FIVE ACCENT LIGHTING TECHNIQUES FOR CUSTOM KITCHENS

Custom Kitchen Lighting… So Many Options for Accents!

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As a custom home builder we have had the opportunity to install a wide variety of accent lighting in custom kitchens.  Depending on the desires of the customer, home design and home style there are many options for kitchen accent lighting.  The five most popular in our experience at Woodridge Custom Builders LLC has been 1) underneath upper kitchen cabinets, 2) above upper kitchen cabinets, 3) hanging light fixtures above kitchen work areas, 4) underneath lower kitchen cabinets, and 5) jam switches.

1)      Underneath the Upper Kitchen Cabinets:  Often popular in custom kitchens are accent lights hidden underneath the upper kitchen cabinets, these can be hidden by the upper cabinets so that only the light itself is seen reflecting onto the kitchen counter.  Fluorescent or halogen light fixtures are great for this area, with a different glow, tone, and warmth offered by each.  These lights are usually designed to be powered by one or two light switches in the kitchen so that all of the under cabinet lighting is lit with the power of one switch rather than turning each one on individually.

GRANITE COUNTERTOPS… THE MOST POPULAR SELECTION IN WOODRIDGE’S CUSTOM HOMES

By Far the Most Popular Counter Surfaces… Granite!

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As Arizona custom home builders, it’s granite, granite, granite, at Woodridge Custom Builders LLC, our custom home buyers are choosing granite over any other countertop surface materials.  Granite is a natural stone, in the simplest terms, igneous rock with large crystals.  Granite ranges in color from white, gold, pink, green, blue, to gray and black.  These products are ideal for counter tops because, by nature its high durability and aesthetic qualities.

At Woodridge Custom Builders LLC, our custom home buyers begin their granite selection working with a design and fabricating professional.  The colors and varieties of granite are numerous.  We recommend our customers begin looking at a color or shade of granite to focus their search.  Once a color range has been selected, the varieties in that color range are narrowed down even further.  For example, granite called Autumn Harmony, originating from India is a combination of browns, blacks and creams, yet has no veins.  Aurora Borealis, originating from Brazil, is also a combination of brown, blacks and cream, yet is venous.  Again, the colors and varieties are endless; and without the assistance of a professional the process can quickly become overwhelming. 

Granite, in a warehouse is usually stored in large four-by-eight foot slabs ¾” or 1 ¼”.  Once a custom home buyer has made the basic selections from the showroom or design professional’s samples, the actual selection process begins. 

CUSTOM HOME KITCHENS AS A GATHERING PLACE!

Kitchen Design and the Multiple Uses of Kitchen Islands

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An elegant home with everything one could hope for—from unique living spaces to a custom kitchen just meant for entertaining.  In recent years, kitchen trends have changed significantly.  A shift has taken place from the functional wall of cabinets to architectural spaces where window walls and work islands are replacing the row of look-a-like cabinets along each wall.  Complimenting the architectural style of a home, kitchen cabinets look like independent pieces of furniture grouped in furniture-like arrangements.  Stained alder wood is a popular material used for custom kitchen cabinets, mixing stained cabinets with painted and glazed alder wood cabinets.  Long gone is the small window sink placed between cabinets, but replaced by larger windows and plenty of natural light. 

Many Americans are spending more time at home and entertaining at home, increasing demand that kitchen spaces be aesthetically pleasing and great entertainment areas.  As custom home builders, at Woodridge Custom Builders LLC we have see this transition.  Our custom home buyers want style, natural light and room to gather and socialize in their kitchen.  Many also are seek abundant storage space with state of the art kitchen appliances.  Space, often at a premium, requires that every inch count. 

CUSTOM HOME KITCHENS… WHAT’S HOT, WHAT’S NOT!

At Woodridge Custom Builders LLC, it’s our business to know what is popular for custom homes.  Some styles come and go quickly while other trends seem to have more staying power.  It is amazing how long the faux finishing craze has lasted, in fact, the finishes seem to get better and better the longer the style sticks around.  Current kitchen styles are particularly important since the kitchen is a predominant area of the house. To get it right it begins with a good set of house plans and home design.  Outlined below are features designed and built into some of the homes constructed by Woodridge Custom Builders LLC.  For the most part… by the lists below, anything goes!

 What’s Hot for the New Custom Home!

• Kitchen islands rather than kitchen peninsulas
• Cabinets and islands that look like stand-alone furniture
• Cabinets made of a variety of materials from traditional stained cabinets to distressed, painted and glazed cabinets
• Multiple cook kitchen designs
• Mixing cabinet colors
• Dark alder wood with a glaze-finished on cabinets
• Granite countertops
• French doors
• Outdoor kitchens including a grill, sink and refrigerator
• Kitchen-like spaces in the master bedroom for coffee-making areas and under-counter refrigerators for morning juices and bottled water
• Wine storage, from shelving to niches to wine refrigerators
• Stainless steel appliances
• Commercial grade ranges
• High kitchen ceilings
• Large windows, no longer reserved for the space above the kitchen sink
• Large islands.  Really large islands
• Pendant lighting
• White cabinets
• Under counter icemakers
• Useful pantries
• Natural stone flooring
• European Apron front sinks
• Multiple ovens, sometimes a full-range and wall oven/microwave combination
• Cabinets with corner posts and/or hand-carved corbels
• Oversized range hoods, designed with mass and constructed with mantels, and niche
• Stylish stone backsplashes with decorative elements scattered throughout
• Hand painted scenes or still life tiles located behind the cook top or range
• A fireplace in the kitchen or dining nook
• Under counter refreshment refrigerators located on an island, just for bottled water, or sodas.  No need to open the full-size refrigerator just for water or have a water dispenser in the refrigerator door
• Round kitchen tables
• Soft under cabinet lighting
• Two dishwashers
• Sofa and chairs in the dining area so family and guests can comfortably hang out with the cook
• Great kitchen lay-outs ergonomically designed with form and function in mind
• Tuscan style kitchen themes
• Modern style kitchen themes

 What You’re Not Likely to Find in a New Custom Home!

• Whitewashed oak cabinets
• Blond cabinets
• White appliances
• Cathedral arched cabinet doors
• Laminated counter surfaces
• Low ceilings
• Soffits
• Ceramic tile counter tops
• Fluorescent lights
• Sliding doors
• Kitchen desk areas
• Wallpaper borders
• Dining chairs with wheels