Author: The Kitchen Showcase

The open floor plan has become increasingly popular. Making the home one big open and communal space requires a lot of planning and design. You need the look of the entire home to be cohesive. However, it’s wonderful for throwing parties and having guests, especially for the person who always gets stuck in the kitchen. There are a few things to consider before you start tearing down walls and opening up your home and your kitchen.

Remodeling your home

There are benefits to having fewer walls and large open plan home. Smaller homes can benefit from an open floor plan, giving you more space and making the home feel bigger. Walls can take up a lot of precious space, so if you are looking to add a few more square feet to your living space or your kitchen, then opening up the home is an option. Another great benefit to the open floor plan is that it expands the kitchen.

Expanding your kitchen

The kitchen is becoming less a place to prep and cook, and more of a place for entertainment and quality time with the family. The kitchen is the heart of the home, pumping good energy to the entire house, which makes it more natural to open up the kitchen and make it a central focal point in your home. If you make your home an extension of the kitchen, you have to think about how the kitchen design will naturally flow and translate to the entire home.

Considering your lifestyle

A big, beautiful kitchen that is welcoming and designed for entertaining and lounging, as well as cooking and cleaning, does not fit every lifestyle. One of the biggest things you need to consider before you design an open concept home is your lifestyle. In an open plan home, every room, including the kitchen, is visible at all times. That means that any mess you leave behind after cooking a large meal is going to be visible to all of your guest at all times. A messy kitchen can take away from the ambiance of the home.

Work area behind the open kitchen

Of course, with great design and a little innovation, you can have a messy kitchen and an open floor plan home without worrying about the mess distracting from the rest of your interior design. If you love to cook and entertain, but don’t want to leave a messy kitchen for all to see at every party or gathering, design a little work area where you can hide dirty dishes, pots, and pans. Your big open kitchen can remain neat and clean for your guests, and open for entertainment, while you hide the dirty stuff in the back.

Check out all the latest products to remodel your home and design your dream kitchen.

Everyone is putting efficiency and technology front and center in modern kitchen design. The more purposes that your kitchen serves, the more minimalistic the design has gotten. Simple and effective design will allow your kitchen to fulfill the growing social aspects of a modern kitchen. Once you have brilliantly customized your cabinets, you can start to make choices based on aesthetics.

Aesthetic kitchen design trends

Just because we want our kitchens to be efficient and functional, that doesn’t mean that we can’t consider style and aesthetics. Colors and textures may not serve a physical purpose or make it easier to prepare a homecooked meal, but the aesthetic choices may impact the mood and the ambiance of the kitchen. Lack of function is frustrating, but a drab color scheme or using textures and materials that you can’t stand to look at will make the kitchen unwelcome. You should feel good in your kitchen, and that means you have to think about colors, textures, and materials that you love.

Add color

White is still the dominant color in the kitchen, but we are seeing a trend towards incorporating more bold, rich colors into the modern kitchen design. Color can break up the white and create a wow-factor. Colorful kitchen cabinets or an island is a great way to breathe a bit of life and drama into all the functional design elements. Using darker and deeper colors can add a sense of luxury and sophistication.

Clean lines

To make room for the drama created by color, simplify the rest of your design with clean lines. Avoid too much adornment on cabinet doors or kitchen counters. You don’t want to overpower your kitchen with too many dramatic elements. With a modern and clean design, you will also give your kitchen the appearance of being more open and airy, creating a pleasing flow and atmosphere.

Quartz countertops

Countertops are your chance to blend functionality and fashion. Quartz countertops are naturally beautiful, come in a variety of colors and textures, and can add some layers to your kitchen design. Not only is quartz a beautiful and elegant material, but it is sturdy and easy to maintain, giving it function as well as aesthetic benefits.
Visit our kitchen showroom to see the latest style trends for modern kitchen designs.

Once you’ve taken the decision of remodeling your kitchen and bathroom, we understand that it can be a hard and confusing project to do by yourself. For over 30 years, The Kitchen Showcase has been helping homeowners, builders, and interior designers make great decisions and increase the value of their homes. Today we want to take all this experience and knowledge, and give you some tips to help you start making your dreamed kitchen and bathroom a reality.

 

Define Your Wishes and Needs

Having a clear idea of how you want your kitchen and bath to look, how much space you have available for remodeling and how much money you can spend, are all very important pieces of information for you and our designers, in order to choose the best materials and designs for your needs.

We offer nearly 40 room displays where you can see, touch and experience all the different options we have available, for you to have a better idea of how you want your kitchen and bathroom to look like.

Budget and Timeline

Knowing your available project budget is very important for our design team, so they can have a clear understanding of which options can be taken into consideration for your remodeling project, to create the best kitchen and bath for your needs and preferences.

Define Your Availability

Coordination is very important for us and we know your time is very valuable, therefore we will adapt to your timeline. Defining your schedule will allow us to coordinate in the most efficient way with our trucks, service department and installation crews.

At The Kitchen Showcase
It’s All About You

You are the most important part of the process for us, and having your goals met is our number one priority. We have our full-time service representatives available for you, to keep you up-to-speed and answer all of your questions and concerns.

We invite you to stop by our new and beautiful Kitchen and Bathroom Design Showroom, located in Centennial, Colorado. We are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Evenings and Saturdays by appointment. Also, you can send us your questions through our website and we will answer.

Thinking smart isn’t about budgeting or looking for the best deal; it’s about designing a kitchen that has a purpose. Every detail and every element should be there for a specific reason. Here’s how to think smart when you are designing a new kitchen.

Smart kitchen design

Simplicity, efficiency, and technology are the cornerstones of smart kitchen designs. The purpose of the kitchen has expanded over the years, and so has the design. As the modern kitchen has evolved from being hidden to being the focal point of the home, the design has become more sophisticated and simplistic. By keeping the design simple, you are opening up more possibilities for your kitchen. You are not just designing for a great cooking experience; you are designing for a great social experience.

Technology

Modern kitchen design will take advantage of all the technological advances from energy efficiency to functionality. Besides your major appliances, think about incorporating your own technical needs, like being able to recharge your phone, or listen to music. Lighting is also integrating technology to make every feature more efficient.

Smart storage

Perhaps the most significant area for smart kitchen design is the storage. Cabinets, drawers, and shelves should be customized to fit your kitchen and your specific needs. Custom cabinetry will allow you to take advantage of every inch, so you don’t waste space, as well as keeping your kitchen organized.
The design of your drawers should include dividers and smart functions that make it easier to store and organize your kitchen, thus making it easier to find everything. A disorganized kitchen will only lead to frustration. Smart storage will make your kitchen feel good.
To talk to a kitchen design expert, stop by our kitchen showroom in Centennial, Colorado.

For a charming organic kitchen, natural wood cabinets are a classic choice. However, there’s something you need to know about your wooden cabinet – they are going to change with age. Like any other living breathing thing, wood will go through changes over time. Here’s how you can expect your wood cabinets to change, and how you can help you cabinets age well.

How wood changes over time

Wood will react to the elements. That fresh, juicy, vibrant color that new wood cabinets have when you first get them is not going to be the color or texture they’ll have in a few years. Some wood will go through more drastic changes than others, so the type of wood you choose for your cabinets will impact how they change over time. When raw wood is exposed to the elements, they will go through a process called oxidization that can change the color and tones of the wood. That is perfectly natural, and many times, part of the charm of using wood in your kitchen.

Embracing the change

Some people will find the aging process beautiful. Each little change will add character and history. Allowing your wood cabinets to age naturally can give them a naturally rustic charm. The wood will eventually settle on a color, often one that is deeper and richer than the original color.

Aging evenly

You may love the look of aged wood cabinets, but if the cabinets aren’t aging equally, they can start to look like they don’t match. That can create a jagged effect in the kitchen. Help your cabinets age evenly by protecting them from elements like heat, sun, and moisture. In the kitchen, this means ensuring that you don’t allow the climate to fluctuate too much, despite cooking. Shield cabinets from direct sunlight so that some cabinets don’t age quicker than others.

Preventative measures to keep your wood cabinets young

If you’re looking to help keep your wood cabinets young, there are ways to protect the wood from aging too quickly. The finish on your cabinets will protect them from the elements, keeping them the original color and tone. Staining your wood cabinets can also help solidify the look that you want. Painting the cabinets is another way to prevent them from changing over time.
Check out the latest styles in kitchen cabinets at The Kitchen Showcase near Denver.

Taking on a kitchen remodel is a big job. There’s so much more to a kitchen than just the appliances and a few countertops. The kitchen is a multi-purpose room, so you need to think about all the functions that should be included in your new kitchen design. Then there are all the styles and materials to consider. As we said, it’s a big job. Fortunately, there’s one place you can go to get all of your questions answered, as well as gain inspiration for a kitchen remodel –The Kitchen Showcase in Denver.

Visiting a kitchen showroom

The benefits of visiting a kitchen showroom are numerous. What you see in magazines and Pinterest may not be what it looks like in real life. Plus, it’s hard to get a real sense of a product or material when you are staring at a screen. The layout of the kitchen has also evolved from the classic kitchen work triangle to a fully customized kitchen to meet all of your personal needs.

Kitchen layouts

When you design your kitchen, you need to think beyond the classic kitchen work triangle where there are three stations to consider – the fridge, the stove, and the sink. That was fine back in the day when the kitchen was for cooking only, but these days the kitchen is used for so many other things. Being the heart of the home will naturally draw people in, so you need to design a kitchen that is inviting, warm, and designed with purpose.
Visiting a showroom allows you to physically see all the different kitchen layouts that include many zones and stations to allow for multiple activities. See how you can design your kitchen to fit your lifestyle, as well as include smart functions and storage to make the kitchen feel open, relaxed, and functional. The right layout will ensure proper flow and energy in the kitchen, making it more comfortable.

Materials

There are many materials that will look almost identical in photos. Visiting a kitchen showroom allows you to see, feel and understand the difference in all materials like natural stone, quartz, and marble countertops. Check out the various styles of cabinets and storage spaces so that you can narrow down your own personal style. See how two products work together before you buy, making sure that every detail is precisely what you want.

Details

There are big functional decisions you have to make when you remodel a kitchen, but it’s the details that make a kitchen feel personal. Visiting a kitchen showroom gives you a chance to check out all the design details that can make a kitchen pop. Check out all the latest hardware for your cabinets, as well as lighting options to add ambiance and energy to your kitchen design.
The Kitchen Showcase is located in Centennial, Colorado and features over 40+ complete rooms to give you inspiration for your kitchen remodel.