KITCHENS: The Heart of the Home
The kitchen is the heart of a home. Whether entertaining a crowd or social distancing with your immediate family, a well-designed, beautifully-appointed kitchen can change the whole experience. Chown Hardware helps contractors, designers, and homeowners bring their kitchen dreams to reality. Our showroom consultants advise and guide clients in selecting the finest kitchen fixtures including sinks, faucets, lighting, and accessories. Kym Babb currently managers Chown’s Bellevue showroom and will also manage the brand-new Seattle showroom when it comes online later this summer. She has more than ten years of experience in the industry and recently sat down to answer a few questions about kitchen projects.
What is the first thing to consider when starting a kitchen project?
The first thing to consider when starting a kitchen project is your concept. That can be either selecting a particular style like French country, rustic modern or industrial chic or going even more simple and starting with color. Navy and satin brass, for example. In today’s kitchen design there are no rules and with companies producing such a varied finish pallet, there are no limitations on your color concept. Gunmetal, antique brass and black polished nickel are all beautiful and unique finishes that work in a variety of settings.
What’s the biggest mistake customers make when selecting products for their kitchen project?
The biggest mistake clients make when selecting fixtures for their kitchen project is focusing too much on resale value and trying to appeal to a wide variety of tastes for when, and if they move. The kitchen is quite often where your family and friends gather and it should reflect your style and taste.
If someone can only make one change to their existing kitchen, what would you suggest?
If you can only make one update to a kitchen then consider changing out the cabinet hardware. With so many varied style and finish selections available this is the easiest and most cost-effective way to make a large impact on an existing space.
If you were redoing your own kitchen, what’s one luxury feature you would definitely splurge on?
If I were redoing my own kitchen the one luxury feature I would definitely splurge on is the kitchen faucet. This is the most used appliance in the home and should be considered an investment. Whether you are making a statement with a dramatic faucet such the Waterworks Regulator or the Waterstone Gantry, your options are numerous. I personally love the sleek lines of the Dornbracht Tara Ultra, so I would choose that in the dark platinum matte finish for my own kitchen. It’s gorgeous!
Chown Hardware showrooms in Portland and Bellevue are open for in-person appointments. Our new location, in Seattle’s trendy SODO neighborhood, will be opening for private tours and appointments this summer. Contact us today to schedule your appointment at any of our three locations.
Kymberli Babb
Bellevue and Seattle Showroom Manager