Cabinetry Terms You Should Know
By / October 5, 2016 March 20, 2023Kountry Kraft offers a variety of custom kitchen cabinets, and with this variety comes a lot of cabinetry terms that homeowners should be familiar with to select the right product. To make custom cabinetry unique for every customer, we supply an array of options for door styles, wood species, and wood finishes.
Cabinetry Terms To Know
Door Styles
There are 3 main types of cabinet doors that can be further enhanced in different ways.
- Inset Cabinet Doors – a popular style in the early 1900’s. The doors are mounted inside the frame of the box making the hinges visible when the door is shut.
- Partial Overlay Cabinet Doors – these doors are mounted over the face of the box, meaning parts of the frame and hinges may be visible.
- Full Overlay Cabinet Doors – this door style covers the whole face of the box which means very small gaps between different doors. This creates a consistent and continuous appearance.
Wood Species
Choosing your wood species is important when your cabinetry is not going to be painted. This is because each wood species has natural characteristics.
- Red Oak – light to medium brown with a reddish cast.
- Distressed Knotty Pine – large knots and defects which make a striking pattern.
- Cherry – light pinkish brown, darkens to a medium reddish brown.
- Rustic Cherry – same as cherry but with more mineral streaks and different sized knots.
- Hard Maple – off white to light brown in color with a golden hue.
- Hickory – open grained rustic hardwood, colors vary from near white to light brown.
- Quarter Sawn White Oak – pale brown to dark brown with a greenish gray tinge and very straight grain.
- Walnut – color may vary from light grey-brown, to a deep rich chocolate brown.
- Alder – tends to be light tan to reddish brown; darkens and reddens with age.
- Rustic Alder – same as Alder but contains knots of all sizes including cracks/holes.
Finishes
Finishes bring your cabinetry to life and can also protect your wood from different external elements.
- Natural – the original characteristics of your chosen wood species.
- Paint – paint will completely cover the wood grain look.
- Glaze – glaze will add definition to the wood grain look because it is semi-transparent.
- Stain – enhances the wood grain patterns.
- Paint with glaze – glaze will darken your paint color.
- Stain with glaze – glaze will highlight the look of a stain finish.
- Metal fusion finish – includes brass, bronze, copper, white gold, oil rubbed bronze, iron, nickel silver, and stainless steel finishes.
- Distressing wood finish – gives the wood an aged and rustic appearance.
- Weathered grain finish – lightly distressed to replicate age and wear.
Understanding the basic terminology outlined above is the first step on the path to a successful kitchen design. For design inspiration, check out our gallery of completed custom kitchens here.
Pinnacle Kitchens New Hampton,NH
By / September 7, 2016 November 25, 2016Each month, Kountry Kraft contributes a blog to profile one of our many accomplished cabinetry dealers that we have the pleasure of working with. This month, we chose to embrace Pinnacle Kitchens located in New Hampton, New Hampshire. Pinnacle Kitchens specializes in architecturally themed renovations, as well as new construction.
History
After studying mechanical drafting at Belmont High School, Stacy discovered her talent in hand-drawn perspective drafting. After graduating High School, she attended Phoenix Institute of Technology where she studied Architectural Drafting and Design. In 1984, Stacy mentored a seasoned kitchen designer in Laconia, New Hampshire and eventually began to work for herself just 5 years later in 1989. Through her studies and experiences, Stacy specializes in architecturally themed renovations, as well as new construction. When taking on a new project, Stacy will study the overall space and floor plan of a home and work the kitchen to flow into a beautifully designed, cohesive space.
Onto her partner, Jack, who has a natural ability for building. His hard work and determination is built from growing up on a farm in Gilmanton, New Hampshire. In his past, he’s worked as a carpenter leading up to project manager on countless projects. His most recent work includes incredible lake-front residential properties. Jack makes sure that all the Pinnacle Kitchens cabinetry projects are complete from start to finish.
The two ingenious talents joined together in 2003, and the match works perfectly!
Pinnacle Kitchens Transitional Style Kitchen
- Inset/no bead cabinet style, constructed out of Hard Maple.
- The doors and drawers are our Madison Hybrid door style.
- The cabinetry is finished with Kountry Kraft’s Shell White paint color with a 25° sheen.
Learn more about Pinnacle Kitchens and view their gallery on their website.
Properly Storing Your Cabinetry
By / August 24, 2016 August 24, 2016Properly Storing Your Cabinetry
Properly storing your cabinetry assures a smooth installation. The summer days are becoming extremely hot and humid, which is why we want to ensure your Kountry Kraft cabinetry is protected.
During a kitchen remodel it is important to schedule the delivery of your cabinetry to coincide with proper heating and cooling in place. It is also important to consider cabinetry that is in a vacation home or a residence that is periodically unoccupied. This information about properly storing your cabinetry is especially important to know during the summer months – when high humidity and temperature changes are likely to occur. Expansion issues are likely to happen if your Kountry Kraft cabinetry is currently stored in a non-air conditioned area. According to Conestoga Wood Specialties; Any solid wood product will expand or contract over time as moisture and climate conditions change. Solid wood cabinetry can act like a sponge, when surrounded by water the sponge absorbs the water and expands. However, unlike sponges you can’t ring the water out of solid wood.
When designing your Kountry Kraft cabinetry, you customize it to properly fit and function in your home. If your cabinetry expands due to improper storage where temperature and humidity is high, there will be issues when it comes time for installation. So, it is very important to listen to take this information seriously and store your cabinetry in a proper area.
Storage Tips:
- Store inside.
- Store in a room with air conditioning/temperature control.
- Use a dehumidifier to be safe about humidity.
- If it is summer time, or a vacation home, be sure to take extra steps to ensure your cabinetry is safe.
- Wood expands as humidity increases and shrinks as humidity decreases.
- Unfinished (exposed) wood will exhibit the most dramatic changes.
As always, if there are any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Kountry Kraft Cabinetry Paint Match
By / August 10, 2016 March 11, 2023Kountry Kraft offers customers the ability to paint match their custom cabinetry to ensure that the cabinetry we create will complement the existing colors in their home. Our list makes it simple for them to find the right color for their match. As of June 30, 2016 Kountry Kraft added 15 new paint colors to our already extensive list. Kountry Kraft matches their own paint colors to national brands including; Behr, Benjamin Moore, Dalys Paints Co.,Farrow Ball, MAB, Martha Stewart, Pratt Lambert, Ralph Lauren, Sherwin Williams, Valspar and Wilson Art Paints. Unlike other companies, Kountry Kraft does not charge a paint match fee for colors selected from the Kountry Kraft’s paint match list.
Kountry Kraft’s New Paint Matches:
Benjamin Moore Black Panther
Benjamin Moore Deep Royal
Benjamin Moore Grant Beige
Benjamin Moore Old Navy
Benjamin Moore Simply White
Benjamin Moore Smoke and Mirrors
Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron
Farrow and Ball Calke Green
Farrow and Ball Cooking Apple Green
Farrow and Ball Green Ground
Sherwin Williams Halcyon Green
Sherwin Williams Ivory Lace
Sherwin Williams Jasper Stone
Sherwin Williams Light French Gray
Valspar Woodlawn Colonial Gray
Kountry Kraft is always updating this list to include an array of colors for our clients to choose from. Kountry Kraft makes it easy for you to include the perfect color for your home
To see more colors Kountry Kraft has available click here.
Millburn NJ Cabinetry Dealer Sawhorse Designs
By / July 27, 2016 November 22, 2016
Each month we profile one of our dealers, and this month’s profile is Sawhorse Designs, a Millburn NJ cabinetry dealer. Sawhorse Designs has provided more than 28 years of kitchen renovation in NJ, and they have a strong reputation for impeccable service, quality and integrity.
Sawhorse founder, Tom McCloskey, left his corporate consulting job to launch his own design company after having personal experience with renovations of several of his homes. Those experiences convinced him that his knowledge and experience could offer a service to customers and he opened his own Millburn NJ Cabinetry dealer business. His company is committed to improving the remodeling experience through professional planning, quality control and first class service. Sawhorse is a consumer focused company dedicated to the ultimate satisfaction of their clients. They are one of our most popular kitchen designers in NJ.
Tom McCloskey actively involves his clients in the design process, beginning first with a floor plan that satisfies the customers needs and lifestyle. He often develops multiple floor plans for the client to consider, and is willing to make tradeoffs that reflect the client’s priorities. Sawhorse works side by side with clients to help them throughout their project, helping to guide their choices of appliances, countertops, tiles, flooring and more. The end result is a happy customer who feels their needs have been satisfied.
Sawhorse has created many custom kitchen designs using Kountry Kraft cabinetry, and each is unique and beautiful. Their work is frequently featured in magazines, including Design NJ. The images in this blog feature one of Sawhorse Designs beautiful custom kitchens that is packed full of extra storage options. This traditional kitchen features beaded inset cabinets crafted of hard maple. The doors are constructed in the CRP10 style with an ogee framing bead. The cabinetry is finished in kling white paint. I love the way the wall of windows in this kitchen lets in a tremendous amount of natural light.
Sawhorse believes that while orchestrating a beautiful renovation is satisfying, the real gratification comes from having happy customers. Visit their website for additional photos of their beautiful work and more information about the company and consider them if you are looking for a Millburn NJ cabinetry dealer. Find other custom cabinetry designers in New Jersey on our dealer locator.
Designing Custom Kitchen Cabinet Drawers
By / July 13, 2016 March 20, 2023Kountry Kraft offers a variety of ways for designing custom kitchen cabinet drawers that adapt to your lifestyle. From plate holders to pull out shelves, custom kitchen cabinet drawers make it easier to access all of your household items. Make your life more simple, and make the most of your space by incorporating these features right into your kitchen.
Whether you need access to dinner plates at a lower height, or you are unable to reach your coffee mug early in the morning, Kountry Kraft’s custom kitchen cabinet drawers can make your kitchen built for you.
Custom Kitchen Cabinet Drawers
The use of drawers in your kitchen will allow you to view and easily approach everything without the use of a step stool. Cabinet drawers also allow you to place dish-ware at a lower height, enabling your younger child or grandparent to assist in kitchen chores. Place your pull out drawers an arms length away from the dishwasher and sink to make the putting away of dishes easy and quick.
Pull Out Shelves
Incorporating Hafele pull out shelves into your custom kitchen cabinets will allow for easier access to back of the shelf items. Whether you’re reaching for a snack, or your morning coffee mug, pull out shelves will make accessing your every day items easy.
Built-In Shelves
Easily access your favorite recipes and books integrating these built in shelves in your custom kitchen cabinets. No need to travel down the hall to fetch your favorite cookbook when you can place it right in your kitchen! If your children love to do their homework while eating dinner, store their homework books in the built in shelves as well.
When you’re ready to incorporate custom kitchen cabinet drawers into your kitchen, click here to contact a Kountry Kraft dealer to help make your kitchen adapt to your lifestyle.
Pennsylvania Cabinetry Dealers – Hinkle Custom Cabinets
By / June 29, 2016 September 2, 2021
Each month we profile one of the many talented cabinetry dealers that we have the pleasure to do business with. This month I am pleased to profile one of our top Pennsylvania Cabinetry Dealers – Hinkle Custom Cabinets, located in Birdsboro, PA as our monthly Kountry Kraft Dealer Profile.
After 26 years of working in every phase of the custom cabinet industry, Mike Hinkle decided to create his own business and Hinkle Custom Cabinets was born. Hinkle is one of our most highly skilled Pennsylvania cabinetry dealers, and they create amazing quality custom cabinetry for any room in your home. We love their work so much we invited them to create the display pictured here for our showroom at 101 Lancaster Avenue in Devon PA. Stop by our showroom to see custom craftsmanship first hand!
In This Design
- This transitional style kitchen featured in our showroom features perimeter cabinets with our beaded inset cabinet style, door style CRP10, an OGEE framing bead and drawer style Louis XIII. They have a painted finish and are glazed with a Sable glaze.
- The island is weathered grain quartersawn white oak finished in Silverfox stain with Black glaze.
- The kitchen island cabinets feature a different stain color than the perimeter cabinets to help draw attention to the island, making it the key statement in the kitchen. The stain colors, although different, sync to create an overall distinguished appearance. This unique island incorporates a table and seating options, making it a great place to prep as well as serve to a small group.
- The kitchen cabinets also feature many different accessories, highlighting the organizational possibilities available in a well-designed Kountry Kraft Kitchen. A divided drawer located right below the cook top offers storage for pots, pans and lids, keeping them right at your fingertips. A pullout spice rack is located adjacent to the stove as well, enabling you to easily access spices while you cook. An assortment of pantry solutions from Hafele help keep the interiors of the cabinets functional and organized.
Hinkle Custom Cabinets makes beautiful cabinetry solutions that their customers love. If you live in their area and are looking for Pennsylvania cabinetry dealers, call Mike at (610) 404-1840, and please let them know we sent you! If you don’t live in the Birdsboro area, search for a Kountry Kraft dealer near you on our dealer locator.
Cabinet Dealer Profile – Bradford Design
By / May 25, 2016 June 30, 2022In this month’s cabinet dealer profile we are pleased to introduce the talented team at Bradford Design in Bethesda, MD. Once referred to as one of Washington’s best kept secrets, Bradford Design has repeatedly been recognized as a distinguished design firm providing innovative and original designs to residents of the Washington DC metro and Chesapeake Bay areas, but they also have a wide customer base including customers that come from as far as Southern California. Their distinguished designs are a truly imaginative, beautiful and unique addition to any home and we are proud to have them as a Kountry Kraft cabinet dealer.
The team at Bradford Design can create beautiful wood cabinetry and built-in designs for every room in your home, and they incorporate other materials such as stone, metal and tile to build truly one-of-a-kind designs. They focus on the use of clean palettes and innovative ideas, and work hard to stay ahead of the trends to create designs that will withstand the test of time. Their design specialties include kitchens, bathrooms, pantries, bars, fireplace mantles, wine cellars, media centers and outdoor structures such as furniture, pavilions, gazebos and arbors.
Of their own designs, Bradford says “True innovation requires unconstrained creativity. The Bradford Design product is created with a totally open mind free of design limitations. Custom details, coupled with an artistic vision for the room’s appearance are what distinguish a project. If your vision for a room is unique to your personal tastes and style of living, then you should consider the Bradford Kitchen.”
Bradford Design projects have been featured frequently in magazines such as the Washingtonian, Chesapeake Home Magazine, and Better Homes and Gardens Beautiful Kitchens and Baths magazines. Their solid base of highly satisfied customers are a strong indication that you can trust your next custom cabinetry project to the design team at Bradford Design. If you are looking for a cabinet dealer in the Bethesda, MD area, visit bradforddesignllc.com for more information and to view more of their unique designs.
We are proud of our vast network of cabinet dealers around the country – their skill at custom cabinetry design showcases the potential of the Kountry Kraft line. If you don’t leave near Bradford Design and are looking for a cabinet dealer near you, you can find a long list of Kountry Kraft dealers on the dealer locator on our website.
The Perfect Kitchen Layout For Your Lifestyle
By / May 18, 2016 March 17, 2023If there is one thing that relaxes me it is being in the kitchen. The kitchen is like the holy grail of the house. However, nothing is more frustrating than a kitchen layout that is difficult to maneuver around. You have to grab your eggs and milk from the refrigerator, which is on the opposite end of the kitchen from the mixers and the oven. Frustrating, right? The only way to fix this frustration is to change the kitchen layout to suit your space and have a better workflow. Listed below are four types of kitchen plans to create the perfect kitchen layout for your lifestyle.
Perfect Kitchen Layout Options
First is the galley kitchen layout. If there is not much room in your house, this kitchen layout is the best option for you. A galley kitchen includes two countertops, parallel to each other, to make the entire kitchen easily accessible. This layout is the best use of limited space. If choosing this layout, you want to select light colors to create the illusion of open space.
Next is the U-
shaped kitchen layout. The U-shaped layout is an ideal look for opening up floor space. It features three walls, which are lined with countertops, appliances, and cabinetry. When choosing this layout, homeowners should place their busiest appliances into a triangular workspace. There are many benefits to this kitchen layout, including a lot of counter space, and the ability to support a kitchen island.
The L-Shaped kitchen layout creates the feel of an open floor plan with two walls perpendicular to each other. This layout is perfect if you have more than one cook in the house. If eating space is what you are looking for, this layout is perfect for you! You can add an island to the center, or a table to accommodate your guests while you cook.
Finally, the single wall layout is typically found in small homes, because it works by keeping all appliances and ingredients in the same area with little reach and takes up as little space as possible. This design has countertops on both sides of the range oven. When choosing this layout, your best option would be to choose compact appliances to add extra counter space. This kitchen layout is ideal for loft and studio homes or apartments.
While these are not the only kitchen layouts you can choose from, these are the four most basic options. Deciding which layout to choose is going to be based off of a few things, including budget, how much storage space you will need, and how often or how many people you tend to entertain. Remember to take all of these into consideration, and LOVE the kitchen you choose. If none of these are to your liking, check out these other kitchen layouts we love.
Functional Kitchens to Enhance Your Home
By / May 11, 2016 March 17, 2023Installing new functional kitchens is a great way to make an investment in your home. A new kitchen that suits our lifestyle is a great way to simplify your life. But beneath the beauty of it all, the reason a kitchen improves our lives is it’s functionality. At Kountry Kraft we know how to build truly functional kitchens.
Overall, we pride ourselves in having a talented network of dealers who can assess a homeowners needs to build kitchens that are a masterpiece in functionality. A key to creating functional kitchens is the use of accessories that optimize space. Because today’s kitchens are used in a variety of ways – they may need to house everything from the family computer to a laundry center. For this reason we offer a wide variety of accessories to suit every need.
Accessories to enhance functional kitchens
:
- Maximize a small space with a base pull-out storage cabinet. These cabinets can be tucked conveniently next to your stove or sink to allow easy access to frequently used items.
- Pull out wicker baskets make an attractive addition to your kitchen space and are a great way to store items such as potatoes and onions.
- Spices take up valuable cabinet space, but we offer unique spice storage options such as spice drawers, wooden spice racks fitted inside a cabinet door, and combination knife and spice drawers.
- Conveniently store knives off the counter with a knife drawer designed to protect blades and fingers.
- Double level cutlery drawers allow you to organize your cutlery and other kitchen utensils neatly for ease of use.
- Store your cutting board out of the way to free up counter space with a pull out cutting board integrated into your cabinetry.
- Storage of baking trays just got easier with slotted tray base cabinets that can hold everything from cookie sheets to pizza pans. They provide easy access any time, and a combination storage cabinet can allow you to utilize unused space for such items as lids that clutter up your pot storage areas.
- Adding a food file rack to your pantry door places items you use frequently right on the door – and makes use of space
- Store your bread neatly in a bread drawer with partitions.
- Utilize often-wasted space in front of your sink with a tilt out tray to keep store unsightly sponges.
- Hide trash out of the way and away from pets with a slide away waste container.
- Pull out towel racks allow your kitchen towels to hang neatly out of sight to dry between uses.
Start living the good life today. Transform your home into an expression of your personal taste and desire for elegance. Kountry Kraft will guide you every step of the way. Follow us on Houzz to see photography of more of our custom cabinetry accessories. Find a Kountry Kraft dealer near you and begin planning a more functional kitchen today.
