Creating a space that caters to all age groups isn’t solely about appearances, it’s about functionality. An attractive space that doesn’t enhance workflow or help you stay organized can eventually lead to frustration and significant regret with the design. Whether you are in the market for a new kitchen or wish to enhance your current space to fit your needs better, these five suggestions can assist you in optimizing your kitchen.

Smart Kitchen Zoning

The kitchen is one of the most utilized, multi-functional spaces for modern-day families. Whether your family cooks together, hosts family game nights, or likes to entertain on the weekends, your kitchen can check all the boxes by simply dedicating zones within the space.

Understanding your family’s dynamics and organizing items within your kitchen’s layout is key to maintaining order and efficiency. By creating designated work zones, family members can easily locate essentials and swiftly transition between tasks. For instance, a dedicated baking zone within an island can centralize all baking supplies, optimizing space and workflow for avid bakers.

Technology in the Kitchen

In today’s digital age, working from home, paying bills online, and researching homework assignments are all common activities that may take place in the kitchen. Introducing smart storage solutions like charging stations, message centers, or drawer organizers can facilitate organization and accessibility. Placing these solutions in peripheral cabinets ensures a separate and undisturbed area from the cooking zone.

Convenience Matters

For families with young children, having a drawer base for quick access to snacks, cups, and bowls away from the cooking area is ideal. Installing a beverage refrigerator nearby can further encourage independence for kids while preventing disruptions during meal preparations. These thoughtful placements promote self-sufficiency and convenience for age-appropriate children.

Everyday Pet Solutions

Pet owners need not worry, as kitchen design can accommodate furry family members, too! Utilize drawer dividers for pet accessories and pull-out roll trays for food containers, ensuring easy access and tidiness. Consider locating these pet-friendly zones in alternate spaces like the laundry room or entryway for added versatility and creativity in your home design.

Kitchen Storage

Efficient storage solutions are essential for family-friendly kitchens, promoting organization and accessibility. Simple, yet, effective additions like pull-out roll trays and cutlery dividers can transform your kitchen space. Roll trays facilitate easy access to entire cabinet contents, while cutlery dividers maintain utensil order and streamline meal preparation.

Opt for smart storage features such as pull-out trash cans, food container storage, appliance garages, and a focus on base cabinets over wall cabinets. These elements, conveniently within reach, adapt to your family’s evolving needs and will provide functional storage solutions for years.

Lighting In the Kitchen

Lighting plays a crucial role in family kitchens, enhancing safety and ambiance. Don’t overlook the importance of well-lit spaces. Brighten your cooking area by incorporating under-cabinet lighting for added visibility. Extend this illumination to glass wall cabinets and under-toekick spaces to create an inviting atmosphere, even during nighttime kitchen activities.

Cabinet Hardware

Consider cabinet hardware carefully, especially in a multi-generational setting. Opt for easy-to-use pulls that offer a comfortable grip for all family members. Soft-close cabinet hinge technology, like that found in MasterBrand Cabinets, ensures a quiet kitchen environment. Say goodbye to noisy slamming doors and prevent finger pinches with this innovative feature that gently closes drawers and cabinet doors.

Entertainment

When having guests over, dedicate a space away from the working zone to store serving ware, glasses, and drinks. This encourages guests to help themselves! Also, consider a large working island with seating for a gathering space. This will be a great spot to entertain every time!

Explore more storage solutions on our website! If you are planning your own home remodel, click on our Dealer Locator to find an experienced designer near you!

The post Designing a Family-Friendly Kitchen for All Ages appeared first on MasterBrand Design Blog.

Social media influencers and home DIYers, Lauren and Tyler Bouldin are known for sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly while in the midst of renovating their 1830s home, known as The Forge House, in Central Pennsylvania. Tyler’s dry humor and Lauren’s eye for design resonate with their 2.3M followers as they take them through their ongoing three-year restoration. As you can imagine, this isn’t an easy endeavor but with the help of StarMark Cabinetry, we were able to give The Bouldins some vanity relief!

StarMark Cabinetry is a custom line under the MasterBrand Cabinets’ portfolio. This brand wasn’t just chosen for The Forge House for its quality, function, and beauty, but also for its customization. Lauren needed these vanities to fit perfectly into the unique space that was given and StarMark helped do just that!

Lauren and Tyler gave us an exclusive interview about their design process and how StarMark fits The Forge House’s aesthetic perfectly!

Tell us about yourself and your design process for The Forge House.

We have been on a three-year journey of restoring The Forge House, an 1830s historic home in central PA, the Bouldins told us. Our goal for the interior design of this home is to do a blend of traditional and modern touches. When picking out items for the bathrooms that are longer lasting, such as vanities and tile, I wanted pieces that are functional and adaptive to design changes. I wanted pieces that would not only fit the home but that could really thrive throughout the years.

What were the must-haves, the nice-to-have, and any never-want-to-haves?

Both vanities we chose needed to be custom-sized because of the nooks that were already pre-established in these rooms. We also needed a chase cutout drawer in the guest bathroom to clear the plumbing. This gave e us maximum storage in that drawer. I was thrilled with the fact that we could customize the size of this cutout. We also were able to add a pullout drawer in our “kids” bathroom to help with storage space. The nice-to-haves would be the in-set drawers. This look really elevates the vanities. I also loved the fact that I could pick custom colors for the vanities to fit my design for each room. I don’t have any never-want-to-haves.

What StarMark cabinetry did you choose for the renovation and why?

For the kids’ bathroom, we went with the Knottingham Maple Black with inset construction. This was a custom 53” wide vanity and custom apron front to fit our vanity top overhang. I chose this style for this bathroom because the center doors add a more traditional look. The flat drawers tie in the modern design. This bathroom has a black-and-white theme throughout it. I have hand-painted black and white pattern tile on the floor, subway tiles on the shower walls, and a solid black backsplash with concrete countertops. The black vanity really is a statement piece in the space. It ties in well with all the design elements in this room.

In the guest bathroom, we went with Ballinger Maple Custom Color Dusky Blue from Benjamin Moore – Custom 38” vanity width, inset construction, and a higher apron to accommodate the vanity top. I wanted the overall design of this space to be warmer, lighter colors, and more elegant. This room does not have a window so keeping the space bright and airy was important for me. I designed this bathroom around the color I chose for the vanity. I wanted the vanity to be my solid pop of color and I layered other elements in the room to highlight it. The Ballinger profile has a softer look with the rounded edges and the inset drawers are the perfect touch. Our concrete countertop also has a scoop bowl. The wall molding I added has a rounded profile as well to tie these elements together.

What would you do differently?

I wouldn’t do anything differently with my vanities. The one thing I wish I had done differently that affected the vanities was making sure the floors and nooks were level before installing our cabinetry in The Forge House. We had to add our own toe kicks to both vanities because they were not sitting level on the floors. When dealing with such old framework it is hard to accomplish this.

What are a few tips you’d share about starting a bathroom renovation/cabinetry project for those who don’t know where to start?

I would say contract MasterBrand/Starmark. When it comes to renovating a bathroom there are a lot of choices that need to be made. Choosing the right vanity is very important. There are a lot of vanities that are made out of MDF or particle board. Those won’t last you more than a year. With the amount of water and dampness in a bathroom they will start to fall apart. We installed one in our barn when we renovated this space initially and it did not hold up for more than six months. So the lesson we learned is to spend money on items like quality hardwood vanities, tiles, and hardware. Choosing quality pieces will save you in the long run. You can always change paint color or wallpaper but the items that you want to last 10+ years is where you should put most of your budget.  

We encourage you to follow along on Lauren and Tyler’s TikTok (@ouroldhouse) and Instagram (@theforgehouse) pages as the restoration continues!

Start your own restoration journey at StarmarkCabinetry.com.

The post StarMark Cabinets a Perfect Fit for The Forge House appeared first on MasterBrand Design Blog.

Accessory Dwelling Units (often called ADU) are growing rapidly in popularity. These detached dwellings that share property with a larger, primary residence, are the perfect solution to many different life scenarios. They often offer full kitchen and bath accommodations and include both living space and one or more bedrooms.

ADUs have the potential to accommodate all stages of life, too. These dwellings can house college students who are studying remote or moving back home from school. They can lend a hand to newlyweds looking to get on their feet before purchasing their first home or accommodate aging parents as they downsize from their forever homes. They can also create additional income as a short-term rental property.

Whatever the case may be, adding an ADU to your property could be a great financial decision for potential landlords or it could keep close family members even closer!

For this blog post, we found the perfect ADU that tells a multi-generational story! I had the privilege of interviewing Jill, a homeowner who just completed the renovation of her existing detached garage in hopes of using it for a lifetime!

Tell us the backstory of this space!

“My husband and I were looking for a new home in 2015 and fell in love with this property. Built in 1985, the detached 2-car garage had been cost-consciously transformed such that half remained unfinished garage space and the other half served as guest house living space – studio apartment style. There was one large room with a small kitchen and bathroom. Everything was brown and had a suspended ceiling. The previous owners had used it as a design studio and office space and we saw potential!

Our mothers were living in our hometown, about 50 minutes away, and we thought the space could be made into a lovely cottage for one of them. We thought it could be a place of independence in tandem with the close proximity to family that would provide security.

We also have adult daughters that don’t live in town and knew this space could have the potential to be the perfect weekend retreat for when they visit with the grandkids!”

Since this is a remodel to an existing detached garage, were there any unexpected hurdles along the way?

“The project expanded beyond initial scope, but I wouldn’t call that expansion a “hurdle.” We removed two windows at the back of the space in order to make a more functional kitchen and bath design, so we decided to re-side the entire exterior rather than patch it.

We knew we wanted to remove the suspended ceiling and maximize the height opportunity of 9′ consistently throughout the space. What we didn’t expect was for the bathroom to be framed for an 8′ ceiling height. That “bump” turned out to be a benefit, justifying the opportunity to reframe the pocket door wall, and extending the bath space just enough to frame a floor-to-ceiling wall separating the washer/dryer area and the commode.

In all, the renovation took approximately five months, with gaps here and there due to trade schedule availability.”

Did you design the space?

“My husband and I designed the space in partnership. I focused on the cabinets and he focused on utilities and structure.”

Admittedly, Jill says she was thrown into the design world when her husband started selling high-end custom cabinetry years ago. He taught her how to design and draft due to the high demand of projects coming through. She worked as a Kitchen Designer for 10+ years and felt confident designing her own kitchen and bathroom.

If you weren’t already a Kitchen Designer, would you have hired a professional?

“I absolutely would have hired a design professional. My focus was fashion with function…affordably. I wanted the best use of space possible, and ours is a bit unusual. Designers know the product capabilities best and can provide necessary details to installers to ensure successful end results.”

Why was Aristokraft Cabinetry the right brand of choice?

“Aristokraft Cabinetry is a powerhouse brand with the right breadth of products to effectively fulfill my design requirements of fashion and affordability. I found that the Ellis PureStyle door style and Stone Gray finish for the kitchen were durable and fashion-forward. My goal was to choose an opaque finish that leans into today’s interior design trends. The neutral palette is perfect for adding unique accessories and pops of color into the space and as my design style evolves, this space allows for that evolution.”

What is PureStyle?

“PureStyle laminate finishes mimic the fresh, clean look of paint while offering additional benefits making them ideal for the hub of the busiest homes. It is strong and durable because the door and drawer fronts are individually wrapped. This helps to reduce the ability for moisture to enter and prevents them from warping, expanding, and contracting like painted cabinetry.”

Learn more about the benefits of PureStyle and available door styles to choose from in the Aristokraft PureStyle Handbook.

Storage is one of the most important items to include in a kitchen design. What features did you choose?

“Since the space is small, I chose a tall utility cabinet that is only 12” in depth. I knew it would be large enough to store the essentials, but I’m amazed how much this cabinet truly fits for being so shallow!

I also took advantage of the wall base cabinets that Aristokraft offers in 12″ depths. These are very practical when you don’t have a lot of room to add regular depth cabinets in the space. They still allow for ample countertop space for prep work.

The 3-drawer cabinet next to the sink offers flexible storage solutions as well. I added a wood cutlery divider in the top drawer. The middle and bottom drawers house my plates, bowls, and larger pots and accompanying lids.

Lastly, a must-have of mine was a hidden trash base. It fits perfectly next to the sink and cooking surface. It’s always within hand’s reach. I love the added wooden storage feature behind the waste bin that holds my trash bags.”

Let’s not forget about that beautiful bathroom! Tell us more!

“A pocket door entrance eliminates blocking access to functional areas such as laundry, vanity, and tall storage. It was important that I was able to fit a full bath in the space. The addition of the washer & dryer fit perfectly, too. We were also able to accommodate the walk-in shower to serve multiple generations as well.”

Since the space is small with no windows, I chose to keep the cabinets, materials and finishes white to make the space brighter and neutral. The utility was a great addition next to the vanity to store towels, tissue paper, and larger bathroom essentials. Plenty of storage options for everyone!”

Overall, the functionality of the ADU is spot on. What features were important for an aging-in-place design?

“I had a checklist before I started designing the space. It needed wide enough doorways to fit a wheelchair. The color palette needed to be neutral for design evolution. The cabinets needed storage features that were easily accessible. And I wanted ample built-in closet storage in the bedroom and kitchen. I’m thrilled with how it all came to life!”

How do you see using the ADU in the future?

“We’ll enjoy keeping the space available for our family and friends, and utilizing the additional kitchen when hosting gatherings. As we age in place, our desire would be to move into the ADU, making our house available to one of our daughters and sons-in-law. We’ve learned the importance of multi-generation families staying close and living life to the fullest!”

To hear Jill talk about the remodeling project and to see even more photos from the new space, don’t miss the video below! And to learn even more about ADUs and this project, visit our website.

Want to see even more from Aristokraft? Explore all Aristokraft Cabinetry has to offer and let our designers help you get started!

The post Aristokraft Cabinets Help Transform Garage into Guest House appeared first on MasterBrand Design Blog.

The popularity of floating shelves among homeowners, particularly within kitchens, is on the rise and it is easy to see why. A simple but impactful way to introduce an accent color, new texture or material within a space, floating shelves can create focal areas within the overall cabinet layout while creating a modern, clean aesthetic to display treasured items.

“Homeowners often use open or floating shelving for decorative purposes, but they also offer a great solution for organizing items in highly functional ways,” says Stephanie Pierce, director of design and trends at MasterBrand Cabinets. “Floating Shelves are a great complement for high-use items like spices, oils or even glassware and plates. If you have regular-use items, open shelving can be very convenient – especially when used in tandem with cabinets.”

Highly versatile, floating shelves can be used anywhere throughout the home, not just the kitchen. Bathrooms, bars, laundry rooms and living rooms can all be enhanced by adding open shelving to create a space that reflects the homeowner’s personal style. The perfect mix of practical and sophisticated, floating shelves can infuse the personality of the homeowner and provide a way to display hobbies, such as cookbooks and accessories for the home chef, or cocktail tools for the budding mixologist. 

MasterBrand Cabinets provide on-trend cabinetry options in a wide variety of brands, colors and styles to spark ideas with designers and consumers of all different tastes. To view all available colors and styles, visit masterbrand.com/get-started.

The post Floating Shelves Are Here to Stay appeared first on MasterBrand Design Blog.

Being a designer is a core part of my being, it allows me to fall in love with all the styles, explore the latest trends, brainstorm the inevitable floor plan flaws and in the end, I get to make kitchen dreams come true. But, the hardest part of my job is being asked about my own kitchen. I know this sounds ridiculous, but the expectations are unreal and I just can’t commit! Why? Because I’m on the cutting edge of what’s coming out next and it seems so hard to settle in and embrace the now when you know what the future holds! So, while I’m dreaming about my next kitchen remodel, I just had to ask Stephanie Pierce, our very own director of design and trends, all about her own new kitchen and what made her “MUST HAVE” kitchen features list!  

Before we start, do you find you have this challenge as well?  

Absolutely! I think most people in design love creating new spaces but often find it challenging to complete their own, it’s likely more of an ever-evolving space. But the concept of laying down a good foundation that gives you the freedom to change over time is a problem designers and homeowners can both relate to. Recognizing that you don’t have to follow rules laid out by someone else, but rather, relate your home to your personal experiences, lifestyle and even design preferences and no matter what you commit to in the end, it will likely be a space that works great for you and is a place where you can be happy and confident with your decisions. 

Must-Have Kitchen Feature 

For me function was where I started because I do have some of those spacial challenges. My kitchen is long and on the narrow side but also opens up to a living space. We are a multi-cook household with teenagers so I knew the kitchen was going to get a lot of traffic so making the design accessible and functional for everyone in and out of the space came first. I chose to go with open shelving for everyday use dishes. For me, this was the perfect decision since most of the dishes go through the dishwasher a couple times a week and in previous kitchens, I often found myself walking into a kitchen where half the cabinet doors were left open. Open shelves give my crew immediate and quick access to common dishes, no one has to remember to close the cabinets as they breeze through and it provided a perfect opportunity to add a personal décor accent with my recycled green glassware on display. For me, this was a universal win that I have not once regretted. 

Most used space or Most Functional Must-Have? 

My husband and I are both avid morning beverage people. It could be a coffee or tea or even a morning workout booster. And going back to my preference of minimal countertop clutter, I knew we needed a designated space where these items could stay out, be organized and highly functional for our needs, and so another one of my favorite spaces in the kitchen ended up being our beverage center…. which gets used more often than just the mornings.  

Most Underrated Must-Have? 

Islands are widely popular in kitchens today and for a variety of reasons. In my own kitchen, I knew the island and dining needed to go together since I did not have the luxury of a good traffic flow if I separated them. That would have required sacrificing space for one or the other, but together, the eating and working parts of my ‘dining’ island function beautifully in the space we have. Since the back of the island would be one of the first things people would see entering the kitchen, it was important to finish it with a decorative solution. This is often simply door panels or other decorative panels to highlight the island as a feature point. I chose to use doors but rather than make them static, I added 6” deep cabinets to the minimal island depth I had, and this gave the decorative door feature a functional purpose and delightful canned-good storage that is easy to access and keeps my inventory highly visible. 

We recently featured dine in kitchen islands on the blog and I know you have one yourself, why was this the right solution for your space? 

This was one of the space challenges where I had to get creative to get everything I wanted. Prior to the renovation, a 6 top dining space may have been about as much dining as I was able to get, but my average family gathering sees 10-13 people. I wanted an eating space incorporated into the kitchen because often the finishing touches of meal prep and the start of the gathering overlap and this gave me the chance to visit while getting food ready to bring to the table. As I just mentioned, I wanted to maximize those requirements but was dealt with limited ability to “create” more room, so the built-in table, which seats 10, is attached to the small island that still gives me extra storage, prep space and then serving space when the table gets full. I have an extension I can bring in when more dining is needed and have easily sat 15 people at my dining island when the occasion calls for it. And when we are not dining as a large group, the table gives me bonus kitchen space for baking and canning, not to mention I often also work there. 

Unexpected design detail?

 As a designer, many of us “collect” pieces along the way that we think are just too cool to pass up and know “someday” we will use them. For me, it was a set of antique swing arm stools that were salvaged from an old sewing factory. I didn’t know how I would use them in my home someday but I just knew I would find a way. When we bought the house we renovated, I had many people try to discourage the purchase because they couldn’t see what I could see. The narrow kitchen seemed hopeless and although we tore out and added walls to other parts of the home, the kitchen footprint was pretty much locked in. However, it turned out the swinging, wall mounted bar stools were the perfect solution. It keeps me from having chairs interfere in a high traffic walkway and it allowed the long trestle style table solution that gained me extra seating. The end result is a perfect match of form and function. 

Storage sku you weren’t going to live without it? 

That is an easy one. For me, countertop clutter is a big no. A little bit leads to a lot piled up in no time since the people living in my house seem to have an innate ability to just not see messes. I designed a pantry for small appliances and the microwave, and I added the universal knife block pull out & utensil holder so all the knives, cooking utensils and measuring devises could all be stowed away yet kept very close at hand. This not only keeps my countertops clutter free but it gives a very clearly designated space for storing those items so they can always be found when needed by anyone cooking in my kitchen. 

Anything you incorporate in the space that you always dreamed of having in a New Kitchen? 

When we renovated, we combined the dining area with the kitchen to maximize the space and flow. In doing so, I ended up with a low window that is essentially still within the space defined as the kitchen. I’ve always loved window seating for plants or creating cozy nooks so extending the cabinetry beyond the necessary space for the kitchen and creating a little window seat in the dining section of the space worked out perfectly. 

If you were remodeling today, anything you would include as a Must-Have? 

We did not have the above the fridge pullout storage when I remodeled, so my cabinet space up high is still challenging to access and I know that would be a great solution I would have opted for. There are other great must-have storage options that I just didn’t have the space plan to incorporate but would have loved to include like a pantry with roll trays or even more drawer organization, all of which are high demand storage options. 

Stephanie Pierce is the director of design and trends for MasterBrand Cabinets, North America’s largest cabinet manufacturer. As an expert on cabinetry design for the home, she is responsible for trend analysis and development of styles and finishes for multiple leading cabinetry brands. She leads a staff of talented designers and marketing experts who create beautiful cabinetry, creative visual assets and stunning print and digital media for residential kitchens, bathrooms, offices and beyond. Pierce supports MasterBrand’s new product launches and works collaboratively on innovation initiatives, including the development of new marketing resources or tools, cabinet materials and organizational SKUs. In addition, she captures and presents industry trends for product development, media, designers and customers. Pierce, who holds a bachelor’s degree in interior design and is a member of Color Marketing Group, began her career of increasing responsibilities at MasterBrand in 2002. Having always worked with the entire scope of products within the portfolio, she is enthusiastic about delivering attributes of cabinetry design, presentation, or training for corporate and select retail showrooms, national and regional events and new product launches, all with the intent to bring education and inspirational design to the consumer.

The post “Must Have” Kitchen Features appeared first on MasterBrand Design Blog.

Functional Kitchen Island for Dining

A kitchen island can really ground the space and enhance the dining experience. By simply adding a space for chairs, this is a wonderful idea for a family kitchen or for people who enjoy cooking for guests. Combining a table with an island is a great space saver, and an extendable table can seat a crowd without taking up too much space and providing increased functionality of your overall floorplan.

There are some kitchen island shapes that would be better suited for dining. The L shaped island would lend itself well to be a dining kitchen island. Giving the cook space for food preparation while also allowing guests to converse at the table. The T shaped island which essentially bumps a table up against the island, provides plenty of seating for six or even more.  This shape gives guests the ability to face each other while dining.  Dining kitchen islands are a great option when you may have a tight space but love entertaining.

Another way to include an eat-in space is to add banquette seating to your island.  This can create a warm and cozy spot for the entire family to gather for daily meals. Guests can still sit and comfortably chat with the chef while they finish cooking or the whole group can relax back and enjoy a leisurely dining experience. The bench seating can provide a benefit that is often overlooked, extra storage that is hidden from sight and increased comfort in the hub of the home.

Since the kitchen island serves so many purposes, this design choice should not be made lightly. During your next kitchen island design keep in mind the idea of adding a dining space to your wish list along with functional storage.

The post Dining Kitchen Island appeared first on MasterBrand Design Blog.

Current trends support the built in style or a freestanding hood that does not attach to the cabinetry next to it, but wood hoods over a metal appliance tend to blend better into the landscape of the other cabinetry and look more integrated with the kitchen. Minimizing the impact of metal appliances in the space also makes it easier to mix alternative metals that are popular like champagne, gold and matte black.

We recommend dressing up your range hood to mimic other complimentary tones in the cabinetry. This can be matched and stylized or is can be minimal but accented with using a pop of color or a change in species.

The associated images show how easy it is to alter the kitchen’s overall style by swapping out only one feature, the hood. Every designer will have their own process, but the range and sink are the first two areas I always start with in my designs and then, the rest of the space just seems to fall into place. Depending on the overall style, I like to use the hood as the primary design feature and really let it be the heart of the kitchen. I may even pull out design aesthetics from the hood and add them into the details of an island or a feature sink cabinet. The flexibility of hood configurations also work great for minimal designs, when the style is more modern, I may instead blend the hood into the rest of the cabinetry in the space, as if it doesn’t even exist. You can’t go wrong when you make sure the range hood looks and feels like the finishing touch.

Below are a few of my favorite ways to style a range hood.

The post Defining Style with Kitchen Range Hoods appeared first on MasterBrand Design Blog.