"Other" Appliances Part 1 (Warming Drawers, Convenience Ovens & Under Counter Refrigeration)

So, as with most things there are certain standards within the Kitchen & Appliance industry. Cabinetry, while they still remain "standard" in most regards, they do tend to vary by 3" increments in width. However, with appliance widths, I am almost always dealing with what I call a 24-30-36 model. This covers a 24" wide dishwasher, a 30" wide range, 30" over the range microwave and a 36" wide refrigerator. I would even go so far to say that these standards are found in approximately 50% of all kitchens I design, with an additional 30-40% of kitchens having a slight variation to this (a 30 or 36" cooktop, 24" dishwasher, 30" wall oven, and 36" fridge). However, this leaves me with those 10-20% of kitchens that also like to add something different or some of the "other" appliances out there. What are these "other" appliances? Well, they are the wine fridges, ice makers, espresso makers, warming drawers, and the other goodies that are out there and can really make a difference in how you use your kitchen. 

There are a ton of appliances out there that the serious cook or entertainer (or even those that just want to play one on tv) can benefit from incorporating into their new kitchen. Additionally, these "other" appliances can also be a great addition to a non traditional space, such as a wet bar area and can change a way a space is used. The key when looking to incorporate these elements into a new design is to ask yourself the following questions: do you have the space for these elements, are you willing to use the space that was previously allocated for something else, and can you see yourself reaping the benefits of incorporating these items into your design?

In talking to the appliance folks that I work with, the most popular "non standard" appliances that are leading the pack are under counter refrigeration (beverage centers and wine fridges), convenience ovens (such as the speed cook ovens, the convection microwave ovens, and the steam ovens), and warming drawers (that are doing much more than just keeping dishes warm or simply proofing bread).  

24" Under Counter Beverage Center Jenn-Air JUB24FLARS

Under Counter Refrigeration

 Let's start with the under counter refrigeration. There are many choices out there of wine fridges and beverage centers. Beverage centers, like the Jenn-Air model I have pictured on the left combine both wine storage as well as other refrigerated storage (great for beer, water bottles, juice boxes, or even extra appetizers before a party). The standard size of these items are 24" wide and about 34" tall (which allow them to fit underneath the countertop) and, almost most importantly, the ventilation is through the toe kick, which helps make sure that you don't have to worry about overheating the cabinets on either side! It is important to note that this is very different than something like a "dorm fridge" which is vented in the back and should never be in an enclosed situation (such as between cabinets and under a countertop). There are many different variations of these items, some of the full wine storage ones are what are called dual zone, which enables you to store your different wines at different temperatures, or keep you reds right below room temperature and your whites at a much cooler temperature. There are options out there with and without glass doors, and ones that allow you to have a panel made for the door to match the cabinetry that would be surrounding the appliance. A bar application for this item is an obvious choice, but it could also be great located in the island in a kitchen as a second place (or even main place) for folks to grab beverages while someone is cooking so that they aren't underfoot. This particular model pictured has even incorporated a very popular feature that is almost ubiquitous in the cabinet world, the Soft Close door, now you can go on a late night fridge raid without anyone being the wiser. 

Jenn-Air 24" Steam & Convection Wall Oven JBS7524BS

Convenience Ovens

Next up, the convenience ovens. These are some of my favorite technologies that are out there, not only are they time saving, but they really do live up to their names! Steam ovens, in their original iterations, could often be difficult to clean, difficult to refill, and were very infrequently displayed. Now that more companies are coming out with their own steam ovens, these ovens, and their benefits are really being seen. This model to the right, also a Jenn-Air appliance has made refilling and use much easier with a reservoir that is easily removable (as opposed to needing a permanent water line installed) which can be especially helpful if it is not an appliance that you use on an everyday basis. This particular model also happens to be a convection oven so you can definitely use it for more than just making baguettes or steaming your veggies for dinner (although it's great at that too!). While the availability of steam ovens to a more mainstream audience has been relatively recent, there is another type of convenience oven that has been available for a number of years.  These would be the speed cook ovens, or more often called convection microwave ovens. Many times when I begin to speak to clients about these types of convenience ovens they have memories of the convection microwave ovens of years past that were never really good at microwaving or being an oven. However, I would say, hands down, that the heavy hitter and almost the gold standard of these types of appliances would be the GE Advantium.

GE Profile Advantium 120V 30" Wall Oven PSB9120SFSS

 As I describe to my clients, many convection microwaves are microwaves that has oven tendencies whereas the Advantium really is an oven that happens to also be able to microwave.
This Advantium (as shown on the left) has solved many a space problem for my clients, it really allows clients to have the 2 ovens that they are often looking for while not requiring us to give up additional space for a microwave somewhere else. This would also be a great item for someone who is looking to install a mother in law suite, a bar space, or even just a secondary cooking area in their home. This has even been a great option for some of my clients who were looking to switch out a cooking appliance on their boat! The advantium is available in both 120v and 240v options and the biggest difference is how much faster it cooks. The Advantium does come with a large number of pre-programmed recipes, cooking times, and options. It is able to microwave, broil, warm, proof, and convection cook. You are still able to use it to reheat as well as defrost, as you would with your regular microwave, but unlike your regular microwave, you will no longer need to eat leftover pizza that either tastes like rubber or reheat your oven for that late night craving. However, there could be one "fatal" flaw.... it is missing the all important popcorn button.  

Warming Drawers

KitchenAid® 30'' Slow Cook Warming Drawer KEWS105BSS

Finally, warming drawers. These rather unassuming appliances, typically installed underneath wall ovens or wall oven combos have come a long way from the items that you only use to heat up your plates or keep your side dishes warm on the holidays. This model on the right, by KitchenAid, is not only a warming drawer, but it also helps to solve the often present issue of not enough counter space and too many counter appliances! This warming drawer is also a slow cooker and will help you in your bread making by giving you the perfect environment in which you can proof bread. KitchenAid is able to accomplish this by having 3 separate, and clearly marked, zones that help you set your temperature whether it be for slow cooking, warming, or proofing.  This appliance can also be installed in other area of the kitchens other than just underneath your wall ovens. Many cabinet lines now have options with standard base cabinets so that it can easily be installed in an island or along another run of cabinetry. This appliance could also be placed in a butlers pantry space or even in the dining room itself in a hutch type application (especially great if you go with the option that allows for a cabinet panel instead of a stainless front) for those who are frequently entertaining and want to ensure warm dishes or want to make sure that the extra side dishes are always warm when refills are needed on the dining table!
 
 These only represent a small portion of those "other appliances" out there and ways that they could be beneficial in your every day life (There is a Part 2 in the works that will cover espresso makers, ice machines, and trash compactors).  There are always changes going on within the appliance industry (there are even fridges that now dispense hot water as well as cold and ovens that allow you to use an app on your phone to program the entire oven from preheating to cook time) and new ideas that are always coming out. There are even rumblings of new ovens that will be coming out in the next several years, for the home cook, that instead of a door that opens down, will have a french door style doors which will make it much easier to access the racks. Happy designing and maybe you have even found a new appliance that you can see in your dream kitchen!

Dollars and Cents: What do you recoup after doing a remodel?

Almost anyone who is considering a remodeling project is also often considering how much this project will help with resale later as well as how much of the dollars they have spent on the project they will recoup. While the NKBA (National Kitchen & Bath Association) recommends spending 5-15% of the value of the house on a kitchen project, here in the DC area those prices can a moving target and don't often offer the concrete budget ranges my clients are really looking for. Instead, I have begun to use the Remodeling Magazine's fantastic tool which lays out, per year, the cost vs value of many different remodeling projects you may undertake.

http://www.remodeling.hw.net/2013/costvsvalue/division/south-atlantic/city/washington--dc.aspx

This can be a worthwhile site to look into and get a good gauge on what an "average" kitchen costs in the area, how much you can expect to recoup back and also can give you a good gauge if you may  be over or underpaying. Hope this helps you with your budgeting process for your remodel, until next time!

Door overlays and what they really impact

There really are so many nuances to the things that you choose when you are doing a kitchen remodel but often certain facts can be glazed over or you will hear terms that are not completely self explanatory. One of the best examples of this is in regards to your door overlay. The main types of cabinet door overlays are full and partial (or classic) and, more recently, inset. The door overlay can affect everything from how you layout the cabinets themselves to something as simple as whether or not you need hardware on the cabinets!

Glendale

The most common door overlay that clients have in their homes before remodeling is the classic overlay or partial overlay. The verbiage depends on the cabinet manufacturer itself but it looks like the door style on the left. 
This type of door style allows for routing out on both the drawers and the doors for finger pulls rather than needing hardware and it also tends to be a less expensive door style. As the name suggests, it only partially covers the face frame of the cabinet that you are ordering. If you are looking to have a butt door cabinet (the cabinet doors actually butt up against each other removing the need for a center stile---the 3" piece of wood that is in the center of many cabinets) then I would advise against using the partial overlay doors because the reveals will not be consistent across the kitchen. Over the years, however, this particular overlay has been losing popularity and as a result many manufacturers have fewer and fewer options to choose this type of overlay. That being said, many custom and near custom manufacturers where you can choose your door style and also choose the overlay will allow you more  options if this is the overlay that you really like.

Ramsey

The most popular overlay style that I sell is the full overlay style like the one shown at the right.   This means that the door and drawer heads almost completely cover the face frame of the cabinet and will absolutely require the use of hardware in order to open these types of cabinets. As mentioned previously, this door overlay has become more and more prevalent and there are some manufacturers who will have full overlay represent over 90% of their cabinet offerings. The downfalls to these type of doors really come into play during installation. Without having any space on the top of the wall cabinets to install molding, you will often have to do slightly shorter height wall cabinets if you are looking for crown molding and additionally, when installing these types of cabinets with a wall to the left or right you will need to use fillers. If no filler is used, you could run into a situation where the door or drawer does not open all of the way because it runs into door frame molding or even just an uneven wall. Additionally, with full overlay doors with hardware and a wall next to the cabinet you could run into a situation where the knobs are actually leaving marks in the wall if you do not use the proper width fillers.

Wabash Beaded Inset

Inset overlay (as shown to the left) has been showing up more and more in the magazines over the last few years and has been gaining in relative popularity as a result. Inset doors mean exactly that, the door itself is inset into the face frame of the cabinet rather than sitting on top of the frame. There are multiple considerations that one must take into account when designing with the inset doors especially dealing with how cabinets will look next to each other and even what the end panels of exposed cabinets will look like. You will tend to only find inset doors as options within cabinet lines that are near or full custom cabinets. There is a certain amount of finesse required to not only construct these cabinets but also design with them. These cabinets can be the most difficult to really get to look right but can also be some of the most seamless looks and high end looks that you can find when doing a kitchen remodel.



Door overlays may not make or break your decision on what types of cabinets to order but this, hopefully, is just one more explanation of how and why you may choose an overlay. Think carefully as you are looking at your space and your door style to what you like the look of best and what works best with how you use your kitchen---do you really want to have hardware or are you worried that it will catch on you? Are you looking for the least expensive options or are you looking for a furniture level built in look?  Asking yourself these questions and others will help you design your dream kitchen.

All photos of doors from Brighton Cabinetry

Granite & why it's imperative you pick your slab

Granite, oh granite, how you tend to be swaying back in forth in popularity right now. One week, a newspaper will post that granite is on it's way out in favor of more quartz products such as Cambria, Zodiac, and Silestone, and then, the next week, that same paper will discuss how choosing your granite top is something that should be cherished and treated as an adventure since it is so unique and beautiful.

I do not tend to lean one way or another when it comes to tops for my clients, yes, I have tops that I love and would put in my home, but for every client there are different expectations of duties that they wish their tops to perform. Granite is a beautiful addition to any home, not necessarily more or less beautiful than any other top, but one that because of it's uniqueness and beauty, requires a bit more work on the part of the consumer. Namely, and most importantly, the fact that you should really go choose your slab. Granite, even in the most consistent colors, is, by nature, inconsistent. It should also be noted that if you are choosing granite off of a sample (especially those that are less that 1'x1') then you are asking for their to be heartburn later.

Yes, there are times when choosing your granite is not an option (most frequently when you are purchasing vanity tops or something else that does not require even close to a full slab, and therefore you are getting a discounted price since the fabricator is using remnants), however, in most cases, in fact-in almost all cases, you, as a consumer, should ask if the choice of slabs is an option and insist on it.

Now, when you go to your granite yards, I also recommend that you find a way for your designer to go with you. I will almost always go with my clients to choose their slabs for several different reasons: 1) There is a bond that is formed between a designer and their clients and I think that it is important, as a designer, to be there for any questions that may arise, sometimes it's purely for moral support and affirmation that what a client is choosing will look good with their tops; and 2) because I know which countertop I have priced for a client and I can help ensure that if they fall in love with another granite I am there, on hand, to let them know that the price may be significantly higher than what they were originally quoted and can help ease the sticker shock, or help prevent a client from falling in love with something that is simply too far out of their budget. (There are stones that are in the multiple hundreds of dollars range per square foot and it is heartbreaking to hear stories of clients who fall in love with a stone that could cost them upwards of $10,000 more than they were quoted).

However, whether or not your designer goes with you, it is incredibly important to view the slab because you never know when a slab may have an anomaly that you are not prepared for, and if you allow someone else to just pick the next slab available for your tops, you may be in store for a very unpleasant surprise when the top is brought to your house! The picture included is something that I have not ever seen before in my 7 years of design work and I've been to a number of granite yards and seen thousands upon thousands of slabs.

So please, choose tops that you love, choose tops that you like, but always always make sure to see if there is a choice to view the slabs, and, if there is, please make sure to take the extra couple hours out of a busy schedule to make sure that the stone you are investing in doesn't have an unexpected and unwanted surprise.

Welcome!

I have been a kitchen and bath designer since 2006.  I am a creator of spaces that my clients and  their families and friends will use on a daily basis for years to come. I work with all different budgets and all different spaces, and I love finding a way to bring the "dream kitchen" to my clients while staying within their desired budgets. I plan on posting tips, tricks, and ideas as well as finished client projects on this site (complete with before & after pictures). These are all personal opinions and reflections from my experiences in the industry, and these are not associated with and do not represent the opinions of any company that I work with/for. Many of these tips and tricks are ideas that I have run into along the way, struggles that some of my clients have had as well as ways that I have found to overcome some of those seemingly "impossible" obstacles.