Category Archives: Kitchen cabinet manufacturers

7 Tips for a Cozy Kitchen, no Matter What Style Kitchen Cabinets You Chose

Now that November is here, it’s time to get back into the kitchen! Goodbye, summer barbeques and dining al fresco. Now our families are ready for soups and stews again…and a cozy kitchen.

There’s just something about the kitchen when the days get shorter and the nights get colder. I suspect it’s simply human nature prompting us to get closer to the “hearth” or heart of the home. For some of us, however, we opted for a sleek, clean look when designing our kitchens, and we aren’t sure how to temporarily soften that look for the winter months.

Does your kitchen say cozy, in preparation for the change of seasons? If not, here are seven tips for making your kitchen a place of comfort, warmth, and home…

Work with wood
Your kitchen might already be warm with wood if you chose wood kitchen cabinets, wood flooring, or butcher-block counters. If not, you can still add touches of wood with wall décors such as hanging signs or antique cutting boards.

Add some greenery
Plants add a touch of hominess to your kitchen, and if those plants are herbs, you as the cook get the added bonus of fresh herbs to snip off and use while preparing dinner.

Lay down some rugs
Rugs are versatile. Put them away during the summer months if you don’t want to deal with keeping them clean, and pull them out for the fall and winter. They’ll add a touch of cozy to your kitchen, give you a comfy place to stand while cooking for washing dishes, and add a touch of color to the room.

Speaking of color…
If your new kitchen design went for sleek and minimalist, now might be the time to add some color to the kitchen, to make it cozier for the colder months ahead. Color can be décor, dishes, the aforementioned rug, napkins, a valance…. You don’t have to paint your walls or anything dramatic like that, only add a pop or two of color.

Pick up the patterns
Patterns and texture add coziness too. A few accent pieces with texture, like baskets, or the wood signs mentioned above, can warm up the room. Or maybe change out the kitchen curtains or valance to something more dramatic for the winter. If you opt for a rug, that can also add texture.

Look for warm lighting
Is your kitchen all designed and done so changing the lighting isn’t an option? You can still create a cozy mood. Change the lightbulbs to something softer, use a table lamp or two, or light candles. Anything that softens the light and warms up the room will help.

Add artwork and antiques
Even a brand-new kitchen can be cozy and appealing if you display a little artwork or a few antique pieces. Maybe it’s your grandmother’s teapot or a souvenir from your trip to Paris. As long as it looks treasured and timeless, it will help to warm up your kitchen.

And let’s not forget smells! For a truly cozy kitchen, bake some cookies, braise a pot roast, simmer a stew, or put a loaf of bread in the oven. Nothing says cozy like the wonderful smells of a home-cooked meal—even if your kitchen is all modern in every other way.

Add Layers of Texture to Your New Kitchen, Starting With Your Semi Custom Cabinets

Adding layers of textures to kitchen designs was a predicted trend for 2016 and the trend is still going strong, as far as we can tell, as we move through 2017. But really, when you think about it, mixing textures is something we’ve done all along, ever since we started having kitchens as a designated room in our houses. In our kitchens, we have combined smooth porcelain sinks, shiny copper pots, wood-grained cabinets, rustic file floors, speckled stone countertops, and even rough cast iron stoves (if you want to go waaay back).

So maybe today’s trend toward mixing textures is really more of a celebration of all the many textures it takes to make a beautiful, functional kitchen in the first place? We like to think so!

Regardless, if you’re considering ways to layer, mix or combine textures in your new kitchen design, you have countless ways to do so. Today’s homeowners and kitchen designers can choose to mix and match shiny mirrored surfaces, rough barn wood, brushed stainless steel, grainy granite countertops, rustic terra cotta tiles and so much more. To inspire you to get creative with your own mixing and matching, we have ideas below, each of which can add a new type of texture to your new kitchen design.

Add texture to your kitchen design with semi custom cabinets
You might not think about your semi custom cabinets as the place to start adding texture to your new kitchen, but today’s kitchen cabinet makers offer you multiple ways to do so. In addition to the different types of wood you can choose from, you can use semi custom cabinets to add texture with:

 

Add texture to your kitchen design with flooring
If you’re planning a new kitchen in 2017, you have almost countless types of flooring to choose from as well, flooring that can add texture to your new kitchen design or only be a subtle backdrop for the texture provided by your cabinets. You can choose from laminate, wood, tile, bamboo, cork, vinyl, linoleum and more—and each of these is available in a rough or smooth surface.

Add texture to your kitchen design with countertops
As with flooring, you have almost countless options to choose from with countertops, it seems, including concrete, recycled glass, granite, quartz, laminate, butcher block, marble, tile and even stainless steel. Each of these will give you a different texture you can layer in with other textures in your new kitchen design.

Add texture to your kitchen design with details
You can also add texture to your kitchen with your backsplash, the hood over your stove, the handles and drawer pulls you choose, fabrics used for curtains or on furniture—even accessories such as pottery on a shelf or artwork on the walls can add texture and visual interest to your kitchen design. And let’s not forget the appliances, that can be rough or smooth, dull or shiny!

When you’re planning a new kitchen and thinking about texture, however, our suggestion is to consider the semi custom cabinets first. See what your favorite kitchen cabinet makers have to offer and decide if you want to start with and build on that texture—or not. Whichever way you go, you’ll be celebrating the lively combinations of textures our kitchens have always featured, as the busy rooms used for so many purposes and offering so many pleasures.

7 Ways to Evaluate Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers to Ensure You Get the Quality—and the Design—You Desire

Does any room remodel require as many decisions as a kitchen remodel? You not only have the usual choices to make about things like where the window will go and what color to paint the walls. You also have appliances, countertops, hoods, hardware, backsplashes, sinks, faucets and more to consider—oh, and cabinets. In fact, your cabinets will be one of the most important choices you make!

Now, you might think your first step is to go out and find a cabinet style you like, but we think you might be better off choosing your cabinet manufacturer first. One you’ve found the manufacturer that offers the quality and choices you like, then you can start narrowing down your search to those semi custom cabinets that will be perfect for your new room—without having to worry about quality or warranties.

To help you choose among the many cabinet manufacturers out there, we offer seven qualities to consider:

1. Longevity of the company
You want your semi custom cabinets to last for years, right? So narrow your search down to those cabinet manufacturers who have been around for a while.

2. Durability of the cabinets
Also narrow your search down to those cabinet manufacturers that are doing semi custom cabinets, unless custom cabinets are within your budget. You want to avoid the RTA (ready to assemble) cabinets if at all possible. Choosing a manufacturer that builds semi custom cabinets means getting durable cabinets that will last along with some flexibility in the sizing and design.

3. Warranties on both cabinets and hardware
Speaking of durability, consider the warranties when comparing cabinet manufacturers. No kitchen cabinet can last forever given the wear and tear that happens in the busiest room in the house. But you do want a warranty that protects you against manufacturer defects. Also make sure the hardware—meaning the hinges and drawer guides—area also protected by warranty.

4. American made
Do you really need to limit your cabinet manufacturer choices to those producing American-made cabinets? Not necessarily, but it’s a good way to ensure better quality cabinets in the end. It’s also a good way to support your fellow Americans and keep good paying jobs in the U.S. rather than have them disappear oversees. In addition, you’ll find it’s just easier to deal with a company that’s within the U.S

5. Choice of cabinet styles
OK, now we get to the fun stuff. When you’re checking out cabinet manufacturers, and after you’ve gone over the above criteria, take a look at the cabinet styles offered. Look for a nice variety that’s going to let you choose the cabinet style that can make your dream kitchen a reality. If you don’t see a style that makes your heart beat faster, take that manufacturer off your list.

6. Choice of cabinet woods and finishes
The same can be said of the choice of woods and finishes, and really, these days cabinet manufacturers should be able to offer you just about any finish, color or stain your heart desires. Some even offer custom color matching! As with the door styles, if you don’t see a finish that you love, keep shopping. As for wood, look for a manufacturer that offers a range. Standard woods include oak, maple and cherry.

7. The ability to customize
There’s a reason we call this category of cabinet manufacturers “semi custom.” These kinds of manufacturers aren’t building custom cabinets, but they can modify the cabinets they offer while still keeping the costs far below what truly custom cabinets would cost you. Look for one that offers the kinds of custom modifications you might want or need to fit your space and your vision both.

The choices of cabinet manufacturers can be overwhelming, but start your search there and soon you’ll zero in on a manufacturer you can trust. And from there you can start your search for the perfect style, wood and finish. Fun stuff!