blue cabinets trending

Must-Have Kitchen Features for Your Design Projects

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As an interior designer, do you believe there are some features your clients “must-have” in certain spaces? (People being people, we’re sure not everyone does.) According to a recent article at Houzz.com, there are six must-have kitchen features you should focus on in the design of the most-used room on the home.

In an effort to save some space, and your time, we will share three of these must-have features. Whether you wish to see more of them, we leave to you.

Kitchen Storage Solutions

“[Cabinetry] makes up the bulk of what is seen in every kitchen, so your choice of cabinet color and style is a major, consequential decision [in your design]. But the components inside your cabinets are equally important, if not more.”

“Your storage solutions determine how functional [the] kitchen is. [However], at the peak of cooking a large meal, [they will] care less about the look of [their] cabinets and more about the ease of grabbing the right tools, spices, pots, and other supplies.”

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Of course, all of this means that, while the look of the kitchen cabinets is hugely important, functionality is a definite must-have. The New York kitchen by Stonington Cabinetry & Designs shown on the right and the hidden cutting board by Yancy Interiors + Home on the left, are good examples of how well designed kitchen cabinetry can work for you – and for your client.

All That, and the Kitchen Sink

By paying particular attention to the most-used features of the most-used room in their house, you show the homeowner that you place a priority on their needs. (Not just how cool your design looks.)

According to the article, “the kitchen sink is one area that always sees a lot of action. So it makes sense to put a little more effort into designing the sink area and choosing components.”

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“These days, many sink manufacturers offer designs called workstations, which feature add-ons such as cutting boards, strainers and prep bowls... The Galley Workstation shown here is a popular hardworking sink that includes several inserts for prepping and cleaning.”

Must-have features on top of must-have components make this kitchen sink a wonderful must-have choice. (Too many must-haves here?)

Fulfilling the Island Fantasy

Here is where the Houzz article states the obvious:

“Perhaps no design feature in recent memory has changed kitchen design more than the island. Indeed, it’s hard to deny the benefit of a kitchen island. It adds extra countertop surface and storage and creates a spot for conversation, homework, and meals. It can be a location for a cooktop, a dishwasher, or a prep sink, and it often provides that crucial touchpoint that completes an efficient work triangle.”

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While it cannot be denied that homeowners love a design that includes an island, this must-have kitchen feature is also an undeniable favorite among interior designers; adding flexibility and great functionality to the space.

“A large kitchen island is a fantastic gathering place in any open-plan kitchen and gives the homeowner a flexible space to use for dining, entertaining, or cooking.”

This Boston kitchen by SV Design is a great example of that functionality.

Beyond these three must-have kitchen features, lighting, and appliances, including range vent hoods, are critical to the success of the kitchen design you offer your clients. 

 Looking for more tips on sustainable design trends, designer marketing tips, and product ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.

“Perhaps no design feature in recent memory has changed kitchen design more than the island. Indeed, it’s hard to deny the benefit of a kitchen island. It adds extra countertop surface and storage and creates a spot for conversation, homework, and meals. It can be a location for a cooktop, a dishwasher, or a prep sink, and it often provides that crucial touchpoint that completes an efficient work triangle.”

While it cannot be denied that homeowners love a design that includes an island, this must-have kitchen feature is also an undeniable favorite among interior designers; adding flexibility and great functionality to the space.

“A large kitchen island is a fantastic gathering place in any open-plan kitchen and gives the homeowner a flexible space to use for dining, entertaining, or cooking.”

This Boston kitchen by SV Design is a great example of that functionality.

Beyond these three must-have kitchen features, lighting, and appliances, including range vent hoods, are critical to the success of the kitchen design you offer your clients. 

 Looking for more tips on sustainable design trends, designer marketing tips, and product ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Kitchen Designs are the Number One Design Trend for 2020

If you read this blog even occasionally (though we hope you read and memorize every word, every week), you know that we believe the kitchen is the most important room in virtually any home. While we certainly do grasp our own redundancy in stating it again – we would now like to offer proof of the importance of kitchen design.

(Yes, we’re NOT the only ones!)

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We found a recent article at Houzz.com to be particularly interesting. With the title, 34 Trends That Will Define Home Design in 2020, we fully expected the trends to be evenly distributed among popular home spaces. Imagine our surprise then when we discovered that, of the 34 trends – 22 were all about kitchen design! (YES!)

Of course, we were not really surprised by the value placed on kitchen design by the folks at Houzz. After all, the greatest portion of their target audience is homeowners so it makes perfect sense. Second place may surprise you somewhat, however, because they put quite a bit of focus on bathrooms and very little on living rooms.

(If you still doubt the validity of our argument for the importance of kitchens to families, check out the articles here, here, and here.)

Kitchen Design Trends 2020

While space limitations make it impossible for us to share all 22 of the trends that are listed in the Houzz piece, there are a few that seem particularly interesting. Quick clue – look for the Pantone Color of the Year to be a huge influencer.

Three-tone Kitchen Designs

Two-tone kitchen cabinets — meaning the upper cabinets are one color and the lower cabinets another color, or the perimeter cabinets are one color and the island is a different color — dominated kitchens in the past couple of years. So it’s only natural that designers are building on the trend rather than doing away with it.

In a three-tone kitchen, one more color or material is introduced to create an asymmetry in the palette that helps define zones or functions and keeps the eye moving.

Refaced Kitchen Cabinets

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Keeping the cabinet boxes while replacing the drawer and door fronts is an affordable way to dramatically update a kitchen, and it’s an option that homeowners will increasingly turn to.

Here, Kitchen Magic, which specializes in cabinet refacing, enhanced mid-tone oak cabinets to create a refreshing kitchen with the same layout as the former kitchen.

Blue Kitchen Cabinets are Trending

Speaking of blue cabinets, interior designer and color expert Jennifer Ott predicts that the color will catch on even more in 2020. “Both black and navy continue to be popular, and I anticipate seeing them used in even larger doses in 2020, such as for all of the kitchen cabinets rather than just the base cabinets or island,” she says.

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“To balance out these dramatic darks, I’m seeing equally liberal use of neutral to warm whites, such as wool and bone white. These are whites that have just the slightest touch of warmth to them, which keeps them clean and crisp-looking.”

If you hope to be ready for the hot trend toward kitchen design this year, we strongly suggest you take a look at the Houzz article today.

Looking for more tips on sustainable design trends, designer marketing tips, and product ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.