Michael Burr, Design Consultant with Legacy Kit­chens in Calgary, says when it comes to the design of your kitchen you should ensure your cabinetry matches your lifestyle. “If you have a large family that all get in­volved in the kitchen you may need two sinks, larger traffic areas and plenty of counter space,” says Burr. “When designing your kitchen you should make a list of the things that you must have, and a list of things that you would like to have so that your designer has a good place to start.”

There are so many options and features to consider, such as cabinetry, appliances, counter­tops, and even faucets and hardware. But not to worry, many builders have design centres avail­able, many with designers on staff to make rec­om­mendations. Sometimes you can get ideas just from visiting showhomes or from looking through decorating magazines

When reading, the experts ad­vise bearing in mind some trends can change quickly, while others are timeless. “Fashionable maga­­zines tend to show the more cutting-edge designs which are not always the most popular, but this is a great place to look if you want to have something different; something that will stand out from the crowd,” says Burr. “These magazines showcase new homes in particular and are a very good source of information—whilst builder show homes tend to exhibit the most popular styles and colours, as the showhome is their best sales tool.”

Whether it’s a kitchen you saw in a show home, or a picture you liked when leafing through a magazine, you probably have some sort of idea of what you would like to see in your own kitchen. Now it’s just a matter of turning an idea into a reality.

Greg Adams, owner of Towne & Countree Kitchens in Edmon­ton, believes, while looks matter, a well-designed kitchen is more important. “The format I use when designing kitchens is func­tion first and form second,” says Adams. “Because at the end of the day, they’re all going to be beautiful, but if it’s not designed well you’re not going to like it.” Towne & Countree Kit­chens has been designing custom kitchens for nearly 30 years and Adams says the cabinetry that they work with is all custom-built—but that, alone, it’s not what makes a kitchen custom.

“Usually I arrange for the cus­tom­ers to come in and they bring in the dimensions or blueprints, and what I do first is get a little information,” says Adams. “I find out about the route they want to take when it comes to appliances and such, and in essence, we de­cide how the kitchen will perform and how it will function first. I find out what features the custom­ers would like to see in their kitchen, and if it will work we’ll do it.”

Adams says sometimes certain features just won’t work in certain kitchens, but that is where the customization and design work comes in. “There’s an optimum design for every kitchen. What a lot of people don’t realize is that to design a kitchen well isn’t that much more expen­sive than a poorly-designed kit­chen. You need approximately the same amount of cabinetry, but where they are and what they do makes all the difference.”

Adams says that most of his customers want a design that’s unique, but there are some features and items that seem to be popular. “I know that a fair amount of my clients right now, are buying this French door fridge that is out, with the side-by-side doors on the top and the freezer on the bottom,” says Adams. “Another thing is that of all my clients I’d have to say that at least 90 per cent of them would love an island in their kitchen. It only makes sense—if you’re going to stand and prepare food, you would prefer to be able to face family and friends as opposed to facing a wall. As long as it fits, an island is a great feature.” For those kitchens that don’t have the space, Adams says peninsulas are another way to facilitate interaction between the kitchen and another room.

Although Adams says his customers try to steer away from what everyone else is ‘doing,’ he adds that there is a very popular trend right now. “I can tell you that something that is huge and just gigantic popular right now, is when people choose an off-white or antique type kitchen, and they do an island in a darker richer wood that makes it look a little more like furniture,” says Adams. “Mixing finishes, colours and types of wood is what people are doing right now, and it shows that people are trying to find ways to be different and do it in a unique way.”

Of course once you have cover­ed the bases in ensuring that your kitchen will be functional, aesthetics will begin to play a big part in its design. You will be looking at this room day in and day out, so you want to make sure that not only is it function­al, but that it will also appeal to your sense of style. Aly Velji, of Alykhan Velji Design and recent co-host and design assistant on HGTV’s The Style Dept., has become one of the foremost authorities on style and design trends. He recently appeared at the Cal­gary Home & Interior Design Show to present the newest design tips for the modern kit­chen. “What I’ve come up with are three different looks that I think are huge trends for the upcoming season,” says Velji. “One of the biggest trends for me is what I call The Glamour of White, and this is for the modernist at heart; somebody that likes the clean, modern aes­thetic. This includes white lac­quered cabinetry, lots of clean lines; very angular, and what you can do to keep the look from appearing sterile is to add warmth through wood tones, such as darker, natural wood tone floors.” Velji says this look is great with stained or natural concrete countertops, but that glossy white cabinetry is key to the look, to provide that element of shine. He says that glossy surfaces are hot now in a lot of different areas of interior design, and fashion as well.

The second look is what Velji calls Citrusy Brights. “This huge trend includes bright pun­ches of tangerines and limes, sunflower yellows, colours that are even being used in the cabinets as well; these really bright, bright colours,” says Velji. “This look is a little bit more fun and light-hearted, and obviously for those who aren’t afraid of using colour.” The third look is what he calls Urban Organic.

“This look brings in natural wood tones such as zebrano wood, or something that has a lot of texture to it, and uses this in the cabin­etry. The look is a mix of wood and stainless steel; more of a classic look with a twist,” says Velji. “The tones in the wood are impor­tant, with a lot of variation and grain show­ing through, providing well needed texture to the space. Macassar ebony is another beau­tiful wood tone that is stunning with its dark reds and almost black stripes running through it. Again it’s a very modern look but because of the wood tones it keeps it warm and not so cold.”

Velji adds that with this style, nat­ural stone floors are well-suited as opposed to wood floors, because you already have a wood cabinet. “Try to do some­thing different on your floors and choose materials such as limestone or marble, some­thing that’s a little bit more organic.” One of his main focuses in kitchen design is to make sure you pick pieces that won’t go out of style. “All of these looks in­cor­porate timeless trends, because you don’t want to be changing your kitchen every two years when it’s a huge ex­pense,” says Velji.

“It’s easier to change up your colour scheme with things such as paint and accessories.” Nl

Hot tips for culinary design
Velji’s six tips to planning a kitchen:
1) Research. Do your homework on your appl­iances and buy ones suited to your needs,
and think necessity over luxury.
2) Keep it simple to avoid costly mistakes.
3) Remember symmetry.
4) Measure accurately as not all rooms are square.
5) Practicality. Know your needs and how you use your kitchen and discern whether counter space or storage are more important to your lifestyle.
6) Cost. Kitchens are the most costly space to reno­-vate, so keep costs down and plan well so renovations down the road aren’t necessary.