DESIGNERS' FAVORITE THINGS
Kitchen designers spend all of their time picking out items to enhance someone else’s culinary experience, but which kitchen products get designers excited about cooking?
We went behind the coveted doors of a few designers’ kitchens to find out which items they can’t live without as well as what necessities make their kitchens the perfect space for their families.
Amy Aenchbacher, Design Coordinator at Living Spaces Studio in Atlanta, is a firm believer that sufficient lighting can make or break a kitchen design.
“You don’t want the kitchen to be too bright, but you also don’t want to cook in shadows. Most people think a kitchen looks fantastic when they see it done in the daytime but never consider what the kitchen will look like when night falls, which is when most meals are prepared.”
Aenchbacher, who loves using dimmers on everything that helps set a room, recommends creating zones with your lighting just as you would create work zones in the kitchen. This way, the light focuses specifically on the area in use. With brighter task lighting over the sink, dishwasher and clean-up zone, you are sure to get every crumb off your countertop and all the grease off your dishes. Additionally, having separate switches for each area saves energy because you are only using the lighting that is necessary for that zone.
Interior designer Cheryll Gillespie of CG Design and Media Group and host of “Let’s Shop,” which takes viewers on a tour of the most exclusive, exciting and famous shopping destinations in the world, can’t live without her built-in coffee maker.
“I abhor counter clutter, yet adore a great cup of coffee, and with my built-in, a great latte is always only seconds away. Perfect for when clients, friends and family drop in.”
Other appliances, such as the Millennia® Microwave In-A-Drawer™, offer unconventional installation flexibility that reduces counter clutter and keeps everything neat.
Designer, Jane Regan of HB Building and Design, Inc. in California loves having a kitchen with plenty of drawer space.
“Sometimes people who come to me for a kitchen design are surprised to find that drawers are the way to go, but we all know that they make for easy access and lots of space.”
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And it’s not just utensils and kitchen accessories that fit into drawers. Appliances like the Millennia Microwave In-A-Drawer and Warming Drawers are also great conveniences in the kitchen.
The one appliance Regan thinks belongs in every kitchen is the convection microwave, because it can easily take care of all the cooking tasks that don’t require heating up a full oven, saving both time and space.
Kitchen designer Charlotte Panico of Dwellings Design Center in Vero Beach, Fla., who helped remodel the Dacor Design & Culinary Center in Chicago, also loves her Dacor Convection Microwave, which often acts as a second oven in her cozy kitchen, especially when cooking for large gatherings.
Additionally, Panico has noticed a growing interest in undercounter wine refrigeration, which she has installed into even the smallest of kitchens as well as master bedrooms, for those who want their favorite wines within reach.
Ed Cholfin, President of AK Complete Home Renovations in Atlanta, and his designers are also fans of undercounter refrigeration.
“Be it a beverage center, refrigerator/freezer or refrigerator drawers, these models are super handy and fit easily into almost every kitchen design,” said Cholfin. “They are family friendly to conveniently store kids’ food and snacks and great for a small home bar!”
The team at AK has also fallen in love with dual-fuel ranges, which feature convection ovens as well as cooktop accessories that give you the flexibility to use a griddle or other accessories with your traditional gas burners.
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THE DETAILS - March 2009:
