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January 26, 2024

Customizing Your Kitchen: 10 Trends and Tips for a Functional Space

As the heart of the home, the kitchen is not only a place for cooking but also for gathering, entertaining, and creating lasting memories. For homeowners embarking on the journey of building their dream custom home, designing a functional and stylish kitchen is often a top priority. Let’s explore the latest trends and offer valuable tips for customizing your kitchen to create a space that meets your unique needs and reflects your personal style.

1. Open Concept Layouts

Embracing the trend of open concept living, many homeowners opt for spacious kitchen layouts that seamlessly integrate with adjacent living and dining areas. This allows for easier flow of movement and promotes connectivity between family members and guests.

Customizing Your Kitchen: 10 Trends and Tips for a Functional Space

2. Multi-Functional Islands

Kitchen islands continue to be a popular feature in modern kitchens, offering additional counter space, storage, and seating options. To maximize functionality, consider incorporating features such as built-in appliances, prep sinks, or hidden storage compartments into your island design.

3. Smart Storage Solutions

With the rise of minimalist and clutter-free living, efficient storage solutions are essential for maintaining a tidy and organized kitchen. Custom cabinets with pull-out drawers, vertical storage racks, and hidden pantry spaces are just a few examples of innovative storage options that can help maximize space and minimize clutter.

4. High-Tech Appliances

As technology continues to advance, smart appliances are becoming increasingly popular in custom kitchen designs. From Wi-Fi-enabled refrigerators with touchscreen displays to voice-activated faucets and induction cooktops, integrating high-tech appliances can add convenience and efficiency to your kitchen routine.

5. Luxurious Finishes

When it comes to finishes, homeowners are gravitating towards luxurious materials and textures that add visual interest and sophistication to their kitchen spaces. Consider incorporating elements such as quartz countertops, marble backsplashes, and custom cabinetry with sleek hardware to elevate the overall look of your kitchen.

6. Personalized Touches

Customizing your kitchen allows you to infuse your personality and style into every detail. Whether it’s adding a pop of color with vibrant accent walls or incorporating unique design elements such as statement lighting fixtures or custom tile patterns, don’t be afraid to let your creativity shine in your kitchen design.

7. Functional Layouts

When planning your kitchen layout, prioritize functionality by considering the classic “work triangle” between the sink, stove, and refrigerator. Optimize the flow of movement by ensuring that these key elements are positioned near one another, allowing for efficient meal preparation and cooking.

8. Natural Lighting

Incorporating ample natural light into your kitchen design can enhance the overall ambiance and create a bright and inviting space. Consider installing large windows, skylights, or glass doors to allow natural light to flood into the kitchen, making it feel airy and welcoming.

9. Integrated Entertainment Spaces

For homeowners who love to entertain, consider incorporating integrated entertainment spaces into your kitchen design. This could include features such as built-in wine refrigerators, wet bars, or dedicated areas for coffee stations, allowing you to seamlessly host gatherings and socialize with guests while preparing meals.

10. Sustainable Practices

As sustainability becomes increasingly important in-home design, consider incorporating eco-friendly materials and practices into your kitchen design. opt for energy-efficient appliances, eco-friendly cabinetry made from sustainable materials, and low-VOC paints and finishes to create a kitchen that is both stylish and environmentally conscious.

Designing a custom kitchen is an exciting opportunity to create a space that perfectly suits your lifestyle and preferences. By incorporating the latest trends and implementing functional design principles, you can create a kitchen that is not only stylish and visually appealing but also practical and efficient for everyday use. Whether you’re a gourmet chef, avid entertainer, or simply love to gather with family and friends, customizing your kitchen allows you to create a space that truly feels like home. Contact us today to learn more about creating your dream kitchen!

Thanks for reading, and please don’t hesitate to reach out

-Knowlton Concepts Team

December 14, 2023

Why is Custom Home Design-Build Better

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Why is Custom Home Design-Build Better?

Deciding to build a custom home is a big decision, and you want to feel prepared with the right information about the process and what to expect. Here is something things you can expect from the custom home design-build process.

What is the Custom Home Building Process?

Building a custom home begins with the pre-construction process. One of the very first important steps is finding the right home builder. Once you’ve potentially found the right home builder for your project you will want to start with these 3 key steps.

Finding Your Land or Lot

You’ll need to select a suitable lot or piece of land for your custom home. If you already own your lot, then that’s great! If not, you can enlist a real estate agent to help you find that perfect piece of land. At Knowlton Custom Homes, we have a network of resources to help you find land that suits the type of home you are hoping to build.

Designing Your Custom Home

When going to your initial design meeting, its ideal to have plenty of information, like style ideas, a list of your must-haves, and the space your family needs. This will help your designer create a design that meets your custom home needs.

Construction

Finally, the last phase where your dream home becomes a reality! At Knowlton, we understand the importance of communication, you’ll be kept up to date on every schedule, the daily job log, and your construction budget during the construction phase.

What Do I Need To Know Before Designing My Custom Home?

Before approaching a home builder and designer, you’ll need to ask yourself a few important decisions about what your wants and needs are in a custom home.

How many bedroom and bathrooms do we need for our family?
What would you like included in your master suite?
Do you need a laundry room, mudroom office, butler pantry?
What style of home would you like?
What are some of the things you love about your current home and some of the challenges?
What is your budget?
How many stories or levels?
Think about the future, will you family grow?
What are your needs vs wants?

What is the Design-Build Process?

Design-Build is a streamlined process that’s more seamless and stress-free than the design-bid-build process. At Knowlton, we design and build your custom home to create a design that is both feasible and within your budget from the very beginning. The Design-build process is centred around collaboration and communication. Because you’re working with a team that has established professional relationships, you’ll be able to avoid the miscommunications that the design-bid-build process has.

Advantages Of The Custom Design-Build Process & Why Is It Right For You?

More Effective Communication

As mentioned before the communication with the design-build process, is simply just better. Because the design process happens with your home builder and designer in unison. Rather than before the home builder is involved, you design-build team works together. This reduces miscommunications about design or materials, ensuring your custom home stays on budget and is feasible.

Better Quality and on Budget

With the design-bid-build method, you’re more likely to run into lower bids that are unclear or incomplete, which will result in added cost down the line. The Design-Build method ensures your costs are all laid out in detail before the paperwork is signed. At Knowlton we are an open book builder, meaning you will see every invoice and subcontractors estimate, no hidden costs or fees. Which in the long run will mean you will have better quality.

Time Saver

With the design-build method, there is no excessive back and forth after your design has already been created. You also won’t have to navigate the bidding process.

How to Get Started with your custom home: Knowlton Concepts

At Knowlton Concepts we understand the importance of both your experience and quality of building your custom home. The process should be stress-free, and seamless. We prioritize building a strong relationship with every client, and understanding your family’s needs.

Contact Kelowna’s Premium custom home builder to schedule a consultation to learn more about our design-build here at Knowlton Concepts, to see if we’ll be a good fit for your project.

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December 23, 2019

Is Building A Carriage House A Good Investment?

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5 Reasons Why Building A Carriage House Is A Great Investment

Often referred to as a carriage house, coach house, or laneway house, the main idea remains the same: create affordable housing during economically challenging times. In Kelowna BC, a carriage house is defined as a dwelling unit located within a building that is subordinate to the principal dwelling on the lot and is not an accessory building or structure. In the city, there are urban and rural zones, and only certain zoning jurisdictions on which a carriage house may be built. If your lot is not zoned to allow for the addition of a carriage house, you may be able to apply for re-zoning if your lot complies with certain requirements.

In Kelowna, a carriage house may have two stories and is limited to a maximum living area of 90 square meters or 968 square feet. Due to this limitation, a garage or other non-living spaces often utilize the remaining area. However, if you limit the carriage house to a single storey, the maximum living area increases to 100 square meters or 1076 square feet as an incentive.

Is Building A Carriage House A Good Investment?

These five reasons outline why building a carriage house is a great investment:

Gain Space

If you opt for a two storey carriage house, you may gain a garage or other non-living space such as a workshop or storage on the main level. The livable space created on the second floor would make a fantastic office space or guest suite.

Mortgage Helper

Create a one or two-bedroom suite on the second floor and rent it out as a way to generate passive income.

Retain Privacy

Instead of sharing a portion of the principal dwelling with a tenant, the addition of a carriage house allows the homeowner and tenants to benefit from the privacy of separate spaces.

Rental Shortage

By creating a rental suite, you will be helping a family or individual find long-term accommodation – something that the province of BC has been lacking due to a lack of affordability in housing and the impact of short-term rentals on the rental market.

Densification

Increasing the number of people in a given area may result in greater diversification of services in the community to serve the local population while homeowners and tenants benefit by having more amenities at their disposal. With a denser population, multi-modal transport options can also be implemented to manage traffic congestion and reduce parking issues.

If you’re thinking about investing in your property, feel free to reach out and connect with us.

-Knowlton Concepts Team

December 12, 2019

10 Popular Home Design Styles

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If you’re like most people and don’t have a background in art, architecture, or design, you have probably wondered what “prairie style”, “west coast style”, or “mid-century modern” means, and what’s the difference between modern and contemporary anyway? Read on for a break down a few of the most popular home design styles.

Tudor Style

The Tudor style signaled the end of medieval architecture in England and were built during the Tudor period from 1485-1603. These timber framed homes are most commonly seen with brick laid in an intricate pattern on the first story, and stucco or wood with decorative trim on the second story. Roofs were steep with prominent cross gables, and the windows were often tall and narrow with multiple rectangular or diamond shaped panes and would be grouped in rows. Simple floorplans and central chimneys are key elements of the style.

Colonial Style

Colonial style homes developed in the United States between 1600 and 1800 and were especially popular during the Revolutionary War. Evolving from European influences brought by immigrants, there are several types of Colonial houses. The British colonial, which lead to sub-types such as the Saltbox, Cape Cod, Georgian, and Mid Atlantic; as well as the Dutch, Spanish, French, and German Colonial styles. The style is known for its rectangular two story, four over four (four rooms on each floor) layout and sometimes had a third half story in the form of an attic. Defining features that each sub-style has in common are brick, wood, or shingle siding, dormer windows, attic roofs, a central front door and symmetrical windows at the front of the house.

Victorian Style

During the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901, a variety of architectural styles became popular. These styles were most prevalent in Britain and other British colonies and include the Italianate, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Stick-Eastlake, and Second Empire styles. The housing boom of the Industrial Revolution meant that millions of these homes were built and could be enjoyed by all classes, due to the lower cost of building materials. Prominent features include chimneys, slate roofing, sash windows, towers, balconies, entry and wraparound porches, steep complex roofs, decorative trim, stained glass, and wrought iron galleries.

Prairie Style

The prairie style was pioneered in the Midwestern United States in the early 1900s by a group of architects that included Frank Lloyd Wright. The style is defined by horizontal lines, gently sloping hipped or flat roofs, broad overhanging eaves, brick or stucco exteriors with wood, large central chimneys, rows of windows, and open floorplans. Contemporary regional iterations often incorporate stone veneer instead of brick, a hallmark of the West Coast style.

American Craftsman Style

The American Craftsman style developed out of the Arts and crafts movement in the late 1800s and continuing into the 1930s. Reacting to the industrial revolution, this style celebrated the work of skilled artisans and local natural materials. Homes of this style often have dormer windows, wood or stone siding, a low-pitched roof, wide overhanging eaves often with decorative beams or braces under gables. There may also be interior woodwork, exposed roof rafters, and full or partial porches framed by tapered square columns.

Art Deco Style

Art Deco takes its name from the French arts decoratifs and originated in France just before WWI and remained popular into the late 1930s. A style of visual arts, architecture, it influenced the design of everything from buildings to jewelry, furniture, automobiles, to radios and other household items. The style features sleek, curved shapes, creating a streamlined design with little decoration. Later known as streamline modern, buildings in this style often feature flat roofs, white stucco exteriors with rounded corners, horizontal lines, glass block, and nautical features.

Mid-Century Modern Style

Another style that had influence across many design sectors was the mid-century modern movement. America’s reflection of the International and Bauhaus movements of Europe, it was heavily inspired by Scandinavian style as well. The style became popular after WWII in 1945, continued through the 1970s and brought post-war modernism to the suburbs. With an emphasis on clean simplicity and integration with nature, the style is characterized by its use of oversized windows, flat or gabled roofs, open space, sliding glass doors, double wide entry doors, stone or wood siding and emphasis on functionality.

West Coast Style

The West Coast style first emerged in the Greater Vancouver area in the 1940s and spread to surrounding coastal areas. With an emphasis on incorporating the rugged surrounding landscapes, each building is designed in response to each individual site, maximizing what it has to offer – whether it be a view or sunlight. It combines the International style, and Japanese residential design, with the flat or low-pitched roofs, deep eaves, and large window panels of the prairie style. Some unique features include exteriors of stucco, stone, and wood siding, open ceilings with exposed post and beam structure, and vaulted ceilings with matching tongue and groove fir or cedar that continues outside, along the underside of the eaves.

Contemporary Style

What makes contemporary style unique from modern style? Modern refers to a specific period of time (early 1900s through 1970), while contemporary is what is popular at the moment. It is dynamic, evolving, and may incorporate elements from a variety of design genres. The home design style features simple ornamentation, horizontal, and vertical shapes, and hipped or flat roofs. Exterior attributes include elements such as large windows, wood, stone, steel, and concrete. You will also see designers exploring new techniques and materials to achieve this clean and simple aesthetic. These homes borrow the open floor plans of the modern style and use current technology to make them as advanced and efficient as possible.

What style do you like? Thanks for reading, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like to discuss incorporating any of these home design styles into a design for your new home.

-Knowlton Concepts Team

July 15, 2019

Welcome to Knowlton Concepts

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Welcome to Knowlton Concepts Inc., Kelowna’s premier new home and carriage home designer, drafter and builder. Thanks for browsing the site and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

– Knowlton Concepts Team