Choosing A Cabinet Designer
By / March 2, 2016 March 8, 2023
Adding custom kitchen cabinetry to your home is a big investment, and for some it is something they will do only once in their lifetime. Making such a big commitment means you will want to make sure you are choosing a skilled cabinet designer who is knowledgeable and will listen to what you want. Finding that person requires careful research and investigation. Here are some basic tips to finding the right cabinet designer for you:
- Start by getting an idea of what you want – You know your kitchen isn’t working for you – now is the time to sit down to determine what you need to make your space more functional. Do you need storage? Do you want a space that doubles as a working kitchen and an entertainment space? Is having a high-tech kitchen important to you? Knowing what you want and need is an important part of the process. Visit Houzz.com and start your own idea books, pinning designs you like to help get your creativity flowing.
- Understand the process – a kitchen renovation is a huge undertaking. Be prepared to have your kitchen completely demolished and rebuilt. This does not take a week, and depending on the amount of work being done could take several months. Research the process, watch videos, and get a realistic sense for the work that will be involved.
- Ask for recommendations – while you can’t rely solely on recommendations from friends, having cabinet designer recommendations is helpful in narrowing down the pool of available options – and may help you know what and who to avoid.
- Search for professionals on Houzz – not only is Houzz a great place to get design ideas – it’s also a great place to search for professionals in your area, read reviews, and look at their designs to see if their style matches your own. Does a designer keep up with the style and trends? This will be important to know that you are getting the most current design and technology that will last for years to come.
- Do your homework – when you’ve narrowed down a short list of designer, make appointments to meet them and go see their work in person. Ask for references, and check them. Find out how long they’ve been in business, how many kitchens they design in a year, and their certifications so you have a sense of their skill level and experience.
Next Steps
Once you’ve selected a cabinet designer the next step is to set up an initial consultation. You’ll want to find a designer who makes time for you, answers all of your questions, and meets face-to-face to discuss your project. This is like a job interview – and should leave you feeling secure in knowing that the designer you’ve selected can handle your project with expertise. If you leave that meeting with any doubts, then it will be best to choose another professional from your list.
Our Team
At Kountry Kraft we are proud of the incredibly talented group of cabinet designers we work with. We have added a dealer locator to our website to make it simple to search by zip code for a designer near you. We also feature photos of real designs our dealers have created in our website gallery as well as on our Houzz page, to give you glimpse of some of the amazing work cabinet designers have done with our custom cabinetry.
Building a custom kitchen can be a daunting task – but with the help of a talented kitchen designer it can be a very rewarding experience, and one that will add to the function and comfort of your home.
Custom Kitchen Designer Profile True North Cabinets, LLC
By / February 17, 2016 December 19, 2022Each month I am pleased to have the opportunity to highlight one of the talented designers in our dealer network who work with us to create beautiful cabinetry projects in homes all around the country. This month’s custom kitchen designer focus is True North Cabinets in New Canaan, CT.
True North truly offers “exceptional designs for your lifestyle.” Their award-winning family owned business is managed by Ken and Louise Pascal, and their beautiful designs have been featured in many national publications and in many prominent homes
True North provides custom kitchen remodeling and full kitchen design services, including cabinetry, stone work, back splash, wall color, fixtures, flooring and more. Their high-quality, custom made kitchen solutions are among some of the best designs we produce, and we always enjoy the opportunity to create new and exciting cabinetry projects in collaboration with the True North team.
In the above photos we are pleased to highlight this traditional style kitchen in New Canaan, CT, which you will also see featured on the Kountry Kraft home page. This kitchen features beautiful white beaded inset cabinets crafted of Hard Maple wood. The doors are complete with the Schaub 706-PN hardware. The drawers feature the Schaub 732-PN hardware. The door design is TW10 with an ogee framing bead, and the color is real brushed stroke VM-81680 finish.
In addition to creating beautiful kitchens, Ken and Louise continuously look to give back to their community. They have made charitable donations to 25+ organizations to date such as New Canaan Cares, Salvation Army and United Way to name a few. Being part of their community is incredibly important to them.
If you live in New Canaan and the surrounding area, consider True North for your cabinetry needs. For more information visit their website or call them at (203)972-3921. Let them know I sent you!
Distressed Cabinetry
By / February 10, 2016 February 9, 2016
Building cabinetry, in and of itself, requires a great deal of skill. Learning to make quality cabinetry requires years training and experience, guided by master craftsman. It truly is an art – which is why woodworkers are called artisans. At Kountry Kraft our master craftsman have more than 1500 combined years of experience. 1500 years of experience – that is a staggering number! It is this basis of skill that our quality is built upon, and it is why we are capable of building truly high quality cabinetry customized for our customers needs.
One of our most technically advanced products is distressed cabinetry. Hours of skilled labor go into the distressing process in order to create a sophisticated distressed finish that looks realistic. Distressing wood gives it an aged appearance, making it look worn and weathered. The process for creating distressed cabinetry actually involves first finishing the wood to achieve one finished effect, and then intentionally “unfinishing” it in places by damaging the finish. Craftsmen use sandpaper and strippers in some sections of the finished piece to give it that distressed feeling. There is a very specific technique required in choosing how to distress the wood to achieve the proper effect. Without the skill to know how much area to distress, what product to use, and how much pressure to apply, distressing can go very wrong, ruining the finished product.
Distressed finishes are the hallmark of rustic and vintage designs, and distressed cabinetry is in high demand with our kitchen designers. The skilled artisans at Kountry Kraft have perfected hundreds of distressing options utilizing a combination of our finishes, paints and glazes, and our network of skilled designers can help guide you to the distressed finish that is suits your personal style and needs. Contact a skilled Kountry Kraft designer today, and explore our many projects on Houzz for examples of our finishing options.
Custom Cabinets for Small Spaces
By / February 3, 2016 March 20, 2023Many people believe that custom cabinetry is only useful in large spaces where there is plenty of room to expand. Or they mistakenly believe they must have a big area to do a renovation that involves custom cabinetry. But the truth is, custom cabinetry is ideal for small spaces where you need to use every inch of space effectively to create a functional room. Custom Cabinets for Small Spaces, with accessories designed to maximize your space, can truly make a difference in a home.
At Kountry Kraft we have the ability to truly customize cabinetry to the homeowners exact needs. Working with one of our talented designers, you can analyze your lifestyle, map your space, and build custom cabinets that fit exactly within the space you have available. If you have a small space with high ceilings, you can add floor to ceiling cabinetry to maximize your space. If you have an odd corner where stock cabinetry cannot fit, our skilled designers can make that a usable space. If countertop space is a challenge, we can build an appliance garage that takes small appliances off the counter and tucks them away neatly for future use. Custom cabinetry for small spaces can make the most out of the existing space in your room.
We also offer a wide variety of accessories that can maximize your space. Our base pull-out storage cabinets, wooden spice racks, pantries with food file racks, double level cutlery drawers and pull out cutting boards are just a few items that can provide maximum impact within a minimal space. The images above demonstrate a few of ideas for custom cabinetry for small spaces. Many other options are available – and special accessories can be built especially to suit your needs.
If you have a small space, it is worthwhile to speak to a skilled kitchen designer for an estimate on adding custom cabinetry for small spaces to your home. Why choose stock cabinetry when it won’t effectively use the space you have available? Visit our dealer locator to find a Kountry Kraft dealer near you, and check out some of our Houzz projects for design inspirations.
Custom Kitchen Designer – Stonington Cabinetry & Designs
By / January 27, 2016 March 18, 2023At Kountry Kraft we are proud to associate with an amazing custom kitchen designer network who are responsible for creating amazing designs with our cabinetry. We are happy to feature one of those designers today – Stonington Cabinetry & Designs in Madison, NJ. Like Kountry Kraft, Stonington has a strong family heritage, and was by four members of the family; parents Karen and Robert and sons, Justin and Tyler Sachs. Firstly, the company creates revolutionary home renovations and beautiful custom cabinetry work in homes throughout the northern New Jersey area. Above all, they are craftsmen who stand by their commitment to building quality one-of-a-kind constructions that are an accurate expression of their customer – a philosophy which is very similar to our own. They have been in business for more than 30 years.
Stonington Cabinetry
Over the years, Stonington has created some beautiful projects with our cabinetry, and we are pleased to highlight this beautiful kitchen and butler’s pantry designed by Justin Sachs for a home in Madison, NJ. For example, this traditional style kitchen features cabinets with a White Dove painted finish. The kitchen island cabinets have a contrasting English Walnut stain. The Door Panel Style is TW10. The butler’s pantry adds additional storage for small appliances and food preparation space. We just love the clean look, open space, and warm feel of this design.
Overall, Stonington can create custom designs for all areas of your home, and has many satisfied customers. You can view more of their projects and read reviews on their Houzz page, or visit their website for more information. They are a member of the NKBA, have earned many Houzz badges for customer service and design, and are remarkable partners.
Finally, Kountry Kraft is proud to have a great custom kitchen designer network including the team at Stonington, and we welcome you to search our dealer locator to find one near you for your next project.
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Design My Kitchen
By / January 13, 2016 January 13, 2016
Does this scenario sound familiar to you? You’ve spent the holidays entertaining family and friends, frustrated with your kitchen, struggling with your lack of storage, food preparation area, and serving space. Now that it’s a new year – you are making good on your resolution to treat yourself to a new kitchen. You find yourself on the internet searching Design My Kitchen – baffled with the options before you and ready to give up.
Planning a new kitchen can be an intimidating process. You may know what you need but may not be aware of the universe of possibilities that will allow you to truly maximize your space and take advantage of all the latest advancements in cabinetry and appliances. Trying to teach yourself everything you need to know can be a recipe for failure. If you find yourself wondering how to know what style of wood to choose, or what finishes will accomplish the look you wish to achieve, solicit the help of a talented kitchen designer.
Certified kitchen designers make your kitchen redesign easier for you. They can simplify the planning process and guide you carefully through the steps necessary to build the kitchen of your dreams. They are knowledgeable about all of the options available to you, and can help you decide on the cabinets, finishes, layout, and options that best fit within your budget, and match the design of your home.
Kitchen designers will develop the best possible layout using the latest in state-of-the-art kitchen planning software. They will manage all of the details behind the scenes – such as electrical needs, plumbing, carpentry, flooring, hardware, and more – to help bring your kitchen together as you have imagined. They will truly design the space – so it is not only functional but a beautiful addition to your home. They are trained professionals – with many hours of continuing education behind the designs they create.
You may be intimidated at the process of finding a designer, but it truly is simple. Search for a reputable designer in your area either by asking your friends for references, or using the tools available to you on Houzz to find a professional in your area. Make an appointment to see some of their designs, ask them for references and read reviews on Google+ or Houzz. At Kountry Kraft we believe we have the most talented group of designers available – visit our dealer locator to find a dealer near you to get on your way to your new kitchen today!
Custom Cabinetry Accessories
By / January 7, 2016 March 20, 2023
At Kountry Kraft we pride ourselves in our ability to truly customize a kitchen to a homeowners specifications with a wide variety of custom cabinetry accessories. Unlike semi-custom and stock cabinetry lines, our talented designers can work with homeowners to evaluate their lifestyle, and then unleash their creativity, developing some amazing customization options of which we are very proud.
One example of the amazing level of customization we can offer is this kitchen designed by our designers here at Kountry Kraft for a homeowner in Ephrata, PA. The cabinetry style of this kitchen is transitional, and it features wall cabinets constructed from quarter sawn white oak and finished in our Silver Fox stain with black glaze. The base cabinets are constructed from hard maple, painted and then finished with Sable colored glaze. Hardware is supplied by Top Knobs, TK75BSN.
This kitchen is certainly beautiful, but the true customization can be found in the amazing finishing details hidden behind the doors and drawers. This kitchen truly features a wide variety of our top features, adding a high level of functionality and organization to the space. Here is a summary of a few of the most interesting features – you can scroll through the images in the slideshow below to see photos of each:
- Opening the drawer under the stove reveals two drawers in one – one to hold pots and the other specifically designed to hold lids.
- The utensil drawer also has 3 tiers to maximize storage and minimize clutter, safely storing knives away from other utensils.
- The corner pullout maximizes space in a hard to reach section of the kitchen, giving you much needed storage area for larger appliances like toasters and food processors and enabling you to clear the countertop clutter.
- A cleaning caddy conveniently stored under the sink keeps all of your household cleaners neatly organized.
- Because the kitchen often serves as the business center of the home, we have added a filing drawer and a truly customized message center that closes away from view when not in use.
- An integrated computer monitor or television cabinet allows you the opportunity to close the cabinet door when you want to conceal the screen.
Follow us on Houzz to see photography of more of our custom cabinetry accessories. Find a Kountry Kraft dealer near you and begin planning your very own custom kitchen storage cabinets.
Luxury Kitchen Designs
By / December 23, 2015 March 11, 2023
At Kountry Kraft we are known for high quality custom cabinetry made to spec and delivered with very few errors on-time 99% of the time. Our skilled team of craftsmen are proud of every order we produce, but occasionally we have the opportunity to produce some truly customized luxury kitchen designs that we are especially proud of. One of those is this Horizontal Grain Walnut kitchen we created for one of our top dealers, the talented Tom Kelly, at TRK Kitchen and Interior Design, with locations in Florida, Massachusetts and Maine.
Tom has been one of our valued dealers for more than 25 years, and over that time we have built some really beautiful luxury kitchen designs for him. This kitchen was created for professional architects who have a keen eye for design. The focal point of the room is the beautiful Horizontal Grain Walnut cabinetry, which is grain matched for a stunning visual effect. The horizontal grain in the cabinetry, the pulls and the tile continue the horizontal pattern, and the glass pendants play off the tile. Sub Zero, Wolf, and Miele appliances 
finish the design, adding cutting-edge functionality to the beautiful high end design of this kitchen space.
Our Skills
Many designers and dealers may not realize that Kountry Kraft has the ability to work with new and unusual materials, and we can build cabinetry that features intricate and complicated designs. We have built many truly superior custom projects over the years and are proud luxury kitchen designs we have created because they truly illustrate the broad depth of our capabilities.
Kountry Kraft values our partnership with our incredibly talented network of dealers like Tom Kelly. We enjoy the challenge of fulfilling their most custom luxury kitchen designs, and we encourage them to take advantage of our advanced capabilities. Search our dealer locator to find custom kitchen designers near you to begin creating a truly beautiful cabinetry project to enhance the beauty and function of your home.
photography by Tom Kelly
Custom Stain Matching
By / December 16, 2015 March 20, 2023
When creating a custom cabinetry plan, people often overlook the impact custom stain matching can have on the finish of their cabinets. They take great care selecting the wood and door style that most appeals to the décor of their home, but often neglect to consider how cabinet finishes such as paint, stain and glaze will enhance the overall look of their cabinetry.
Often, when adding custom cabinets to a room, there is a need to custom stain match the new cabinetry with existing cabinetry within the adjacent space. Many people don’t realize that Kountry Kraft offers custom stain matching to your existing cabinetry as an option. It’s important to us that you love your Kountry Kraft cabinetry – and to ensure your satisfaction we are willing to take the time needed to custom match the stain on your cabinet order. The better your cabinetry fits into the décor of your home, the more satisfied you will be. And a satisfied customer is a happy customer, which is important to our company. This is just one of the many services that Kountry Kraft offers that many of our competitors do not.
The process for custom stain matching on cabinetry is relatively simple for us given the skill level of all of the craftsmen here at Kountry Kraft. We will create our own mix of stain that most closely matches your existing cabinetry using our wide selection of stain colors and glazes, and can create a nearly perfect match to your existing cabinetry. Our knowledgeable designers can also suggest other solutions that will complement your existing cabinetry– such as painted wood cabinets in a coordinating color, or antiqued finishes that add depth to the room.
With Kountry Kraft, your options are only limited by your imagination. We offer custom cabinetry solutions for every room in your home, and custom stain matching is a unique service that our highly skilled kitchen design experts can offer that is not found in some other cabinet lines. At Kountry Kraft we work with you to truly bring out the design potential in your home. Check out our gallery for cabinetry design inspirations, and get started on your custom cabinet project today.
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!