If you have kids (or if you ever were one yourself), you are likely familiar with the “play kitchen.” Those miniature versions of the real thing where imaginary meals are concocted by the boatload. Judging by the sheer volume of them on the market, I imagine they are a pretty popular item. After all, there is perhaps nothing little kids enjoy more than mimicking the behaviors of their parents. What parent hasn’t learned that the hard way by letting an occasional curse word slip?
As an adult, however, the kitchen can often feel like anything but a playground, unless you are one of those extraordinary people who finds washing dishes “relaxing.” That is, until you find yourself in someone else’s kitchen. Who among us hasn’t enjoyed dinner at a friends house while admiring the countertops, cabinetry, and custom range hood? “Honey, we are definitely having corner drawers like this in our next kitchen!”
We built the Freyenhagen Construction re-Design Studio with this exact idea in mind. We wanted to give our customers the opportunity to “play” in our kitchen before we designed theirs. Here’s a sneak peek:
Transitional Style:
The style of our in-house kitchen is “transitional,” also known as “updated classic.” It features a blend of traditional styles such as warm hickory primary cabinets combined with stainless steel trimmed upper display cabinets with frosted glass lift-up doors.
Induction Cooktop with Popup Downdraft Vent: Induction cooking is far more efficient than a traditional electric cooking surface and omits the open flame of a gas-powered cooktop. Heat is generated only when the cooking surface is in contact with a conductive vessel (usually cast iron or stainless steel) so the potential for burns and fire is significantly less. However, the heat transfer is nearly instantaneous, like a gas powered cooking surface, allowing for more precise cooking.
The popup downdraft allows for ventilation on-demand without the bulky obtrusion of an overhead hood. It remains out of sight and flush with the cooktop until needed, when it can be raised with the simple touch of a button.
Convection Oven/Microwave Combo: Rather than a traditional double oven, the top portion of this double oven is actually a microwave with convection oven. The combo is a space saver and the convection oven saves the cook valuable time by cutting traditional cooking times in half.
Quartz Countertops by Cambria: Quartz provides the sleek look of granite without the upkeep. Cambria Quartz contains 93% quartz whereas natural granite only contains up to 60% quartz along with other more porous materials that require regular sealing. Quartz does not need to be sealed.
In addition to the sleek looking quartz, the island features a stainless steel food prep surface fit for the likes of Wolfgang Puck. The contemporary countertops blend nicely with the more traditional cabinets.
Large Format Tile Floors: Tile flooring is extremely popular due to its ease of upkeep, variety of styles and colors and cost effectiveness. It can be cleaned with just about anything without damage, is nearly impervious to stains and the only required regular maintenance is the reapplication of grout sealant once every few years. If a tile is damaged it can be easily replaced, but due to its durability this is unlikely to be a problem. Our neighbors at Murray Floors installed this tile for us. Give Kevin a call if you would like to know more about it.
LED Undercabinet Lighting: There are several benefits to using LED lights rather 
than traditional bulbs underneath cabinetry. LED lights are much brighter than traditional lighting, they last much longer (up to ten years) and they use very little energy. But the biggest benefit to using LED lights over traditional lighting is LED lights don’t get hot like traditional lights. You no longer need to be concerned about items underneath or inside your cabinets getting too hot due to the lights.
Have questions about any of our kitchen features? Leave them in the comments below!