All of us at Dream Kitchens Dream Rooms are very proud to announce a second place finish in the National Kitchen & Bath Associations awards ceremony held in Las Vegas a few days ago.  Just to be considered for a national award like this is an honor especially when you know that thousands of entries are sent in from around the country and placing second in the country feels incredible.

The second place finish was for a kitchen Keven and I designed for a private residence just north of Madison.  This kitchen fell into the “Open Plan” category but the entire home was a combination of efforts between Dream Kitchen Dream Rooms and Hart DeNoble Builders.  And, from looking at the images on the home page and ins the showcase section, you can tell that the kitchen and the house are magnificent!

The open space floor plan for the home is based around a Frank Lloyd Wright type of design and when we received the plans for the project we were very excited to combine our creative skills and experience into the project.  Rolling up our sleeves and getting our hands dirty is the best way make these kinds of projects come to life.

When you walk in the front door of this home the first thing you notice is the kitchen and then your eyes gaze off to the right to a sunken living area.  It’s spectacular!  What’s also interesting is that the vaulted ceiling above the kitchen became part of the design challenge and with all the natural light that pours into the space from the top and the front and back of the house and we had to design a space that took advantage of how Frank Lloyd Wright would have envisioned it.  Frank was an architectural genius and we didn’t want to disappoint him or the client.

Keven and I we were involved involved in the project from the ground up and there were so many things to consider to complete the kitchen (as well as other rooms in the house).  Two granite top islands that double as seating and workstations and a bar area and a butler pantry that flowed nicely together. The double Wolf ovens enclosed the area from the living area and the back of the ovens doubled as a bookshelf.  The drop in range that sits below the exposed twenty-foot tall stainless steel hood vent that doubles as an objet d’art.  The hood vent is spectacular and when you see it your eyes will follow it all the way up and through the ceiling.  It was designed and made by Hooper Corporation out of Madison. In typical Frank Lloyd Wright style just about everything we did had a dual purpose taking advantage of the natural surroundings.

“The architect should strive continually to simplify; the ensemble of the rooms should then be carefully considered that comfort and utility may go hand in hand with beauty.”

~ Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank was right and every inch of space is designed for use in this kitchen with no wasted space.  Our skills at space planning and creativity is how we designed this kitchen and is probably why this project was recognized by the NKBA.  The granite counter tops are stunning and compliment the beautiful dark wood floors and although this home is large it doesn’t feel large.  It’s comfortable and warm and feels like home.  There is so much to look at and yet the design is clean and natural.  Everything in the kitchen compliments the open space of the rest of the home and the tall ceiling above the kitchen ties the design together perfectly.  Studying the design styles and beliefs of Frank Lloyd Wright during this project was fun and fascinating.

There isn’t an abundant of wall space for art because the natural stone and gorgeous windows throughout the home take on a life of their own.  Even when you’re inside you feel as though your part of the outdoors and the landscaping is breathtaking.

This project was incredible and everyone involved did a fantastic job and although my name is on the award the collaboration and efforts of so many people made this kitchen a winner.

Terri Schmidt, CKD
Dream Kitchens Dream Rooms