What defines a luxurious kitchen? Over-the-top products? One-of-a-kind requests and customized solutions? K+BB asked a roundtable of pros in the know about their design approaches to and experiences in creating luxury kitchens for a high-end clientele always on the lookout for something unique. What are the latest trends in upscale kitchen design and products? Here’s what they had to say:


K+BB: In your opinion, what are some of the best approaches a designer can take when designing a kitchen for a luxury-minded client?

Jamie Kern, ASID, president of Design Theory Interiors: First of all, you need to understand the client's lifestyle and know how they are going to live in the space. Secondly, a designer should be able to offer really great resources, new materials and state-of-the-art technological products. In the luxury market, you need to step up your game. Thirdly, a designer must stretch his or her imagination because luxury is opulence and indulgence. Anyone who is going to invest in a luxury kitchen wants to make a statement.

William W. Stubbs, IIDA, owner of William Stubbs & Associates: People's likes and dislikes can be so varied. I just finished a fabulous luxury kitchen for a client who loves to cook. She was passionate about every detail. It had to be very practical. On the other hand, I have another client who doesn't cook but wants a stunning kitchen and could care less about how it functions. Those are two ends of the spectrum and I've got everyone in between. For one person, the kitchen is the heart of the home. For the other, it's just something that needs to look nice.

Jamie Drake, ASID, principal of Drake Design Associates: I think the best approach is to make sure you design very special spaces that offer unique solutions. The luxury client responds to products made especially for them. These could include custom cabinetry and specialized storage. Certainly, high-performance appliances are essential. Often, a luxury client has an abundance of square footage, which allows us to create multiple work zones with a variety of equipment.


K+BB: In your opinion, what truly makes a kitchen luxurious?

Stubbs: It's all in the details and the finishes. Kitchens can be luxurious at any size. It can be a tiny kitchen, but the finishes and materials should be carefully selected and presented in a very sophisticated manner. A kitchen with a lot of square footage can look very basic if it doesn't have a lot of detail. It's really about the richness of materials and the intersection of different materials.

Mick De Giulio, founder of de Giulio Kitchen Design: It's about very good design. Good design means the best in function, beauty and permanence. I don't think of luxury as anything that you would throw away. Going with the best ideas, overall approach and best strategy defines luxury first. Sometimes better ideas are not necessarily more expensive. It's about identifying challenges and creating opportunities. Spending can be prioritized according to the overall budget.

Drake: Aesthetically speaking, marble, recycled glass or other stone countertops matched with beautiful glass or specialized mirrored tile backsplashes and paired with the finest millwork, whether rich stained wood or lacquered surfaces, is truly luxurious. Also, highest-quality appliances are essential.




_{Designer Mick De Giulio brought together a mix of cabinetry styles, rich finishes and custom-designed signature pieces to create this European-influenced kitchen in Chicago.}


K+BB: What's the most unique feature you've ever put into a kitchen?

Jamie Gibbs, ASID, IFDA, WCAA, principal of Jamie Gibbs and Associates: The most unique thing I have ever installed in a kitchen was a dog feeding and play station. It was a huge fenced area about 12 ft. sq. with Astroturf on a concrete slab that had a floor drain and a garden hose spigot.

I've had requests for built-in, library-quality shelves, which are becoming more common for home chefs who use them to store their cookbooks. I've also put in restaurant-quality warming lamps above the island. Motorized revolving storage for china, pots, bakeware, glassware and serving pieces are becoming a hit, as well as counter pop-up TVs and DVD storage drawers. People say to me that they want storage solutions not unlike what they have in the bedroom. Isn't that what luxury is all about?

Stubbs: For two different kitchens in Texas, I installed an antique fireplace backplate—a cast wrought iron plate used during the 1600s that accumulates heat from a roaring fire during the daytime. When the fire went out, the wrought iron continued to radiate heat in the kitchen during the evening.
 
For one client, I designed a secondary kitchen area in another room with a sink and a dishwasher for the sole purpose of washing dirty dishes. The client wanted the main kitchen to always looks clean.

Drake: One of the most unique solutions we've ever installed was a stack of four Wolf warming drawers for a client who has a dining room that can seat 60 people. This ensured that every plate arrived at the table at the right temperature.


K+BB: Are there any consumer or lifestyle trends impacting the design of luxury kitchens?

Gibbs: Homeowners are working more with designers and architects. What I've experienced so far is that they're willing to spend money on a gargantuan kitchen with all the bells and whistles. They are greatly influenced by what they see on the cooking channels. If it's seen on TV, then it's seen as state-of-the-art. Wood-fired pizza ovens are hot right now because people are seeing them on the Food Network.

De Giulio: People want to live in their kitchens. They see this space as the center of the home and the hub for the family. As a result, they are getting bigger, more money is being spent and more attention is being paid to the details and needs of the clients who want a unique space. It's not about the designer or the products. It's about the entire design itself.

Kern: I am seeing that dining in is becoming a little more chic these days, and homeowners are spending more on culinary tools, tableware and barware. I have friends who host elaborate cooking parties. People are investing more in high-end finishes, Italian cabinetry with high-gloss laminate and other unique products such as recycled glass surfaces and antique brass countertops. People are doing things to be different, even finding high-end appliances that offer an engraved emblem with their name on it. Luxury kitchens are becoming more personal and a statement area in the home.

Drake: Certainly, one of the strongest trends I've seen is the absolute necessity in everyone's mind for a luxury kitchen to have wine storage, even if they're not wine drinkers. We're also seeing more requests for multiple refrigeration areas, including beverage drawers, and an openness to a variety of countertop materials and cabinet finishes in one kitchen. It takes a sophisticated designer to balance multiple materials.


K+BB: If someone doesn't have a lot of money, what are some ideas to make their kitchens look high-end and absolutely fabulous?

Drake: The easiest way to convey luxury can be achieved using beautiful, quality decorative hardware and pulls and installing a magical backsplash. Fabulous tile can be found at all price points. That combined with a beautiful wall color or a fabulous wall covering can create a sense of high style on a low budget.

Stubbs: If you're on a budget and you have a basic kitchen, you can make it look luxurious through the way you accessorize it with a period collection, such as cookie jars from the 1950s or pink plastic appliance and kitchen gadgets from the '50s and '60s. Also, paint is always the cheapest way to make a great impression. If you have a basic kitchen, be brave with paint.

De Giulio: Since every kitchen is different, I don't think there is a formula. I think it's about design and creativity, looking at an entire space and figuring out what a client wants and needs to do, what it lacks, what the challenges are, and then trying to solve it in a unique and creative way. Creativity doesn't just mean finding the best materials. It means making a project work by making the budget work as well.