Author Archives: bo@expresskitchen.net

Pick the right interior design style for your kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in your home, so it’s no wonder that kitchen designs are such big business in the interior design world. Kitchen renovation or kitchen remodeling is a huge project and a major investment in your home. There are many different styles of kitchen designs and choosing which style is right for your home is the first step. Express Kitchens offer important design ideas to plan for kitchen renovation or installation of new kitchen.

 

There are really only two things that affect a kitchen style – your own personal preferences for look and feel as well as the style of your home. Your new kitchen will reflect your personality, but because the kitchen remodel is such a large investment you may not want to let your design style run wild. Instead consider the overall style of your home and plan for a kitchen that blends well with its surroundings.

There are really only three types of kitchen styles: traditional, contemporary and transitional. Many other style names that you may have heard of, such as rustic or French country, are actually a subset of one of these three.  You’ll find coastal, colonial, old world, country, French country and rustic styles grouped within the traditional style category.  Likewise, the contemporary category may include modern and mid-century styles. The transitional style category blends the best elements of both traditional and contemporary styles to create a fresh, updated look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before selecting your style check other resources on the internet, TV and magazines to truly match your style with your personality and the look of your home. The costing plays an important in the decision-making process of installing new kitchen at your home and it is empirical for all to keep a watch on the ongoing promotional offers of kitchen designers, installers and manufacturers.

TRADITIONAL

Traditional kitchens are a classic style of kitchen, and typically have many architectural details and embellishments that contradict today’s modern, simplistic tendencies. These embellishments can include corbels, cabinet door arches and moldings, decorative glass doors, hutch-style cabinets and elegant furniture posts.  

Traditional kitchens typically feature framed, raised-panel cabinetry, and are often accented with ornate light fixtures and classic style hardware. You may also find traditional kitchens will most likely use warm color wood species such as maple, cherry and oak that showcases the natural beauty of the wood cabinetry. Traditional cabinets may be finished with a wood stain or paint.

CONTEMPORARY OR MODERN

While many people associate contemporary kitchens with modern kitchens, this is not necessarily the case. Contemporary, by definition, means “of the moment” or “current”. Contemporary kitchens feature many of the current design trends and cutting-edge design elements.

Modern kitchen design is very simplistic and, at times, industrial. Modern kitchens tend to feature full-access cabinetry with a flat-panel (slab) cabinet finishes and simple hardware, giving the kitchen an overall sleek look. Clean, horizontal lines are also an important element in modern kitchen design. You will not find many ornamental elements in modern kitchens because of the category’s overall simple nature. The main emphasis of a modern kitchen will be clean and simple that emphasizes unbroken horizontal lines and details that contribute to the overall sleek look, such as minimal moldings, simple door shapes and no ornate details.

 

TRANSITIONAL

Arguably the easiest and most popular style today, the transitional kitchen combines features of both traditional and modern design. The transitional style really is a crossover look that will blend elements such as texture, colors, flooring, lightning, and highlight appliances rather than hiding them behind wooden panels.

Design lines will be softer and lean towards the simple and linear and will not be heavy with decorative accents. The transitional kitchen style will simply be a comfortable mix of styles. Homeowners often use natural surfaces for their countertops, such as granite, quartz, marble, or wood, but with simple edge profiles.

 

Choosing the Right Style

Take your time when selecting a style for your kitchen. Consider your tastes and preferences, as well as how you plan to use the room. Select a style that you find visually appealing and that will be as functional as it is attractive.

Local girl wins medals with the help of our community

Tia-Mari Starr Brown dreamt of qualifying for the US Olympic Track & Field team. Tony and Clover Brown – like most parents – were supportive of Tia-Mari and always wished to fulfil her dreams of being a successful athlete. They both firmly believed that their daughter, Tia-Mari desired to be the best in pushing herself to achieve new heights of success. With her immense dedication, hard work and commitment, Tia-Mari was shortlisted for an international athletic competition in Australia.

The struggle for Tony and Clover Brown were far from over when they realized the paucity of resources which could prevent their daughter’s dream run to compete at international level.

Tia-Mari Starr Brown (3rd from Left) scored 2 silver medals at Australia

Tia-Mari’s desire to win a medal at an international contest received encouragement and support from Express Kitchens team.  Tony Brown, a long-serving employee at Express Kitchens, was ably supported by Management Team at his workplace including his colleagues, employees and staff members.

They all came up with the idea of hiring the services of Clover Brown by purchasing food every week that will support Tony and Clover Brown’s efforts to send Tia-Mari to global athlete competition.

A small thought of support from Express Kitchens turned out to be a great success effort for Tia-Mari Starr Brown, who not only went ahead and participated in Australia but also achieved the feat of 2 times silver medals won at the global athlete competition.

As an organization, Express Kitchens genuinely support its employees in their personal goals and continue having conversations about what they do and who they are becoming. The fulfilment of purpose not only keeps people satisfied in their roles but goes a long way towards establishing the strong bond to keep its best talent — and keep its talent doing their best. Creating a sense that you care about your employees can both motivate and inspire them.

CEO of Express Kitchens, Max Kothari, says, “We look forward to bring a change in the lives of people by connecting and associating ourselves with causes and dreams of people. When we hear about someone’s dreams, our natural response is to aid in their realization. When they achieve personal goals, the resultant satisfaction and positive energy comes back and influences everything they do.”

Express Kitchens is supporting community development activities with an objective of empowering people to achieve and fulfil their dreams. The workplace culture at Express Kitchens encourages its employee to come forward and become change agents for the initiative of supporting people’s dreams by helping them achieve professional and personal success.

Express Kitchens is adopting a collaborative community development model to create shared value and develop healthy, long-term relationships with external stakeholders, as well. In another initiative aimed to engage with the community, the Commercial team at Express Kitchens spent valuable time at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. The team gifted toys, books and goodies to the Child and Family Support Services department. As Max Kothari, states, “They had the choice of spending a substantial amount and they could have spent it restaurants or for their personal use. Instead, they chose to spend it wisely by donating it to the hospital. We celebrated the spirit of giving back to society and serve the community.”

Explore Wooden Range of Cabinets for your Kitchen

At Express Kitchens, we believe in innovating and inventing new range of wooden cabinets for your kitchen that enhances the look, provides comfort and convenience and adds value to the glory of your kitchen. The Echelon wooden cabinets offer you wide range and scope of enhancing and upgrading your kitchen at the most affordable costs. We will help you customize your new kitchen with the most beautiful kitchen cabinets and counter tops.

BIRCH

Birch is a subtle contemporary and close-grained hardwood, whose colors go from cream to reddish-brown. Its texture is fine and even, and the grain is often straight but can also come in wavy or curly patterns, mirroring maple. With a smooth paintable surface, birch can be stained to resemble mahogany or walnut, but is typically at its best when left natural and sealed with a clear coating.

CHERRY

Cherry wood cabinets, with a fine to medium grain pattern, provide an elegant look that is suitable for contemporary or traditional styling. It is moderately hard and strong, and resists both warping and checking. While usually pinkish-brown in color, there are also shades of off-white, green, and even gray. An American classic, cherry darkens beautifully with age and contains occasional knots, which gives it a unique beauty.

MAPLE

Cabinets in maple, a strong hardwood known for its close, uniform grain. Treasured by furniture and cabinet makers for years, the fine texture of maple lends itself well to both contemporary and traditional styling. Maple wood might occasionally include curly or wavy variations in the grain pattern. Colors range from light tan or cream to yellow to light reddish-brown.

OAK

The prominent open grain pattern and textured surface of oak cabinets make it a natural choice for those interested in a more traditional or casual country look. This hardwood is heavy-grained and durable, and its visible characteristics include mineral streaks and pin knots, with it’s attractive red or white oak color tones.

THERMOFOIL

Milled from vinyl wrapped material over fiberboard, thermofoil cabinets offer contemporary styling, exceptional durability and wear properties, as well as superior cleaning features. Thermofoil is applied to cabinetry frames, giving perfect door-to-frame match in comparison to painted frames, which vary in color.

Fast-expanding Express Kitchens open new store in Springfield, Massachusetts

Express Kitchens store at Springfield, MA

 

Express Kitchens, has ramped up its presence in Massachusetts with its 15th store location at Springfield. The new location of Express Kitchens store will feature an intriguing range of kitchen cabinets, countertops, and kitchen accessories. Connecticut’s leading kitchen cabinet manufacturer, Express Kitchens brings custom cabinets to the Massachusetts market, which is primarily driven by the willingness of the customers to invest in exclusive designs for dream kitchens.

Express Kitchens offer its flagship Star Cabinetry line of solutions that have already captured the fancy of buyers across Connecticut and Massachusetts. In addition, the company deals with other nationally-acclaimed brands of kitchen cabinets and is endorsed as the one-stop designation for hundreds of kitchen cabinet options. A family owned and operated business, Express Kitchens supplies the entire Northeast market. Producing and assembling their own cabinet line, including laminate and granite countertops, allows Express Kitchens to directly pass along the savings to their customers. Monthly store-wide promotions are offered.

 

The company is actively involved in designing and installing tailor-made kitchen solutions for over a decade and is among the fastest growing names in the region’s cabinetry industry. The state of Massachusetts has been a happy destination for Express Kitchens with retail customers endorsing the supreme quality of customer services – Bill & Carmen Blatch from Springfield, MA share their Express Kitchens experience. Watch https://youtu.be/KdP1y18MFXc.

CEO of Express Kitchens, Max Kothari, said, “Homeowners have distinct tastes, preferences, and needs when it comes to kitchen cabinets and countertops. Based on what’s popular across the world, we offer some very diverse range of alluring cabinet finishes like Oak, Cherry, Maple, Birch, Hickory, Thermofoil, Plantation Wood, and Laminate. This enables our customers to choose styles matching their tastes and create a wonderful overall appeal. We have been able to cater to different budgets over all these years. Moreover, we unveil exciting promotional offers from time to time to make prices affordable for one and all. Our secret to success is very simple: We are best aligned with customers’ needs when they are looking to remodel kitchens.”

 

In 2014, Express was the winner of Forbes Magazine Inner City 100 with a growth rate of 172% over 5 years. To date, Express Kitchens has installed over 22 thousand kitchens in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. The company’s focus on customer service has established itself as an industry leader.

Express Kitchens has locations in Bridgeport, Brookfield, Hamden, Hartford (2), Newington, New London, Norwalk, Orange, Stamford, Torrington, Southington, Waterbury, Connecticut and West Springfield, Massachusetts. For more information, stop into a store, call them at (860) 247-1000, email us at Marketing@expresskitchens.com or visit www.expresskitchens.com.

Visit our store in Springfield, MA: https://goo.gl/maps/De5fDkNzwRM2

Tips for your Free Kitchen Design Consultation

While considering the option of renovating your kitchen, the most important aspect is the design element of your kitchen. The secret of designing lies in exploring the creative element which gives emotional comfort and satisfaction to family. It also adds to the magic of using the kitchen in the best manner possible. The finesse in design adds the element of convenience to the art of cooking as well as inspires women to use kitchen space in the best possible manner.  Here are few tips that will help you get the most value out of your design consultation for your kitchen renovation.

Re-imagine your kitchen with innovative ideas:

You should start by cutting out photographs from books and magazines related to interior designing and lifestyle and printing images from the web to create your own little scrapbook of things. It is important that you use a post-it note on photographs and write the reason you selected that particular photo. The reason can include the most striking feature of the photograph that prompted you to select it and what appealed to you, when you looked at the photograph for the first time. Therefore, it is very important that you capture that reason on a post it note attached to the photo.

 

Create a delightful wish list:

Your wish list should include specific things that you’re trying to add or change about your existing kitchen. Carefully observe your kitchen and analyze what you like and dislike about your present space. Prepare a wishful list of things that you feel should be replaced or add new kitchen accessories. Are appliances outdated? Is the space unattractive? Is it inefficient? Do you need more counter space? Do you want more storage? Write it all down. Do you like the lighting? Do you want to keep the garden view? Write that down too.

 

Do basic research on your preferred and widely used appliances:

A basic online research on new and trendy appliances will be of immense help to you to get an idea of what kind of things are out there and what kind of budget range there is in your appliance selection. This will also help you establish a general category you want to be in. Your kitchen designer, at Express Kitchens, will help you refine your final choices to suit your needs. Your kitchen designer can give you a good comparative that might be a better choice, or fill you in on customer feedback by telling you what other clients liked or didn’t like about features of the appliances they selected. You need to determine how much money you want to allocate and what features are important to you.

 

Measurements of your existing kitchen are important:

At Express Kitchens, our experts will visit your house to take measurements of your existing kitchen at no additional cost. Think about the budget you are considering for the whole renovation. Then, call to make an appointment for your free pre-design consultation. Allow for a 1 to 1-1/2 hours discussion during your free consultation.

If you come to your free kitchen design consultation with all this information, we will be able to give you a wealth of additional information, ideas, style suggestions, and redesign possibilities. We will talk about functions and features that may help your particular situation and have a general discussion about kitchen budgets relative to your wish list. You will most certainly leave the meeting with good value.

Express Kitchen expands to Southington & presence across Connecticut

Opens 14th store in Southington

                  

Connecticut, July 18, 2018:

Headquartered at Hartford, CT, Express Kitchens has expanded its reach in Southington town with the opening of its new store at Patten Brook Plaza, Queen Street, CT. Express Kitchens are pioneers in the kitchen renovation and re-modeling business and is the fastest growing kitchen cabinet retailer in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The opening of Express Kitchen’s new store will allow easy access, convenience and comfort to citizens and residents of Southington and nearby towns in Connecticut.

Southington is amongst growing communities in the Hartford County and offers great prospects for growing businesses in Connecticut. Express Kitchen’s new store at Southington is a sign of growth for company’s increasing popularity in Connecticut. CEO of Express Kitchens, Max Kothari, said, “We have been successful in building trust amongst our loyal clients and customers offering supreme quality of kitchen cabinets, countertops and accessories at competitive prices. We are looking to expand our customer base in Connecticut and our new store, at Southington, is a step closer to fulfill our goal. We are excited to be in Southington market.”

Express Kitchens offers its own brand of all-wood Star Cabinetry and the Star Stone brand, offering 4 colors of granite and 8 colors of quartz countertops to its in-stock lineup, vaulting it ahead of its big-box competitors. Express Kitchens has maintained steady momentum and growth in its operations over the past 16 years and intends to continue that growth moving forward.

Speaking about organization’s unwavering focus on customer service, Max Kothari added that the company’s marketing and sales operations have witnessed an exponential growth since past couple of years. As an organization, Express Kitchens has maintained its focus on designing innovative kitchens, keeping in line with ongoing and upcoming trends in the kitchen remodeling business. Our business approach is simple – execute projects with utmost integrity and commitment towards servicing needs of our clients and customers, adds Kothari.

In 2014, Express was the winner of Forbes Magazine Inner City 100 with a growth rate of 172% over 5 years. To date, Express Kitchens has installed over 22 thousand kitchens in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. Express Kitchens has grown to 13 retail stores across Connecticut with a consistent revenue growth. The company’s focus on customer service has established itself as an industry leader.

Express Kitchens has locations in Bridgeport, Brookfield, Hamden, Hartford (2), Newington, New London, Norwalk, Orange, Stamford, Torrington, and Waterbury, Connecticut and West Springfield, Massachusetts. For more information, stop in to a store, call them at (860) 247-1000, email us at Marketing@expresskitchens.com or visit www.expresskitchens.com.

Visit our Southington Store: https://goo.gl/maps/x8RU2WxWvMu

Great experience all around!

For all good reasons, this kitchen cabinet installation company has certainly lived up to its slogan – ‘growing growing growing’, as they say in their advertisements. They provide options for homeowners, who are not willing to spend an exorbitant amount on kitchen renovation, and extend very fast installation service. They are relatively less expensive than the big chains and I had a pleasant experience working with the company representatives.

After living for five years in our Westport house, we decided to renovate the kitchen. As our house was old and we believed that future owner would need to spend a bit of time and money on upgradation, we were reluctant to invest in kitchen. However, when we drove past Express Kitchens’ new Norwalk franchise, we took a chance and asked them to put together a plan for a timeless, simple kitchen. The designer, we worked with, was quite proficient with the planning software and gladly met us a couple times to make changes. We chose one of their more expensive cabinet lines that had taller base cabinets, and it was still cheaper than other suppliers’ pricing for a similar product. There were many stone counters to choose from as well as a few sinks and hardware.

Once we made our deposit, Express Kitchen headquarters in Hartford coordinated the two day install schedule via e mail and text. The ladies, who do the scheduling, were accommodating and courteous. Express Kitchens showed up at the planned time and completed the entire install in exactly two days (yes, it was quite amazing!). The carpenters, who did all the work, were very skilled craftsmen, and made sure everything was perfect. They were amicable and polite, and cleaned up too! A month after the project was complete, I called Express Kitchens to put in an additional shelf and filler piece, which they promptly ordered and scheduled for a couple weeks later.

My kitchen is very pretty and already two of our friends want to work with them.

 

Considering natural stone countertop?

Natural stone countertops can transform a kitchen into a beautiful gathering spot. Natural stone lasts a lifetime, its durability stands up to busy households, and a wide variety of colors and styles make it perfect for any décor. Here are four questions to help you choose the best stone for your kitchen.

 1. How does my lifestyle impact my choice of stone?

Understanding a home’s dynamics is the most important consideration when choosing stone, says Caela Manninen, showroom representative for Welch Tile & Marble in Kent City, Michigan. She likes to steer busy families toward granite.

“It’s so durable and versatile,” she says. “It’s a good workhorse countertop. I typically like to recommend mid to darker colors to avoid staining.”

 There are options if you have your heart set on white stone, says Tania Kalentzos, marketing director for MARVA Marble & Granite in Richmond, Va.“White marble is everyone’s quintessential choice, but if you have young children and entertain a lot. you can achieve that look with less maintenance,” she says. “Granite is always an excellent option for countertops; it meets the needs of homeowners desiring added durability and offers a variety of options in lighter designs. Another popular alternative is quartz. It demonstrates excellent durability as well, but gets even closer to mimicking more marble-like color tones.”

 2. What finish should I choose?

Natural stone comes in a variety of finishes. Polished is best if you want keep it looking nice, says Manninen. “Honed and brushed can be difficult to keep up with unless you’re going to enhance them to their darkest point. That finish shows every little thing that goes wrong.”

 Or you could embrace it, suggests Dave Scott, CEO of Slabworks of Montana in Bozeman, Montana.

“A lovely Italian gentleman once told me to think of honed marble as a fine leather handbag that will wear and show a patina,” he says. “Countertops that show wear are a sign of great hospitality.”

 3. What kind of care does stone require?

Natural stone is durable, but every material requires basic care, says Scott. “It’s important to match the right stone to your comfort level so that you’ll be happy with it years later,” he says. “Do you own it, or does it own you?”

Stone surfaces can be cleaned with a soap made for natural stone or a mild liquid detergent. Some stones, such as marble, require extra attention. “Marble is a calcite-based stone and will react with acids, such as wine, lemon juice, vinegar or even coffee and olive oil,” he says. “It will cause an irreversible chemical reaction that is etched on surface. With marble, you need to stay on top of wiping up spills.”

 4. Is it important to choose a specific slab?

Yes, says Kalentzos. “Take your time and enjoy the process. Mother Nature made this treasure and it should be enjoyed for years to come. Each piece has its own characteristics. Find one you love. It’s art for your home —the focal point of the room — and it should speak to you and reflect your personality.”

Express Kitchens grows by 50% spurred by it’s new approach to kitchen renovation

Express Kitchens is the fastest-growing kitchen cabinet retailer in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Headquartered in Hartford, CT,  Express Kitchens has just opened its 12th retail location at 1280 East Main Street in Torrington. 

Owner Max Kothari credits his company’s unprecedented growth to an approach that is radically different from his competition: “Our goal is to cut out the middle man and offer true value and one-stop shopping to kitchen remodelers. Someone can walk in to any one of our stores with measurements and pick up their entire new kitchen from our Hartford warehouse in just one hour! Nobody else comes close to doing that.” His approach includes maintaining over 30,000 cabinets in 10 door styles in-stock and ready to go, as well as granite, quartz, and laminate countertops and a selection of add ons – hardware, faucets, sinks, and accessories, all available for pickup in an hour.

Kothari’s approach seems to be working: the company grew 50% from 8 stores to 12 in 2017, with plans to double in size in the first half of 2018. Express Kitchens, Kothari says, offers its own brand of all-wood Star Cabinetry and has just added the Star Stone brand, offering 4 colors of granite and 8 colors of quartz countertops to its in-stock lineup, vaulting it ahead of its big-box competitors. “People get value and a level of service from Express Kitchens that the bigger stores cannot match – personal dedication  and attention to detail make all the difference.”

Express Kitchens’ headquarters is located in the north end of Hartford, where it is dedicated to community enrichment and hiring a diverse workforce that is the represents the best of what Hartford has to offer. When asked what drives the company to be successful, Kothari’s business partner says “we have the rare ability to constantly reinvent ourselves to outcompete our rivals.”

Express Kitchens has locations in Bridgeport, Brookfield, Hamden, Hartford, Newington, New London, Norwalk, Orange, Stamford, Torrington, and Waterbury, Connecticut and West Springfield, Massachusetts. For more information, stop in to a store, call them at (860) 247-1000, or go to www.expresskitchens.com.