Where the designers are pros, and the views are yours
Visit a Kitchen Views showroom to see and feel the quality of the cabinetry you’re purchasing, an important aspect missing from an online shopping experience. What looks good in a picture can be disappointing when seen in person. Kitchen Views sells quality brands that will impress you when you experience them in our showrooms. The construction quality of cabinetry differs, and you want your investment in this foundational element to stand the test of time with solid construction.
As children go back to school, every parent knows it’s time to make school lunches and do homework again. Large kitchen islands have become a favorite gathering place for families to enjoy time together while doing these daily tasks.
Involving children in meal preparation gives them important time together as a family, which not only teaches them about good nutrition, but provides them with emotional connections to each other. In our highly technological society, family time is more valuable than ever.
Sharing time together while doing homework is more emotionally rewarding than just learning their school lessons. Especially for young children, being sent to another room to do homework can feel like punishment. Interacting with parents while establishing good study habits can help them develop a lifelong love of learning. As children get older, they may require more solitude while studying, but they’ll be more productive because they learned these early lessons as a family.
Kitchen islands with seating for casual meals are not just convenient. While it may make meals easier to prepare, eat and cleanup all in one place, this family gathering place is about building happy memories together.
Building confidence is an important aspect of life skill lessons and leads to healthy independence. When children are old enough to handle a knife safely, cooking lessons get more technical. As with most learning, hands-on experience is the best way to learn.
It’s important to consider how you want your family to interact daily when planning a kitchen remodel. As a major family gathering space, the importance of a kitchen should not be underestimated. The best kitchen design is much more than the style and color of cabinetry and whether to include an island. An experienced kitchen designer will listen and learn about what works for your family. That allows them to design a living space that works well for you. Your designer will expertly handle the storage issues, appliance placement, and space layout so that you’ll simply enjoy using your kitchen for years to come.
When you’re ready to get started with the planning stage of a kitchen design, or remodel, start your research in the “Getting Started” section of our website. Then contact a Kitchen Views showroom near you to get the personalized attention you deserve.
Our designers work hard to exceed your expectations.
Contact Kitchen Views at 508-DESIGNS [337-4467] or visit our website for more information.
Kitchen Views in Warwick, RI has won “Best of Design” on Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. Kitchen Views was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that compromise the Houzz community from more than one million active home building, remodeling, and design industry professionals.
This Pawtucket, RI kitchen designed by Lisa Zompa has been saved to over 5,000 ideabooks on Houzz
The Best of Houzz award helps homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area featured on Houzz. The Kitchen Views at National portfolio includes some of the most popular images on Houzz 2016. Kitchen Views also maintains an active presence on the platform and answers questions from the millions of worldwide users who may wish to duplicate the popular style seen in the photos.
Lisa Zompa, designer at Kitchen Views Warwick, has over 12 years of experience in kitchen and bathroom design. Lisa has an interior design degree and joined Kitchen Views in early 2010 to serve the Rhode Island area. Lisa says “to be honored by Houzz for a second time is a great compliment. The Pawtucket kitchen was designed a few years ago so it is really nice to know that my designs appeal to a wide range of people and that this design has stood the test of time.”
Lisa Zompa in a kitchen she designed for a home in Bristol, RI
Kitchen Views is proud to offer exceptional customer service, talented designers, exquisite showrooms, and quality products. For unlimited options, Kitchen Views offers multiple lines of custom cabinetry, decorative hardware, and stunning countertops. Whether you want a traditional, contemporary, or “green” design, you will find it at Kitchen Views.
Vice President of Industry Marketing for Houzz, Liza Hausman, says “we’re so pleased to award Best of Houzz 2017 to this incredible group of talented and customer-focused professionals like Kitchen Views. Kitchen Views was singled out for recognition by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts for help to turn their home improvement dreams into reality.”
With the growing popularity of “tiny houses” with their own television shows, many people are thinking about how downsizing can free them for enjoying activities other than cleaning a regular size home. Whether you have a small condo that needs better space planning to make the best use of every inch, or find that your regular size kitchen is in chaos, careful planning can improve your everyday life.
One of our favorite contributors to the Kitchen Views blog recently retired, but her wisdom regarding good kitchen design is timeless. So we are sharing again her perspective on making the most of limited space.
“Making the Case for a Tiny Kitchen” by Pam Kuliesis
Originally published on November 26, 2013
Tiny kitchen 2020 layout by Pam Kuliesis
After turning a corner in life, I find myself living with a teeny, tiny kitchen. It’s a U-shape space. The working triangle is about 9 feet total, no more than 3 feet between the sink and the range to the left and the sink and the refrigerator to the right and just about 3 feet between the range and refrigerator across from each other. I can stand in the center of the room and reach all three without moving my feet. I pretty much don’t even have to lean. Very tight.
At first I couldn’t imagine being able to create anything in this “Easy Bake” kitchen that would be worth serving. But, a girl’s gotta eat, and take-out gets old pretty quick.
Once I started putting stuff away I was amazed at just how much storage this little kitchen had. And then I started cooking. Everything I needed was within arm’s length. Prep time was so much faster, not having to schlep across the room for the pepper mill that, in my old kitchen, I would leave way over by the sink. Also, I’m much neater. I don’t have the luxury of moving around the kitchen leaving a messy trail behind me. I clean as I go, making the final clean up a breeze!
There are so many great kitchen storage options available from all of the quality cabinetry brands we sell. Stacked wall cabinets maximize every vertical inch. Carefully planned base cabinet configurations and storage accessories make the best use of every nook and cranny.
Kitchen Views designers have the knowledge and the tools to create great kitchens in any space, big and small. Our designers are pros and the views are yours
Kitchen Views at National Lumber
71 Maple St, Mansfield, MA 02048
(508) 339-8020
www.kitchenviews.com
Have you ever thought about the historical roots of the modern kitchen? As with most things in life that we take for granted today, form really does follow function.
Born and raised in historic downtown Hingham, Massachusetts, I’ve always had an affinity for elements of architectural design and aesthetics. Researching historic facts of architecture has informed my design ability. There is so much we can learn about ourselves by studying the past and the lessons learned by those who came before us.
Sioux Indians (mid-1800s) gathered around the cooking fire
Settlers of the American West gathered around the Chuck Wagon
We are inherently drawn to the source of our nourishment, but most of us don’t think about it consciously. Without a building, we are drawn together around the cooking fire. This shared experience forges emotional ties. Family loyalty is strengthened by these everyday routines.
The kitchen is now truly the heart of the home, however, this wasn’t always the case. From the colonial period up until the mid-20th century, most kitchens were an afterthought in the planning of a house. They were simple rooms predominantly for food storage and minimal food preparation. They lacked space and no one could say they were “designed.” The cooking methods and tools of the day were primitive, which left kitchens dysfunctional for centuries.
Early 1900s
1920-1930
1940s
It was not until the late 19th century that iron stoves became commercialized and municipality systems for gas, water and electric became readily accessible. Once these advances took place, kitchens were poised for transition, and the kitchen industry was born.
The industrial period led to scientific studies of productivity that considered efficiency dealing with movement and spacing, from which came kitchen design concepts that took into account the process of food preparation. The stove, sink, refrigerator and counter space were identified as key work areas and were now being spaced according to a well-thought-out design for maximum efficiency.
Starting in the 1950s, household work came into vogue depicting the “perfect” middle class household. As a result, even more emphasis was placed in the kitchen. Traditionally, the kitchen had been built at the back of the house, away from living areas. The advancement in technology, flooring, lighting, etc., changed the location of the kitchen within the home.
With this new focus on kitchen appliances, and the development of suburban neighborhoods, competitiveness required that upwardly mobile families had state-of-the-art kitchens. “Keeping up with the Jones’” became a way of life. These modern appliances had become both necessities and status symbols.
With pride in their modern kitchens, families were happy to gather at the kitchen table to eat meals together, instead of in a separate dining room. Kitchens were becoming the place that brought the family together. This was the beginning of the concept of a kitchen as “the heart of the home.”
This period of rapid development from the 1950s through the end of the century saw the family gathering place being improved. With homeowners willing to invest in modern kitchens, designers explored color choices and new materials (such as the aqua blue 1960s kitchen shown below), storage options inside the cabinets, and new configurations to eating areas (such as the 1970s picture with seating around an island instead of a stand-alone table).
1950s
1960s
1970s
The 1980s saw a change in kitchen layouts, which most people didn’t realize was moving them out of “the heart of the home.” Kitchens began to be designed with work islands in the center, to provide more work space for meal preparations. The kitchen table got pushed to the side, or back into a designated dining room. Individuals went to their bedrooms or a designated family room and/or entertainment area during their recreation time.
1980s
1990s
How many people understood that this physical separation was creating an emotional rift in their family? There is no one factor responsible for the shift in American society. But any honest observer recognizes that we went through a turbulent period with jobs requiring relocation or frequent travel, a rise in the divorce rate and a generation that was out there trying to “find itself.” Perhaps that’s why we’ve finally seen a shift back to the importance of family, whatever form that family takes.
Today’s kitchen is the focal point and gathering place for family and friends. Kitchen islands have transitioned back to include seating for the family to gather in the kitchen, at least for casual meals. The family is also being brought together with the contemporary concept of an open floor plan. This could include a dining area as well as a family room and/or entertainment area. Parents want a line of sight to see small children playing while they do their kitchen tasks. Older children working on homework or playing video games are still “part of the family” instead of off in their bedrooms alone. The family cook may have felt separated from the family, alone behind a wall. With open concept layouts, the person preparing meals can easily converse with the family. The concept of the kitchen as “the heart of the home” has been expanded to include a larger family living area.
It’s where family bonds are made, a place where kids do homework and preparing meals with one another is a pleasant activity. Today’s kitchen is fully integrated into your lifestyle and deserves to be stylish and functional.
This open concept kitchen and living area layout is a good example of what we have discussed as a contemporary style.
Traditional cabinetry details are included in this contemporary open concept kitchen.
This open concept kitchen includes two large islands, with natural flow into the family living area.
As you can see from these examples, there are endless variations on the theme of open concept. Your kitchen should reflect your aesthetic and your lifestyle.
Don James | Showroom Sales & Design
Kitchen Views | 3356 Post Road, Warwick, RI
djames@kitchenviews.com
Don graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology’s Architectural Engineering Program. He began his career in 1986 hand drafting kitchens for other designers. Don’s notable skill in conceptual design has earned him a reputation as one of the areas premiere kitchen designers.
Kitchen Views at National Lumber enjoyed hosting our first EM NARI Networking event on April 16 along with co-host Allstate Glass. Two of our PRO Force salesmen, who specialize in working with remodelers, were there discussing current building projects.
Steven Kaitz (right), owner of National Lumber at the EM NARI Networking Event in the Kitchen Views showroom, Mansfield, MA
Many demonstration areas were available, including:
• Allstate Glass frameless glass shower enclosures and back-painted glass backsplashes
• Schrock and Dynasty representatives showed our vignettes of their cabinetry products and answered questions
• Häfele introduced their new cabinet lighting that is installed in our two new kitchen vignettes
• One of our Mansfield designers introduced our new cabinet re-facing program
• Closet Factory showed their new finishes for custom closet products
Look for more photos in our Facebook and Google+ albums.
The night was filled with food, drinks and fantastic company. We had big winners too! Nancy from Masters Touch won a gift certificate to Closet factory. Dave from Home Repairs Carpentry in Norwood won a gift certificate to Allstate Glass, and Dave from Miller Construction won a Häfele tool kit and gift certificate for their product line.
But the biggest winner is the EM NARI scholarship fund. Annually, a scholarship is awarded to an immediate family member of an EM NARI member who is a high school graduating senior who has been accepted as a full-time student to an accredited college or university in any program of study. Thanks to everyone who attended we collected $800 for the scholarship fund.
Builders had a chance to see many of the new products going into kitchens now. Many of them feel the market for remodeling is strengthening. Adding these products to any renovation is sure to add value to a customer’s home.
Mike McDole, National Lumber’s Senior Vice President of Sales, speaking to a guest at the EM NARI Networking Event in the Kitchen Views showroom.
We are looking forward to another networking night! We invite you to check National Lumber’s website Events page, national-lumber.com/events, periodically to see what’s coming up.
In the meantime, we invite you to visit a National Lumber location near you to find out about the PRO Force Remodelers program. Feel free to visit a Kitchen Views at National Lumber showroom and speak to one of our designers about your next project.
Brandy Souza
General Manager of Kitchen Views
If you’re looking for kitchen design inspiration, below is a list of my favorite trends for 2014. Remember, you can subscribe to receive Kitchen Views blogs via email. Look at the top of the right-hand column to find the place to sign-up. In the weeks to come, we’ll be discussing these trends and providing inspiring photos.
1) Transitional design is growing in popularity. Even with traditional design having a strong arm here in New England, consumers want sleek, clean lines rather than a great deal of detail in the doors.
2) Neutrals, which have played a large role as wall colors, have now jumped into kitchen cabinet finishes. Greys, grey/whites, putty and tans are now preferred colors over pure white for cabinets.
3) Large single bowl sinks still reign king, but now with more interesting materials and textures. Copper, polished chrome, fireclay and soapstone are a few fun finishes consumers are putting in their kitchens.
4) Glass mosaic backsplash is sold everywhere now, but the 2014 twist is to have a single pane of glass with the back painted in any accent color you wish. It is easier to keep clean as it has no grout lines, and it is a sleeker look.
5) Access to Wi-Fi is a must for the kitchen area. More consumers work from their islands, look up recipes on their kindles and they are checking their favorite social media pages over coffee in the morning.
6) Multiple refrigeration is key for the many different diets consumers are following in their homes. From Paleo, Vegetarian, Vegan, to Gluten free and my personal favorite, wineo, you need to plan for different ways to preserve foods. Different humidity levels are key with vegetables and grains while light and temperature are critical to wine and cheese.
Contact Kitchen Views at 1-508-DESIGNS (337-4467) to arrange a personal consultation with a designer who will guide your design journey to a new kitchen you will enjoy for years to come.
Brandy L. Souza
Assistant General Manager
Kitchen Views at National Lumber
120 Welby Rd, New Bedford, MA 02745
Office: 508-990-8020 x3163
Fax: 508-742-1498
bsouza@kitchenviews.com
A recent online survey done by remodelormove.com shows that American consumers are feeling more confident in spending money toward home improvement projects. The survey had 5,000 participants who answered a range of approximately 70 questions to determine if the majority would rather move or remodel. Every participant showed interest in making some sort of improvement to their current home. The results show consumers are willing to spend around 30% of their home’s value for the home improvements.
With long-term value being a factor in remodeling, homeowners are willing to use more expensive materials in their projects. A majority, 74% responded that they plan to hire a general contractor to do the work, rather than undertaking projects themselves. Along with hiring construction professionals, more than half of the respondents plan to hire an architect. Homeowners are planning their projects on a larger scale and are including multiple rooms, and will be better served having professionals to oversee the project.
The percentage of homeowners planning to do a kitchen remodel is right above the halfway mark at 55%. Kitchen remodels are taking precedence over baths, according to the survey, and this is where consumers are willing to invest more of their budget. Since the contemporary kitchen is the hub of family activities, this is really an investment in improving family life.
Kitchen Views at National Lumber has experienced designers to serve you through every phase of your remodeling projects. We can supply you with the building supplies you need and the services you deserve. Those services include getting to know the unique needs of your family. Your particular tastes and lifestyle are factored into the design. We strive to exceed your expectations. One of our designers will follow the project from concept to completion. Kitchen Views at National Lumber, where the designers are pros and the views are yours!
Resource: Americans Willing to Spend More to Remodel, Survey Says
Schrock Thermofoil White Cabinetry
An important consideration when planning to remodel your kitchen is how much time you plan to spend cleaning and maintaining the cabinetry. It will only look beautiful for years to come if you care for it on a regular basis. With today’s hectic lifestyles, few people want to spend their precious free time cleaning. Of course, if you can afford it, you could hire someone to do this work. But for the moment, let’s say that’s not an option.
White cabinetry is very popular, and one type of white cabinetry is particularly easy to clean. Thermofoil cabinets are an easily maintained product. Sleek and smooth-surfaced, Thermofoil cabinetry from Schrock offers a sophisticated appearance along with exceptional durability and ease of maintenance for today’s hard-working kitchen. You should be aware that White and Cashmere color may change slightly over time, depending on environmental conditions.
Thermofoil is a process where heat and pressure are used to bond a thin layer of PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) film to a shaped and glued component made from MDF (medium density fiberboard). The result is a seamless surface that covers a panel’s face and edges. The component back uses a white, seamless melamine surface – excellent for easy cleaning.
Cleaning guidelines from Schrock Cabinetry:
A soft cotton cloth dampened with warm water is usually sufficient to clean your cabinets. If more thorough cleaning is required, please use a fresh solution of mild hand dishwashing liquid mixed with warm water. After cleaning, wipe all surfaces with a clean, damp cloth. Dry immediately using another soft, clean cloth. Click here to read more, such as cleaning products to avoid.
Next time, we’ll talk about easy to clean and maintain countertop material.
Kitchen Views
www.kitchenviews.com
Spring is here and the remodeling season begins. If you’re thinking about remodeling, this indeed may be the best time, to both beautify your home and live healthier. Here are some reasons why.
From the Kitchen Views Fall 2009 Magazine:
“Deciding to remodel a kitchen is rarely a snap decision. In a tough economy the questions only multiply, whether the price tag is $2000 for a quick face-lift or $500,000 for a state-of-the-art makeover. But for many households, there’s no better time to embark on a process that will leave you with a home that’s more beautiful, easier to sell and most important of all, healthier for your entire family.
A functional, beautiful kitchen quickly becomes the focal point of home social life — and its benefits extend far beyond just aesthetics or making it easier for one person to chop onions while another is putting the finishing touches on a crème brulée.
The health benefits of upgrading your kitchen range from letting the cook offer more choices to inspiring the cook to forgo a trip to a restaurant in the first place…
And just cooking at home is a big improvement, public health researchers have found.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a study on dining habits, listed several advantages to eating in: restaurant food has more calories overall; restaurant food has more of the kinds of nutrients Americans should cut back on; and restaurant food has less of the nutrients Americans need more of.
The bottom line: Researchers determined eating out was one factor in the nationwide surge in obesity.
In contrast, a first-rate kitchen invites people to cook in and dine in…
In the final analysis, one thing to remember is that your kitchen is an investment that is used day in and day out, year after year…”
Kitchen Views' Blog 