Edible Vancouver Island Design 2022

appetizers when entertaining. People inevitably gravitate to the kitchen and this area provides both a functional and aesthetically pleasing space to gather prior to sitting down to a meal. Countertops While options such as marble, quartz, laminate, butcher block and other stone countertops are still popular, Ashley maintains that “Quartz is the big seller right now, and it's what I would recommend to 99% of my clients. It's almost indestructible— much tougher than granite and easier to clean without needing daily maintenance and resealing down the road. Additionally, since quartz is manmade engineered stone, manufacturers are able to o er a huge variety of designs, colours and textures.” For our kitchen, we chose a white marble style of quartz that comple mented the surrounding ooring and cabinets. Kitchen cabinets It’s hard to beat the refreshing look of white in a kitchen, and popular trends right now include mixing white cabinets with darker colours, which is why we opted to introduce grey cabi net accents in our kitchen. Other popular trends for 2022 are dark blues, various green tones, wood grain accents or even black. Adding open shelving to display dishes, bowls and other signa ture pieces has also become a new feature in today’s kitchens, but I prefer more traditional cabinets, as my priority is to keep the kitchen looking clean and uncluttered. Appliances Stainless steel has been around for some time, but they are still the most popular look for kitchen appliances, so we moved away from our previous look of white appliances. e stainless steel complements the contrast of white and grey in the kitchen. Since I spend a lot of time cooking and baking, we also included two convection ovens, which are so helpful, particularly when pre

paring large meals. We also felt it was important to include two dishwashers in the kitchen, and that has been one of our best remodeling decisions. Now that I’ve become used to having a sec ond dishwasher, it’s hard to imagine living without it, particularly during those times when we are entertaining. If cooking is important to you, then consider carefully the type of stovetop you plan to include. “Induction ranges are a popular choice in creating a dream kitchen. It's in line with many environ mental movements being a non-fossil fuel range, but also hugely functional and fast,” says Ashley. Now that I have the induction stovetop, I am convinced we made the right choice. In addition to the speed in which it heats up, it is incredibly easy to keep clean. Time well spent Home improvements have been hugely popular during the pan demic, as people were unable to travel and instead spent more time doing home and yard projects. If you are planning a kitchen renovation, you need to consider that time constraints and supply issues may be a factor. “In any kitchen reno there are many dif ferent factors: contractor availability, supply lead-times and many other hiccups that may come up along the way,” explains Ashley. “For the design process, I would allow around three to four weeks for plans to be drawn up, fully measured and time to go through design and material options. e cabinetry wait time may be the longest and you will want to get that locked in sooner rather than later.” In general, you can expect the construction time to vary from six to twelve weeks. Most importantly, do your research, check design websites and magazines for ideas, and come up with a wish list that will incor porate what you need for your dream kitchen. Once it is complet ed, you won’t regret taking the time to carefully consider what makes the kitchen the heart and soul of your home.

14 DESIGN 2022 EDIBLE VANCOUVER ISLAND