Thursday, October 29, 2015

Lighten Up

They call it Daylight Savings Time but for most of us turning back the clocks this time of year just signals a decent into darkness. But just because the sun is setting earlier outside doesn’t mean you can’t turn up the wattage inside. And if there’s one place that lighting is a critical variable, it’s in the kitchen. No longer a place where we just prepare meals, most kitchens multitask as entertainment centers and homework central and no one kind of lighting can handle all these functions.

That said, the number of fixtures your space needs will depend on the size, layout and look of your kitchen—for example taller ceilings and darker finishes call for more light. In fact, according to the National Kitchen & Bath Association, a kitchen with dark surfaces needs about one-third more light than one with lighter surfaces. Keeping that in mind, here are some basic rules of thumb for lighting:

TASK LIGHTING. Critical for cooking surfaces, at the sink, over the counters, and over any table or work surface, fixtures over these areas should be placed about 30 inches above an island, peninsula or table but might be higher if you are taller or are placing the light over a raised surface.

Sometime all it takes is one fabulous pendant to light your table or island and make a fabulous statement.
Thoughtfully placed task lighting brightens the food prep and cooking area.


RECESSED (CAN) LIGHTS.  These provide ambient lighting, should be 24-42 inches apart, and should work to light the entire room, not just areas without task lights.


Well place recessed lighting combined with natural daylighting brings this kitchen to life.  

LAYERING IS ESSENTIAL. Good lighting design does not rely on just one type of light source.  Mixing ambient, task, decorative, and natural light will guarantee you kitchen has a warm welcoming glow no matter what the season.

Thanks to a combination of pendant lights over the island, recessed cans, and under cabinet task lighting this kitchen shines bright even after the sun has gone down.


A WORD ABOUT LIGHT BULBS
Since 2011 the traditional incandescent light bulb is being phased out in favor of more energy efficient brands but understanding what’s watt while making the conversion can be confusing. Here’s a quick reference guide:

100-watt bulbs
To replace your traditional 100-watt incandescent bulb, you have three options for creating a similar amount of light:
  • Halogen: 72 watts, 1490 lumens
  • CFL (Compact Florescent) 26 watts, 1,600 lumens
  • LED:  12 watts, 800 lumens** 


So what's a lumen?  A measure of brightness that indicates the amount of light produced. This is now how we quantify lightbulb output.

Monday, July 20, 2015

Color Blocking in Kitchens and Beyond

We all know when it comes to home décor, form follows fashion. So no big surprise that ever since color blocking returned to the fashion runway a couple of years ago, the trend is now showing up in a big way in kitchens and other rooms of the house. Not just for clothes anymore – it has moved from haute couture ateliers to our homes and can be transformative whether its with bold or subtle splashes of geometric color. Depending on your taste, you can go with dazzling color combinations or stick with blending neutral tones.


If you really want to make a strong statement go wild, even neon if you dare, but remember the design can turn overwhelming if there are too many dazzling shades competing for attention. While it’s okay to pair three intense colors, the safest formula that guarantees harmony and good balance is “one bright, one bold, one neutral.” The combination should attract attention, but remain easy on the eye.

Above, a kabi kitchen blends three different colors with ease by balancing the bold orange statement with two neutrals. In an open floor plan it works as the perfect visual centerpiece.
Sometimes all it takes is that one splash of bright color combined with white to add a welcome punch to your kitchen design. This kabi kitchen gets lots of notice in a long narrow duplex.
For a more subtle effect keep everything within the same color family such as blending mint cream, pistachio and sea green. You can also use colors from different families, where two could be neutrals and one could be a brighter shade or just go with two neutrals.

A high gloss laminate with silver accents grounds this kabi kitchen while the white upper cabinets serve to keep things light and airy. A great example of color blocking with a light touch.

Beyond the kitchen there are lots of fun ways to incorporate color blocking in your home. Dress up neutral sofas with a set of bright throw pillows in contrasting hues.


Or try adding color to a bedroom or bathroom with color-blocked curtains. The latter can really make a difference to an all white bathroom.







Thursday, May 28, 2015

Denver Life Show House--Worth a Visit!


I had the opportunity to get a sneak peek at the Denver Life 2015 Designer Show House and it is a beautiful home filled with lots of terrific architecture, design and decorating ideas. Featuring 15 spaces designed by 13 interior design firms the 4,700 square foot home is well worth a visit. Located at 1535 S. Clayton the home makes a welcoming, contemporary statement in the Cory-Merrill neighborhood.

Brad Liber of Caliber Construction is a co-sponsor of the event as well as a kabi client.  To that end we were delighted when Brad and his design associate, Caylin Engle, specified kabi cabinets for just about every room in the house from the mudroom and kitchen to the laundry room and all the bathrooms.

The house is open to the public June 1-14 from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm daily. All proceeds from the $15 entrance fee go directly to the benefit of Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver. Be sure and stop by and support this worthy cause and take home some great ideas for your own habitat.

Good looking dining room storage and white kitchen cabinets with a high gloss finish meld beautifully with the decor selected by local designers at the Denver Life 2015 Designer Show House. 

Conveniently located off the garage, the mudroom includes a place to sit down, remove and stow shoes, and even a handy water bowl for the family dog.




Monday, April 20, 2015

Boulder Kitchen Tour


If you are looking for some great ideas for your new home or an upcoming kitchen remodel be sure to sign on for the Boulder Dreams Kitchen kitchen tour this weekend.
10 am - 4 pm Saturday, April 25th
12 pm - 4 pm Sunday April 26th

This year kabi is proud to be sponsoring a beautiful home that features not only our kitchen cabinets but a sophisticated entertainment and bar area in keeping with the mid-century modern remodel. Located at 450 Japonica Way the kitchen went from dark and imposing to light and bright with a high degree of functionality. It showcases elegant, frameless European-style cabinets and features clever storage solutions including a pantry with roll out drawers, a sliding spice cabinet and deep drawers for stowing pots and pans.

For more information go to:  www.ihaveadreamboulder.org
There are a total of eight homes on the tour and tickets can be purchased at the first home on the map:  3325 9th Street.  All proceeds benefit the "I Have A Dream Foundation" of Boulder County.

Here's a sneak peek at the kitchen and please come by to see and learn more. Look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Kitchen overall


The award-winning “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Boulder County is celebrating it’s 25th year of serving Boulder County youth. It has helped 780 children from low-income areas achieve their education and career goals by providing long-term personal and academic support, tutoring, mentoring and four-year tuition-assistance scholarships to each graduating student. The organization sponsors entire groups of students from elementary schools, or from low-income housing sites and works with these children and their families through college. 



Thursday, April 2, 2015

Inside the Mayor's Design Awards

What Are the Mayor's Design Awards?
Since 2005, the Mayor's Design Awards have been presented to Denver homeowners, business owners, nonprofits, artists and others for their creative contributions to the public realm through innovative design. Winners range from public street art to adaptive reuse of historic structures to tactical urbanism to new community gathering places. Each brings something special to Denver’s unique visual fabric and speaks to the city's collective commitment to building healthy, sustainable communities.
Category:  This is Home
The winner in this category embraced the eclectic style of the emerging River North community. A small, uniquely designed structure it is at home among the industrial- and mixed-use developments that dot the neighborhood but also easily recognizable as a home itself. 
Recognition for kabi
When the homeowners were asked to designate project participants who contributed to making their vision a reality they selected kabi (we were still called General Casework when the project began) as one of the key players. In addition to the kitchen cabinets and master bathroom vanity kabi designed a built in wall unit in the living room and a contemporary storage unit for the dining room.
Certificate of Recognition 
An overall shot of the kitchen in the award-winning house

A close up view of the three different cabinet fronts that work so beautifully together

Convenient built in storage
The master bath room vanity

Monday, March 9, 2015

Command Central

Who doesn't want to be more organized? Whether you fly solo, share life with a significant other, or are running a full on family with kids, dogs, gerbils, etc., everyone has bills to pay, appointments to track, menus to plan, places to go and things to do. Not surprisingly the kitchen continues to trend as the logical place to set up a command post to handle all those day-to-date chores.

So whether your kitchen is in the planning stage or you're working on a remodel consider allotting space for a built in desk where you can work on your computer while you're waiting for the rice to cook.  Include some drawer space for keeping office supplies and notecards handy, and maybe a place to hang a bulletin board for posting invitations and notices of things like school events. Here are some fun examples to inspire you.


For a couple with two young boys kabi helped design a compact work station conveniently tucked around the corner from the main kitchen and dining area. 

This kitchen office is intentionally located out of the main cooking and food prep zone.

Small on space but packed with functionality this work station includes open shelving to keep everything at your fingertips.

This office area blends seamlessly with the rest of the kitchen.