Q & A with Jennifer Gilmer - New Kitchen Design Trends

Check out this excerpt from an interview with Jennifer that ran in a few nationally syndicated newspapers last week...

Cooking with Kitchens

Kitchen designer Jennifer Gilmer shares trends and tips for updating and improving your kitchen

September 18, 2009 8:58 AM

By Barbara Ballinger

CTW Features

Jennifer Gilmer, CKD, is an award-winning designer whose eponymous Washington, D.C. firm has designed more than 1,000 kitchens in a variety of styles and won more than 15 national awards, including the “Pinnacle of Design” for the best overall space at this year’s annual National Kitchen & Bath Association convention in Atlanta.
With kitchens remaining many homeowners’ favorite rooms to remodel, there’s a stronger chance of recouping dollars spent on this investment than several others. Here Gilmer discusses the latest trends, including how to pare the high cost of remodeling and her latest venture, Kitchen Design OnLine, which helps homeowners plan their dream kitchen wherever they live.

Question: You're used to designing fairly high-end kitchens. What are the essentials that differentiate them from lower- and mid-range kitchens?

Answer: Better quality kitchens have more character, like open shelves that float or are suspended by cables, pantry cabinets or islands designed to look like furniture, stacked cabinets almost to the ceiling with interesting moldings and thicker countertops. They also have built-in refrigerators, double side-by-side instead of stacked ovens and more specialized appliances like steam/convection ovens. Finishes are also more custom, such as milk paint, crackle and exotic woods. Backsplashes are more intricate or custom. Lighting is improved with smaller low-voltage recessed cans or an antique chandelier over an island or table.

Q: You've recently developed KitchenDesignOnline.net, where you help homeowners bridge the gap between high-end showrooms and home improvement stores by providing design plans online. How does this work?

A: I developed the idea after hearing people talk about not being able to find a good designer at the discount cabinet store where they were planning on buying cabinets. Our service offers a few levels of design from basic drawings to detailed plan views, elevations and a three-dimensional drawing.

A client fills out a questionnaire about the style they prefer, appliances, their lifestyle, number of family members, number of cooks, entertaining needs, et cetera. We also ask clients to measure and sketch their kitchen, and we have a section on our site that explains how to do this. Once that sketch is uploaded to our site, we draw the existing space and send back drawing(s) to be checked. We work on the floor plan until they’re satisfied.
Next comes elevations. The process continues until clients approve the final design. They can take it to the cabinet showroom where they’ll purchase cabinetry or use the design to shop around and choose a cabinet dealer.

For the full article, click here 

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to measure and sketch their kitchen, and we have a section on our site that explains how to do this. Once that sketch is uploaded to our site, we draw the existing space and send back drawing(s) to be checked. We work on the floor plan until they’re satisfied.