Dealer Profile – James Kershaw Associates
By / March 23, 2016 February 24, 2023A talented kitchen designer can help you design the kitchen of your dreams. The Kountry Kraft team is thrilled to work with a network of talented dealers and kitchen designers who create incredible custom cabinetry projects using our products. This month I am happy to profile our friends at James Kershaw and Associates, kitchen designer North Haledon, NJ.
James Kershaw began drawing and designing in High School. Soon thereafter, he was hired as an industrial draftsman. His fascination for architecture carried him through college where at night, he began working for a local kitchen dealer. After college, he began a long teaching career while continuing his passion for kitchen design.
In 1981, Jim received his accreditation as a “Certified Kitchen Designer”. He started his own business, James Kershaw Associates, specializing in interior planning, kitchen design, bath design, home theaters & media cabinetry, closets & specialized storage, custom furniture, and libraries & offices.
Jim’s daughter discovered her own love of kitchen design after taking a high school drafting course. She attended drafting school and then joined her father’s firm to learn design from the best. Patty became a partner in James Kershaw Associates in 2009. With almost 25 years experience working in the kitchen business, she gives much attention to design detail and engineering. She enjoys working with clients to make each kitchen special and personal. Patty believes “A satisfied client is the biggest reward.”
Jim and Patty also work with designer Bill Troncone, Bill studied interior design at Berkeley College of Business. He has focused on kitchen and bath design since 1998, and is committed to providing creative design solutions that meet a client’s needs while staying within their budget. Together the team at James Kershaw and Associates work to create designs that get the very best out of every space.
We are pleased to display several James Kershaw and Associates projects in the web gallery on our website. For more information and to see more of their work, check out the slide show of some of their projects below, and visit their website to see more of their designs at www.jameskershaw.com.
A Visit from Woodshop News
By / March 16, 2016 February 25, 2023
Around the holidays last year we shared with you the inspirational story of how our company began when my mother, Helen Hurst purchased a Sears Table Saw for my father Elvin back in 1958. We love that story – and around the time we shared it with you we also sent it out to a few magazines. We were thrilled when Woodshop News magazine reporter Jennifer Hicks called us to let us know they read the story and she was interested in coming for an interview and a shop tour.
Woodshop News
Woodshop News has been in print for 30 years. The publication is a favorite among woodshop owners and woodworkers with small to mid-sized woodshops, and has a readership of 70,000. They cover news, business trends, advice and new products for professional woodworkers. Their typical reader builds cabinetry, furniture, architectural millwork and remodeling projects. Our own staff are Woodshop News readers, so we were thrilled to have them stop by for a tour of our facility last week and meet my parents, Elvin Jr and myself.
Jennifer spent a good deal of time with my parents, hearing stories from the early days of Kountry Kraft, and learning how we grew from a staff of 2 to nearly 100 in the past 50+ years. It certainly wasn’t easy for my father to quit his job with a 14 month old and a 3 week old baby at home to launch our company. The path from a 28’ x 58’ shop to our current 90,000 square foot shop wasn’t always smooth, but our commitment to the Germanic principles of practical hard work and our strong sales philosophy of giving people what they want so they will come back for more still guide every decision we make today. Our path is a great example for other shops who start small with big dreams for the future.
I don’t want to scoop Jennifer and our friends at Woodshop News, but watch for a story in the May or June issue this year. Visit woodshopnews.com for some great content for woodworkers, and consider a subscription to encourage the woodworker in your life – you never know what might become of it 🙂
Metal Fusion – Kountry Kraft – Newmanstown, Pa
By / March 9, 2016 March 15, 2023
Metal Fusion by Kountry Kraft is an exciting new finishing process created to take a wood component from ordinary to extraordinary! Metal Fusion combines real pulverized metal particles with a special resin to create a metal finish. Together they form a coating that replicates the look of metal when applied to traditional wood products. Lighter in weight and lower in price than metal, this finishing process offers affordable options for dramatic accents and focal points throughout the home.
Metal Fusion is available in eight metals and three finishes to suit a wide variety of design styles and color combinations. Metal styles include:
- Brass
- Bronze
- Copper
- White gold
- Oil rubbed bronze
- Iron
- Nickel silver
- Stainless steel
Finishes include:
- Satin Patina
- Polished
- Polished Patina
Metal Fusion can be used with range hoods, moldings, corbels, appliqués, legs, posts, bun fee, picture frames, and more. Design applications are only limited by your imagination. Our metal finishes add a polished sophisticated look to any room, and ties in well with metal accents such as range hoods in kitchen design.
Metal Fusion will react to the environment, just as solid metal does, and will naturally patina overtime, thus enhancing the beauty of the piece. On products such as corbels, posts and decorative on-lays, a patina must be applied to give the appearance of tarnishing and enhance the recessed areas that cannot be polished. Metal Fusion is not available on Styrofoam or silicone. Cleaning cabinets with a metal finish is simple – simply wipe the surface with a damp cloth, and polish with a metal polish when necessary.
Our network of experienced dealers can help you decide where to incorporate cabinetry with a metal finish into your custom cabinetry design. Metal Fusion is yet another way Kountry Kraft stays ahead of the trends, offering unique and high-end design solutions to enhance the beauty of your home.
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.
American Heirlooms Custom Tables
By / February 24, 2016 March 11, 2023The roots of Kountry Kraft are founded in furniture making, and our company is proud to partner with local Pennsylvania artisans to offer the American Heirloom Collection of fine furniture, a high quality line of handcrafted furniture that satisfies even the most discerning customers. American Heirlooms furniture is built from Pennsylvania cherry, oak and maple harvested from the Northeastern USA. It is crafted using state-of-the-art equipment to aid in the efficiency and quality of manufacturing, but we still provide the top quality craftsmanship our customers have come to expect.
American Heirloom custom tables can be built in many shapes and styles. The line includes both dropleaf and drawleaf tables to provide extra space when needed. Style options include rectangle extension, round extension, gathering extension, farm tables, dinette, Queen Ann, pedestal, pub, innkeeper, colonial, reeded, and Yarmouth extension tables.
Custom Options
Custom tables are available with a variety of edge options and finishes, including hand-planed tops that give finished tables a truly authentic antiqued appearance. Table legs are bolted to sturdy corner brackets to provide secure leg support, extending the life of the furniture. Legs also include table levelers to adjust to uneven flooring, a finishing touch not often found in commercially manufactured tables. All American Heirlooms pedestal tables have extension slides to provide smooth extension that is dependable for years of use. Many of the extension and pedestal tables also have self-storing leaves, eliminating the need to find a safe place to store leaves between uses.
Pictured below is a round shaker custom table and eight spindle arm chair and side chairs from the American Heirlooms series. This is just one of the many table styles available in the line. To see the extended line of American Heirlooms custom furniture, which also includes chairs, benches and children’s furniture, request a catalog by contacting us at 610-589-4575.
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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Cabinetry Business
By / January 20, 2016 March 20, 2023
Kountry Kraft offers custom cabinetry for business that provide functionality and storage capacity. Our talented designers can develop cabinetry plans for every area in your office, including offices, conference rooms, employee break rooms, lobbies and storage areas. Our custom cabinetry solutions for businesses feature the same, high quality craftsmanship available on every product we produce.
We have developed cabinetry for a wide variety of businesses, including offices, financial institutions, automobile showrooms, healthcare settings, schools, industrial facilities, garages and more. One great example of our business customization abilities is the cabinetry we built for a natural stone and tile showroom. Their business required storage for all the small sized samples they had on hand as well as an attractive way to display samples. We built these custom cabinets with multiple small drawers, maximizing their space and allowing them to access and view
their samples more easily than deeper drawers would have allowed.
Another great example of our custom cabinetry for business can be see in this office board room. Our designer created a clean and professional look for the room with ample cabinetry to store office supplies away from view, using space wisely and eliminating clutter. A countertop and integrated refrigerator provides an area to serve lunches and refreshments during meetings without cluttering the boardroom table and distracting from important meeting business. A beautiful built-in cabinet conceals a projection screen when not in use, eliminating the need to keep an old-fashioned rolled up projection screen in the corner of the room. The cabinet provides a sleek and professional look to the space and can also conceal audio visual equipment.
This employee break room provides ample cabinetry to store shared supplies like plates, utensils, cutlery, wraps and foils. It offers counter space for appliances such as coffee machines and toaster ovens. The floor plan offers easy access to the refrigerator and a space for a microwave to be added. The centralized countertop area opened up floor space in the room for multiple seating to allow employees to dine together or alone, depending
upon their personal choice. The room can double as a gathering area for employee holiday parties and celebrations.
Just as with all of our cabinetry orders, businesses can choose from woods and laminates in a variety of finishes and door styles and many custom accessories to fit their personality and needs. Click here to view more of our custom cabinetry for business, and contact one of our dealers when you are ready to develop custom cabinetry solutions for your business.