JUST LOOK AT THESE KITCHENS!
By Richard Howland, MANAGING EDITOR
Mother Nature was influential in this floor of 12-inch square Emser plate stone in Golden Ray with wood inlays, above. In the background are inch-and-a-half Kodiak counter top granite slabs from Arizona Tile with matching backsplash. Cabinets are Montalco Cabinetry with Shaker doors in java stain.
A floor of 18-inch Cortona Series Saio-color porcelain tiles complements the Golden Bahia granite countertop with satin pewter inserts. The custom butcherblock is Iroko exotic wood. The herringbone brick backsplash by the builder.
This kitchen features a Tagina Cortona tile in the color Saio and, on the island counter, the Alhambra series Trigo 4-inch ceramic tiles with matching cornice moldings. The look is repeated on the backsplash.
Above, this hardwood floor ties together and transitions from the dining room to this spacious kitchen, featuring Venetian Gold granite counter slab and a subtle but intriguing backsplash in “Chapter 5” six-inch tile by Jeffrey Court: Tiles are Anabel‘s Flower in Moonlight White and Cactus Tile in Dune. Liner is Modiguone Imperial 2x12-inch, and the crown molding is, again, Moonlight White.
There’s a lot going on in Scottsdale, Arizona, other than the fact that it’s one of the hottest and fastest-growing areas. This Phoenix suburb is reflective of America’s changing tastes. Just look at these kitchens!
Granted, the photos you see on these pages are builder model homes and on the higher end of the housing scale (easily topping seven figures), yet they illustrate some of the latest trends and the materials people want for the floors and other surfaces of their homes.
All of these kitchen surfaces come out of the 32,000-square-foot designer showroom of J. R. McDade Co., Inc, a 47-year-old business which started life as a Phoenix flooring contractor. The company has grown along with the region to become arguably one of the top five showrooms in the country. It now embraces an in-house design capability so that builders and homeowners don’t necessarily have to go to an architect to supply all flooring plus every other surface, cabinets, backsplashes, granite fabrication and installation for remodeling as well as new construction. Design is now built into the budget.
“What’s interesting from the remodeling side,” says Jason Monczka, vice president, “is that remodeling is now coming on so strong. So many homes here are 25 years old or more and have never been remodeled.” In this area, he says, a remodeling project can run upward of $200,000. That’s important because as other regions appear to be softening, homeowners are investing in their homes knowing that the appreciation has not stopped.
The look now is simple elegance, warm and livable, but elegant and refined, he says. Contemporary is coming on strong, as are Mediterranean and French influences.
He’s seeing a lot of wood floors, especially hand-distressed or reclaimed species. And to show off the floors, homeowners and designers are opting for lighter cabinets and walls. It results in a warm-looking floor, and the lighter cabinets –– yellow, cream and white –– show refinement. Jason recently remodeled his own home, which now features reclaimed hardwood floors and high-quality white cabinets –– “the type that were popular in the 80s.”
His colleague Lisa Cunningham works directly with the builders and designers and says the homes, especially the models, represent many different styles of design but have one common theme –– the concept of the family lifestyle.
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