Kitchen & Bath Design News

OCT 2015

Kitchen & Bath Design News is the industry's leading business, design and product resource for the kitchen and bath trade.

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38 | Kitchen & Bath Design News | October 2015 Storage Innovations OWNER/CKD CREATIVE CABINETS AND DESIGN BIRMINGHAM, AL Storage trends/philosophies: "The two words I hear most often are 'clean' and 'simple.' Most of my clients don't want to see anything on the counter, so we are not only having to fnd plac- es to store all of the kitchen wares, but we are also having to fnd places to hide everything. That means kitch- ens are getting bigger. People aren't using less, they just want to hide it all so there has to be a place to put everything. In many of our remodels, we are taking in other rooms to make space for a huge kitchen. "Electronics are also moving into the cooking space. Families revolve around the kitchen, and a lot of my clients are adding TVs. Sometimes I'll put one above the refrigerator behind pocket doors. Other times I will put one underneath a wall cabinet or in a sitting area next to the kitchen, along with a couple of chairs or a loveseat. I will also almost always have a charg- ing station hidden in an appliance garage, drawer or pantry." Most difficult storage challenges: "The most difcult challenges are for unusual requests, such as how to cre- ate a pet area in the kitchen. I have seen a lot of interest in this on Houzz and Pinterest. As designers, we have to fgure out how to make those unusual requests work, keeping in mind that any remodel has to be an improvement on the space and storage. "Maximizing storage in small spaces can also be challenging, but with so many accessories available, we can make it work." Favorite storage element: "Mine is pretty basic. Two main requirements I include in all of my kitchen designs are wastebasket pull-outs and pots/pans storage. People just don't like to see garbage cans sitting out. They want to walk into their space and see a clean kitchen…the less clutter, the better. If I do two prep stations, I will often include two wastebasket pull-outs. And, for people who recycle, I will do a double pull-out: one for waste and one for recyclables. I also love the really, really big, deep pots and pans draw- ers…at least 24" or 27" wide and 36" wide if I have enough space. I put one to each side of the range or cooktop." Favorite storage tip: "Before anything is fnalized, know where everything will go. My clients are thinking through their kitchen designs much more thoroughly these days. Designs are taking longer to finalize, with some people taking as long as a year to plan their kitchen. But I think they are more purposeful. "People know they have a lot of stuf, and they want their kitchen to be an improvement over the existing space, so designs are very methodi- cal. Every cabinet has to make sense. For each and every one, we fgure out what it will be used for. Everything has to have a place, but it also has to be pretty. "Design just isn't as simple as it used to be, where we ordered stock cabinets and fgured out later what to do with them. Now, people are spending more time shopping, going online and pinning ideas from Houzz and Pinterest." DESIGNER DEANE, INC. NEW CANAAN, CT Storage trends/philosophies: "Design trends such as foating shelves are changing storage needs, especially when it comes to dishes, which I then move to a base cabinet with peg drawers. Floating shelves do still provide storage…but they are much more graphic storage with an open look so they do have an efect on storage, and it needs to be made up somewhere else. "I also don't see seated desks in kitchens anymore. People don't have This contemporary kitchen by Jennifer Thompson showcases a sleek design with an entire wall that is free of wall cabinets. The space features a larger footprint to accommodate storage needs. She notes, "Several walls were removed to create this open plan. We moved the laundry room and relocated it inside a hidden pantry that is accessible from the kitchen and is concealed behind cabinet doors. It keeps all of the unsightly things behind closed doors." Photos: Brendon Pinola Continued on page 40

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