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PB Kitchen Design in Geneva adds sizzle to home improvement

November 04, 2019 at 8:30 am CST

[PB Kitchen Design of Geneva wins awards for creating dream kitchens.] GENEVA – Smart concepts translate equally to chic, functional and digitally interactive in the creations of PB Kitchen Design in Geneva, which recently added a prestigious industry honor to its accolades. Dan McFadden, president of the company his parents founded, shares some food for thought for people with a yen to make a dream kitchen come true. "From a general standpoint, the overall design aesthetic is becoming cleaner, moving more towards contemporary," McFadden said. In the middle between traditional and contemporary styles is what's termed transitional, and in the past five years the needle has moved toward contemporary, he said. A home that's very traditional on the outside may have a kitchen that incorporates modern counter stools or other touches that blur the lines and make it transitional. (Photos provided)

By Renee Tomell

[PB Kitchen Design of Geneva wins awards for creating dream kitchens.] GENEVA – Smart concepts translate equally to chic, functional and digitally interactive in the creations of PB Kitchen Design in Geneva, which recently added a prestigious industry honor to its accolades. Dan McFadden, president of the company his parents founded, shares some food for thought for people with a yen to make a dream kitchen come true. "From a general standpoint, the overall design aesthetic is becoming cleaner, moving more towards contemporary," McFadden said. In the middle between traditional and contemporary styles is what's termed transitional, and in the past five years the needle has moved toward contemporary, he said. A home that's very traditional on the outside may have a kitchen that incorporates modern counter stools or other touches that blur the lines and make it transitional. (Photos provided)

[Dan McFadden is president of PB Kitchen Design in Geneva.] It was just such a project in a traditional-looking new house in Glen Ellyn that made PB Kitchen Design one of the 29 global finalists honored in the Sub-Zero Wolf Cove Kitchen Design Contest. While the cabinetry – a PB specialty – was a traditional style and included heavy molding along with oil-rubbed-bronze hinges, the focal point was a monolithic stone ventilation hood above the range that was rectangular and clearly contemporary. "We introduced a very modern-looking element front and center into this kitchen that is in other respects quite traditional," McFadden said. As for cabinetry looks, he noted the longtime trend of painted cabinetry remains popular, especially white, but the shade has shifted from a warmer color to a cooler hue leaning toward gray. Also popular are bleached-out wood tones, while open-grain oak is coming back into favor. Painting it sees the rich grain telegraph through for a subtle texture.

[Instead of upper cabinets, among options are drawers beneath the counter for easy-to-access china.] For interesting contrasts in kitchens, it's not uncommon to see a blue or black accent cabinet, or to add different metals, whether it's on cabinetry or a toe kick or support leg on an island or peninsula. When it comes to appliances, blackened stainless steel is still a hot finish, along with charcoal or other dark shade that puts it between black and stainless. As for food preparation, people are adding induction cooktops that heat with magnets as opposed to using a glass cooktop. Also gaining traction is the idea of stacking a steam oven above a regular oven. The steam oven is known for improved retention of moisture and nutrients, but there is a learning curve, McFadden said. "What kitchen design really is is space planning," McFadden said. "Anywhere custom cabinetry is required is where we shine – and space planning." He noted the continuing movement is to open up kitchens to better fit with how people live. Some are forgoing formal dining rooms to gain alternative space.

"It can be a game changer in terms of what's possible from a layout standpoint," McFadden said. A trend McFadden likes has been bigger windows in kitchens, which has led some homeowners to eliminate cabinetry above the counter. Instead, drawers are used to provide storage convenience, making it easy to access plates and bowls. Solid wood floors in kitchens are less common these days, because engineered wood is more stable and less subject to movement and gaps from healing, cooling and humidity loss. Some of the more complex and visually interesting finishes are being done on engineered wood floors at the manufacturing plants, McFadden said. Aesthetic breakthroughs in quartz counter surfaces have seen the man-made product replace natural stone as the go-to for now, he said. With different colors and patterns, it can mimic natural stone and does not stain as easily as some do. It's as hard as stone and won't have its sometimes inconsistent look.

[Contrasting cabinetry colors or mixing different metals are popular design elements.] Also on the scene is slab porcelain for counters and back-splash. A photographic style print process gives it varied looks, including marble, for example. While it's impervious to staining, it can chip as can quartz. Today's market in appliances offers a variety of smart products for another layer of functionality in the kitchen. There are dishwashers that can be programmed to count down the number of loads and order the corresponding box of detergent. "You won't ever have to worry about detergent running out," McFadden said. "It will turn up on your doorstep when you need it. It's a particularly good use of smart tech." Other time-saving applications allow you to remotely turn on an oven to preheat en route to home.

If your phone is connected to the food thermometer in your roast, you can relax with guests in or outdoors, while monitoring the temperature remotely. And for a memory boost at the grocery store, you can check your refrigerator's internal camera to see what you're low on. McFadden said the less sexy tech boons include diagnostics, which let the manufacturer log into appliances, analyze any potential problems and order the correct parts before a repair person ever travels to the home. Rather than contemplate a kitchen makeover in terms of a home's future resale, McFadden believes most projects should be all about you and your personal taste. To learn more, visit PB Kitchen Design at 200 S. Third St. or pbkitchendesign.com.

Renee Tomell

Covering the arts and entertainment scene in northern Illinois, with a focus on the Fox River Valley.