The internet is full of articles and sites that are crafted by people claiming to represent the luxurious kitchen market. However, “luxury” is an over-used word these days. Now that “luxury to the masses” is a common marketing concept in everything from purses and handbags to kitchen tile, it has become difficult to wade through the plethora of information to find what the actual luxury consumer is really looking for…. to be set independent of the mass market. As a kitchen designer for a high-end British company, I hardly ever engage in projects that cost less than $100, 000 (often the cabinets alone outshines that amount). Therefore I consider myself to be on the front lines of wedding with the real luxury consumer. If you are building, remodeling, or designing a luxury kitchen, (or perhaps you want to imitate one), then consider these suggestions.

1. Understand the difference between a framed cabinet with an inset door and a cabinet with an overlay door. A framed cabinet with an inset door is considered to be the higher-end option while cabinets with overlay doors are the more widespread type seen available today. Many of my clients do not know this difference when putnamdesignllc.com on page they visit my facilities and if you are unfamiliar as well, I encourage you to view cabinets from both categories face to face. It is a little bit difficult to picture, but essentially a framed cabinet with an inset door is a cabinet box with a stationary frame mounted to the front of this box. The cabinet door then sits inside (flush) the frame. Traditional English cabinets was counter made this way and it still holds appeal today. An overlay cabinet can have a frame or be frameless, but regardless, the entranceway overlaps the frame or box. A frameless cabinet with overlay doors can be very desirable in a contemporary kitchen where clean, smooth lines are desired. However, in terms of traditional cabinets, this is known as an inexpensive way to generate a lot of cabinets. A framed cabinet with an inset door is a lot more work to manufacture and requires a lot more craftsmanship to get everything properly aimed in its aperture. If your home value is over $1. 5 Million, you want to be purchasing framed cabinets with inset doors. There is merely a perceived quality associated with it.
2. Spend your money on high-end refrigeration. Most of my clients still prefer to disguise their refrigerators behind custom cabinets panels. However, even if you want the professional look of stainless, I would encourage you not to skimp on your refrigerator. Many years ago, Bass speaker Zero had a company corner on the market for fully integrated refrigeration. By “full integration”, Get real that the refrigerator can be designed to sit flush with the cabinets (24″ deep) without necessity for a stainless grate above it, and without an exposed stainless frame. Now, however, there are several more manufacturers offering this feature, including Miele and Thermador. While not all of my projects utilize a fully integrated refrigerator, the vast majority of them do. Luxury kitchens frequently feature a pair of refrigerators that are paneled and clipped out to look such as an armoire or beautiful piece of furniture. In fact, this can be your kitchen’s best focus if done well.
3. Design a place to disguise all of your counter top appliances, such as coffee makers, toasters, blenders, etc. Most high-end kitchens that are well designed allow the homeowner the luxurious of having “uncluttered” counters. After all, beauty are a big part of what you’re paying for. Sometimes this can be a large walk-in pantry with built-in cabinets. Alternatively, I have often employed a method of fabricating a tall larder cabinet in close proximity to the sink and refrigerator. This larder cabinet, complete with pocket doors, can have an internal counter top with outlets fixed to the back of the cabinet for pushing in an assortment of small appliances ranging from the microwave to the stand-mixer. The idea here is that everything is readily available and already hammered in. No luxury kitchen should require the homeowner to take out a heavy appliance from a base cabinet.
4. Consider using a mixture of counter top materials. In large luxury kitchens today, a single pebble or corian material on all counter surfaces can look quite cold. Perhaps it is because these large kitchens simply have so many sq . feet of counter top material. Regardless, this is a careful line to walk because using too many different materials can quickly look like a trend. To be easy on the eye, consider using your stone of choice around the perimeter counters and then decide on a wood top on the island. This breaks the coldness factor of stone while not conflicting with the pattern of your pebble, limestone, or corian.
5. Don’t put a stainless panel on your dishwasher. This is really just a pet peeve of my verizon prepaid phone. Personally, I do not think the dishwasher is an attractive appliance. Therefore there is no added value in putting a stainless panel on it : even if all of your other appliances are stainless. Placing a stainless door on your dishwasher just breaks the visual distinct the beautiful cabinets on which you are splurging. I strongly encourage you to look at a fully integrated dishwasher model. Miele, Bosch, and Asko all currently offer excellent fully integrated models. Again, the term “fully integrated” means that the entire dishwasher front (including the controls) are concealed behind a cabinets panel. If done properly, you will not be able to distinguish relating to the dishwashers and any of the adjacent cabinets.