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Transitional Style: Between Traditional and Contemporary

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Are you looking for a kitchen design that is fresh and unique, but has a comfortable, familiar feel? It sounds like transitional style may be for you. This hard-to-define concept inhabits a vast space between traditional style and contemporary, and offers a perfect canvas for personal statements.

Perhaps your style is clean and simple, bordering on contemporary. But you want a place for Great-Grandma’s flowered china cocoa pot. Establish the tone of the room with Shaker cabinets in a painted finish. Then modify one or two cabinets to display heirlooms and art through clear glass doors. Voila! A transitional space that, with one foot in each century, tells worlds about you and what you care about.

Modern Twists on Traditional Features

In the kitchen pictured above, the farmhouse sink, a very traditional style, rockets to the 21st century when fashioned out of stainless steel. In itself, the sink is an example of transitional design. It is comfortably flanked by Shaker cabinets adorned with traditional cup pulls. Crossing the room, you find ornate pendant lights followed by a stainless range hood and glass-door wine cabinet. The repetition between traditional and modern styles creates a balance throughout the space.

Combining Different Surfaces

Open kitchen design in modern transitional style has large black island cabinets, black crown molding on white Shaker perimeter cabinets, and distressed hardwood flooring.

In the photo above, the blend of contemporary and traditional is achieved by combining manufactured and natural surfaces in the same space. The sleek black and white Shaker cabinets stand out against the distressed hardwood floors. Additionally, black crown molding on the white perimeter cabinets help to tie the kitchen together. The cabinet hardware, simple stainless bar pulls,  help add a dramatic touch without straying from the established pattern.

Do you have any questions on how to create a graceful transitional design? Have you successfully mixed old and new in your kitchen? Share your experience by commenting below.

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6 Tips for Color Mixing New Neutrals

by Posted in Kitchen Renovation


ccentuate the Positive

Use color selections in CliqStudios’ Signature line to draw attention to the most interesting features of your space. For example, ordering cabinetry for an island or a tall pantry area in a contrasting color. Navy or carbon finishes create the look of custom built in furniture, in addition to adding visual interest. This contrast also shines a light on your favorite parts of the room.

In the Zone

Your kitchen has natural zones for cooking, storage, dining and often, an open family room for conversation. Cabinetry finish choices interplay with paint, flooring, tile and upholstery choices to define those zones. Therefore, consider soft, Cloud White for the kitchen perimeter, then complement with Classic Gray in a built-in beverage center.

A kitchen using CliqStudios Dayton and Mendota cabinets in white around the perimeter and black for the island.

Keep Your Balance

When mixing finishes, you’ll see the best results if you place darker colors lower, such as for base cabinets. Allow lighter colors to float toward the ceiling on wall or glass front cabinets. The inverse, light colors on the bottom and darker colors on top, rarely works and often makes a space feel off-balance. For example, tall cabinets, like pantries and shelving units will work well finished in either a dark or a light choice.

Take Your Temperature

Be sure to place color samples side by side for comparison. Colors that appear to have blue undertones are considered cool colors. Colors that have yellow or red undertones are warm colors. Therefore, as you mix and match colors, stick to either a warm palette or cool palette for cabinetry, paint, window coverings and other materials.

Experiment

There’s no need to limit yourself to mixing only colors, ask your designer to create a 3D rendering to see two door styles. Consider a white Shaker door paired with a wood raised panel door. It’s your kitchen and the final project should reflect your own taste and style.

Test Drive

As you consider the possibilities for mixing and matching colors, order samples to see the colors in person. Computer monitors and even printed brochures can’t represent finishes precisely. But looking at an actual wood finish sample will help you picture the color in morning light, evening light and everything in between. We’ll even send two 5×7-inch samples absolutely free.

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Personalize Your Kitchen for a Soft and Inviting Space

by Posted in Kitchen Services

Everyone wants a kitchen straight from a magazine. But magazine kitchens can sometimes seem to be missing something: people who actually live in them. Once you have your beautiful, magazine worthy kitchen, remember to personalize your kitchen to make the space yours. Take a look at these beautiful kitchens that feel anything but empty.

Warm and Inviting

In the kitchen pictured below, white painted cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and an accent color on the island establish an a polished updated style. Open shelving on the island provides useful and decorative storage. Far from boring, sterile, or crowded, this beautifully decorated space says much about the owner.


Signature Austin Shaker cabinets in Cloud White and Studio Gray

Transitional with a Twist


This kitchen uses CliqStudios Dayton style doors in the painted finish Urban Stone. It’s painted doors and bar handles make the space feel modern, but the natural hardwood floors don’t allow it to feel stark. Instead, it feels warm and inviting, with plants and a teapot set out.

California Cozy

This California kitchen uses a blue island to create a furniture like feel. Using two-toned cabinetry helps to create visual appeal, and separates the island from the rest of the kitchen as an area that can double as seating. The greenery scattered through the two rooms and the cool blue-grey walls add more color without being too much.

Minimalist and Playful

In this kitchen, CliqStudios style 31 doors in the finish Harbor paired with pink walls, wooden counters, and mixed pendant lighting creates an entirely unique room. The many varying colors, textures, patterns, and art pieces feel stylized and personal.  Different bowls and baskets throughout the kitchen hold different types of plants, all tying into the greenery outside the massive window over the sink.

Are you looking for a quick and easy way to personalize and soften your kitchen? Try the shelves at Goodwill or your local flea market. For a few dollars you can completely change the nature of the space.

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Decisions to Make Before Interviewing Remodeling Contractors

by Posted in Kitchen Services

For the best kitchen remodel experience, do some research before interviewing remodeling contractors and asking for bids. You will minimize misunderstandings, expensive change orders and be better able to compare bids with the same specifications. Be well-informed on the following topics before talking to any kitchen contractors.

Your Budget

Decide how much you want to spend on the project, then develop a realistic budget and stick to it. You may need to do an overall expense review and research payment options. To fill in the total budget amount for each item below start with a design and quote from a professional designer.

Project Scope

Are you are simply replacing cabinets, countertops, flooring and appliances? Moving a sink or range? Or moving walls? The more extensive your kitchen remodel is, the more important it is to develop a detailed plan and stick to it.  When you renovate a property there are certain things that need to be updated to meet code. There may also be delayed maintenance that has to be done before the remodeling. Be sure you are interviewing remodeling contractors with experience and skills that match your needs.

Must-Haves Versus Wants

List everything you hope for in a kitchen (specialty storage, glass door cabinets, type of appliances, etc.). Prioritize, classifying each item as: Must Have, Can Compromise, or Can Wait.

Your Style

CliqStudios designers do a virtual walkthrough using Zoom or MS Teams with each customer.  To prepare for your virtual walkthrough, be ready with your phone or tablet to show the designer around your current kitchen. Our designers recommend that you also prepare an idea file with pictures, notes, and links to web pages. Our photo gallery, Pinterest and Houzz are good sources of inspiration.

ppliances

Consult with your designer before buying appliances, asking for suggestions on the best fit for your space. Visit an appliance showroom and look at models, check out Consumer Reports for quality reviews, then check multiple stores and websites to find the best prices. If you are on a tight timeline, be cautious about the lead time on special order items. When you are interviewing contractors also check with them about discounts they might extend to you. 

Cabinets

Cabinets represent a major share of your remodel budget and must stand up to years of use, so quality is as important as style. How to compare cabinets  will help you evaluate quality across brands, and your designer can provide advice on style. Cabinets need to be on site early in the remodel process, so be sure the company you buy from can deliver accordingly.

Countertops, Flooring and Backsplash

The type of countertop and flooring you choose (quartz or laminate countertop, hardwood or tile flooring, etc.) will affect your contractor’s timeline and budget. While you can wait to discuss specific styles and colors, it’s important to share your preferences with each of the contractors you interview. When interviewing contractors check with them on whether they work with particular materials that they are familiar with and if they can get a better price.  

Once you have all this information, you are ready to start interviewing remodeling contractors. Look for a licensed, experienced, reputable and insured company. Personal recommendations from friends and family combined with research on professional websites will give you the best overall view of contractors to interview and accept bids.

 

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4 Must-haves For Creating A Cook’s Dream Kitchen

by Posted in Kitchen Renovation

Do your family and friends insist on hosting events at your home because they know you make amazing meals? Cooking can be a chore for some, but for others, cooking is a lifestyle. If you fit into this category, one of the best ways to accommodate your passion is to renovate and create a more effective workspace. Here are a few ways you can create your dream cook’s kitchen:

1. Improved Layout & Storage

Renovating your kitchen can maximize the layout and storage of your space making it easier to cook. Every kitchen is broken down into 4 work zones to help with various activities across the kitchen. As an avid cook, consider tools, ingredients, and processes used in each of these zones to discover the best work flow.

Pantry Storage Zone

This section of your kitchen is great for storing dry goods, soups, canned foods, and non-consumable items like pots and pans or crock pots. Locating these items in pantries will help you stay more organized and keep the rest of your kitchen free from clutter. It is often found near the refrigerator so that all food can be easily accessed within the same zone.

Tall pantry cabinet with upper shelves and bottom roll-out trays, shown in a Shaker style and White paint.

Sink Storage Zone

Cleaning up dishes and clearing away messes is essential in keeping your kitchen organized. Since a lot of cleaning in the kitchen involves using the sink, it’s best to keep cleaning supplies nearby. Using a super sink base or a pull-out trash cabinet are prime examples of effective storage. You can store away all of your supplies in the pull-out baskets and tilt-out of the sink, or keep your trash and recycling off of the floor by filing them away in a cabinet.

Food Prep Zone

Frequently used items like eating utensils, cutting boards, and cookie sheets need to be stored close to your workspace where you prepare your food. If they are across the kitchen from where you work, you will find yourself walking around more than cooking. Try adding a tray divider cabinet near your oven to make baking more efficient. You can also add a cutlery divider near your plates and bowls so serving meals is more convenient.

Cooking Storage Zone

When you’re ingredients are prepared, you probably don’t want to search high and low for pots and pans. We recommend that these items are generally placed around the cooktop and oven for ease of cooking. Having ample countertop space in this zone will also give you enough room to set out your ingredients and cookware. This pots and pans organizer is essentially a roll-out tray made specifically for your pots. Another great option is the pull-out drawer cabinet with deep drawers.

2. Kitchen Work Triangle

If you’re in the middle of cooking your great grandma’s classic chicken alfredo, the last thing you want is to run across the room to the refrigerator. The NKBA (National Kitchen & Bath Association) recommends using a work triangle. It’s a straight line that runs from the center of your sink, to your cooktop, to your refrigerator. Since these are primary work stations in the kitchen, it’s crucial that they are close together. To create your cook’s dream kitchen, each leg should be between 4 and 9 feet long, and the total should be no more than 26 feet.

3. Open Countertop Space

Having plenty of countertop space is critical to the flow of cooking. This might mean adding an island or peninsula to serve as your prep area. You can also put appliances in locations that don’t reduce counter space. A microwave cabinet tucks your appliance neatly out of the way while staying accessible. Adding some tall pantries and drawers are also great options to consider when opening up space.

4. Quality Cabinet Selection

Search for high-quality cabinet construction to prolong the life of your kitchen remodel. CliqStudios cabinets are incredibly durable and are factory finished. They’re also easy to clean, have many storage solutions, and make it easy to incorporate the things you need for a cook’s dream kitchen.

Get started with a designer today!

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