The element of kitchen design that most often sets the tone, makes the first impression, delivers the greatest impact, is the choice that one makes in kitchen cabinets. There’s no mystery about the reason why. The cabinets occupy the most space.
With this realization comes a degree of responsibility, surely, and the good news is that the choices from which you can select today are greater than ever before. Materials and colors and styles are so abundant that it’s probably a good idea to begin farther back in the decision, by reviewing the role that those cabinets will play.
The Hub of the Home
The single biggest change in the last century of kitchen design is that the kitchen stopped being a place where people worked in private, revealing the meal as a grand presentation. Instead, people more and more count meal preparation as a vital part of the family’s day and a key to their interaction. The conversations that used to take place around a dining table, instead take place today among families, friends, and loved ones as they collaborate – or at least kibitz – over putting the meal together.
Entertaining, too, became a participants’ sport. Hostesses and hosts today prefer not to depart from their guests as they prepare and serve refreshments. The evolution of the kitchen started by taking down the door between the kitchen and dining room, and it progressed to where the kitchen is a focal point for family and friends in many homes today.
Selecting from a Wide Palette
Your kitchen can feel warm and homey, or glamorous, or dramatically artistic, or any number of other alternatives or degrees. Because the human impression of design progresses from the large and overall to the smaller and detailed, your kitchen cabinets play the fanfare that begins this experience.
Warm colors can set a casual and inviting spirit. Smoky wood tones, such as walnut, can give a kitchen a kind of heirloom quality. Gold-tone hardware often plays a part in kitchen cabinets that bespeak glamor. Frameless, modern designs in impactful colors – even black is chosen sometimes for its drama – make an opening statement that is distinctive and personal. On the other hand, it has been said that the all-white kitchen never goes out of style. In short, there are few rooms in the house that offer such a broad opportunity to express yourself as in the kitchen.
Some Hot Topics Today
Glass-front kitchen cabinets are a popular way to make design elements of your tableware. Even when it is awaiting its use, the choices you’ve made for dishes and glassware are on display and an integral part of your kitchen’s design. Dark-stained cabinets are a trend with staying power, not only for the impression they make, especially contrasted with light backspaces, countertops, and walls. They also bring the advantage of forgiving smudges and being easy to touch-up. Natural finishes – from stone countertops to wood-toned cabinetry – are popular today and likely to keep their appeal for generations.
The No. 1 Tip
The first tip we would offer from our design experience is to make a plan for the kitchen overall, before committing to your choice of kitchen cabinets. Asking the right questions, listening carefully for your dreams and desires, this is one of our favorite phases of excellent design. Let’s sit down for that talk. Connecting your vision with the finest concepts that design has to offer is our passion and our pursuit.
