kitchen design with Lindsey Binz |

kitchen design with Lindsey Binz

Posted on 29 September 2011

A very warm welcome to Lindsey Binz! The real estate and designer pro (who was named a top pro by At Home’s readers) is here with insider tips for a kitchen that reflects your personality, while remaining functional, too boot!

To learn more about Lindsey and her many talents, be sure to visit her site: www.lindseybinzhome.com

The kitchen is the heart of the home. Even if you’re like me and not blessed in the COOKING department! Since it’s where the action is, a kitchen deserves some design attention. Kitchen design is a major focus in new and existing homes. It has the most detail and highest budget compared to other rooms, so go ahead and splurge on what’s important to you. I promise you will be glad you did. You may even get that money back, if you ever put your house up for sale!

Most of my clients, whether Real Estate or Design, want a kitchen that is both FUNctional and pretty. I say, get that Sub Zero fridge or Wolf Range and spring for the beautiful glass tile you just know would be AMAZING as a back splash! Because the kitchen is a place where we spend so much of our time, why not add some color and let it reflect your personality.

I love turquoise and other shades of blue in a kitchen. It looks so great against a crisp white or chocolate brown. In fact, it works wonderfully with pretty much every color that comes to mind. This kitchen I designed was a complete remodel. It included moving walls to make a very large galley style kitchen that overlooks the family room. It is an eclectic home with antique and collectible items, yet very clean with sleek granite, onyx ,copper and top of the line stainless appliances.

Effective and stylish lighting is a smart new trend in kitchen design. I think the chandelier over the sleek island really makes this kitchen (featured in Domino) cozy, comfortable and inviting.

This kitchen in House Beautiful uses the lighting to bring in color, through a fabric covered pendant that matches the stools. I love that the kitchen is all white, though the green and blue really pop.

Using a mix of natural finishes is very popular in kitchen design. In my design of this country kitchen, I chose Soapstone counter tops, which works wonderfully with the warmth of the cherry wood cabinets and exposed beams throughout the space.

To coordinate with the custom painted island and green vintage accessories, we chose a combination of glass and metallic tiles for the back splash.

In this Canadian House and Home kitchen, a printed wallpaper added to the backs of painted cabinets ties in colors used throughout the space. The use of stylish yet functional accessories is great for organizing all of your kitchen tools.

This Cottage Living kitchen showcases great use of materials, from the wood trimmed ceiling to the contrasting counter tops and cabinets. I love the basket at end of the cabinet– very smart and functional plus adds a feeling of warmth.

This kitchen from House Beautiful is the whole package. I love the wall of windows and vaulted ceiling. The white wood work looks so crisp and clean against the dark wood floors.

Tile is a great way to add personality. This back splash from www.homedecoratingideasworld.com has a huge impact for a small kitchen.

I am loving the Moroccan tile from nestegg.typepad.com, a perfect mix with the polished marble!

In this modern kitchen I designed, we tiled the entire wall with small glass amber colored tiles. We also chose a contrasting granite top for the island.

Cabinet hardware is another very easy way to capture your personality in the kitchen. Here are two examples from one of my favorite retailers, Anthropologie.