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36 | Kitchen & Bath Design News | April 2015 Designer's Notebook in one area of the room: a "feature wall," if you will, as opposed to cre- ating a "focal point" with cabinetry within the overall environment. Providing a similar sense of style, bigger patterned ceramic tiles are also key design elements in mod- ern spaces. » » No/few wall cabinets! Not news to us, we know – what to do? Add pantries into your designs! I think we will continue to see large walk- in pantries providing the needed storage shelving in many kitchens in 2015. » » An open, airy sense to the space; oftentimes, created by incorpo- rating open shelving within the room. The designer's challenge is how to make these shelves appear to "foat" on the wall surface. A popular hanging system uses dow- els or brackets that are attached to wall studs and concealed behind drywall. The support then slips into a channel or hole built into the back of the shelving. A key con- cern is the maximum weight these shelf systems can carry. I also think the wall space behind the shelving provides both a design challenge and opportunity for the planner. We need to think beyond traditional backsplash materials or applications. The cabinet material may become the wall covering, or this area may be just the spot for a grand tile or wallcovering pattern. » » The continuing trend of mixing furniture-type cabinet pieces into both Traditional and Contempo- rary spaces. Oftentimes, mixing in the opposite style creates a dramatic, eclectic, welcoming en- vironment. Think French armoire freestanding furniture piece in a room flled with highly lacquered full-overlay cabinets! Or, tradi- tional white painted cabinets combined with a brushed wood fnish on the island. » » More attention paid to the archi- tecture of the room. This is going to have a big impact on kitchen designers. As kitchens become integrated into overall living ar- eas, we can no longer focus our attention on the set of cabinets we provide. The cabinet part of the kitchen plan cannot sit against barren walls. Today, designers are paying more attention to the architectural accoutrements – the interior fnishing systems, if you will – comprising of door casings, baseboards, crown molding and ceiling treatments. With LED lighting systems becom- ing such an integrated part of our business, I believe that the ability to create tray or cofered ceilings – and illuminating them – can add to the drama of the spaces we work in. By the way, even in a simple kitchen with an 8-ft. ceiling, extending a fat molding onto the ceiling creates the sense of a tray: a great visual "trick of the eye." Around the world, the new ap- proach to modern rooms is resulting in spaces that are much more hu- manized and unpretentious than the classic Contemporary interiors that in the past seemed to be all about the design, rather than the family. We are being asked to create rooms focused on providing a highly personal mix of beautifully designed products – yet, in a simple, pared-down fashion. The consumer believes that this focus on simplicity will make the room easy to live in and manage. This double request for organiza- tion and simplicity adds a new layer of responsibility to professional de- signers: They must create an overall storage system and manage the enve- lope of space allotted for the kitchen or bathroom so that it effortlessly manages the family's possessions, and can support the various activities that will take place in that space. We can meet this challenge by focusing on the family frst: how they live in the space, what materials appeal to them and what possessions they love and hope to highlight in the new room! Then, we simply transition our professional emphasis to fnding the right elements to build a "real" room! Ellen Cheever, CMKBD, ASID, CAPS, is a well-known author, designer, speaker and marketing specialist. A member of the NKBA Hall of Fame, Cheever gained prominence in the industry early on as the author of two design education textbooks. She man- ages an award-winning design frm, Ellen Cheever & Associates, and has been part of the management team of several major cabinet companies. A beautiful display at KBIS featured classically painted white cabinetry, combined with a very rusticated fnish on the island cabinetry, as well as the island wood countertop. The hood echoes the wood fnish: a beautiful room. An interesting corridor kitchen from the Cologne LivingKitchen Furniture Fair provides needed storage in the tall pantry section. The 2015 Toronto Interior Design Show featured whimsical, interesting exhibits. Talk about personalized – a bicycle suspended over an island! Attending these various trade fairs – both internationally and domestically – always results in new, inspiring ideas. Photo: Courtesy LivingKitchen Exhibition, Cologne Germany Press Office, 2015 Photo: Plato Woodwork, www.platowoodwork.com Photo: Courtesy Toronto Interior Design Show Press Office, 2015