Introduction

An Architectural Technologist by education, I have become a passionate designer of custom kitchens, bathrooms and other living spaces personalized to reflect the unique needs of an individual's lifestyle.

With corporate headquarters based in Saskatoon Saskatchewan, Canada, Superior Cabinets has provided a creative platform for me to use this passion to assist and inspire others. It is becoming an industry leader in kitchen manufacturing in Western Canada and is widely recognized for its quality customer experience, kitchen innovation and employee investment.

It is with great pride that I serve Superior Cabinets and its customers as a Design Consultant in Saskatoon.

What you will find in this blog is a collection of photo's showcasing my designs, updates on the latest news, products and offers from Superior Cabinets, educational info regarding kitchen functionality and links to helpful design sites to gather ideas from.

For more information regarding Superior Cabinets or to make an appointment with me, please email me at kevin.worman@superiorcabinets.ca.

Monday 19 December 2011

Modern European Kitchens - 3 Part Series

Part 2:  What Defines “Modern European”?

In Canada, we refer to this design style as “Ultra Modern”.  Ironically, in Europe, it is the norm and has been for some time.

There are four main components to a “Modern European” kitchen:


1.  It is functional:
The kitchen work triangle is now a concept of the past.  The kitchen is now being split into 5 zones that focus on particular activities.  Created by European hardware manufacturer, BLUM, the “Dynamic Space” concept includes a Preparation Zone, Cleaning Zone, Cooking Zone, Non-consumable Zone and a Consumable Zone.  The kitchen is designed in a way that encourages the cook to work in stations and keep the kitchen organized in a more practical way. 

 
2.  It is minimalistic:
This kitchen style is made for the consumer that appreciates simplicity.  Perhaps the most important idea in achieving a modern European look is eliminating as many lines in the kitchen as possible.  Get rid of the clutter and the tacky decorations.  Gone are the decorative mouldings, corbels and intricate door profiles. 

Use 2 or 3 drawer cabinets throughout the bases for improved ergonomics and all fronts/doors should be flat slab with no profile.





3. It is environmentally responsible:
Materials used should be recycled product and recyclable products.  Exotic engineered veneers created from common wood fibres, recycled MDF and GreenLam products are ideal for door materials while low formaldehyde melamine products should be used for cabinet cases.  A manufacturer that recycles its products and waste, creates a safe setting for its employees and is actively involved with its community is also an admirable feature to find in a supplier.

 

4.  It is cool:

High gloss polyurethane finishes, LED lighting, chrome and stainless steel accents and appliances are key in achieving the modern look. 

Lift up doors, corner drawer systems and soft close doors/drawers will give you the latest in kitchen technology.




In the last of this 3 part series on European kitchen design, I will showcase Superior Cabinets "Urban Line" and how we are achieving this European look for the North American lifestyle.  Stay tuned....

Monday 14 November 2011

Modern European Kitchens - 3 Part Series


Part 1:  Fad or Future?
European kitchen design is slowly gaining a presence in the North American market.  While it fights resistance from our traditional Canadian culture, many of today’s home buyers are desperate to break away from the norm.  They want something different…. something “cool”. 

But is this design trend going to last?  Is it a fad or is it the future?

I am not an expert on European lifestyle, however, during my time in a product research position at Superior Cabinets, I was given the task of developing a product set mimicking that modern European look but accommodating the Canadian lifestyle.  We have called it the “Urban Line”.  I began by researching the culture, values and daily lifestyle of Europeans.  Here are a few key things I learned:

·     A large number of the population in Europe resides in condo or apartment style buildings creating  a need for a highly functional kitchen in a smaller space.
·     They go grocery shopping every day and as a result, their storage needs are much less. 
·     Their appliances are typically smaller as well.  Refrigerators & Ovens are most commonly 24” or 30” wide.
·     They have respect for the environment and have very little space for landfills.  Appliances are built to last a lifetime and kitchen cabinet products are built like a piece of furniture so that when the home owner moves, the kitchen cabinets can potentially go with them.

While their lifestyle may be quite different from the North American way, there is no questioning that Europe is the leader in technology, fashion and design.  They are the best in the world at simply making things look good.  Europe consistently sets the trends and what is popular there eventually becomes popular around the world.





In spite of the cultural differences, we all share the desire to have pretty things.  The look that Europe has established is very attractive to many of us westerners. If there is any questioning that, one only has to acknowledge the success of a certain well-known European furniture company that has been making huge profits selling in North America for years (we all know the one).  Why is it so successful?  It is affordable, it is different and it has been viewed as a niche market that no one else has targeted.

With a growing population, many large centers are opening their minds to the European strategy.  Cities like Vancouver do not have any more land to build upon.  They are now building up with mega-structure condo buildings.  Even in Saskatoon, a debate has begun on whether to build out or built up in an effort to keep infrastructure costs down.  With people’s lives becoming increasingly busier, more and more people are moving into condos in an effort to minimize the daily chores that come with owning a house.  It also enables a person flexibility to travel without having to find a way to keep a house maintained in their absence. 

In my time in the kitchen industry, many people have expressed admiration for this design style but fear that it may not be a timeless look.  There may be a day when a new trend is created but don’t expect this European look to go away anytime soon, especially with the new generation of home buyers.

The modern European kitchen can meet the needs of the person that wants the freshest look in a new house or the most functional application for a minimalistic lifestyle.  In my personal opinion, this look is just beginning to be accepted in Canada and has a long life ahead of it.

Wednesday 26 October 2011

The Corner Conundrum

Maximizing the space in a kitchen corner has always had its challenges.  Corner cabinets often result in deep, large spaces that require you to nearly crawl inside of the cabinet to access some of those commonly used items.  Even the typical lazy susan can make things difficult as items often fall off the turning shelf and get stuck in behind, leaving you, once again, on your hands and knees manoevering around that awkward spinning shelf to retrieve your items.

Committed to staying on top of the latest technologies, we have integrated two new corner concepts into our product line to provide alternative solutions for these cumbersome spaces.


The 3 Drawer Corner Unit
This cabinet contains 3 drawers that pull out giving you full visibility
of all items and keeping them within reach.

3 Drawer Corner unit (drawers closed)

3 Drawer Corner unit (middle drawer open)


The Twin Corner Lazy Susan
Unlike the typical lazy susan, this "Twin Corner Lazy Susan" rotates completely to come out of the cabinet once again giving you full access to your cooking tools and eliminating the need to reach inside the cabinet.

Sunday 16 October 2011

"It's a Woman's World" tradeshow

From October 14th-16th, Superior Cabinets showcased its new Closet Line at the "It's a Woman's World" tradeshow at Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon.  While Superior's goal is to be a world class kitchen manufacturer, we also want to be a complete home solutions provider...  a one stop shop, enabling the customer to work with one supplier throughout their project.  The launching of a Closet Line is just another step towards our goal.

Here are some photo's from our display.










                                    

   


This is my co-worker Shahan.  He thinks he is a model
and loves posing in front of pink backdrops. 
I try to be supportive.
 












Monday 3 October 2011

Closet Line Launch

Our Closet Line products officially launch this month.  Here are a few photo's of our showroom display just installed.  Many new gizmo's available to help organize your space inculding wire baskets, laundry hampers, belt/scarf/tie racks, jewelry drawers and even a roll out ironing board!



Saturday 24 September 2011

Urban Line Showroom Display

A few professional photo's of one of my Urban Line kitchen projects!  Sweet photo skills from Lisa Landrie!  Follow the link:

Lisa Landrie: Superior Cabinets

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Digital Showroom


On September 1st, Superior launched its new "Digital Showroom".  This 8' screen is the first of its kind giving customers an opportunity to take a virtual walkthrough of their kitchen with full access to changing doorstyles, colors of walls, cabinets, countertop, etc.  Customers can also access it through our website with capability of making these same alterations from home.