Hoosier Cabinet History
By / September 6, 2017 February 25, 2023
A true must have of a 1920’s kitchen was the hoosier cabinet. The idea built behind this popular cabinet was that a worker is only as efficient as her workplace. This cabinet was so much more than just a storage cabinet, it included storage, appliances and much more!
What Does “Hoosier” Mean?
The word Hoosier has been tied to the state of Indiana for over 150 years. There are several theories about its origin, one of them involves people yelling “who’s there?” across the river and the other is of a man who lost his ear in a bar fight and someone unfortunately picked it up and asked, “whos ear?” Both circumstances sound similar to the term “Hoosier”.
So, what does the term have to do with the Hoosier cabinet? The cabinet got its name because most of them were made in Indiana. The first Hoosier cabinets appeared in 1898, created by a furniture company called Sellers, in New Castle, Indiana. Popularity of the cabinet grew up until the late 1940’s when the records for the cabinets became scarce.
What Is in a Hoosier Cabinet?
You may be thinking that this was just an average cupboard, but back in the 1920’s, this was much more. This cabinet had storage for staples like flour, sugar and spices as well as workable parts like flour sifters, meat grinders, spice carousels, grocery list wheel, nutritional charts and cookbook holders. The Hoosier cabinet was made to speed up meal delivery by having everything you need in one place.
Photo credit, Rob Karosis
This modern Hoosier cabinet was designed by PKsurroundings. The modern storage cabinet includes shelves for organizing jars, spices and staple products. There is also a built-in prep sink that includes a garbage disposal. Outlets are incorporated on the walls for small appliances like a blender or electric mixer. The cabinet area provides a sense of separation from the rest of the kitchen, allowing multiple chefs to be cooking and prepping at the same time! Even though the storage space is beautiful to look at, it is all hidden behind custom sliding cabinet doors by Kountry Kraft.
Click here to view pictures of hoosier cabinets. Contact Kountry Kraft today and see how you can create your own modern Hoosier cabinet!
Small Kitchen Storage Ideas | Kountry Kraft Cabinetry
By / August 30, 2017 March 11, 2023One of the only downsides of a small kitchen is the limitation for storage space. With Kountry Kraft custom cabinetry, you can create many different and unique storage areas. From pottery and glassware to miscellaneous items you don’t want exposed, we offer many different small kitchen storage ideas.
Small Kitchen Storage Ideas
Storage areas can be created to be on display or hidden in your kitchen. Many homeowners like to display colorful pottery or glassware in their kitchen and others prefer it to be hidden. Below you will see many different small kitchen storage ideas using Kountry Kraft cabinetry. Don’t see what you are looking for below? Contact us and we can create a customized storage solution for you.
Don’t limit storage to areas within arms’ reach. Ceiling-height cabinets or shelves are perfect for that appliance or casserole dish you never use. High cabinets and shelves can make a small kitchen space feel more open.
Declutter an open-shelving mess with decorative woven baskets or colored bins. Decorative bins keep your kitchen organized and stylish.
Don’t fill up a whole cabinet with just spices, take advantage of an awkward small space for pull-out shelf.
De-clutter your countertops using hidden storage space for your appliances like a toaster and coffee maker.
We can also create custom drawers for your k-cups or other small items so they stay organized and easily accessible.
Since floor space is already limited in your small kitchen, incorporating your trash and recycling bins into your cabinetry provides more available floor space.
Having a functional kitchen island creates a central storage unit for everything you want in your kitchen, but never seem to have enough space for.
Freezer drawers are a space saving design that leaves a smaller footprint and provides convenience.
Check out more organizing tips for your kitchen space in this article by Good Housekeeping. Visit our planning & functionality page to be inspired to make your kitchen as functional as it is beautiful.
Mixing Kitchen Cabinet Styles and Finishes
By / August 16, 2017 March 20, 2023Mixing kitchen cabinet styles and finishes is common in today’s home. Many people are hesitant when it comes to redoing their cabinetry because of it not matching the rest of the house. Many believe that if they redo their cabinets in one room, they must redo them everywhere. This isn’t necessarily true. A house has one style; however, every room can uniquely reflect that style. Different colored cabinetry is common throughout a house, primarily because each room is going to have its own color scheme. Cabinetry doesn’t always have to match; there are many ways to meld different colors and styles together.
Most homes have a consistent trim system for door and window case molding, baseboard and other accessory trim but that doesn’t require all cabinets to be the same manufacturer and style. Mixing kitchen cabinet styles and colors is common both throughout the home and in the same room.
The kitchen above has one style of cabinetry made of two different woods and two different finishes. The perimeter cabinets are an inset cabinet style made of hard maple wood and finished with a simple white paint. The island cabinetry is an inset cabinet style as well but made of walnut wood with a natural 25-degree finish. Both of these cabinet finishes blend perfectly with the floor color and overall color scheme of the kitchen.
Check out what professionals on Houzz have to say different cabinet colors. You can also view an article by HGTV on mixing cabinet styles and finishes. Visit our paint colors page to see what colors you can combine in your kitchen!
Choosing a Kitchen Color Scheme
By / June 28, 2017 June 7, 2017Many people struggle with choosing a kitchen color scheme, mostly because so much goes into planning a kitchen remodel. You must think about cabinetry, floor color, countertops and appliances when choosing your kitchen color scheme.
When choosing the colors of your kitchen, you should start with any of the main components. Floor color, countertop color, or cabinetry color. Depending on what you are passionate about the most, your color scheme can be based off what you begin with. Some people have a passion for one unique color and that may be the base of their color scheme.
How to Make your Kitchen Match
Choosing your kitchen cabinetry is a great first step. Complement your cabinets with the floor color and use your countertop color as an accent piece (or vice versa). Kountry Kraft offers many unique cabinet colors to choose from – which allows you to bring personality into your kitchen. Deciding your budget is the first step to choosing your cabinetry, this can be used as a guide to selecting your style. White cabinetry pairs well with dark wood floors and an accented countertop. Natural wood cabinetry pair well with neutral colored countertops and an accented backsplash.
Once you choose your cabinetry color, you can move onto your floor color. Hardwood flooring is a great choice for your kitchen space because it is warm on bare feet, absorbs sound and kinder to a long-standing chef. You may choose from light, medium or dark wood for your flooring. Once you choose your floor color, it is time for your countertops. You can get very artsy when it comes to countertops. Countertops vary in color, pattern and style making it sometimes difficult to match with your existing cabinetry and flooring. Whether you choose granite, tile, wood, etc., your countertop will become a signature piece in your kitchen – maybe even the focal point.
Kitchen Color Scheme
This colorful kitchen by Stonington features navy blue cabinetry complimented by a light wood floor and marble countertops. All three components complete the color scheme of this kitchen. Incorporating a unique backsplash along with floating shelves to create a symmetrical look on the back wall.
White cabinetry with dark wood accents create the color scheme in this kitchen. The grey subway and paint balance the white and dark wood to complete the look of the kitchen.
Kountry Kraft’s cabinetry accessories will go well with any kitchen color scheme you choose! To view more design inspiration for your kitchen, visit our houzz page.
Designers Spotlight – Evalia Designs, LLC
By / June 14, 2017 March 20, 2023As a cabinet manufacturer, we enjoy sharing designs by our talented clients. Evalia Designs, LLC is in our designers spotlight this month. Founded by a young woman, April Spagnolo, this full-service design firm’s goal is to turn your vision into a reality.
April Spagnolo, founder of Evalia Designs, is a Certified Kitchen Designer with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design. She has studied at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, La Roche College and The American University of Rome. Spagnolo has over 10 years of experience working on both remodeling and new construction residential projects, custom cabinetry and specific commercial spaces. April grew up watching her grandfather work in the construction industry. She was inspired by the way his eyes lit up with excitement when he talked about the process of completing his jobs.
Evalia Designs, LLC has incorporates Kountry Kraft Cabinetry into many of their designs. From the kitchen and beyond, our custom cabinetry can fit into any room or your home.
Designers Spotlight
A quote from the Evalia Designs: “The client wanted a more open floor plan, her own personal office space that could be closed off when entertaining, two islands, and a Butler’s pantry. By removing the wall between the family room and existing kitchen we were able to create an open floor plan and help them achieve their dream kitchen design requests.”
A quote from Evalia Designs: “The client wanted a social kitchen, temperature controlled wine room, seating groups, fireplaces, game areas, a secret door to access the storage room and a full bath in their new basement space. By reworking the existing space, using built-in custom cabinetry, and unique finishes we were able to achieve their dream basement remodel.”
Check out more of Evalia Design’s by visiting their website. See more of our custom cabinetry built into a variety of spaces on our houzz page!
Cabinet Hardware Ideas Available at Kountry Kraft
By / May 17, 2017 May 16, 2017Kitchen cabinet hardware ideas can help complete the look of your space. Whether you want unique or subtle cabinet hardware, Kountry Kraft offers a variety of cabinet hardware to match your personal taste.
Cabinet Hardware Ideas – Cliffside
Cliffside Industries offers two flagship hardware lines: solid brass and Cliffside Choice zinc. Many popular items and finishes are duplicated in both materials to allow a selection of price level. Traditional, transitional, and contemporary styles are available in up to eight finishes in zinc and ten in solid brass. The distinctions between the two products are a mild change in density and different manufacturing processes.
For marine climates (beachfront homes, etc.), Cliffside recommends solid brass or stainless steel materials. For all other locations, either product material should be sufficient if the product care instructions are followed. Cliffside’s brass and zinc hardware lines are finished to the same exacting standards and are designed to coordinate with our hinge line; however, minute variations in finish shading may occur between materials due to the color of the underlying metal (brass material is a gold color, while zinc is white). As always, antique finishes will vary from lot to lot regardless of material but remain within an acceptable range.
Top 10 Popular Hardware Finishes
These are the top 10 popular hardware finishes from Cliffside’s signature lines. Choose which color you like the most, and we will incorporate it into your custom cabinetry.
Visit the cliffside website to choose the cabinet hardware that will add a personal touch to your Kountry Kraft cabinets. Browse our accessories page to see how you can incorporate organization into your cabinets as well.
Top Kitchen Cabinet Colors
By / April 26, 2017 February 25, 2023Kountry Kraft has many ways to offer you a large variety of kitchen cabinet colors. With our custom stain matching room and extensive library of custom paint match formulas, we can provide our customers with custom color solutions. We can offer you custom colors to express your own unique taste!
Top Kitchen Cabinet Colors
According to Houzz, white cabinetry remains the most popular choice for kitchen cabinet colors with wood (light, medium and dark) in second place. While white cabinetry can make the overall kitchen look fresh and clean, there are many other kitchen cabinet colors by Kountry Kraft.
We produce an abundance of white cabinetry, but have seen many unique color choices from our clients – creating breathtaking spaces. There is blue cabinetry in our KBIS 2017 display. Our team wanted to showcase the unique cabinet colors Kountry Kraft can create. This cabinetry in our display became very eye-catching and brought a lot of attention to our booth.
You bring it, we create it – in other words, bring in a paint sample and we will match it. We match many known paint brands including; Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore. The color of your cabinetry can reflect your style and personality. Let us build the kitchen of your dreams with our custom color options.
Be sure to visit our planning center to see all options you have to create your custom cabinetry. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Houzz to keep up with our latest design inspirations.
Most Common Kitchen Cabinet Upgrades
By / April 12, 2017 December 19, 2022A kitchen should be as functional as it is beautiful, and kitchen cabinet upgrades make this possible. Your dream kitchen should not only be beautiful, but also efficient for you and your family. Planning and functionality are the most important part of a kitchen upgrade. After all, how will your kitchen function if it’s not planned per your lifestyle?
Planning ahead for your kitchen remodel can help maximize space and organization. A Kountry Kraft designer will look at your lifestyle and analyze your needs, then they’ll transform your preferences into a custom cabinets design plan. Everyone wants the most functional cabinetry for their home. There are many cabinet accessories you can incorporate into your kitchen to increase the overall function.
Most Common Kitchen Cabinet Upgrades
Built-in storage has become a popular trend among renovating homeowners. Built-in organizers can help you easily locate items used on a daily basis. Avid bakers may choose a cookie sheet and spice organizer for their baking habits. A large family may find pull out snack cabinets and pull out laundry bins more reasonable. Depending on your lifestyle, different organizers can help suit your hobbies and activities.
Your Kountry Kraft designer will help you determine the kitchen cabinet upgrades needed in your home. There will be no more struggling to find what you need with our custom cabinet solutions. Functionality is a beautiful thing. Find a dealer near you using our dealer locator.
Kountry Kraft Custom Wood Stain Colors
By / February 15, 2017 March 20, 2023Kountry Kraft offers a variety of custom wood stain colors to make your kitchen as unique as you. Our custom stain matching room allows us to create a customized color for your kitchen. You bring in a color and it’s guaranteed we can match it.
Custom Wood Stain Colors
Giving your home the perfect color palette goes beyond paint. Our finishing process offers affordable options for dramatic accents and focal points throughout the home. With our customized stain matching abilities, the possibilities are endless here at Kountry Kraft.
Some think it is impossible to match the stain color that appears in other elements of their home. At Kountry Kraft, you bring in a sample stain color and we can match it. Our custom wood stain colors make it easy to match different elements of your home to make an entire look come together. We have everything you need for a quality finish every time.
Gunstock Stain Color
One of our most popular stain colors this year was the Gunstock stain color. This stain color can enhance any type of wood, paint or glaze. Gunstock is easily applied and penetrates deep into pores of the wood giving a long-lasting appearance. This stain color compliments the finest wood species and brings out it’s best attributes. Using custom wood stain colors can bring a dramatic effect to your kitchen.
At Kountry Kraft, we make it possible for your cabinetry to resemble you. View more of our custom finishing options or request our literature for inspiration on custom cabinetry designs.
Shoe Organization Ideas
By / January 18, 2017 February 20, 2017Whether you’re planning to organize your record collection or shoe collection, there are always new ideas for storage organization. Whether you want your collection hidden or on display, Kountry Kraft can make your shoe organization idea come to life with custom cabinetry.
From big closets to small closets, there is always room for organization! Shoes can take up a lot of room, but with these shoe organizer ideas you will save a lot of space. Shoes don’t necessarily need to be in the bedroom, use another closet or another room to display or hide your shoe collection. Getting crafty with shoe organization makes your shoes easier to find and access. No need to be running around in the morning trying to find the other shoe match.
Kountry Kraft can incorporate your shoe organization idea into any room of your home. No more messy piles of shoes all around your house. Putting away your shoes will be as easy as taking them out! There are many space-saving solutions for your shoes, below you can find just a few ideas!
Shoe Organization Ideas
- Under the stairs
- Wheel out shelves for under your bed
- Hidden storage inside your walls
- Closet cabinetry
- Pull out shelving
- Behind a curtain
- Behind glass doors
- Home made baskets
- Shoe hooks
- Door racks
- Under benches or seating
- Designated shelves for each family member
“Kicking your shoes off” after a long day can become organized if you incorporate shoe organization throughout your home. Maximize your nooks and crannies in your home by making them an organized space for your collections.
See more organization ideas from Kountry Kraft here.