Martha Stewart's Morning Living Program - 10 Tips To A Great Kitchen Design

Well, we covered a lot of territory in the chat on kitchens with Brian Kelsey (Kelsey On The House) host of Martha Stewart's Morning Living radio show on SiriusXM in which I was the guest. I know, since Brian is a lover of all things "home improvement" we could have kept the conversation going for a long time!

Here is a wrap up of ten tips for a great kitchen design:

1. How long will you be in your home? The answer to this question will guide you toward budget, style and issues of function. If you will be in your home less than 5 years - think in terms of resale and be conservative in your selections. Longer than 5 years, put more of "yourself" into the kitchen design to create a kitchen that works for you.

2. Speaking of personal design, that is surely where we are headed in recent years. Do the hard work up front to determine what is a habit and what is something you really desire in the kitchen. For example - do you want the dishwasher on the adjacent wall of kitchen because you are used to it or because you really like to use it in that position? Beware of kneejerk reactions - think carefully!

3. What is timeless? I think it is safe to say that classic wood species such as cherry, maple, and other, somewhat "quiet" grained woods in brown stained finishes are truly timeless, as they communicate a classic furniture quality. Whites as well are classic for kitchen cabinetry - who doesn't love a white kitchen?

4. How to get value? Value is received, as above, in a timeless design, in timeless products and components, in quality products which will last over time. It is a sustainable way of thinking as well.

5. What are cool products? Having been to many design shows, I can tell you that sinks with glass worktop covers to conceal the sink from an open kitchen are hot! Hardware in warm finishes and hardware that is more bulky in nature (more bang for the buck) works well in today's kitchens, and of course, hardware is the jewelry of the kitchen! A warm/modern look for the kitchen is what many people are thinking about now.

6. Appliances! Appliances are becoming increasingly concealed as the kitchen floorplan is becoming more open to surrounding rooms. Even ovens are being seen behind closed doors. Panels on appliances do the trick to disguise the function behind the cabinetry facade.

7. Social Network - The kitchen is the social hub of the house and we are seeing larger, multifunctional islands being designed into the kitchen. Easy to communicate with others and great for assisting the chef or a spot to use for entertaining purposes such as arranging wine and wine glasses on one end, islands serve endless social functions. 

8. Where to start? With so many activities happening in our kitchens, write a list of all the activities you see going on in your kitchen. What is your lifestyle? How much importance and use will certain activities take on in the kitchen? Be realistic about your lifestyle and a functional kitchen design will follow!

9. Healthy Kitchen Design - Appliances today have healthy features! Grills, steamers, steam cooking in ovens, rotisseries, filtered water in our taps, fresher refrigerator storage, induction cooking - these are some examples of how appliances can truly work to produce and enhance a more healthy lifestyle.

10. Take your time! The kitchen was not built in a day! The more time you can shed old habits and hone in on what is really important to your family "now", the better your kitchen will be aligned to the real "you." 

Below, a preliminary floorplan for an open kitchen. Cozy, social, ahhhhh!

Martha Stewart Morning Living Listeners!

Check back on The Kitchen Designer blog later this morning for a full wrap up on all the tips discussed on today's Morning Living Show with Brian Kelsey! Lots of tips to come on designing the open kitchen floorplan. More soon!

Induction Cooking - Electrolux Icon 36" Cooktop

Electrolux invited me to review their Icon 36" induction cooktop in my personal kitchen. I accepted the invitation, looking forward to begin cooking with induction and with gratitude for the opportunity to replace my 20 year old gas cooktop with induction. I have cooked briefly on induction before, but I was very interested in cooking on an induction cooktop over a period of time, to truly understand its properties. I am approaching this review on several fronts.

AESTHETICS

Around this time, I was due to exhibit my new line of kitchen furniture, Bornholm Kitchen, at the Architectural Digest Show in New York. I thought it would be a good idea to incorporate an island into the show which would have a cooktop installed.

As Bornholm Kitchen is easily experienced as furniture and was designed as such, nonetheless, it was fun to see the reaction of visitors to my booth. The Electrolux Icon cooktop has such a low profile that many visitors to the booth were surprised that the island was meant to be designed into a kitchen and was not a dresser or other type of furniture. Their eyes lit up and we saw a smile, or heard a "wow". It is a response that made perfect sense, was fun to see, and confirmed to me that this type of cooktop is a real advantage for the open kitchen floorplan.

The point? Sleek = nearly invisible = aesthetically clean, especially in an open floorplan situation.

CONTROLS

The controls were very quickly and easily understood. I don't remember even looking at the manual before I started cooking; the cooktop is very intuitive. One more note about aesthetics - please remove the word "Induction" from the burners - it's simply not necessary and takes away from an otherwise GORG (gorgeous) stunning cooktop design. That said, I don't even notice it at all anymore - I have other things to think about when I'm cooking, but it's worth a mention.

If I'm going into another level of detail, I'll note that the design of the controls is, well, beautiful. The controls are simple in design and very cool. Less is more aesthetically, and all that. Well done.

COOKING!

I couldn't wait to cook my favorite things on this cooktop. I like to sear meat and fish, like filet mignon or salmon, then finish it in the oven for a perfect medium rare (especially for salmon, yum!) I also use grill pans to grill asparagas or other vegetables or to saute brocolli rabe, steam veggies or putting that pot of water on to boil, which I want done fast! We (my husband and I) cook with fresh foods all week and the induction cooktop has made the cooking experience a pleasure in all these ways mentioned.

The cooktop is fast. Very fast. Much faster than my gas cooktop. I'm impatient, so I like that, a lot! I'm also fundamentally lazy in some respects, so I like that all I have to do is to put my finger on either high or low, keep it there to control the heat, end of story. Fast, easy, intuitive. One of the very best features of induction cooking is that it has instant response - same as gas. So far, we have instant response to heat control, and more power than gas (see "power boost"). I'm happy. Is it more powerful than the most powerful gas btu burners? I'd love to see a test done. I do not know the answer to that.

A "Keep Warm" feature, multiple low heat 1/2 heat number selections, and a timer round out useful cooktop controls.

I love the versatility of the cooking zones and how different size pots can be used. I like flexibility. Take a look: 

Induction cooking is THE safest method of cooking, the most energy efficient way to cook, perhaps the fastest method and certainly the most understated in terms of aesthetics. These features are compelling reasons to seriously consider induction cooking. I have the utmost confidence in Electrolux Icon as a brand, based on my clients having purchased Electrolux products over the years and being very pleased with the products...and I hear feedback. 

I love induction cooking, and I'm NOT looking back at my much less powerful (and small) gas burners!