Kitchen Designs with Full Overlay Cabinets
By / May 4, 2022 March 1, 2022
It’s no secret that choosing cabinetry is one of the biggest decisions to consider when making selections for a kitchen design. Many homeowners are unaware of just how many options there are available with custom cabinetry, including the cabinet door and cabinet style. In today’s blog, let’s explore kitchen designs with full overlay cabinets – what they are, the benefits of incorporating them, and the design effects they have.
A Quick Definition
Full overlay cabinets represent one of three cabinet styles when it comes to installation (the other two being inset and partial overlay). Full overlay means that the doors are made extra-large so that they sit on top of the cabinet frame, hiding it completely.
The Benefits
Full overlay is one of the cheaper installation options because it requires less skill, but by no means does it skimp on beauty. It also gives you the most storage space because the door sits on top of the frame instead of inside it. (I know we’re talking a matter of inches here, but sometimes they can make all the difference.)
Design Effects
Full overlay cabinets are the most popular style for modern kitchen designs. They achieve a smooth, clean look that you just can’t get with partial overlay cabinets. How modern you want to take that look is totally up to you. Go ultra-modern with a minimalist slab door or recall a touch of tradition with more ornamental doors. Check out our wide selection of full overlay kitchen cabinet door styles here.
Feeling Inspired?
Check out our gallery of kitchen designs featuring full overlay cabinets. If this piece has indeed left you feeling inspired, find a Kountry Kraft dealer near you to start the design process with one of our experts! Follow @kountrykraftcabinetry for more kitchen design inspiration.
Proactively Preserving the Kountry Kraft Legacy
By / April 13, 2022 April 11, 2022Dee Hurst-Funk, CFO, and Elvin Jr. Hurst, CEO, of Kountry Kraft, are proactively preserving the Kountry Kraft legacy by welcoming Dave Riebe as President.
In his role as President, Dave will preserve the longevity of Kountry Kraft by running the company on a daily basis under the guidance of Dee and Elvin Jr. Dave has immersed himself in Kountry Kraft by working with every employee in every department. From delivering a kitchen in Annapolis, to assisting in finishing and order processing, he rolled up his sleeves to become familiar with every part of the company.
“We’re excited about the fresh vision Dave brings to the business. He comes with knowledge and experience in manufacturing that will enrich the legacy and longevity of Kountry Kraft.” – Dee Hurst-Funk, CFO
About Dave
Dave brings a fresh vision to the business with over 25 years of experience leading organizations and developing teams in diversified manufacturing companies. He is recognized as an executive whose personal leadership style effectively balances a pragmatic management approach with strong creative and innovative abilities.
Prior to Kountry Kraft, Dave worked at Carlisle Construction Materials as Director of five different businesses, he was President of Pennex Aluminum Company, and he held various positions at Danaher Corporation (Kollmorgen) with increasing responsibility; most recently he was Vice President and General Manager, and he also served in general management, product marketing, and manufacturing roles. Mr. Riebe has also provided management consulting to senior business leaders, and he spent the first five years of his career in engineering positions at General Motors Corporation.
Dave has a Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University, a Master of Science in Mechanics from the University of Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University.
“We sell an experience… the experience of feeling at home in the kitchen. The experience of being together. That to me is what the business is about – providing that experience for families, for generations, for life.” – Dave Riebe
Bathroom Double Vanity Ideas
By / February 2, 2022 March 20, 2023
Would you like to transform your master bathroom into a whole new space with a brand-new aesthetic? A custom double vanity might be just the thing you’re looking for. Let’s explore some custom Bathroom Double Vanity Ideas so you can get a sense of what’s right for you.
Size Matters
Especially in design. Proportions need to be taken into account so that the space doesn’t feel too empty or too crowded. With our custom bathroom vanity designs, we can create a double vanity that fits perfectly in your bathroom – no matter how big or how small.
Sharing Isn’t Always Caring
While sharing is a virtue, it can also cause a lot of headaches if it’s part of you and your partner’s morning routine. Forget the careful coordinating of schedules and waiting for your turn in the bathroom. With a double vanity, you can both get ready at the same time without elbowing the other out of the way to rinse your mouth or look in the mirror.
And how does separate storage space sound? With a double vanity, you’ll not only have your own counter space but your own drawer space as well. Again, it’s not that you can’t share. It’s just that, well, sometimes it’s nice to not have to.
Make It Yours
One of the most popular custom bathroom vanity features we see is the built-in makeup station. Ladies love the comfortable seating, good lighting, and organized storage with easy access. Men love that they don’t have to navigate a countertop strewn with makeup, and some have even been known to use the station themselves for beard trimming.
Your options don’t stop there. We can personalize your storage by including built-in drawers of all shapes and sizes to help you manage clutter and stay organized.
Beyond Function
Bathroom vanity designs are as diverse as each homeowner and their tastes. To create a relaxing oasis, consider choosing a calming paint color such as a warm cream, peaceful green, or tranquil blue. Or, if bold is more your vibe, go with a bright, vibrant color to make your vanity a focal point of the bathroom.
Tell Us Your Needs
The beauty of custom is that it’s all about you! Find a Kountry Kraft dealer near you to start designing your custom double vanity with the support of our experts. Follow @kountrykraftcabinetry for more bathroom vanity design inspiration.
Custom Closet Design Features
By / November 3, 2021 March 11, 2023Custom Closet Design Features
Maybe it says something about me that when I watch Sex and the City, I admire Carrie Bradshaw’s walk-in closet instead of her man. But then again, as Carrie said: “I like my money right where I can see it… hanging in my closet.”
Whether you’re working with a walk-in that could be its own room or with a space that’s a bit more modest, every girl deserves a closet that beautifully displays her wardrobe with organization that makes finding that perfect outfit a breeze. And with custom closet design features, you can bring that Hollywood dream to life. Let’s take a look at some of my favorites.
Display Storage
The most important thing for an organized closet is for every item to have its own dedicated spot. And for accessories like shoes and handbags, I want that spot to be visible so I can see all of my options (and revel in their beauty tbh). Cubby shelving is a great way to achieve this goal for both shoes and handbags. If you lack the space for cubby shelving, consider installing a revolving lazy-susan rack to hang your shoes.
Let Your Jewelry Shine
We all know the headache of trying to untangle a knot of jewelry that got jumbled around in the drawer. Using a jewelry organizer drawer insert will eliminate this nightmare, but I want to take it a step further. I’m in love with the idea of installing a standing jewelry armoire cabinet with a glass top that displays all of your jewelry. It gives me major princess-picking-out-her-tiara vibes.
Hidden Features
Custom pullout options are a fantastic storage solution that help hide the mess and keep your closet looking pretty. My personal favorite is the pullout hamper that hides all my dirty laundry. Another great choice is the pullout ironing board that has built-in storage and requires no setup; just pull it in and out of the drawer!
What Custom Design Features Do You Want?
The custom features I’ve listed are appealing across many demographics, but the beauty of custom is that it’s all about you! Come talk to our Kountry Kraft experts to learn about how we can meet your closet needs. Click here to find a Kountry Kraft dealer near you!
A Case for Green Kitchen Cabinets
By / September 8, 2021 July 30, 2021A Case for Green Kitchen Cabinets
With more and more people looking to bring the relaxing feel of nature indoors, green kitchen cabinets
are skyrocketing in popularity. It makes us feel like we’re surrounded by lush greenery, even if we don’t
have the green thumb to keep houseplants alive. Bonus: it’s super easy to design with because it goes
with other natural elements like wood, stone, and metal.
Green in the Kitchen
A lot of people will jump on board to paint their kitchen walls green, but many will balk at the idea of green
kitchen cabinets. Why? If you love the color, why not paint the most prominent feature of the kitchen
green? If we’re using green, I say use it to its full potential. I say, go with green cabinets.
Green or Green?
Deciding on green kitchen cabinets is only step one. Step two: picking a shade.
With Kountry Kraft’s completely custom cabinets, every shade of green under the sun is available for you
to choose from. If you’re going for a softer, subtler look, consider something like a washed-out sage or
light mint color. That’s what we did for this AMS Kitchen, using Farrow & Ball’s “Cooking Apple Green.”
Or, make a statement and go bold with a deep forest green or warm olive. If you’re drawn to light and
dark shades, have the best of both worlds by going with dark green bottom cabinets and light green upper
cabinets.
I Can’t Decide!
A great tip for choosing a paint shade is to display large paint swatches against your existing cabinets so
you can get a feel for what the color will look like in that space with that lighting.
And, as always, our Kountry Kraft experts would be happy to help you find the perfect shade, whether it
be green or otherwise. Our custom cabinets offer every shade, but also every shape and size to give you
exactly what you’re looking for. Click here to find a Kountry Kraft dealer near you!
Meet the Cloffice
By / August 4, 2021 March 20, 2023
Meet the #Cloffice
With so many of us working (and schooling) from home this past year, the demand for home offices has skyrocketed. But what if you don’t have an extra room to transform? You don’t have to resign yourself to working from the kitchen table. Allow me to introduce you to a growing trend called the #Cloffice.
What Is a Cloffice?
A cloffice is any spare space in your home that has been transformed into an office. Think closets, a bare corner, space under the stairs – any nook or cranny that isn’t being used to its full potential.
Why Do I Want One?
I don’t think I have to convince anyone who’s been working/schooling from home of the benefits of a designed work space. But, if you want some more reasons…
- Adds home value.
- Facilitates work/school life and home life boundaries.
- Eliminates distractions while working, raising productivity.
- Creates a designated space for office supplies, eliminating mess around the house and helping to keep everything organized.
- Utilizes unused or underused space, meaning you don’t have to rearrange your house or sacrifice space.
How Do I Make One?
The most important aspect of any cloffice is shelving, both for decorative and functional storage purposes. (PS. We can help with that! Check out our custom office cabinets here.) Your cloffice desk probably won’t be huge, so keeping everything neatly stored away is a must.
Next, add a comfy chair and partition. You can decide for yourself the necessity of the partition, but I find it crucial to creating a separate space and eliminating distractions.
Those are the basics; now have fun decorating! There are so many ways you can style your cloffice, but it all comes down to your personal tastes and needs. I’d recommend searching #Cloffice on Pinterest to see what you like! Find a Kountry Kraft dealer near you to design a cloffice in your home.
Why I’d Choose Floor to Ceiling Kitchen Cabinets
By / June 9, 2021 May 25, 2021
Why I’d Choose Floor to Ceiling Kitchen Cabinets
I’ve decided it’s time to weigh in on the debate surrounding whether kitchen cabinets should fully extend to the ceiling or not. In truth, neither option is “wrong,” but I will always recommend considering floor to ceiling cabinetry to my customers. Here are my reasons why:
Increase Storage
Extending your cabinets to the ceiling turns otherwise wasted space into additional storage. I know some people will argue that it’s difficult to reach, but so what? Put your seasonal items, like the Thanksgiving gravy bowl and Christmas cookie platter, up there so you only have to take them down once a year. I, personally, will take all the extra storage I can get. Install a library ladder or a pull out stool by Hafele to access the uppermost items.
And, if you like to display things like vases on top of your cabinets, you don’t have to sacrifice that decoration. Instead of making the upper cabinets extra storage space, use glass paneled doors to create a dust-free display.
Aesthetically Pleasing
They look gorgeous, period. Floor to ceiling cabinets draw the eye all the way to the ceiling, making the space look larger, whereas shorter cabinets create a visual break and make the room appear smaller. They also help create a luxurious, clean, high-end look. Don’t feel all the cabinetry must be floor to ceiling. Your kitchen may lend itself to having one wall floor to ceiling, and additional walls with shelving, standard height cabinetry or none at all.
Eliminate Dust
Be honest — how often do you dust the top of your kitchen cabinets? With floor to ceiling cabinets, there’s nothing to clean. Eliminating that dust will do wonders for people with allergies and will create a healthier environment for everyone else.
Do You Agree?
If my argument has persuaded you (or at least peaked your interest), contact us for more information or use our dealer locator to find a Kountry Kraft dealer near you!
Top 2021 Cabinet Styles
By / May 12, 2021 June 7, 2021Houzz recently released its 2021 U.S. Kitchen Trends Study, and the results on cabinet styles are particularly interesting. Here are the top 2021 cabinet styles that homeowners renovating their kitchens are loving right now.
Style
Shaker style once again ranked the most popular kitchen cabinet style, taking a whopping 57% of the vote. The second most popular style was flat panel. Securing only 21% of the vote, it didn’t come anywhere close to dethroning shakers.
Customization
Customized cabinets also won big. 41% of participants chose fully custom cabinets and 35% chose semi-custom options. In contrast, only 12% chose stock cabinets and 8% chose a ready-to-assemble option.
Similarly, homeowners favored built-in organizers and specialty storage options. For those including cabinet organizers, 48% selected cookie sheet holders and 39% selected a spice organizer. For those including specialty storage, 60% selected pullout waste or recycling drawers, 38% selected a lazy Susan, and 34% selected pullout/swing-out cabinets.
Color
Although it slipped a little in popularity compared to 2020’s numbers, white is still clearly the most popular kitchen cabinet color with 41% of the vote. Wood tones as a group received 23% of the vote, which can be broken down into medium-tone woods (13%) and light-tone woods (7%). Gray comes in a very distant third place, securing only 10% of the vote.
Food for Thought
With the most popular cabinet trends hovering just north or south of the 50% mark, it would be easy to assume that newly remodeled kitchens will all start to look the same. Don’t let that deter you from taking the remodel plunge. Even if you choose an on-trend cabinet style (hello custom, white shakers), there’s so many ways to personalize the design so that it truly feels like your kitchen.
If you’d like to get in on the remodel action, click here to find a Kountry Kraft dealer near you.
Follow us on Instagram @kountrykraftcabinetry for more 2021 cabinet styles and design trends.
2021’s Love Affair with Kitchen Cabinet Upgrades
By / April 14, 2021 March 31, 2021With the pandemic causing so many people to spend increased time at home, kitchen renovations have soared. And, unsurprisingly, cabinetry is a central focus. An astonishing 94% of homeowners renovating their kitchen performed some form of kitchen cabinet upgrades, with 63% of them opting to replace the cabinets entirely. Let’s see what kind of inspiration we can glean from these emerging cabinetry trends.
Partial Upgrades
For the 31% homeowners who chose partial cabinetry upgrades, space was a huge factor. 28% of this group added some form of new cabinetry, which represents an increase of nearly 400% from 2020. Others decided to focus on aesthetic, choosing to either refinish the cabinet exteriors or replace only the cabinet doors. This approach is a great way to update the look of your kitchen without cutting too deep into your budget.
Full Replacement
As I mentioned before, a whopping 63% of kitchen remodelers chose to fully replace their cabinets to create the right look and storage for their families. And, they increasingly chose to consult with professionals for help making their kitchen more functional, usually maintaining the same layout and square footage.
Cabinetry heavily contributes to the functionality of your kitchen and can be the difference between easy and nightmare storage. For example, have you ever wanted waffles, but refused to unpack half of your cabinet to get the seldom-used waffle maker out? You didn’t have waffles that morning, did you? Now imagine if you could simply open a door and get that waffle maker out. That’s the difference the right cabinets can make.
If You Need Advice…
We at Kountry Kraft would love to be the professionals that you reach out to for help picking the right kitchen cabinet upgrades for your home. Let’s get started! Find a Kountry Kraft dealer near you.
#KountryKraft #KitchenCabinetUpgrades
Exploring Inset and Full Overlay Cabinet Doors
By / February 8, 2021 March 20, 2023Style and function are the two big factors people consider when they think about cabinets. However, you may not realize that the way you choose to install your cabinet doors will have a large impact on both. Let’s explore two installation methods so you can decide what’s right for your home: inset and full overlay cabinet doors.
Inset
Inset doors are designed to sit flush with the cabinet frame. In other words, the cabinet and the doors (excluding hardware) will be one smooth surface when the doors are closed. The frame will be fully visible.
Pros: This style of door offers a clean, high-end look that is generally accompanied by superior quality since it requires greater skill to install. It also helps guard against damaged doors since they’re encased in the frame when closed, making the corners harder to nick.
Cons: However, inset doors are more expensive because of that necessary installation know-how. They also provide the least storage room since the doors are flush with the frame. Highly humid climates can cause wood to expand, leaving inset doors susceptible to sticking and the finish wearing off in tight spots.
Full Overlay
Full overlay doors sit on top of the cabinet frame as opposed to within it. They’re designed extra-large to cover the entire frame, offering a similar smooth look to inset doors but with none of the frame visible.
Pros: This style of door also offers a clean, high-end look but is easier to install, making it more affordable. It also offers a bit more storage space since the doors are situated on top of the frame.
Cons: The downside to full overlay doors is that they may show signs of wear more quickly since the door corners aren’t protected.
Reflections
As with any choice, both options have their pros and cons. Consider them carefully to decide which style is right for you. Although, in the end, it’s hard to see how you could go wrong with either!
If you need help exploring inset and full overlay cabinet doors, you may contact us or use our dealer locater to find a Kountry Kraft dealer near you!
#KountryKraft #CustomCabinets #CustomCabinetry