Remember When: The Beginnings of the Custom Cabinet Maker
By / November 27, 2015 March 20, 2023
The Legacy of Kountry Kraft – The Beginnings of the Custom Cabinet Maker
Kountry Kraft was founded in 1959 – when the cabinetry industry itself was still in its infancy. Prior to the 1950s, there truly was not a custom cabinetry industry to speak of. At that time, it was common for homes to come with standard kitchen cabinetry constructed by home builders. These cabinets were simple and often framed against the kitchen walls without a back. They were commonly made of metal or wood, and were rarely found in any other room besides the kitchen. There were no custom options, and rarely did the homeowner have a choice of wood or style. Cabinets were simply viewed as a part of home construction.
When Elvin and Helen Hurst decided to launch their own custom cabinetry company, there really was no road map to follow. No large cabinetry companies to model after. Not only were they selling cabinetry, they were selling the CONCEPT of custom cabinetry to builders and homeowners who had never thought about cabinets as an option or feature to their home. It was risky – Elvin and Helen were truly pioneers of the cabinetry industry – forging a path not many had traveled before.
But there were more hurdles in their way as they launched the business. Not only were they new business owners, with all the challenges that new business ventures present, they were also breaking the farming tradition of their Mennonite community, where everyone was expected to farm as their profession. Their choice to launch a business other than farming truly challenged common thinking – and their choice was questioned by those who knew them.
Regardless of the challenges, Elvin and Helen were committed to launching their business. Elvin had amazing woodworking skills and there was great demand among their friends and family for his hand-crafted cabinetry. They had a smart business plan and a philosophy that allowed them to stay true to their Mennonite roots of hard work and impeccable quality. They were smart and could see that their model would succeed. And it was with this in mind that Elvin and Helen launched Kountry Kraft in their family garage – the beginning of a legacy.
Stay tuned next week for part 2 in our Legacy of Kountry Kraft series
For more information about our company heritage, visit the Experience Kountry Kraft page on our website. Follow us on Instagram and like our Facebook page for design inspiration!
Kountry Kraft Custom Cabinetry – Quality Construction
By / November 18, 2015 March 20, 2023Why We Dovetail Our Boxes
At Kountry Kraft, we take our commitment to producing high quality custom cabinets very seriously. We employ skilled craftsmen who collectively have 1500 combined years of experience and their expertise is evident in the fine details that can be found in every one of our products. We consistently produce custom cabinetry that our customers love, that is delivered on time and to spec 99% of the time. We are so committed to quality that we offer a lifetime warranty.
One of the features that we include on our cabinetry that is often overlooked is the dovetail of our cabinet boxes. Dovetailing is a finishing touch that helps keep cabinetry strong, and it is a testament to fine craftsmanship. Not only does dovetailing keep your cabinetry more secure, it also looks beautiful. Dovetailing creates an extremely strong joint between two pieces of wood, making a stronger bond that can withstand heavy use. Most people don’t even know to ask about dovetailing, but to us it’s an absolute requirement.
Many cabinet manufacturers don’t go through the added work and expense to dovetail, and in many cases dovetailing is only found on the cabinet drawers. Here at Kountry Kraft, not only do we dovetail our drawers, but we also dovetail our cabinet boxes – something that is rarely seen in the industry. Dovetailing isn’t easy – it requires a great deal of skill and experience to do it correctly. For the skilled craftsmen at Kountry Kraft it’s no trouble. We have an entire line in our production process dedicated to dovetailing – and the work is done right – every time.
Our Commitment to Quality Construction
It’s just like us here at Kountry Kraft not to make a big deal about our dovetailing. We just consider it part of the process of producing cabinetry the right way – with great attention to detail. But truly – it is a big deal – and is one of the many reasons why you will find our cabinets still looking like new in homes 25 years later. It’s why high end kitchen designers turn to us to private label cabinets for them. And it’s why we’ve been successful for more than 50 years.
At Kountry Kraft we credit our success to staying true to the four guiding principles on which my parents Elvin and Helen Hurst founded our company: craft the highest quality custom cabinetry; deliver on schedule every time; price it fairly; and be honest, genuine and friendly. Dovetailing our cabinet boxes is one small part in the process of producing our high quality cabinetry – but it is a detail we are committed to continuing as a service to our customers.
Click here for more information about the quality craftsmanship of Kountry Kraft cabinets. To find a dealer near you, visit the dealer locator on our site. For great ideas for integrating custom cabinetry into your home, visit our Houzz idea books. We have a strong commitment to uphold our family legacy of high quality and excellent service – and invite you to experience the Kountry Kraft difference.
Custom Pantry Options for Your Home
By / November 4, 2015 March 12, 2023
When it comes to kitchen cabinets, space is always at a premium. Your kitchen contains a wide variety of items that you need for daily living, and it may seem impossible to find storage for it all. Whether you are looking for a place to store canned goods, glassware, table linens or that new ice cream maker you’ve been dying to try – storage is often a challenge in today’s kitchens.
Building a custom pantry is one solution to your storage challenges. A custom kitchen pantry will allow you to organize, and more importantly, utilize your space efficiently. Are you searching for a place for infrequently used items like fine china? Are your wine glasses taking up precious space needed for food storage? Do you have a large but less frequently used appliance that takes up valuable counter space? Our designers will examine your exact needs and create a pantry cabinet accordingly. Because everything is designed specifically for you, the possibilities are endless!
A custom pantry can be any size and built to suit your needs. A kitchen pantry cabinet can fit in small spaces to store odds and ends, or we can create oversized butler’s pantries to be used for storage of larger items. We offer a wide variety of accessories, such as baskets and pull out shelving to enhance the functionality of any space. No matter the size, our designers will create an efficient custom pantry to enhance the functionality of your custom kitchen.
Kountry Kraft Custom Pantry Options
Kountry Kraft offers a variety of woods, stains, and finishes for your custom pantry, allowing you to truly customize your look to match the style and décor of your home. Whether you like the clean look of white cabinets, prefer a more classic style, or are interested in sleek, black cabinetry – Kountry Kraft has custom cabinetry to match your style. To view our wood, stain and finish options, click here.
Kountry Kraft’s custom pantry and custom cabinets give you virtually limitless options. Our designers will work endlessly to ensure that your custom pantry matches your kitchen décor and provides you with the space you need to make your kitchen both functional and stylish.
Fori deas and inspiration, view our Houzz page.
Stock Vs. Custom Cabinets – The choice is yours.
By / October 16, 2015 March 20, 2023It’s time to redo your kitchen and you think you may want custom cabinets. Take a deep breath.We can help make your decisions without getting in your way. We have 1,500+ combined years worth of quality custom cabinetry behind our name and our quality speaks for itself
As you plan your kitchen, you may be factoring in the pros and cons of Custom Cabinets and Stock Cabinets.We understand that it’s a big decision and you want to get good, quality cabinetry. Here’s some information that you may find helpful.
CUSTOM CABINETS
Custom cabinets are mostly constructed by regional cabinet manufacturers much like Kountry Kraft. Our cabinetry is built by master craftsmen and is designed to fit into your space.
We are proud to say that our products are delivered on time nearly 100% of the time – so there’s no costly time delays that can put a monkey wrench in your project.
Kountry Kraft empowers our customers with the resources to design their dream cabinetry, whether that be in their kitchen, office, bathroom, etc. We work with highly skilled dealers and designers who will
come to your location, measure your space, draw up a schematic, make product recommendations and give you general pricing – making your cabinet shopping experience as simple as possible.
When you choose custom cabinetry, know that there are no rules. There is no standard 3” cabinet size. Sometimes people have unique spaces that normal stock cabinets just don’t accommodate. Custom cabinetry offers much greater flexibility and capacity for storage. This is where we excel. There may be a price differential between custom and stock cabinetry, but the value that you receive will be well worth the expenditure.
STOCK CABINETS
Stock cabinets are pre-manufactured, cartooned, and stored in a warehouse until they’re ordered. The industry standard sizes are based on multiples of three. They are very cut and dry when it comes to what’s available. There’s a standard width, height and depth to these cabinets. If your space is unique in size or shape, it is likely stock cabinets will be difficult to install.
Since the cabinets are manufactured prior to your order, the specific cabinet that you need may be unavailable. For the most part, no modifications can be made to pre-ordered stock from a catalog.
You may think we’re biased toward custom cabinets, and the truth is, we are. That’s because for over 50 years Kountry Kraft has been listening to what our customers tell us, and using that information to make our products and services better. We could always produce stock cabinetry, but that’s not what our customers want. They want our designers expertise when re-imagining a room that they will “live” in and they don’t want to settle for compromised quality and installation. We pride ourselves in the quality of our fine custom cabinetry and our impeccable customer service – and we think everyone deserves that kind of experience when planning their cabinet purchase.
Luxury Kitchens: More Than Meets The Eye.
By / October 9, 2015 October 9, 2015
The title of this blog may sound familiar. In fact, it may make you nostalgic, depending on when you were born. Recently there have been a number of Transformers reboots in Hollywood. They are movies derived from the 1984 Hasbro Toy Manufacturing Company toys with the tagline of, “The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye!” The premise is that they are robots disguised as common, ordinary objects.
At this point, you may be asking yourself, “What does this have to do with Luxury Kitchens?” Luxury Kitchens have a strong appeal not only because of their beautiful aesthetics, but also because of the special little nuances not outwardly visible to the casual observer. Hidden behind those gorgeous wooden panels could be any number of things – a chef’s pantry, a pull out spice rack, or even a full-size refrigerator! Today, luxury kitchens certainly serve as the Transformers of the kitchen world.
Kitchens have become the center of all activity in modern homes, and as such our customers want their kitchens to be just as stylish and comfortable as the rest of the house. Luxury kitchens look less and less like work zones and more and more like family rooms with cabinetry integrated into paneling, sleek and less obtrusive appliances, and modern conveniences like laptop nooks and integrated tablet stations.
Luxury kitchens don’t only include unique storage solutions. There are many things that go into classifying your kitchen space as “Luxury.” Webster classifies luxury as “the state of great comfort and extravagant living.” To that end, what qualifies as a luxury kitchen is subjective to what you consider important to the comfort and enjoyment of your family.
At Kountry Kraft we provide only top quality craftsmanship and add-on options for your cabinetry. We always choose specially selected furniture grade solid woods and veneers, and inspect every aspect of finishing and assemble to ensure a quality product. We always treat every project as the most important, and handle every order with the care it deserves.
Whether it be the cabinets that conceal a work station, enhanced lighting, or unique features like column pullouts and hidden spice drawers, the hidden luxuries of Kountry Kraft luxury kitchens definitely deliver more than meets the eye. Luxury, just like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Whether cooking for a large group of people, bonding with your family, or relaxing on your own – having a luxurious kitchen that your family can live in is sure to make your house a home.
To see more of our kitchens, follow this link HERE
Visit Hanford Cabinet and Woodworking to see more luxury kitchens.
Eco-Friendly Cabinetry
By / October 2, 2015 March 20, 2023Kountry Kraft: Committed to Eco-Friendly Cabinetry
When you think of custom cabinetry you may not necessarily think green. After all – custom cabinetry is made of wood – and to get wood, you have to cut down trees, right? But there are many ways cabinet manufacturers can step up their commitment to the environment, and at Kountry Kraft we take that responsibility very seriously.
Since 2007, Kountry Kraft has been certified by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association through their prestigious Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP). To achieve this status, we must follow manufacturing practices that safeguard the environment. This certification is renewed annually, and to maintain it, we must track our achievements and continually seek innovative environmentally friendly methods and practices.
Kountry Kraft makes green choices in many areas of our manufacturing. We choose to use conversion varnishes and stains that contain the lowest VOCs- volatile organic compounds – and HOPs – hazardous air pollutants – in the industry today. We offer a waterborne finish that contains no added formaldehyde but does not sacrifice the quality of our traditional cabinet finishes. Our distilling program recycles our finishing by-products by removing the lacquer thinner (liquid) which is then used to clean spray guns, hoses, and other finishing devices. The remaining by product (solid) is sent to a facility that uses it for production.
The plywood and other materials used in our products are Carb II compliant. All of our scrap wood is burned and used to heat our manufacturing facility and the drying ovens we use in our finishing division. We recycle wood,cardboard, metal and finishing product waste to keep it out of landfills.
When customers choose high quality wood cabinetry for their home, they are making a lifetime choice. High quality wooden cabinetry is built to last, and needs less frequent replacement than lower quality cabinetry that can easily warp or degrade. At Kountry Kraft we provide a lifetime guarantee for our products, and we stand by that guarantee.
We are also proud to say that our products are Made In The U.S.A. We use local resources and consume fewer fossil fuels to transport our finished products to their final destination. Cardboard is used for packaging product to be shipped via UPS and Fed EX, thus reducing the the environmental impact of our packaging materials. To further reduce our burden on the landfills, cardboard which is not used for packaging, along with scrap metal are taken to a local recycling facility.
At Kountry Kraft we take environmental stewardship seriously. We build products that last a lifetime and choose environmentally safe manufacturing processes wherever possible to help make the world a better place.
For more information please visit: Kountry Kraft Green
Kountry Kraft Kitchen featured In Susquehanna Style Magazine
By / September 25, 2015 March 17, 2023
Kountry Kraft Kitchen featured In Susquehanna Style Magazine
The goal of every kitchen design is to create a room that is both a beautiful and functional addition to a home. One of the most rewarding aspects of design is seeing how the finished product comes together. Our Kountry Kraft product line includes so many options that the possible combinations are endless, and we think every one of our finished kitchen is unique and beautiful. But every now and then a design really stands out. That was definitely the case with this design by Shawn Preis for Roland Builder’s 2014 Home-A-Rama model, and a Kountry Kraft Kitchen was featured in the September 2015 issue of Susquehanna Style magazine.
In this design Shawn utilizes beaded inset cabinets finished in Bleeker Beige with Van Dyke Glaze. The wall cabinets feature double panel doors and stacked cabinets topped with 4-lite X-mullion glass doors. The wall and base cabinets are also at depths to give the kitchen some dramatic visual impact. The island is quarter sawn white oak with a natural finish an
d Van Dyke Glaze. The corner bead rout and applied moulding on the island give it a beautiful finished look. Extra features abound, enhancing the functionality and luxuriousness of this kitchen.
Susquehanna Style writes that the off-white finish of the cabinets brings warmth to the room calling it a nice change from the usual “crisp modern look”. They classify the kitchen as “Modern Manor” in style, and we agree – it would fit in perfectly
with the high ceilings, gabled windows and high-brow scandals of a modern “Downton Abbey” English Manor.
Above all, Kountry Kraft is happy to partner with fantastic crafters like Roland Builder and talented designers like Shawn Preis. Read the full text of the Susquehanna Style article to see a photo of the beautiful featured kitchen, and visit Roland Builder on the web to see more of their inspired home designs. Finally, for more kitchen inspirations, visit Kountry Kraft at kountrykraft.com.
Today’s Cabinets Provide Functionality to Elegance
By / September 18, 2015 April 4, 2022Today’s kitchen cabinets provide functionality to elegance. Have you ever looked for more cabinet storage area in your kitchen? Perhaps you recently purchased a new kitchen gadget, brought it home and then spent considerable time pondering where its new home should be. Whether the kitchen is your personal playground, a family oasis, or an elegant entertaining area, it should provide storage solutions, accessibility, and movement that mirror your lifestyle. Even if your primary reason for seeking custom cabinets is cosmetic, there’s probably something else you’d like to include to make the space more efficient. Maybe your original cabinets made it impossible to keep items organized, or you always had to struggle to get items from the back. This is a chance to not only give your kitchen or bathroom a new look, but also to resolve the issues your old cabinets created.
Unlike stock cabinets, which come only with a few adjustable shelves, custom cabinets can be made to meet your exact storage needs.
Special features that add to today’s kitchen cabinets and provide functionality include:
- Plate holders – allow you to safely store fine china and other valuable dishware, reducing the damage that sometimes results from stacking.
- Knife racks – keep your cutlery sharp while keeping sharp blades out of reach.
- Pull-out shelves – make it easier to access items tucked away in the back.
- Shelves on the door – create more storage space.
- Specially built shelves – hold items like silverware, wine and spices – items that aren’t always easy to store in more standard cabinets.
- Slide-out baskets – hold trash cans and recycling bins, keeping them within reach but out of sight.
- Integrated panels – create a more consistent look throughout the room.
Depending on your storage priorities, you can have these features built right into the cabinets or created as separate pieces that can be added or removed as needed. Either way, you have custom cabinetry that’s attractive, functional and makes the most use of available space.
Check out our website for more information!