Home | Working With Pros | Architect Builder Interior Designer Landscape Designer Building Blocks | Landscapes Exteriors Interiors Kitchen Bath Trade Talk | Organizations Seattle Design Center 2007 Directory Architects/Contractors Art/Frames/Galleries Bath/Kitchen Builders/Remodelers Floors/Walls/Paint Glass/Metal/Wood Home Furnishings Interior Design Landscape/Garden Lighting Photography Real Estate Windows/Doors

Print Page

WHAT'S COOKING A stylish and functional kitchen sets the standard for your entire house

As the undisputed hub of the household, the kitchen is being singled out as the place to set the standard of style for the rest of the house. From European modern to French country to colonial American, the options to express your individual style in the kitchen have never been greater. Now more than ever, the selection of finishes is seemingly endless, and homeowners are gravitating toward the newer materials that are just as functional as they are fashionable. Mixing Materials Using one kind of material on upper and lower cabinets, especially if it is the same shade as the floor, can overwhelm a kitchen—particularly a large one. Today’s designers are abandoning the monochrome look in favor of mixing materials, which—if done right—can result in a complementary design among cabinets, counter tops and floors. High-gloss lacquer upper cabinets and stainless-steel counter tops, for example, can be softened by choosing wood lower cabinets and stone floors. Robb, president of Stone Source Northwest, counsels clients to set apart their islands by using stone or glass tile arranged in an interesting pattern. “Natural stone continues to have a strong presence,” he explains. “And for a traditionally styled kitchen, stone range hoods are extremely popular.” Enter Europe The ultra-modern European kitchen design aesthetic has landed stateside, and everything from light fixtures to drawer pulls is lying long and low. “Horizontal is hot!” proclaims Brian Parker of Refined Woodworks, Inc. “Grouping colors and textures in linear bands or installing wood with the grain positioned horizontally is the new look in a modern kitchen,” he says. Not only is the look of the European kitchen in vogue, but its practical configurations are also favored. Appliances are “blocked” together to ease movement between them, and shelves slide in and out for easy access. Form and function constitute a perfect marriage when outlets are hidden under cabinets or routed through drawers. One of interior designer Christine Suzuki’s favorite tricks is to place plugs along a power strip and attach it to the underside of overhead cabinets, so outlets are out of sight when counter-top appliances are not in use. “It’s all about simplifying surfaces,” she explains. “Even too many knobs and pulls are stressful to look at when they’re on all levels of the kitchen. There are a lot of new options in cabinets that don’t require handles, and eliminating visual clutter is essential.” With its surfaces simplified, the kitchen is not only easier to use, but the personality of its design can shine

	Poliform available through Urban Ease 2512 Second Ave (206) 443-9546 urbanease.com.	CaesarStone tile, Gold Abyss available through Refined Woodworks, Seattle Design Center Suite A-121 (206) 762-2603, refined-woodworks.com	Villeroy & Boch’s Fire & Ice Collection, Steel Grey, available through Chown Hardware, 12011 N.E. St., Bellevue (425) 454-7240, chown.com
	Wood-Mode Fine Custom Cabinetry, Kensington Raised Cherry Yorkshire, available through Refined Woodworks, Seattle Design Center Suite A-121 (206) 762-2603 refined-woodworks.com	CaesarStone tile, Jerusalem available through Refined Woodworks Seattle Design Center Suite A-121 (206) 762-2603 refined-woodworks.com	Villeroy & Boch’s New Glory Collection, dark red, available through Chown Hardware 12011 N.E. St., Bellevue (425) 454-7240, chown.com
	Formica Mocha Striawood veneer available through Morgans Electric and Plumbing 3627 Stoneway Ave. N. (206) 547-1617, morgansonline.com	Formica Brand Laminate Skylark Boomerang, available through Morgans Electric and Plumbing 3627 Stoneway Ave. N. (206) 547-1617, morgansonline.com	Trikeenan’s Modulus collection available through Ambiente European Tile, Seattle and Bellevue locations (206) 524-2113, ambientetile.com

Seattle Homes and Lifesyles Magazine | Advertising Inquiries | Editorial Inquiries 1221 East Pike Street, Suite 305, Seattle, WA 98122 206.322.6699 | 206.322.2799 (fax)