Little Kitchens Are Big!
 With all the talk about kitchens getting larger and becoming the new social centers of the home, why even take the time to consider little kitchens? The spaciousness of today’s home, coupled with the current trend for light eating or “grazing,” have given rise to food preparation areas in all corners of the home. Little auxiliary kitchens are popping up in bedrooms, bathrooms, family rooms, home offices, exercise rooms, media rooms and even outdoors. It makes sense. These spaces can be the ideal, practical, time-saving solution for the busy homeowner grabbing a bite of breakfast on the way out of the shower in the morning. Or they can function as a means of adding comfort and convenience to a relaxing evening spent in bed watching a favorite TV program, a glass of juice in hand.
An auxiliary kitchen can be as simple as a coffee or juice bar—which normally includes a cabinet for storage, a small sink with countertop, and a mini-refrigerator/freezer/ice maker. Even more
functional is a morning kitchen, which in addition to a small sink and mini-refrigerator may include a single-drawer dishwasher, a microwave, and an instant hot water appliance. It is important, however, when planning these areas, to carefully consider ventilation, sound/noise control, safety, appearance and ease of maintenance.
 The fastest growing trend in auxiliary kitchens is the outdoor kitchen. Permanent outdoor island countertops with oversized drop-in barbecue grills are increasingly popular. Consider other options as well, such as a separate rotisserie, a gas-fired wok or a wood-fired pizza oven. As people desire a more convenient grilling experience, often a small stone or concrete sink is added, as well as a mini-refrigerator or permanent cooler.
Obviously, there are special considerations which must be taken into account when placing appliances in an outdoor environment. For example, check to make sure that the electric appliances are UL approved for outdoor use. Even so, the refrigerator usually must be taken indoors in cold weather. Most other items can simply be covered.
It almost goes without saying that Americans love to grill out. What could be finer than sharing deliciously prepared food with family and friends in the natural beauty of your own backyard? With today’s outdoor kitchen, grilling has never been easier.
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The Evolution of a Business
By Stephanie Witt CKD, CBD
At the close of 1999, my daughter Kyle and I slipped away for a few days for our annual planning retreat. In our continuing effort to better serve the market niche we feel we are best qualified to handle, we took a long, hard look at our policies and procedures and how our mode of “doing business” affects you, our valued clients.
Never far from the technical support that can bring you data and information almost instantaneously, we called back to the office and asked Brian, Kyle’s husband, to analyze some data for us. We discovered that over the past six years our targeted market, full service interior space planning, renovation, and cabinet installation, was generating over 80% of our annual sales and production, yet represented only 13% of our clientele.
Conversely, 87% of our customer base had become single item, retail oriented. As we continued to grow, this retail element of our business (appliances, counters, wallpaper, flooring etc.) was demanding additional personnel and longer showroom hours and was actually diminishing the ability of our highly qualified design staff to best serve our full service building and remodeling clients.
Our mission has always been to be “the provider of choice” for the highest quality products and services in the kitchen, bath and other room cabinetry field. Our goal is to cater to the needs of individuals whose busy and demanding lifestyles require trust and confidence as well as a professional approach to the craft of kitchen and bath installation and renovation.
As we pondered these statistics, we realized that a larger showroom and more personnel to handle the retail end of our business was not only costly but also counter productive to the needs of our design clientele. While we are committed to providing a complete spectrum of products for a full renovation, we feel we can no longer efficiently handle so many smaller orders. Thus, we have less need for a huge showroom that is staffed 49 hours a week as we have had over the past two decades.
In February we made the decision to close our showroom two days a week and shorten our remaining hours to six each on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. As a result our design team is better able to serve our market niche.
The uninterrupted, focused time that our design staff can now devote to larger, more complex projects has been extremely beneficial. The vast majority of our client meetings are best handled on an appointment basis, and once work has begun, have been done that way in the past. It seems only reasonable that to re-invent our methodology and eliminate altogether the “retail” nature of our work would be helpful. We could then concentrate on the “Design Studio” concept which would be greatly appreciated not only by our designers but also their clients who can then command the attention they deserve when arriving for their appointed meetings.
We will remain accessible by phone during all normal business hours and our wonderful Mary Lee will personally assist all callers in arranging an opportunity to meet with a designer to visit our inviting “Home Studio”. Likewise, she will gladly refer you to other resources should we not be able to meet your needs.
While the exact timing of our new venture is flexible, we anticipate a move this fall and will keep you informed as progress is made. We’re not going far! Just a mile or so beyond our present location. If anyone has comments or suggestions about our plans feel free to contact us at 616-942-9922. We would love to hear from you. As always our intention is to remain conveniently accessible while providing the best possible goods and services for all of your future projects.
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We
broke ground on May 30 for our new design studio. After
nearly 20 years of growth, Kitchens by Stephanie is “going
home.” What better environment in which to select
components for your new home, than our new home! My
daughter, Kyle and her husband, Brian will be living in this
lovely new home as Kyle and I continue to operate the
Kitchen by Stephanie Design Studio out of her inviting new
home office. Watch for photos in our next newsletter
highlighting our progress over the summer. |
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Stucco/Synthetic Stucco
 For thousands of years stuccoing has been the most widely used method of finishing building exteriors throughout the world. It is a mortar-like mixture of lime and/or portland cement plus sand, water and often fiberglass or other fibers for strength and stability.
Stucco is applied in thin layers directly onto masonry walls, or troweled over a metal reinforcement attached to wall studs when the walls are wood frame. It is important that the stucco does not dry too quickly so that it can achieve its full strength. Therefore it is usually damp-cured, which means it is sprayed with water at frequent intervals during the curing process. This process takes several days. Skilled craftsmen can apply many different kinds of decorative finishes to the still-wet stucco to enhance its appearance. The final layer is usually an acrylic coating to which color has been added. This coating is washable and will help retain the beauty of the stucco for years to come.
Sometimes what appears to be stucco on a home is actually an Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS), more commonly called synthetic stucco. This popular multi-layered system consists of 1) an insulation layer of expanded polystyrene or polyisocyanurate which is affixed to the exterior wall surface, 2) a secondary moisture barrier to protect the substrate underneath the EIFS, 3) a mesh-reinforced base coat and 4) a finish coat made with 100% acrylic polymers to resist fading and UV degradation. An additional layer that drains away any moisture that should find its way behind the EIFS is especially useful in wet climates.
One advantage of the EIFS is that it envelopes the home with an unbroken layer of insulation, greatly reducing heating and cooling costs. It does not need to be painted and is dirt and mildew resistant. Even more exciting is the fact that the EIFS allows designers to create interesting facades with graceful columns and balustrades, soft curves and arches as well as other architectural shapes which would be cost prohibitive using other materials.
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Lighting Outside the Box
 Remember the days when the standard procedure for lighting a kitchen or bath was to hang one lonely fixture from the middle of the ceiling? You would always be working in your own shadow. Later, recessed can lights installed around the ceiling perimeter became the solution. These lights brightened the room in general, but the kitchen countertop remained sadly in the dark.
Today you can think outside the box and be creative. There is a whole wealth of lighting options out there from which to choose. Lighting designers take into consideration the function of the lighting, whether it be general room ambience, specific task lighting, accent lighting, or special effect lighting. A well-balanced room needs a combination of all these.
In the kitchen, it is important to provide bright, concentrated light for work spaces such as the food preparation surfaces or sink. Installing recessed task lighting directly above these areas is one way to provide proper illumination for the activities to be performed there. However, the exclusive use of recessed lights can appear monotonous. Track lights suspended from the ceiling are an eye appealing option, and have the advantage of being adjustable for specific task needs. Selecting decorative pendants for certain areas, such as over an island or bar, adds excitement to the room. Low-voltage linear lighting under cabinets brightens up the dark corners of countertops or, placed inside glass-doored cabinets, brings attention to decorative items displayed inside.
Use adjustable accent lights to highlight artwork in other parts of the room.
 In the bathroom, ample lighting is necessary for safety as well as function. Given the current trend for spacious bathrooms, it is especially important to install multiple fixtures throughout the room. Consider placing a recessed shower light in the shower itself, and a heat lamp directly outside. Recessed fixtures above the whirlpool accent the bathing area and help avoid accidents. Downlighting at the stool provides greater visibility for reading. And since there never seems to be enough light at the vanity for grooming tasks, decorative fixtures can be supplemented with recessed downlights in the
soffit.
With the multitude of fixtures in today’s kitchens and baths, adding programmed lighting controls is definitely a wise option. You can program your lights to illuminate only the specific task areas being used at any one time. This not only simplifies your life, but it is energy efficient and economical as well.
Lighting your kitchen and bath should never be an afterthought. It is very important to plan ahead, so that each room not only shines with a pleasant ambience, setting the mood for your day to day living, but at the same time satisfies your desire for bright task light right where you need it.
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