backsplash is not considered carefully, comfort and function could very well be at risk and affect one's lifestyle in the kitchen - for a very long time.

Below, a backsplash height calculated for a variety of issues: a concealed microwave, height of the client, function and display.

Just this morning, I received a question from a fellow kitchen designer. I wrote back an answer and realized that the answer was good information for a blog post. 

Hi Susan,

In discussions with my design team I am questioning the distance between the counter top and the bottom of the wall cabinets.  Two of my designers, who have over 75 + years of experience feel strongly that “custom design” should be a distance of 15” to maybe 16.5” 

I, on the other hand , being 6’3” tall feel that anything less than 18” (or with a molding applied to hide lighting) 17.5” is too tight a space.  I’m not asking for a definitive answer, but I thought with all of your travels and experience in the marketplace you might be kind enough to share your design thoughts with me about this.

I wish you and yours a very safe and enjoyable Holiday Season, and I very much enjoy reading your blog. Thank you for your time.

My answer:

Sure, I'm very happy to weigh in on this issue. However, you answered your own question! Where possible, which is nearly always the case, one should attempt to customize the height of the backsplash depending on the height of the homeowners and/or primary chef/bottle washer. It's a nuance, actually.

Below, calculations based on multiple criteria as above: client height, storage needs, display.

Two tall homeowners? Increase the height.

Two short homeowners? Shorten the height but beware of countertop appliance heights since that must be dealt with.

Two homeowners, one short/one tall, both helping out? That's a negotiation that might take a little more time and is a personal decision between the homeowners. In that case, the proposed/negotiated backsplash height really must be mocked up so each can experience the height and decide what works and what does not work.

Perhaps, then, tall pantry storage can come into play where access is more "democratic." Or, one area may have a lower backsplash and another could have a higher backsplash if designed to make sense visually. A countertop wall cabinet will help too.

The other issue, of course, is if trim is added below the wall cabinets, potentially shrinking an already short backsplash or not allowing countertop appliances to fit.

Then, you have children. Do the homeowners wish children to take an active role in the work within the kitchen? If so, storage should be planned to be at lower levels via base cabinets (dish drawers) or a pantry with better access.

Below: Kitchen of Cynthia Bogart, editor of The Daily Basics

I'm always compelled to note that there is a 15+" wide cabinet to the left of the range :)

For my clients of typical height, I usually opted for a 17" backsplash and ran it past them to verify that worked for their lifestyle and did not interfere with countertop appliances. I was taught way back that the average backsplash height could be from 15-18". That, however, is like saying "I'd like a brown stained cabinet" ... it's only a starting point.

I hope that helps!!
Regards, 
Susan

What I did not add into this note (and should have) was the issue of physical abilities of the homeowners. Having a family member (in my own home) whose reach and bending ability has changed dramatically, the physical ability of family members is a critical question to ask as well.