The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in your home, so it’s no wonder that kitchen designs are such big business in the interior design world. Kitchen renovation or kitchen remodeling is a huge project and a major investment in your home. There are many different styles of kitchen designs and choosing which style is right for your home is the first step. Express Kitchens offer important design ideas to plan for kitchen renovation or installation of new kitchen.

There are really only two things that affect a kitchen style – your own personal preferences for look and feel as well as the style of your home. Your new kitchen will reflect your personality, but because the kitchen remodel is such a large investment you may not want to let your design style run wild. Instead consider the overall style of your home and plan for a kitchen that blends well with its surroundings.

There are really only three types of kitchen styles: traditional, contemporary and transitional. Many other style names that you may have heard of, such as rustic or French country, are actually a subset of one of these three.  You’ll find coastal, colonial, old world, country, French country and rustic styles grouped within the traditional style category.  Likewise, the contemporary category may include modern and mid-century styles. The transitional style category blends the best elements of both traditional and contemporary styles to create a fresh, updated look.

Before selecting your style check other resources on the internet, TV and magazines to truly match your style with your personality and the look of your home. The costing plays an important in the decision-making process of installing new kitchen at your home and it is empirical for all to keep a watch on the ongoing promotional offers of kitchen designers, installers and manufacturers.

TRADITIONAL

Traditional kitchens are a classic style of kitchen, and typically have many architectural details and embellishments that contradict today’s modern, simplistic tendencies. These embellishments can include corbels, cabinet door arches and moldings, decorative glass doors, hutch-style cabinets and elegant furniture posts.  

Traditional kitchens typically feature framed, raised-panel cabinetry, and are often accented with ornate light fixtures and classic style hardware. You may also find traditional kitchens will most likely use warm color wood species such as maple, cherry and oak that showcases the natural beauty of the wood cabinetry. Traditional cabinets may be finished with a wood stain or paint.

CONTEMPORARY OR MODERN

While many people associate contemporary kitchens with modern kitchens, this is not necessarily the case. Contemporary, by definition, means “of the moment” or “current”. Contemporary kitchens feature many of the current design trends and cutting-edge design elements.

Modern kitchen design is very simplistic and, at times, industrial. Modern kitchens tend to feature full-access cabinetry with a flat-panel (slab) cabinet finishes and simple hardware, giving the kitchen an overall sleek look. Clean, horizontal lines are also an important element in modern kitchen design. You will not find many ornamental elements in modern kitchens because of the category’s overall simple nature. The main emphasis of a modern kitchen will be clean and simple that emphasizes unbroken horizontal lines and details that contribute to the overall sleek look, such as minimal moldings, simple door shapes and no ornate details.

TRANSITIONAL

Arguably the easiest and most popular style today, the transitional kitchen combines features of both traditional and modern design. The transitional style really is a crossover look that will blend elements such as texture, colors, flooring, lightning, and highlight appliances rather than hiding them behind wooden panels.

Design lines will be softer and lean towards the simple and linear and will not be heavy with decorative accents. The transitional kitchen style will simply be a comfortable mix of styles. Homeowners often use natural surfaces for their countertops, such as granite, quartz, marble, or wood, but with simple edge profiles.

Choosing the Right Style

Take your time when selecting a style for your kitchen. Consider your tastes and preferences, as well as how you plan to use the room. Select a style that you find visually appealing and that will be as functional as it is attractive.

While considering the option of renovating your kitchen, the most important aspect is the design element of your kitchen. The secret of designing lies in exploring the creative element which gives emotional comfort and satisfaction to family. It also adds to the magic of using the kitchen in the best manner possible. The finesse in design adds the element of convenience to the art of cooking as well as inspires women to use kitchen space in the best possible manner.  Here are few tips that will help you get the most value out of your design consultation for your kitchen renovation.

Re-imagine your kitchen with innovative ideas:

You should start by cutting out photographs from books and magazines related to interior designing and lifestyle and printing images from the web to create your own little scrapbook of things. It is important that you use a post-it note on photographs and write the reason you selected that particular photo. The reason can include the most striking feature of the photograph that prompted you to select it and what appealed to you, when you looked at the photograph for the first time. Therefore, it is very important that you capture that reason on a post it note attached to the photo.

Create a delightful wish list:

Your wish list should include specific things that you’re trying to add or change about your existing kitchen. Carefully observe your kitchen and analyze what you like and dislike about your present space. Prepare a wishful list of things that you feel should be replaced or add new kitchen accessories. Are appliances outdated? Is the space unattractive? Is it inefficient? Do you need more counter space? Do you want more storage? Write it all down. Do you like the lighting? Do you want to keep the garden view? Write that down too.

Do basic research on your preferred and widely used appliances:

A basic online research on new and trendy appliances will be of immense help to you to get an idea of what kind of things are out there and what kind of budget range there is in your appliance selection. This will also help you establish a general category you want to be in. Your kitchen designer, at Express Kitchens, will help you refine your final choices to suit your needs. Your kitchen designer can give you a good comparative that might be a better choice, or fill you in on customer feedback by telling you what other clients liked or didn’t like about features of the appliances they selected. You need to determine how much money you want to allocate and what features are important to you.

Measurements of your existing kitchen are important:

At Express Kitchens, our experts will visit your house to take measurements of your existing kitchen at no additional cost. Think about the budget you are considering for the whole renovation. Then, call to make an appointment for your free pre-design consultation. Allow for a 1 to 1-1/2 hours discussion during your free consultation.

If you come to your free kitchen design consultation with all this information, we will be able to give you a wealth of additional information, ideas, style suggestions, and redesign possibilities. We will talk about functions and features that may help your particular situation and have a general discussion about kitchen budgets relative to your wish list. You will most certainly leave the meeting with good value.

For all good reasons, this kitchen cabinet installation company has certainly lived up to its slogan – ‘growing growing growing’, as they say in their advertisements. They provide options for homeowners, who are not willing to spend an exorbitant amount on kitchen renovation, and extend very fast installation service. They are relatively less expensive than the big chains and I had a pleasant experience working with the company representatives.

After living for five years in our Westport house, we decided to renovate the kitchen. As our house was old and we believed that future owner would need to spend a bit of time and money on upgradation, we were reluctant to invest in kitchen. However, when we drove past Express Kitchens’ new Norwalk franchise, we took a chance and asked them to put together a plan for a timeless, simple kitchen. The designer, we worked with, was quite proficient with the planning software and gladly met us a couple times to make changes. We chose one of their more expensive cabinet lines that had taller base cabinets, and it was still cheaper than other suppliers’ pricing for a similar product. There were many stone counters to choose from as well as a few sinks and hardware.

Once we made our deposit, Express Kitchen headquarters in Hartford coordinated the two day install schedule via e mail and text. The ladies, who do the scheduling, were accommodating and courteous. Express Kitchens showed up at the planned time and completed the entire install in exactly two days (yes, it was quite amazing!). The carpenters, who did all the work, were very skilled craftsmen, and made sure everything was perfect. They were amicable and polite, and cleaned up too! A month after the project was complete, I called Express Kitchens to put in an additional shelf and filler piece, which they promptly ordered and scheduled for a couple weeks later.

My kitchen is very pretty and already two of our friends want to work with them.

The following Express Kitchens locations will be open at 9am (normally 12pm) TODAY 3/02:

Waterbury

Newington

Brookfield

Orange

Hamden

West Springfield

Hartford

Bridgeport

Norwalk

Stamford

Torrington

New London

Natural stone countertops can transform a kitchen into a beautiful gathering spot. Natural stone lasts a lifetime, its durability stands up to busy households, and a wide variety of colors and styles make it perfect for any décor. Here are four questions to help you choose the best stone for your kitchen.

 1. How does my lifestyle impact my choice of stone?

Understanding a home’s dynamics is the most important consideration when choosing stone, says Caela Manninen, showroom representative for Welch Tile & Marble in Kent City, Michigan. She likes to steer busy families toward granite.

“It’s so durable and versatile,” she says. “It’s a good workhorse countertop. I typically like to recommend mid to darker colors to avoid staining.”

 There are options if you have your heart set on white stone, says Tania Kalentzos, marketing director for MARVA Marble & Granite in Richmond, Va.“White marble is everyone’s quintessential choice, but if you have young children and entertain a lot. you can achieve that look with less maintenance,” she says. “Granite is always an excellent option for countertops; it meets the needs of homeowners desiring added durability and offers a variety of options in lighter designs. Another popular alternative is quartz. It demonstrates excellent durability as well, but gets even closer to mimicking more marble-like color tones.”

 2. What finish should I choose?

Natural stone comes in a variety of finishes. Polished is best if you want keep it looking nice, says Manninen. “Honed and brushed can be difficult to keep up with unless you’re going to enhance them to their darkest point. That finish shows every little thing that goes wrong.”

 Or you could embrace it, suggests Dave Scott, CEO of Slabworks of Montana in Bozeman, Montana.

“A lovely Italian gentleman once told me to think of honed marble as a fine leather handbag that will wear and show a patina,” he says. “Countertops that show wear are a sign of great hospitality.”

 3. What kind of care does stone require?

Natural stone is durable, but every material requires basic care, says Scott. “It’s important to match the right stone to your comfort level so that you’ll be happy with it years later,” he says. “Do you own it, or does it own you?”

Stone surfaces can be cleaned with a soap made for natural stone or a mild liquid detergent. Some stones, such as marble, require extra attention. “Marble is a calcite-based stone and will react with acids, such as wine, lemon juice, vinegar or even coffee and olive oil,” he says. “It will cause an irreversible chemical reaction that is etched on surface. With marble, you need to stay on top of wiping up spills.”

 4. Is it important to choose a specific slab?

Yes, says Kalentzos. “Take your time and enjoy the process. Mother Nature made this treasure and it should be enjoyed for years to come. Each piece has its own characteristics. Find one you love. It’s art for your home —the focal point of the room — and it should speak to you and reflect your personality.”

Express Kitchens is the fastest-growing kitchen cabinet retailer in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Headquartered in Hartford, CT,  Express Kitchens has just opened its 12th retail location at 1280 East Main Street in Torrington. 

Owner Max Kothari credits his company’s unprecedented growth to an approach that is radically different from his competition: “Our goal is to cut out the middle man and offer true value and one-stop shopping to kitchen remodelers. Someone can walk in to any one of our stores with measurements and pick up their entire new kitchen from our Hartford warehouse in just one hour! Nobody else comes close to doing that.” His approach includes maintaining over 30,000 cabinets in 10 door styles in-stock and ready to go, as well as granite, quartz, and laminate countertops and a selection of add ons – hardware, faucets, sinks, and accessories, all available for pickup in an hour.

Kothari’s approach seems to be working: the company grew 50% from 8 stores to 12 in 2017, with plans to double in size in the first half of 2018. Express Kitchens, Kothari says, offers its own brand of all-wood Star Cabinetry and has just added the Star Stone brand, offering 4 colors of granite and 8 colors of quartz countertops to its in-stock lineup, vaulting it ahead of its big-box competitors. “People get value and a level of service from Express Kitchens that the bigger stores cannot match – personal dedication  and attention to detail make all the difference.”

Express Kitchens’ headquarters is located in the north end of Hartford, where it is dedicated to community enrichment and hiring a diverse workforce that is the represents the best of what Hartford has to offer. When asked what drives the company to be successful, Kothari’s business partner says “we have the rare ability to constantly reinvent ourselves to outcompete our rivals.”

Express Kitchens has locations in Bridgeport, Brookfield, Hamden, Hartford, Newington, New London, Norwalk, Orange, Stamford, Torrington, and Waterbury, Connecticut and West Springfield, Massachusetts. For more information, stop in to a store, call them at (860) 247-1000, or go to www.expresskitchens.com.