Blog, Kitchen Styles, Resources
Are you thinking about remodeling your kitchen? If you’re ready to give it a new look, consider some of the most popular kitchen trends for 2021. You can get rid of the old, traditional decor and accessories while replacing them with more updated and modern fixtures. Go ahead and check out these top kitchen trends for 2021.
1. The Concealed Kitchen
More people are going for the concealed kitchen look than ever before. So, what exactly is a concealed kitchen? It’s a kitchen that doesn’t take up too much space, consisting of space-saving accessories and equipment. It’s the perfect way to keep the kitchen from taking up too much space in the home, especially for those with open kitchen areas that lead to the living room.
Provides a More Modern Look
Concealed kitchens are more modern than traditional kitchens with more prominent and bulkier appliances and fixtures. However, they’re perfect for those who don’t want to feel like they’re looking at their kitchen appliances and accessories while sitting in the living room or even entering the front door. It’s something to consider when you’ve got a limited amount of space to work with at home.
2. Minimalist Style
Minimalist kitchens are becoming such a big deal. More people are going with the less is more mantra, keeping it as simple as possible without overdoing it. While minimalist kitchen fixtures aren’t extravagant by any means, they’re still made with the highest quality and have such a sophisticated appearance. Suppose you want your kitchen to look more sophisticated and clean without going overboard with decorative pieces, such as intricate knobs for your cabinets. In that case, this style is something to consider during your kitchen remodel.
3. Fun, Bright Colors
Did you know that fun and bright colors are trending in 2021? People are using these bright colors because they want to have vibrancy in their homes. Who says the kitchen has to be a plain shade of gray, white, or beige?
Why not use bright, bold colors that make you feel good? If you want to feel joyful, excited, and ready to cook or eat when you enter the kitchen, consider choosing a bold shade of pink, orange, or even red.
Transform Your Kitchen with Bright Colors and the Right Stain
You may have some concerns about using bright colors. For example, you’re probably worried that the bright color on the walls might not match everything else. However, if you choose a bright shade of paint to add to the walls of your kitchen, you can still find fixtures to match it.
Even if you’d like wood cabinets and a wood island in your kitchen, the right stain will match perfectly with a bold color. Don’t hesitate to get creative when selecting the color that you’d like to use. It makes a difference and can truly transform your kitchen into an entirely different room.
4. Stained Wood Finish
Although it might seem like a classic, stained wood finish continues to trend in 2021. Wood finish has a classic yet elegant and sophisticated appearance, making it the top choice for those remodeling their kitchens. If you’re tired of the cabinets and other fixtures displayed in your kitchen, make some changes.
Find the Right Wood Finish
First, start checking out different wood finishes to see which ones you think you would like best. You can also choose a specific stain for the wood that will match any color you’re choosing for the kitchen walls. You can find high-quality cabinets, windows, and other components available in the perfect wood finish to use in the kitchen.
5. Upgraded Appliances
If you’re going to remodel the kitchen, make sure you’re upgrading the appliances you’re using. Plenty of people are choosing to get smart kitchen appliances because of their quality and convenience. For example, if you have a smart fridge, you can use it to keep track of when you’ve added certain items to the refrigerator and when they’ll go bad.
Plenty of Modern Options
These high-quality refrigerators have built-in speakers and other neat features to make it easy for you to find what you need in your fridge. You haven’t lived enough if you haven’t tested out one of these bad boys! With plans to remodel your kitchen to get it to look better than before, consider upgrading your appliances to match the new appearance.
Which Top Kitchen Trends for 2021 Would You Choose?
These are some of the many kitchen trends for 2021. As people work on remodeling their kitchens, they’re considering going the minimalist route, selecting wood finishes for most things, and even using brighter, bolder colors that people didn’t typically use in kitchens in the past.
Use these ideas to come up with specific renovations that you’d like to make to your kitchen. You can buy the right paint and all the best features to enhance this room in your home. Before you know it, the kitchen will quickly become your favorite room in the house!
Once you’ve completed the remodel with help from the professionals, such as Leatherman, you can expect to enjoy the ambiance of your kitchen even more than ever.
Bathroom Styles, Blog
The kitchen is the most important room in the home because it serves as a central hub for cooking, dining, entertaining, chatting, bill paying, internet-surfing, homework, etc. As the central hub and most used room in most homes, it is also the room that needs cleaning most often.
We always ask our clients how they plan to use their new kitchen and how often they prepare meals and entertain. We want to know if anyone in the home truly enjoys cooking and if there are any “foodies” or bakers in the family. This helps us gain an understanding of how the kitchen will function and how often it will need cleaning.
Many homeowners in Michiana are dazzled by smart appliances, quartz and stone countertops, custom cabinetry, statement-making backsplashes, signature lighting, hands-free faucets, and jewelry-like hardware. But, they rarely consider how difficult or easy it is to clean and maintain these dazzling products. Our experienced kitchen designers can direct you to the products that are both attractive and easy to clean.
Appliances
Homeowners who don’t want to spend a lot of time cleaning their new kitchens should consider appliance surfaces that do not require special cleaning solutions. When looking at ranges, focus on the knobs to determine if there are areas where grease and foodstuffs can get lodged. Consider the spacing. Can you easily use a microfiber between knobs? If not, that range may not be the best choice for your new kitchen. Many of our clients who are avid cooks are attracted to induction cooktops because they are easy to clean and use.
Finishes also need to be considered. Stainless steel appliances are most popular for good reason. They are durable, complement almost any type of cabinet style and color and have long-term staying power. The downside to stainless steel finishes are fingerprints, smudges and the potential for scratches. Some manufacturers offer a smudge-proof option, and black stainless tends to hide fingerprints.
We almost always recommend self-cleaning ovens that use high heat to burn off residue. Steam ovens are also self-cleaning.
Flat-front cabinets are easier to clean than door and drawer fronts adorned with grooves and ridges.
Backsplashes
Tile is one of the most popular materials used for backsplashes. If you are concerned with kitchen cleaning, we recommend using larger tiles that minimize the amount of exposed grout. One of the friendliest materials when it comes to cleaning for backsplashes is glass. You can choose almost any color; there’s no grout, and using a standard household glass cleaner is all you will need.
Stone, quartz, stainless steel and engineered quartz are durable, nonporous, stainproof and easy to clean.
Trash and Recycling
Most of our clients welcome trash and recycling containers in pull out cabinets underneath the sink or close to the sink where most clean-up occurs.
Open Shelves
Open shelves are increasingly popular because they are budget-friendly, make kitchen space look larger and enable homeowners to showcase collectibles and organize materials. The downside to open shelves is that they are exposed to dust and grime.
What materials, finishes, appliances and surfaces require the least maintenance? Give us a call at 574-533-0597 or make an appointment to visit our showroom and we can offer guidance to create the kitchen of your dreams that is also easy to clean.
Blog, Resources
Our phones have been ringing off the hook! Since our neighbors in Michiana have been spending more time in their homes, they realize that they would like to improve what currently exists. If you are interested in a new kitchen or bath, you can make planning for your renovation a lot easier by developing a wish list of everything that you want to then create a preliminary budget.
A word of caution about budgeting: don’t rely on home improvement television as a valid source. While HGTV, DIY and other networks and shows are great sources of inspiration, their timetables and budgets do not resemble reality. They often don’t include time for planning, permitting or the cost of labor.
Your wish list and budget need to align. If they don’t, you’re likely to be disappointed. Our showroom professionals help homeowners develop realistic expectations and budgets every day.
Here are several factors that can increase budgets:
- Relocating appliances, sinks and faucets likely will result in having to move existing plumbing, electrical and gas lines and ductwork.
- Commercial grade appliances are more expensive options.
- Bluetooth enabled and smart appliances are generally more expensive than conventional appliances.
- Opening up a kitchen space to another room may require structural improvements.
- Moving walls, gas, water and electrical lines and ductwork often require code upgrades.
- Adding windows, doors or skylights.
- Creating new space by extending your kitchen outdoors or into another room.
- Selecting custom cabinets.
- Natural stone and engineered quartz countertops have higher price tags than other countertop options.
- Starting demolition before finalizing plans, drawings and orders.
- Changing plans after construction begins.
Making a wish list helps to focus and your priorities. We specialize in helping homeowners prioritize their wish lists and offer alternatives if specific wants don’t match available budgets. We also encourage our clients to create idea books on Pinterest and Houzz.com to better understand the look and feel that they want to achieve. Idea boards also help us to identify value-creating opportunities and options to lower costs without compromising look or performance.
After planning for your renovation, if you are ready to start renovating your home, please give us a call at 574-533-0597 or contact us through our website to arrange an appointment in our showroom at 2423 Peddlers Village Rd, Goshen, IN 46528.
Bathroom Styles, Blog, Kitchen Styles
We’ve entered the second half of 2020 and want to share the design trends that stood out during the first half of the year in Michiana.
Split finishes are in vogue in everything from plumbing fixtures and appliances to door and cabinet hardware. We’ve seen ear-to-ear smiles when we present combination black and gold finishes to our clients. Specifying gold refrigerator pulls on a matte black refrigerator creates a dramatic and refined focal point in any kitchen. We also have had an extremely positive reception pairing black and silver tones in all design motifs – traditional, transitional and contemporary.
Mixed materials is another trend in new kitchens and baths. Combining metal, stone, wood and glass are on point for many homeowners and builders. Imagine an island that features an engineered stone top contrasted with two-tone wood paneling and a matte black sink with gold-finished faucet. Simply gorgeous.
Similar to mixing materials is specifying contrasting colors. Different colored upper and lower cabinets continue to gain in popularity.
Functional furniture is also making a new home in kitchens and baths. Homeowners in Michiana warmly respond to suggestions for desk space, separate storage cabinetry and pantries, open shelving and other solutions that are more reminiscent of furniture found in other places in the home than traditional kitchen cabinetry.
White kitchen cabinetry continues to rank as the number one preference in homes. However, we see white trending in other materials and fixtures beyond cabinetry. White finished appliances, split chrome and white faucetry and split white toned lighting make for a dramatic statement in any kitchen. Other trending colors for finishes in kitchens and baths include champagne, bronze, gray, gold and black.
Your new kitchen has to look out-of-this-world and serve multiple purposes and functions, spanning from the space where meals are prepared to a central gathering place for family and friends. A well-designed kitchen combines stylish aesthetics with durable and functional finishes and materials.
How can you capitalize on new design trends to create the kitchen or bath of your dreams? Give us a call at (574) 533-0597 or contact us to make an appointment to visit our showroom.
Blog, Kitchen Styles, Resources
Necessity truly has been the mother of invention during the COVID-19 crisis. When our showroom team and our customers were under stay-at-home orders, we had to pivot to respond to the multiple requests from homeowners in Michiana that realized their kitchens did not provide the functionality, aesthetic, or lifestyle that they wanted. Being stuck at home for an extended period was eye-opening. The COVID-19 emergency orders to stay at home resulted in our showroom providing homeowners the necessary tools to measure their kitchens, which enabled our designers to develop preliminary plans and move the renovation process forward. Measurements provide a road map and allow a talented, experienced designer to determine how to maximize space for efficiency and aesthetic impact. The three main areas of a kitchen, referred to as the golden triangle, include the sink, the refrigerator and the range, cooktop, or cooking area. The sink should ideally be between the refrigerator and the stove. Each leg of the triangle should be between four and nine feet, and the total perimeter of the triangle should be between 13 and 26 feet. The kitchen triangle has evolved as habits and lifestyle needs have changed. We ask homeowners numerous questions to learn exactly how they will use the kitchen. We like to know how often they cook, how many family members are involved in meal preparation We ask if they have a baker in the family, how often they entertain, what they want their new kitchen to do that their existing kitchen cannot and so on. Ideally, if there is a baker in the family, the design should allow for a zone that incorporates all of the tools needed for baking, such as pie tins, measuring cups and spoons, rolling pins, and baking sheets located near the pantry or the oven. The area designated for meal preparation should be located near the sink and house everything needed to make mouthwatering meals. The tools in the meal preparation area are knives, pots, pans, pot holders, roasters, cutting boards, colanders, peelers, whisks, basters, and the trash can, among others. We like to provide homeowners in Michiana at least 21 inches of countertop space on each side of the cooktop space permitting. Otherwise, an island or peninsula across from the cooktop makes for an ideal space for meal preparation. Space restricted kitchens can make specifying the right size refrigerator a challenge. Standard refrigerators are 36 inches deep. However, if there is no room for a standard size, manufacturers produce models that are 24 and 30 inches deep. Many do-it-yourselfers don’t account for the swing of the refrigerator door and often find it cannot open completely because of an obstruction. Storage is another essential consideration in the design of a new kitchen. How much storage space is wanted or needed will determine the size of cabinetry and the number of cabinets. Open shelving is a hot trend in Michiana because it provides a more open feel and enables homeowners to showcase collectibles or favorite glassware, cooking tools or whatever else they desire. Open shelving does not offer the same amount of storage space as cabinetry. What’s the ideal layout for your new kitchen? We can help turn your dreams into reality. Contact Leatherman Supply to get answers to your questions, or to schedule a showroom visit.
Bathroom Styles, Blog, Kitchen Styles, Resources
Ceilings are often an afterthought of the renovation process and don’t get the attention or recognition that they deserve. In a well-designed kitchen or bath in Michiana, nothing should be overlooked, including the ceiling. Ceiling height, shape, style, accessories, and color helps determine how a living space looks and how it feels.
The ceiling should be considered the fifth wall in your new kitchen or bath and should be used to enhance the space’s character. Paint, wallpaper, different textures, heights, finishes, and materials can be employed to create a ceiling that serves as a focal point and enhances the overall design and functionality of the space.
The standard height of a kitchen or bath ceiling is eight to nine feet. In some remodels, increasing that height is not practical or even feasible, depending on what is above your bath or kitchen. Typically, we have more flexibility in the bath to incorporate a skylight over a tub, add window space, or create a dropped area of the room to define a portion of the space.
Here are some common ceiling options to enhance your bath or kitchen:
- Cove ceilings have curved edges between the ceiling and the wall to create a dome-like design that can create a focal point at the top of the walls. One advantage of cove ceilings is that they help make a living space appear taller than it is.
- Vaulted ceilings create a sense of volume and spaciousness to a room and also serve to make a living space appear larger than it is. Most homes with a sloped roof can support a vaulted ceiling. Vaulted ceilings can have curved or straight sides and symmetrical or asymmetrical lines.
- Cathedral ceilings employ straight sides that slope upward at the same angle as the exterior roofline. The most famous cathedral ceiling is at Notre-Dame in Paris. You can’t build anything on top of a cathedral ceiling, but you can create one from unused attic space.
- Tray Ceilings and Coffered ceilings are similar. While coffered ceilings have multiple recessed sections, a tray ceiling has one, larger inverted area. Both add depth to a room and make it appear more spacious.
- Any new kitchen or bath ceiling can be enhanced by decorative moldings, especially Victorian homes.
- Beamed ceilings are another tool in a designer’s arsenal to create unique looks. Beams add warmth and character to a room. You need a taller space for beams so the living space doesn’t feel small and cramped.
- Even basic ceilings can be enhanced with statement-making lighting, paint, or patterned wallpaper.
How can you take advantage of the fifth wall to make your new dream kitchen or bath become a reality? Give us a call at (574) 533-0597 or make an appointment to visit our showroom.
