Kitchen storage solutions

Blending style with storage creates a functional kitchen

I like to design my clients' kitchens with fbncdon in mind and then add design elements to make it beautifW.I believe a pretty kitchen might sell the job, but a functional kitchen brings the clients back Asking clients a lot of questions regarding their cooking, cleaning and shopping habits is important. You also should ask about their entertaining needs. Two of my most recent clients are almost empty-nesters, busy in their medical fields, who like to be together at the table when they're doing their "homework" on the `weekends. She does all the cooking and he's all about groceryshopping and cleaningup.When time permits, she likes to prepare meals that take time in the oven or simmering on the cooktop, an area where she can lounge while keeping an eye on her cooking would be ideal for theft space.By Lisa Loushin, CKDHire The Right Contractor. - I'd highly recommend you give serious thought to hiring a General Contractor (GC) when your kitchen projects are more complicated than simply refinishing or painting. - If your job involves tearing down walls, building new ones, or relocating and supplementing any plumbing and electrical systems, then you should definitely consider hiring a general contractor. While most general contractors do fabulous work and come highly recommended, I've found there are still a lot of unscrupulous characters out there! So be careful - get references and check out their work! The last thing you want is to get ripped off by the very person you entrusted to deliver your ultimate dream kitchen. - Do your best to find the right contractor for you, so all the time and money you spend planning, budgeting, and designing your kitchen will be put into the right hands."A place for everything, and everything in its place," or is it, "Everything in its place and a place for everything"? I'm not quite sure how the saying goes. Regardless, it certainly makes sense and it's a mottollilcetolive anddesignby.Iflndifthere isn't a proper storage place fbr hems in the kitchen homeowners will use the countertop for storage. Doesn't this defiat the purpose of a beautiflilly designed kitchen? Why would ~uwant clients to hide their beautiful countertops and backsplashes with clutter? They most likely spent a good chunk of their budget on those items, after all.For more information about the 2011 Signature Series at The Met Warner Center, please visit the website at www.TheMetWC.com or stop by the community located at 5555 Canoga Avenue, Woodland Hills, CA 91367. Designer models are open daily from 11 am to 5 pm. You can also follow The Met Warner Center on Facebook and Twitter.The Met Warner Center offers not only the perfect location and selection of homes but also one of the best amenity packages for an active lifestyle. Residents can enjoy the community's four resort-style swimming pools, the state-of-the-art fitness center, a community clubhouse, six lighted tennis courts, a racquetball court, a brand new indoor basketball court, men's and women's locker rooms with saunas and steam showers, lush landscaping and an intimate courtyard gathering area.Ideally, all specific inserts are defined and incorporated into the cabinets when they are built because they match the interiors of the cabinets and usually fit the design style. However, for clients with a tight budget, this might not be possible and would liavc to be a part of theft project s phase two. If we assist therm in specifying the items they'll need, then they are more likely to purchase these items and install them in the fhture. The Container Store is one of my favorite places to send them because the store has many options that are reasonably priced.I've found storage containers are the toughest things to design for. They always seem to multipl~ and there is no universal size or shape to them. My best solution to date is to take a deep drawer and install a divder from front to back for lid storage~ and in the remainder of the drawer install a dish drawer insert. I believe the pegs for the dishes are perlict br stacking containers and adjusting to the different sizes and shapes.Media Contact: Stephanie Orton Lynch Delucchi Director of Public Relations 202.248.5855 slynch@delucchiplus.comIn their space, an "U'shape with an island is ideal. One leg of the "L"will house her induction cooktop with ventilation above, her spices in a drawer to the left of the cooktop, cooking utensils in the top drawer to the right of the coo ktop, knives on a magnetic strip mounted on the backsplash, pots and pans on roflouts or deep drawers below the cooktop, hot-pad holders in a drawer below the utensil drawer, and cooking oils and larger spice bottles in the wall cabinet to the right and/or left of the vent hood. The island across from the cooktop will house her mixing bowls, serving bowls and platters.Add to Digg Bookmark with del.icio.us Add to NewsvineDo Your Research. - Do your due diligence and educate yourself on what's out there in the design world and marketplace. There are an endless array of cabinetry, countertops, backsplash, appliances and flooring materials on the market - so get to know what works best for you. - Grab some kitchen design magazines, and focus on the styles of kitchens and interiors you're drawn to. It doesn't matter if it's a window style, a cabinet detail, or a paint color you're in love with. Just tear out the pages and make notes indicating what you specifically love about it. Is it the 6-burner stainless steel stove, those gorgeous French doors, or the overall kitchen layout? - Create an inspiration file and use this as your starting point. Once you know what you like you will be more decisive in the planning stage and that will save you time and money.Have you ever taken inventory of your clients' existing kitchens as they go through the items they'll need in their new kitchen? Typically, they find something they thought they had misplaced, or they find two, three or four ofone thing~This is because their current kitchen doesn't define where each item should go, so they simply throw items into a cavernous cabinet and forget they have them. I have found that if you define what goes in each drawer and cabinet, clients are less likely to purchase multiples of what they already have and, therefore, will need less storage space.

LISA LOUSHIN launched Haute Kitchens, Plymouth, Minn., in 2007 and has served locally for NKBA as vice president of communications, longrange planner, and second-term chapter president and certified instructor. Loushin can be reached at 612-791-9008 or lisa@haute-kitchens.com.

Author: Loushin, Lisa