Distinct by Design™, Café kitchen appliances are changing the way you can customize your home. We have said it before, and we will say it again – deciding on what appliances to buy can be overwhelming. Café is making it easier by letting you customize the appearance of your kitchen appliances.
Picture this. You walk into your local Warners’ Stellian showroom and find the Café range of your dreams. You can get your appliances in either a white matte, black matte, or stainless finish.
But wait, there’s more! You can take it a step further to reflect your style. On any of those finishes, you can choose between:
Ovens that use hot steam rather than hot air to cook food.
Steam Ovens
Around for 25 years, steam ovens are becoming a must-have for today’s kitchen. You might also know them as combi steam ovens, where they can do many tasks a regular oven does, but with the performance of some steam. Let’s dive into some of their key features.
Photo: Wolf
Cooking with Your Steam Oven
First, steam ovens are forgiving when cooking food to a specific temperature. You won’t be drying out any chicken in these! Steam ovens don’t mean vegetables, fish and chicken only. Similar to a regular convection oven, it will brown your food to perfection.
Photo: Miele
Cooking Meat
Because this oven infuses food with moisture, you can count on it not drying up. This also helps with keeping all those yummy nutrients in the food and maintaining its color. You might notice that food also takes less time to cook because water conducts heat quicker than air.
Photo: Miele
Baking
If you’re an avid baker, you’re in luck because you can cook and bake with your steam oven. In fact, you can do both at the same time, without worry about odor transfer.
Photo: Sharp
Saying Yes to Leftovers
Not everyone is keen on having leftovers, but your mind might change after reheating last night’s dinner in this appliance. Your family won’t even know it’s leftovers with the steam oven’s reheat mode.
Photo: Warners’ Stellian Edina Showroom
Cleaning Up
You see all of that moisture? Not only does that help cook to perfection, it makes cleaning up a breeze! Gone are the days of crusted on cheese from pizza that went rogue. The moisture from the oven makes cleaning your oven fun again.
This guest blog was written by Lindus Construction. Lindus Construction is proud to have served over 75,000 happy customers in Western Wisconsin and the Twin Cities since the company’s founding in 1979. One Call. One Contractor.
In the realm of real estate, deciding how much money to invest in preparing your home for a sale feels like a tightrope walk. Nowhere is this truer than in the kitchen. Today’s homebuyers have refined tastes and it’s important to create an atmosphere within the kitchen that leaves them eager to place an offer. Here’s what you need to know!
What’s That Smell?
While an amazing scent cannot sell your home, unpleasant odors may send potential homebuyers packing. Run the garbage disposal as needed and empty trash bins prior to a showing. Create a pleasant lingering scent by baking cookies or using a vase of fresh cut flowers as a centerpiece for your kitchen table. Refrain from having a full load of dirty dishes in the dishwasher during home showings.
Photo by Lindus Construction
Time to Clean
Whether you do it yourself of hire a pro, a key component to selling your home is a sparkling clean kitchen. This includes cleaning the sink, countertops, floors, appliances and cabinets. Don’t forget the interior of cabinets and drawers. Prospective homebuyers are likely inspecting them for cleanliness and evaluating them for spaciousness. At a minimum, polish hardware. Changing outdated hardware could be a game-changer.
Banish Clutter
While your norm may be a countertop full of small appliances and cookbooks, all potential homebuyers see is chaos. Eliminate all unnecessary items from the kitchen counter to establish order and make the space seem as large as possible. Stow away sponges and dish soap. Take down refrigerator magnets, and remove collections you have displayed on top of your cabinets.
Embrace Light
A kitchen can appear dingy without ample lighting. Craft an inviting atmosphere by cleaning windows and leaving shades open. Create an illusion of illumination and space with a strategically-placed mirror. A clamp lamp or undercabinet lighting can be utilized for spots in need of additional lighting. Evaluate the wattage of the bulbs currently in your kitchen and replace anything below 60 watts.
Photo by Lindus Construction
Replace Appliances
If your kitchen appliances are outdated or in bad shape, it’s wise to consider replacing them. Appliances in varying finishes can dissuade prospective homebuyers. New burner grates on a range enhance its appearance without incurring the cost of a brand-new unit. Be sure that the interior of your oven and dishwasher are pristine, as it’s highly probable potential buyers will open them for a closer look.
Stage the Island
An adequate number of chairs around the island helps
potential buyers visualize entertaining friends and family. But take care not
to place too many chairs around an island, which can make it feel crowded. Staging
the kitchen island with placemats, wine glasses and a floral arrangement creates
a homey vibe.
What made you fall in love with your kitchen? Let us know in the comments section.
This guest blog was written by Lindus Construction. Lindus Construction is proud to have served over 75,000 happy customers in Western Wisconsin and the Twin Cities since the company’s founding in 1979. One Call. One Contractor.
As the Baby Boomer generation retires, a consistent theme those in the home remodeling industry hear is their desire to age in place, rather than incur the expense of moving into a long-term care facility. Because the kitchen tends to be among the busiest areas of the home, clients often ask how to make it an accommodating place to cook and entertain as the homeowner continues to mature. Here’s what you need to know about aging in place kitchen design.
Doorways
Older homes tend to have a more compartmentalized feel. At times, kitchen doorways may be too narrow to allow entry for wheelchair- or walker-users. It’s recommended that undersized doorways be widened to at least 36 inches for this reason. Pocket doors are also an optimal solution for the ease of which they can be opened and closed. This concept also applies to levered doorknobs.
Flooring
Excessive wax and polish on kitchen floors creates a falling hazard, so keep this chore to a minimum. Steer clear of rugs, which can also create the perfect environment for a fall. It’s worth noting that the smaller and closer together floor tiles are, the lesser chance there is of a tripping hazard being present. Linoleum, tile and wood are the easiest materials for a wheelchair to glide across.
Cabinetry
As homeowners age, retrieving items stored in upper cabinets becomes more tedious. For those embracing aging in place, it’s wise to install cabinets that have multiple drawers in the lower levels. This allows quick access to items used daily, like plates, bowls and dishes.
Pullout trays and garbage can dividers also prove convenient.
Faucet
Not only are touchless faucets advantageous from a cleanliness standpoint, but they’re easier for people with limited mobility to operate. Sinks should have a depth of no more than 6 inches and include a pullout sprayer to prevent straining the user’s back.
Appliances
Side-by-side refrigerators are the friendliest to the aging in place movement. That’s because both sides can easily be opened, allowing for access to all compartments. Pullout shelving helps reduce back strain.
Microwave drawers are also becoming increasingly popular, because they eliminate the need to reach up for hot food. When shopping, ask for ADA-compliant appliances.
Lighting
A brightly illuminated kitchen allows for easier food prep. Consider under-cabinet lighting to brighten an area that oftentimes is starved for light. Skylights and sun tunnels allow consistent natural light to filter into the kitchen. Many seniors opt for their lights to be on motion sensors.
With a few modifications, people can continue to live comfortably at home into their senior years. What other kitchen considerations are there? Let us know in the comments!
Planning a kitchen remodel this year? Before you spice things up, find out what’s cooking in kitchen design. Our trusted construction and design partners share hot 2019 kitchen trends to consider.
Homeowners are gravitating away from granite countertops and toward quartz, according to Lindus Construction COO Andy Lindus. “Quartz comes in an array of colors, allowing homeowners to customize the appearance of their kitchen,” he says. Quartz also requires less maintenance and has a smoother surface.
Cabinet Trends
Photo via Alma Homes; 📷 Melissa Oholendt Photography
Photo via Beautiful Chaos; 📷Spacecrafting
Kirsten Erickson, principal designer and founder of Alma Homes, continues to see color sneak its way into cabinetry. “Islands have been a very popular location if clients are afraid to commit to a bold color throughout the entire kitchen,” she adds. “And we’ve been seeing a lot more navy, black and deep green.”
Beautiful Chaos Owner and Lead Designer Sarah Martin echoes the bold color trend. “We are so excited to see kitchen color palettes brightening up,” she says. “It’s so fun to incorporate a pop of color in the heart of the home!”
Tile Trends
While Erickson says clients tend to stick to more neutral tones in their tile selections, creativity sparks when it comes to tile shape. This allows homeowners to maintain a simple color scheme while still adding interest to their kitchen. “We’ve been incorporating everything from marble mosaics to hex tiles to fun arabesque shapes,” she says.
Katie Kath of Jkath Design Build + Reinvent sees more homeowners taking a unique approach to classic subway tile, which comes in the form of handmade or beveled tiles. She says square tiles are also having a resurgence.
“Wood elements have also made a comeback, with all signs pointing to more and more of this in 2019,” Kath says, noting trends of wood cabinetry, floating shelves and accessories.
And when it comes to the type of wood, Erickson says white oak has exploded in popularity in what seems like overnight. “We have been using it on kitchen islands, floating shelves, and it (or European Oak) is almost always our clients’ go-to for their hardwood floors,” she adds.
Owner of Adorned Homes, Katie Kurtz, says wood in the kitchen is best incorporated into a space that has the white woodwork we’re used to seeing in kitchens now, like in this custom kitchen from her real estate client TJB Homes, which features a mix of white enamel and white oak.
While these trends produce beautiful results, Kassina Folstad of olliePop Design says first spend time defining what you truly love and desire in your home. Your home is one of your biggest investments after all. It never hurts to have a good designer on your side and a kitchen full of beautiful appliances.
