JASPER, IN —
One kitchen features a crisp, polished and detailed look. One kitchen gives off a feeling of coziness. Yet another kitchen boasts sophisticated organization in a small space while still another showcases a layout ideal for entertaining. All four have received top honors in Aristokraft Cabinetry’s inaugural “Living in Style” Design Contest.

“Recognizing that our customers work hard every day to bring their clients’ kitchen design dreams to reality, we launched the ‘Living in Style’ design contest to showcase their great work and show our gratitude for recommending Aristokraft Cabinetry to their clients,” says Cathy Hitz, senior brand manager for Jasper, IN-based Aristokraft Cabinetry, a div. of MasterBrand Cabinets, Inc. “[We wanted] to shine a public spotlight on some of our customers’ best-in-class kitchen designs.”

Indeed, Aristokraft’s first “Living in Style” contest offered builders and designers of new-construction homes the chance to submit new-build kitchens they designed using Aristokraft Cabinetry. All projects submitted were completed between September 1, 2005 and September 30, 2006.

“We received several strong entries from around the country – each using Aristokraft Cabinetry with a different style to achieve the needs of the builders and homeowners – and were extremely pleased with the quality of designs,” adds Hitz.

A panel of industry professionals and kitchen design experts then judged each entry on two major criteria: aesthetics and functionality of the overall room design. The panel also considered how they addressed challenges and capitalized on assets.

They chose one winner in each of four categories: Luxury Home, Move-Up Home, Entry-Level Home and Model Home. Winners in each received a $5,000 prize. They will also have their winning designs featured at the 2007 International Builders’ Show, February 7 to 10, 2007, in Orlando, FL, and they’ll be published in Aristokraft’s “Living in Style” newsletter and on www.aristokraft.com.

Here Kitchen & Bath Design News spotlights each of the four winnings designs.

DESIGN DETAILS

Details are what made this traditional-style kitchen stand out in the Luxury Home category – so much so that it took top honors.

Designed by Ruth Westra of Starlite Kitchens and Baths, it features Aristokraft’s Nantucket cabinetry with Antique finish. Westra, design specialist with the Byron Center, MI-based firm, used a combination of standard cabinetry with custom details.

“I was able to accomplish the elegant custom look that the homeowner was after…. It made the design stand out,” believes Westra, who worked with Doug Bakker, co-owner of Starlite, on this project. “This polished and detailed kitchen truly meets the needs of the homeowner.”
The biggest challenge for Westra was finding available sizes that would work in the space she had, which was actually approximately 320 sq. ft.

“Having 10' ceilings presented another challenge because I was stacking cabinets to the ceiling. I had to have all of the exposed ends skinned or use panels, [which] only come 8' tall. All of the panels had to be pieced, and I had to be creative when covering all of the seams,” recalls Westra, who used “fluted fillers with rosettes to help hide the front seams. Then we used Aristokraft door panels on top of the skins and cut the panels at counter height to hide side seams on the tall ends.”

As a result of her efforts, everything looked built-in. The refrigerator had door panels, as well as the dishwasher. The built-in pantry had door panels, and was trimmed to look like the rest of the cabinets. Above the pantry, Westra hid the TV the homeowner wanted inside a large cabinet behind a set of retractable doors. The microwave was built into a drawer cabinet, and all of the exposed ends had door panels attached.

Lastly, all of the cabinetry was stacked with Aristokraft crown molding that reached the 10'-high ceiling while Aristokraft base molding replaced the usual toe kicks.

She then set apart the 5-1/2'-wide cooking area with the custom hood by pulling it out and framing it with fluted fillers. Large corbels further define the hood.

Anchoring Westra’s design is the 9'x4' island. It sits at the center of the work triangle, in the center of the kitchen and makes for a functional, attractive kitchen “hub.”

Westra installed granite tops throughout the space, including on the island, and laid a wood floor. “The dark rich color of the wood floor adds both warmth and elegance,” remarks Westra.

“So often we see the island in a contrasting color from the perimeter. The homeowner debated about it. [However], I felt that keeping the island the same cabinetry as the perimeter helped keep the elegant traditional feel, and also brought out the rich tones of the wood floor,” notes Westra.

REFINED COUNTRY

A cozy feel, plenty of function and a host of hidden surprises in this kitchen met the objectives of the builder – which were to make it attractive to home buyers, of course, as well as give it design details reflective of a refined country look. They also won Kristina Peterson the top prize in the Move-Up Home category.

Peterson, a designer and salesperson with Drexel Interiors in Oak Creek, WI, designed the kitchen for a new home by HillCrest Builders in Glenbeulah, WI. Lisa Stanowsky, a fellow Drexel Interiors designer, worked with her on the project.

As lead designer, Peterson created this winning kitchen within a 200-sq.-ft. footprint using Aristokraft’s Kincaid Square door style with Fawn finish. “I wanted to design a kitchen with ample storage that was also open and inviting to the Great Room,” she says.

“By adding such hidden features as Aristokraft’s large drawer banks, roll trays and roll-out wastebasket, I was able to increase the storage necessary for each area of the kitchen. Stacking the wall cabinets and placing cabinets back to back in the island doubled storage space while allowing for decorative elements such as glass doors,” explains Peterson.

“The glass cabinetry and open shelving modernized the kitchen and gave it a touch of elegance,” she adds.

Peterson also installed crown molding, undercabinet molding and decorative ends that enhanced the refined country appearance the builder wanted.

One challenge Peterson faced was to create a work triangle using the “L” shaped walls. Her solution was to design an angled refrigerator wall and anchor the sink cabinet frame on the diagonal. This frames the ends of the kitchen, as well as supports the large island, which serves as an extra work area and space for entertaining.

“The contrast of the light-colored tops in the main cabinet area and the dark granite island top draw the eye around the kitchen,” notes Peterson.

The designer also installed a natural wood floor provided by her firm that picked up the fawn color of the cabinets. “The builder used wide painted trim and maple doors matching the cabinets to continue the refined country style throughout the home,” she adds.

FOUND IN TRANSITION

Together, Noelle Trotter, principal of Trotter Design Group, High Point, NC, and Lisa Homiak, former design center manager of D.R. Horton Design Center in Charlotte, NC, created a transitional, entry-level kitchen that boasts sophistication and packs a heavy functional punch. Their efforts won the Entry-Level Home category.

“We really feel it is a great example of ‘less is more,’ and [shows] that everyone can have the kitchen of their dreams – no matter what the space may hold!” believes Demi Clark, marketing director for D.R. Horton. She also worked on the project.

“What makes it stand out, to us, is the fact that in a smaller town home, we can still have a spacious kitchen. The kitchen itself is in a two-story space – which meant we needed 42" cabinets and a deep, dark color to stand out against the vast living room it faces, and create a dramatic look,” she says.

To that end, the design team chose Aristokraft’s Manchester Cherry cabinetry in Cognac finish. More contemporary hardware in brushed nickel finish the cabinets, which blend nicely with the dark granite countertops.

However, the major concern was the small footprint. “Being a town home, islands and the larger-sized side-by-side refrigerators typically won’t fit. But, with some innovative architectural techniques and by reconfiguring the plan, the major pieces were able to fit, and we were able to include a kitchen island with storage below,” says Clark.

This created a somewhat untraditional work triangle, explains Clark. “Everything was reconfigured to ensure a 24-cu.-ft., side-by-side, stainless refrigerator could fit, plus a working island and double-bowl sink. The triangle was expanded to a square to include the microwave hood and smooth cooktop with range,” she says.

MODEL OF DESIGN

The expansive island, the large cooking area and the cabinetry that hits the 10’6”-high ceilings gave this approximately 300-sq.-ft. kitchen enough pizzazz to win in the Model Home category. It was designed by Lisa Stanowsky for Hillcrest Builders. She works for Drexel Interiors, Contract Dept. in Oak Creek, WI. Lead designer Stanowsky worked with fellow designer Kristina Peterson on this project.

“The builder wanted to make a bold statement. This was achieved with the large scale of the room and the large island – the room’s main focal point,” explains Stanowsky. “The builder also wanted to [convey] Southern hospitality, which is why we chose Aristokraft’s Eastland door style with Cocoa Glaze finish. The entire house is designed with the traditional Southern plantation home in mind. The warm, rich colors and large open space in the kitchen all play into this feeling.”

The kitchen is based on three zones: the sink/prep area, the refrigerator/microwave area and the cooking area. “The sink/prep area is in the large island and is an ideal gathering place. The refrigerator/microwave area has a built-in, 48"-wide refrigerator – another focal point in the space. The cooking area has an appropriately scaled mantel supported by brackets,” describes Stanowsky.

To maximize storage, Stanowsky double-stacked the cabinets, placed large drawer banks on either side of the cooking area and installed an attached butler’s pantry.

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