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 Be beautiful, be bold. And do something good for the world. Vetrazzo’s recycled glass surfaces is made of 100% percent recycled glass, so it really is good for the environment.

Merit's "Mahogany" Milton Lam, Architect

    If you are looking to remodel your kitchen and are interested in “green” products, Merit’s Metropolitan door series are worth checking out.

They start with recycled substrate material and laminate it with a variety of engineered woods. Engineered woods are made from fast growing Poplar and Obeche trees, grown on plantations. They cut, laminate and dye the wood in a variety of patterns to simulate the look of more expensive woods such as Mahogany, Walnut,and Wenge, to name just a few.

For contemporary kitchens, these are beautiful, with straight consistant grains…….and they didn’t need to cut down the old Oak tree!

Before 60's Kitchen

Take a peek at this before picture of a typical 60’s kitchen then look at Kimithy Nagel’s design challenge of bringing in new life and modernizing this space without sacrificing the true character of their home.

  Windows and ceiling were cleaned up and kept. The door style on the cabinets remained flat and simple, but the stain changed to a dark rich color with an added touch of aluminum which now compliments the existing wood ceiling. Removing a few walls opened up the floor plan to a Dining/ Family room for a much more desirable lifestyle for today.

  Contrasting Quartz countertops are durable and fabulous looking. The natural beauty of the horizontal patterned tile softens the look from being too stark.

  Miele’s oven, speed oven (works both as a microwave and oven), warming drawer and coffee system that’s built in (not shown) all lend itself to a highly efficient kitchen that’s enjoyable to cook and entertain in!

Kitchen After

Look at this glass lit bottom shelf on a wall cabinet made by Crystal Cabinets.

It solves lighting up your countertops and the inside of your cabinets.

Imagine that on a dark rainy day like today!

1. A certified kitchen and bath designer specializes in the design, planning and execution of kitchens, bathrooms and other spaces throughout the home. Because of the extensive work experience and education requirements only a select up of expert designers attain the CKD and CBD designation.

The quality and care of the environment from which Crystal Cabinets are made was evident when I went back for Crystals’ plant tour and seminar earlier this summer.  Their factory is spotless and the material waste very minimal, making it one of the ‘greenist’ companies around;  I was very impressed!

What really stands out in my mind from that trip is the personal story of Crystal.  Jeff and Linda Hammer are the owners of Crystal which was started  by Jeff’s father in 1947, when Jeff was just a baby.  It remains a family business to this day,  over 60 years later;  many of the employees have been there for decades.

From the minute we arrived, it was no surprise that we too, were treated as family.  Our Northwest group of dealers included others from our immediate area, as well as some from Alaska and Colorado totaling between 20-30 people.  Despite our generous size, we were all invited to the home of Jeff and Linda for a true Mid-Western style feast-  cooked by none other than Linda herself!  Below are photos from our memorable gathering.

Completing beautiful kitchens for our customers is very much a team effort, although much of the effort is done behind the scenes from a very talented and dedicated group of people.  The level of care that goes into each and every order often goes unrecognized, but I for one want to say “thank you” for helping us continue to look good!

If you’d like to share your beautiful Crystal project with us, please visit our Facebook page and post your photos- we’ll make sure Crystal sees them as well!

Happy hour before dinner.

Barbie Bond and Jim Gatewood

Trina Norstuen and Jim Gatewood dishing up with fellow dealers!

Fabulous food; fabulous company (pun intended)!

Richard Sundene (Crystal Rep.) at the head of the table.

What’s the meaning of the word “Custom” in the

cabinet industry?

Custom means- changed to suit better:

altered in order to fit some-body’s requirements.

There are so many “custom” cabinet makers, how do you decide where to buy?

First look at the construction of the box, drawers and guides. What type of finish is used and does it feel smooth? Do they offer a warranty that stands behind there product?

International Kitchens offers a full custom cabinet line called Crystal. Here’s  what you should expect for a top notch quality cabinet maker:

*Green-Core no added urea-formaldehyde plywood *Interior is natural maple veneer coated with a non-emitting and exceptionally durable UV topcoat *3/4″ thick sides *Shelves ate 3/4″ plywood  *Tops and bottoms are 3/4″ thick and backs are 1/2″ thick  *Matching wood edge tape *Drawer boxes are 3/4″ thick solid wood dovetail joints *Top stretchers for added strength *Concealed full-extension under-mount guides *Guides are zinc-coated steel with self-closing feature * Luxury finish called LuxGuard exclusive to Crystal has enhanced depth of color and durability with a touchable, silky feel *Limited Lifetime warranty.

Visit our showroom to see, feel and touch this exceptional custom cabinet line Crystal.

Always looking to improve themselves (we love that!)…Crystal launches their latest changes effective on orders placed 6/1/11.  For starters, Plywood Case Construction is now standard in all four of Crystal’s lines as well as wood edge tape on their two frameless lines- Quest and Encore.  Although many manufacturers now offer plywood construction, Crystal takes it a step further by using the best American Made material available.  Their plywood is a natural maple veneer overlaying a plywood platform with no added formaldehyde and a moisture-resistant adhesive.  The interior cabinet surfaces are coated with a non-emitting and exceptionally durable UV topcoat, which greatly exceeds the performance of paper laminated surfaces offered by many others. This plywood uses only domestic materials, helping to reduce its carbon footprint and avoiding the formaldehyde emission and illegal harvesting issues common in some imported composite panels.  The majority of the harvested tree is used, supporting the sustainable use of natural resources, which means the wood will exhibit natural characteristics of maple including a mix of light and dark colors and mineral streaking.  These natural characteristics are a true reflection of the real beauty of wood!

Aside from all of the construction adds…there’s always the fun stuff too!  Imagine another drawer behind your drawer (double storage!!) or an all wood (hand made) louvered door.  Perhaps your ceilings are really tall- did you know Crystal can build tall cabinets up to 108″ high as a standard option?  These are by no means all of your options; there are really too many to list.  Bottom line, your International Kitchens Designer can help you realize your own “perfect kitchen” fantasy- try us and see for yourself!

getting the plumbing hooked up

    For the past 4 years, I have been traveling to New Orleans to help in the rebuilding of homes after the destruction left by Katrina in 2005.

    This April 16th, myself and ten other professionals from the design field, will head down to work on our 4th house. We will install kitchen cabinets, counter tops, floor tile, trim and paint….the finishing touches that help a family  finally move back home.

   As of  August 2010, there are still 20,000 people waiting for their “Road Home” money from the Government. Most all of the rebuilding that is happening in New Orleans is through volunteer groups, such as ours.

   Please check out our blog   http://seakatrun.tumblr.com/  to view our past projects, as well as client stories and photos. This year we will work on Barb and Kim’s house; a mother and daughter who were scammed out of their “Road Home” money by a contractor.

    If you would like to donate to our projects, you can contact me for more information at barbieb@ikcooks.com . 100% of donations goes to buying supplies.