In our kitchen showroom, homeowners arrive brimming with inspiration for their ideal kitchen. After months of independent research, scrolling through Instagram, Houzz, and other social media platforms, as well as observing the ups and downs of home improvement TV shows, they often enter with a checklist of "must-haves" for their dream kitchen.
But here's where the seasoned expertise of our professional showroom designers comes into play. We don't just accept these "must-haves" at face value. We delve deeper, questioning their practicality within the unique space and lifestyle of our clients. We understand that a dream kitchen isn't just about following trends—it's about crafting a space that genuinely caters to your needs.
For instance, it's common for homeowners to envision their kitchen cabinets soaring up to the ceiling. While this design choice can be perfect in some cases, others struggle to visualize how these cabinets will be utilized, especially when they're beyond the reach of family members. Are they meant for storing rarely used items like fine china and glassware, or should alternative designs be considered to achieve both form and function?
Islands, undoubtedly, are among the most sought-after kitchen features among homeowners. However, two critical aspects require attention. First, is there ample room for an island, and if so, what are the optimal dimensions? We caution against oversized or oddly shaped islands that may disrupt traffic flow and hinder workspace efficiency. Balancing style with functionality is key here; bigger isn't always better in the world of kitchen islands.
Oversized workstation sinks are another feature that warrants careful consideration. While they can be invaluable in compact kitchen spaces where the sink doubles as a prep area, homeowners who desire such sinks must think about accessory storage, including colanders, dish racks, cutting boards, and more.
In a well-designed kitchen, the focus is on addressing the unique needs and lifestyles of the homeowner. Features that seldom see use, or offer limited functionality, tend to be those influenced by passing trends. They may not align with the practical requirements of everyday meal preparation and daily activities in your dream kitchen.
So, the question remains: how can you design a kitchen that not only serves your practical needs but also makes a distinctive personal statement? Contact us today at 765-288-2737 or make an appointment to visit our showroom (click HERE to schedule) at 3600 N Everbrook Ln, Muncie, IN! Let us guide you in creating a kitchen that not only stands the test of time, but also becomes the envy of your neighborhood.
Lighting can make or break the way a kitchen functions, looks and feels. Lighting can be transformative in a kitchen, helping to make smaller spaces appear larger and spotlighting focal points that attract the eye and the imagination. Homeowners should expect their kitchen designer to present a layered lighting plan that contributes not only to the functionality of the kitchen, but also to its design and beauty. The different types of lighting that are used to layer light are:
- Task
- Ambient
- Accent
Task lighting focuses light on the areas in the kitchen used for meal preparation, cooking and cleaning, e.g. countertops, the range/cooktop and the sink.
Ambient lighting is the main source of illumination for most rooms in a home. The goal of ambient lighting is to provide soft, general illumination without necessarily drawing attention to the light source. Ambient lighting provides enough light for safe navigation, cooking and washing dishes and helps to define the space.
Accent lighting can keep your kitchen from looking ordinary or bland by highlighting open shelving, artwork, architectural details or a statement making range hood, among other objects.
We recommend lighting controls such as dimmers and motion detectors because they not only are more environmentally friendly, but they also help to control utility costs and enable you to alter the look and feel of the room.
The type and amount of light needed for a new kitchen will be dictated by the size of the space and the amount of daylight that the room receives from windows, doors and/or skylights. Electric light fixtures complement the light generated by Mother Nature. Mother Nature can be fickle, however. Clouds, rainstorms and other weather conditions can minimize the amount of daylight that enters the space.
Smooth, shiny materials will reflect more light than textured matte surfaces. Polished marble will reflect more light than honed black slate. More light is needed in a space with dark and textured finishes.
The feel of the kitchen also is affected by paint colors. Different paints and colors have different reflective capabilities that should be discussed as part of the planning process. A lighting plan should account for the possibility that the sun won’t shine brightly every day. Generally, electric lighting supplements or replaces daylight but man-made light can’t match daylight’s intensity or color distribution. Exposed lamps tend to look warm or even yellow compared to sunlight coming to the space through skylights, windows or glass doors. Recessed lighting may be a good option to create a color palette that works in the space. If recessed lighting is not wanted or practical, ambient lighting can be provided by pendants or surface-mounted fixtures installed around the perimeter in a cove.
Pendants can deliver light upwards or downwards or in a combination of up-lighting and downlighting. Pendant options are almost limitless and a great way to influence the look of the kitchen. Highly polished stone and other reflective surface materials can amplify available light in the room, but also produce unwanted glare.
A kitchen lighting design is successful when all three types of light – ambient, task and accent – are layered together within a room to create a fully usable, adaptive space. Good lighting does not draw attention to itself but highlights the other design elements and fixtures in the space. Different light layers may be activated depending on purpose or time of day. For example, during the day, pendants over the island may not be needed at all, but when you start to prepare dinner in the evening all the layers providing ambient, task, and accent lighting become necessary. Want to know the light that will make your kitchen shine? Give us a call at (765) 288-2737 or make an appointment to visit our showroom (click HERE to schedule) at 3600 N Everbrook Ln, Muncie, IN!
The number one reason why homeowners decide to create a dream kitchen is that their existing kitchen does not work well or meet their needs. We frequently hear from homeowners that their kitchens don’t have enough storage capabilities, countertop space or cabinetry. Other common reasons are lack of maneuverability, appearance and poor ventilation.
The role of the kitchen has been transformed since the global pandemic. No longer does a kitchen only serve the basic functions of preparing and cooking meals. Kitchens need to serve multiple purposes from classroom and office space, to café and coffee shop. These new requirements make having adequate storage a necessity to help ensure clean, clutter-free workspaces. In fact, the number one regret of homeowners who have renovated their kitchens is inadequate storage and not investing more in organizational amenities. A well-designed kitchen is an organized kitchen. That’s why we ask homeowners how they use their kitchen, and for what purposes, who uses the kitchen most often and when is it used? We want to know what homeowners like about their existing kitchens and what they want to change? What needs to improve?
We help homeowners maximize the space and functionality of their kitchen by often specifying pull out corner cabinets equipped with organizers that make pots, pans, small appliances and other kitchen gadgets easily accessible.
Another key to designing a kitchen that is not only beautiful, but meets the functional needs of homeowners, is to create separate areas for preparing meals, cooking meals and storing foodstuffs. That’s why a savvy and professional kitchen designer wants to know who cooks, how often and for how many. Knowing this information enables the designer to create work areas to prevent family members from running into one another in each area of the kitchen, and to avoid placing items such as an island in a place that will inhibit traffic flow.
We find poorly designed kitchens do not have adequate countertop space next to or opposite the range or cooktop and/or refrigerator. That’s why, when designing a new kitchen, it is important to know how many family members prepare meals in order to specify the right amount of countertop space that allows more than one cook to work in the kitchen at the same time.
Proper positioning of appliances also contributes to traffic flow in a well-designed kitchen. There is a need to ensure there is adequate space for doors of ovens, dishwashers, and refrigerators to open freely so they don’t bump into anything.
Providing adequate room for recycling containers is another essential in a well-designed kitchen that can be often overlooked. Container size is dictated by how often the kitchen is used for cooking and for the number of family members in the home.
Similarly, ventilation needs to be a priority, especially in open floor plan kitchens that connect to other rooms in the home. The ventilation solution should be capable of removing all odors, steam and grease so it does not migrate to furniture, countertops, seating or other areas of your home.
How can you convert a kitchen that does not work properly into one that makes every day special? Give us a call at (765) 288-2737 or make an appointment to visit our showroom (click HERE to schedule) at 3600 N Everbrook Ln, Muncie, IN! Let us show you how we can transform your existing kitchen into a space that dreams are made of.