Below are some photos and observations from last week’s KBIS The Kitchen and Bath Industry Show held in Las Vegas. Paul, Julie, Chris, Katie, Juliet, and Camilla attended this year. Due to Covid Main Line Kitchen Design hadn’t attended the show since 2020
Author: pmcalary
Paul McAlary is the President of Main Line Kitchen Design in Narberth, PA. He's been designing award winning kitchens for 25 years and can be reached at paul@mainlinekitchendesign.com
Amish Custom Cabinets. Handmade or Homemade?
When most kitchen designers talk about custom cabinets, they are referring to cabinetry made in large production facilities with the ability to custom make individual cabinetry pieces and to modify cabinetry as desired.
Reasons NOT to buy cabinets from kitchen contractors.
Homeowners who buy cabinets from kitchen contractors usually pay more than necessary and, often, get inferior kitchen designs, as well. This occurs because too many unscrupulous contractors markup cabinet prices – up to as much as 50%.
Calls with Paul: The Kitchen Design Podcast. Episode 21
Paul talks to Eric who has a kitchen designed by Home Depot. While the design is OK, it could be better configured. Paul moves cabinetry around to create a more functional kitchen. Paul explains why you don’t want a speed oven with an oven door that folds down placed too high. Paul explains why slab doors look better in frameless cabinets.
The IKEA Effect: A Phenomenon That Drives Kitchen Designers Crazy!
“The IKEA effect is a cognitive bias in which consumers place a disproportionately high value on what they partially create.” Wikipedia
In these studies researchers found that consumers valued their own work product far above what would be considered reasonable or rational. For example, researchers found that the majority of people attempting origami for the first time rated their own creation better than the same design done by an origami master.
Why 39 inch high wall cabinets should not be used.
With the objective of maximum storage space, Inexperienced kitchen designers and homeowners often design kitchens using 39 inch high wall cabinets. This is both a costly and unsightly mistake for homeowners with kitchen ceilings that are eight feet high (96 inches) or so. Here’s why.
Famous TV Kitchens with Problems.
Why are most kitchens so terribly designed? Why do architects, interior designers, contractors, and even some kitchen designers place so little value on good and even safe kitchen design? One of the reasons may be that we are bombarded with bad kitchen designs from almost every TV show and movie we watch.
Calls with Paul: The Kitchen Design Podcast. Episode 20
Paul talks with Holly who was working with Costco on her kitchen. Moving a doorway and changing the direction of Holly’s island makes her design better. Paul eliminates the blind corners in Holly’s kitchen. Paul explains how moving a light fixture can create needed space.
Kitchen Sinks and What You Need to Know About Them.
After the turn of the century and prior to 1950 most sinks were standalone enameled cast iron and often included a drain board like the sink above. Between 1950 and 1980 nearly all kitchen sinks became top mounted. This is because most countertops during that period were made using plywood or particleboard and both are easily damaged by water.