Wellborn Cabinetry Inspires at #KBIS2017!

I am always happily surprised, delighted and inspired when something happens that triggers a connection between seemingly disparate thoughts and moments in time. Such was the case when I visited the display of #BlogTourKBIS sponsor Wellborn Cabinets during #KBIS2107.  The trigger was twofold. First was seeing a fabulous wine bar vignette,  (see the actual picture of it below my rendering of it ) with just the right storage in its base cabinet. (I’m a wine lover. I notice these things…)

Second, was seeing Wellborn’s new line of Full Access Frameless cabinets, Aspire. The trigger was the finish on the wood cabinets in their vignette,  which felt and looked like limed oak, so reminiscent of the french oak finishes I see in the work of my dear Belgian interior designer friends, whom I so admire and respect.

The Belgians are masters at making a newly constructed room or space look old and timeless. (For our New England-based readers, who love wood and are interested in being au courant, elegant and timeless, it doesn’t get any better than this.)

As I took this vignette in, memories of past projects and design proposals began flashing through my mind. I began seeing relationships and possibilities. Could I merge the wine bar, a kitchen and the Belgian influence I was seeing and feeling?

One former project in particular kept coming to mind that, although we completed it, we were, quite honestly, not happy ourselves with the outcome. Why? When Sally and I design a project, any project, we are firm believers in editing and restraint, however, sometimes our clients want *more* – more columns, more corbels….maybe a little too much *more.*

As designers, our job is to advise them, and we did, but, in the end, it was their kitchen and their home, and our job was to make THEM feel at home, not ourselves – and so we did.

But,  arriving back in Boston, using Wellborn’s new ASPIRE cabinetry and the wine bar I had seen at KBIS, I knew I could have fun re-creating the kitchen in drawings, as we had always envisioned it. Natural, warm, supportive.

So, I took the opportunity this post afforded to create some new renderings, to show what could have been. Below, I started by cleaning up the work triangle and activity zones from the actual kitchen we had designed.

(NOTE: The numbered symbols signify elevations I have drawn, that you will see below, that further illustrate the functionality and aesthetic of what *could have been* and what we originally saw in our mind’s eye for this client.

Here’s elevation #1, the sink wall. Notice how there are no overhead soffits to take your eye off of the beautiful windows overlooking the backyard and garden. Artwork? But of course. Starts feeling like a living room. Oui?

DESIGN TIP TO MYSELF: Mirror the natural wood and finishes from Wellborn’s ASPIRE  base cabinets in our window trim and crown moulding, bringing architectural integrity and continuity to the room.

Elevation #2 shows the range and pantry area. Lots of light and counter surface on either side of the range. Pots, pans, cookie/baking sheets/pans at their fingertips. Spices and oils close by, but not so close that their flavors are affected by the heat from the oven or range top. Large full height pantry as you walk into the kitchen. There’s 64 square feet of storage in this unit!

Finally, Elevation #3 (which you saw at the opening of this post) and the vignette that started it all, the wine bar, looking like a beautiful piece of furniture  now between the refrigerator and freezer tower.

The wine bar in Wellborn’s vignette was created using their “You Draw it Program”, which I need to explore further.

I haven’t drawn any elevations of the island. Conceptually, I see it as being much like an island I designed for a recent project. Contrasting dark walnut, granite top with a tempered glass table at the end.

Detail photo of the island.

In conclusion, I’d like to circle back to Wellborn’s new product line, ASPIRE. The following video gives you a very good sense of its breadth of styles and finishes. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Modern Butler’s Pantry!

I hope you, readers, have enjoyed reading a bit more about how we think about kitchen design when incorporating a vendor’s products, like Wellborn’s new ASPIRE line of cabinetry, into our design process.

If Sally and I can help you with any aspect of the design of your home in 2017, including kitchens, please don’t hesitate to contact us via the contact form on our new website, here:

www.wilsonkelseydesign.com/contact

We also invite you to connect with us on:

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Thank you!

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