Design a Kitchen – Part One

The amazing people at The V Collective have agreed to give away some of their industry secrets and have shared some of their ideas for creating creative, innovative and functional ideas for the perfect kitchen. We owe it all to our friend Eva Kavanagh (featured below). I personally laughed out loud several times reading this (and was taking notes the whole time). If you are in any way interested in learning how to dress up your kitchen (or your home), check it out my friend. P.S. Be sure to check out Design a Kitchen – Part Two

The amazing people at The V Collective have agreed to give away some of their industry secrets and have shared some of their ideas for creating creative, innovative and functional ideas for the perfect kitchen. We owe it all to our friend Eva Kavanagh (featured below).  I personally laughed out loud several times reading this (and was taking notes the whole time). If you are in any way interested in learning how to dress up your kitchen (or your home), check it out my friend.
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When Cooking with Caitlin propositioned me to write this list, the first thing I did was approach the group of designers participating in The V Collective, all of whom work for different companies and who have different professional and educational backgrounds. I asked them what THEY would want in their spa kitchens. Of course, as soon as the words “spa” and “kitchen” registered in their 8AM, coffee-hasn’t-quite-reached-my-brain thoughts, they began recounting the episode of Seinfeld where Kramer installs a disposal in his shower drain and starts bathing himself and washing his vegetables at the same time.

While it was good for a laugh at the time, this was probably not the image you wanted implanted into your brain right now… Don’t stress! I’m here for you with the assist:

Speaking of the above kitchen, (which was designed by The Kitchen Design Studio in Cincinnati, OH), let’s start out our list with the basics: Neutrals. I promise to be as longwinded as possible.

1. Neutrals

There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for an expertly-designed neutral space. I love change and flexibility, and therefore loving whites, beiges, and grays occupies a good 13% of my brain activity at any given moment. Have you ever watched a What Not to Wear marathon on TLC?

Of course you have. Think about what Stacy and Clinton say about neutrals when it comes to fashion… 1) They are essential pieces that outlast trends, 2) they give you the freedom to go wild with accent colors and accessories, and 3) More colors can be considered neutral than you think. Plenty of designers may disagree, but choosing the color palette based on permanence is my personal preference.

I recently helped a family friend select the colors and tile for her basement renovation. We ended up with white cabinets, gray walls, and a crushed clear glass tile for her hearth and the bar backsplash. Those things alone are extremely monochromatic (which I also love) but the kicker for her was that she could completely change the feeling of the room with a few well-chosen pillows. Soft yellow patterns gave the room a current, light and springy feel, while a lovely rose red increased the depth and romance of the entire space, perfect for winter.

In the neutral kitchen above, imagine how blue ceramic jars in the countertop would change the entire look of the space, or even a wooden bowl of artichokes. The opportunities are endless, inexpensive, and ever-changing, but the result is always fresh and relaxing. Here’s another beautiful kitchen that is generally neutral, but the designer chose to add a touch of aquamarine.

2. Interesting and Different Tile

When it comes to the visual design of your kitchen, tile choice can make all the difference in the world. Whether you’re simply freshening up an outdated space, or building something new, tile has a huge impact on the overall look and feel of a kitchen. Innovative shapes, sizes, and color combinations can bring your kitchen from generic to incredible. Fantastic tile is admittedly expensive, but it’s a good idea to see what you like before you create a tile-specific budget. This is not to say that you should form your overall budget allotments based on the $85/sqft tile you absolutely love: there are other options.

At The V Collective, we had a very specific shape we wanted for the tile in Caitlin’s kitchen (loosely based off of a piece of architectural glass with which we fell deeply and madly in love). We searched high and low, but tragically discovered that, short of full-custom ceramic tile, there wasn’t anything out there with our desired shape or color (we wanted it to exactly match her white cabinetry). Rather than giving up on what was promising to be a long and happy relationship between human and backsplash, we decided to make it ourselves.. out of wood. “Wood!?!” You say? Yes. Keep in mind this is not suitable for application behind a backless rangetop (firewood?), but for our purposes, it works wonderfully: humbly holding up to water, food, and vigorous scrubbing, and looking like a million bucks. This solution allowed us to customize everything from the scale of the tile to the color, finish, and the spacing allotted for grout, and we were left with a product that, in my humble opinion, absolutely defines her kitchen.

In other applications, this process can add texture to any wall in your home. Jocelyn Tekulve (Innerwood & Company, D.A.A.P.) recently won an interior design award for translating Erin Lombardi’s inspiring drawing into full-scale Art Deco wall panels and cabinet doors in a Cincinnati bathroom, and the homeowner was thrilled. It’s an innovative and cost-effective way to customize your space.

Interested? Don’t be afraid to call The V Collectivefor guidance in finding a local company that shares our capabilities. We’re happy to help you in any way we can!

3. All-Natural & Functional Aromatherapy

With her mind set on relaxation, meditation, and opulence (major components of how we define “spa”) Prisbet Yanes (The Kitchen Design Studio, Mas. ARCH) combined delicious atmosphere and culinary luxury with her suggestion: “Include an aromatherapy component, such as an herb garden, lemon tree, or lavender plants.”

Not only are these scents calming and light, but the plants themselves bring a touch of natural color into your kitchen, and they can be employed liberally in your culinary adventures. Take care to select plants that will function well in your space. Nothing interrupts the 1 hour massage of a grilled cheese sandwich you’re making like dead leaves dropping into your tomato soup. As simple as a pot of mint, or as integrated as an herb font built into the cabinetry (in Caitlin’s kitchen we used grow lights and a permanent drainage system to keep plants and user healthy and happy), the result is always enviable.

4. Natural Wood Butcher Block Surfaces

One under-utilized bit of awesome that has been routinely shunned in favor of polished granite is the wood countertop. Sure, it’s wood. It scratches and dents and generally gets beat up like the front bumper of a 16 year-old’s first car, but we love its so called flaws.

In a time when thousands of dollars are dropped on new pieces that look old (destructed jeans, anyone?), what are we afraid of? Butcher block tops are supposed to show wear and tear, and the practicality is certainly desirable. Darrin Ashworth (Innerwood & Company) recommends a lighter, natural color to compliment the airy palettes associated with spa kitchens. Bringing a touch of unadulterated nature into your home should be an easy decision, and a maple top can fit seamlessly into even the most contemporary, stainless-laden kitchen. If you’re worried about how the wood will look when the use begins to show, ask your designer about distressing the countertop before you even receive it, allowing your nicks and scratches to blend in with those expertly applied by a finishing professional. Still not sold on wood? Try other earthy surfaces like concrete or marble, and don’t be afraid to mix and match.

5. Design Around Your Work-Flow

In the spirit of the spa, light a candle, turn on some Enya, close your eyes, and imagine yourself in your kitchen (See what I did here? You don’t even have to get up). How would you like to work in your space? How do you prefer to store your spices, utensils, pots and pans? When you’re imaginarily standing at your cooktop, think about what you usually reach for (spatula? tasting spoon? fire extinguisher?). These are the things that you need to document before you meet with a designer. Form should always follow function, and function should follow operation,

but too often we get carried away with how something is going to look, or what it’s going to cost, instead of focusing on how we actually work in our kitchens.

A well-engineered space does not have to be custom or costly, but it’s invaluable to the person who occupies it. For example, I’m left-handed and certifiably dangerous with a knife in my right hand… unless he or she was informed of my needs, a designer would probably lay out my kitchen according to industry standards, which happen to be for right-handed cooks (oh the oppression!). This might work well for me, but what about my right-handed husband who loves to cook? When I design my own dream kitchen (I’m reluctantly using The Secret the result of unbridled desperation), it will be oriented to agree with both of our operational needs in mind (i.e. at least 24” of counter space on either side of the sink, instead of 18” on the left and 24” on the right).

Like the fact that I’ve functioned relatively well in right-handed kitchens all my life, most of us probably cater our work styles to fit the kitchens we inhabit, but when you’re designing your new space, you must try not to compromise your needs in favor of looks or cost. A skilled and innovative designer should be able to find the right balance in form, function, and budget to accomplish your goals, as long as they’re realistic. I’ll share this with you (because we’re friends): When you have a beautiful kitchen that allows your work to flow in every way imaginable, it feels like that moment in 6th grade when you finally mastered skating at the roller rink and you glided around the loop without even wobbling, momentarily free of age-related awkwardness and certain that finally somebody, somewhere, wanted to date you… just me? Eh, you get the picture.

(Your Triangle of Necessity may actually look more like a triceratops.)

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We’re stopping here for today but be sure to check back tomorrow for the rest of the Kitchen and Design insights, tricks and tips brought to you by The V Collective.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eva Kavanagh is the PR Coordinator for The V Collective, a coalition of fine craftsmen in the Cincinnati area. The V Collective is
composed of several companies in the interior design and woodworking business, who share ideas, combine resources, and collaborate on projects in order to support each other and our clients. Kitchen and bath specialists, Don Justice Cabinet Makers and The Kitchen Design Studio, work seamlessly with the millwork and built-in experts at Innerwood & Company and the fantastic interior trim carpenters of Hueber Brothers, Inc.

The V Collective 513-707-1495