What does the Alberta Kitchen of 2008 look like? Well, that all depends on whom you ask, where you go and what you want. 

Recently, Condo Living rediscovered the kitchen through designers, builders, manufacturers and suppliers.

Tasty choices

Browse Alberta condo show suites and you’ll see current and emerging trends in their sleek, contemporary kitchens. Over at TORODE’s Viva and arriVa, the condos feature Italian Pininfarina-designed Snaidero kitchens equipped with Miele appliances. They’re outfitted with quartz countertops, matte wood finish cabinets, metallic gloss lacquer islands, undermount stainless steel basins and backsplashes. 

European-influenced kitchens at Apex’s Union Square condos balance design and functionality. Standard fare includes custom maple cabinetry with satin chrome door pulls, while full-height glass mosaic tiles add the finishing touch with a stylish backsplash. Contemporary, under-mounted stainless steel double-bowl sinks are equipped with a Blanco Atlas faucet with pullout spray. A gourmet stainless steel appliance package includes GE products. The kitchen has an oversized pullout pantry with adjustable shelving and four large pot drawers. 

Calgary interior designer Reena Sotropa of Corea Sotropa Interior Design uses these words to categorize kitchens she has worked recently with her clients to create: high-tech; a chef’s kitchen; rich with dramatic natural materials; and multi-use and entertainment spaces.

Going pro

Sotropa says her clients are moving towards higher-end materials, layouts and appliance found mainly in professional kitchens not long ago. “Names like Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking, Thermador, Dacor are becoming the standard in our newly renovated kitchens,” she says. “Clients now seem to have a long list of requirements that their kitchens must have, and many of them have very little to do with cooking and eating.” Her firm, she notes, is often asked to design small office spaces, organization zones for families, and high-tech TV viewing and entertainment areas for small and large groups.

“Some clients are sacrificing practicality for beautiful natural materials such as marble countertops, which are notorious for their porous surface and are highly susceptible to staining and etching. Not long ago, people wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole, but now they seem to be putting practicality aside because they love the look.”

Edmonton homeowners also want to add natural materials into countertops, cabinets, backsplashes and floors, says Edmonton interior designer Peggie Melnychuk-Millard of Go Design Group. 

Storage is another function that kitchens increasingly seem to serve. “Tiled backsplashes—tile is hot and the best place to incorporate this trend is in the backsplash,” says Melnychuk-Millard. “It’s a great way to incorporate real art into your kitchen.”

Coast is clear

Coast Wholesale Appliances is Western Canada’s largest supplier of home appliances with locations in Edmonton and Calgary. The company supplies “innovative products for builders, designers and home- owners.” In its Exciting New Products section, Coast boasts a variety of new kitchen appliances, especially refrigerators. Among them, the Dacor Microwave-in-a-Drawer can be installed under the counter or below a wall oven. From Jenn-Air, the 25-cubic-foot refrigerator has stainless wrapped doors and handles, dual refrigerator doors, a glide-out freezer drawer and electronic climate control. 

Gaggenau’s new First Professionals series offers restaurant-grade appliances ideal for today’s condos from about $15,000. Framed in Canova cabinetry, the appliances create a sleek, modern, cohesive designed workspace. The series includes a 30-inch convection oven, a 36-inch bottom freezer, a 36-inch gas or glass ceramic cooktop, a 36-inch wall hood and a 24-inch fully-automatic dishwasher.

 Other appliance manufacturers are changing their focus as clients’ tastes shift in the kitchen. “Multiple oven spaces in the kitchen address the evolving needs of homeowners—the free-standing double-oven range is affordable and perfect for families preparing multiple food items at the same time in one oven,” says Philippe Meyersohn, spokesperson, MABE Canada.

To that end the new GE Profile 30-inch Free-Standing Double-Oven Range features an upper oven, large oven, PreciseAir Convection System and Bridge Element. Meanwhile, the GE Profile Dishwasher with SmartDispense allows you to calculate the exact amount of water and soap needed for each dish load, and it holds a 47-ounce bottle of detergent that only has to be refilled every two months.  

Sink into style

Further KOHLER innovations come in the KOHLER Cordial entertainment sink and Crevasse rinsing sink. The round, cast iron Cordial sink is an all-in-one entertainment idea, is designed for washing and rinsing glassware, preparing garnishes, staging drinks and providing cold storage for wine and other beverages. “The circular design of the Cordial entertainment sink enhances the participation of guests, while adding beauty to any prep station,” says Andy Barber, marketing manager for KOHLER kitchen products. 

The Crevasse rinsing sink makes food preparation and cleanup easy and hands-free, including technology that activates a rinsing action and the garbage disposal at the touch of a button. The trough-like, sloped design offers ample space for food waste to be brushed into the basin. And its 33-inch span should fit into any kitchen work space, even pared condo culinary areas, alongside a primary sink or as stand-alone model in an island. 

Pour it on

Kohler has launched its breakthrough Karbon kitchen faucet (see opening page photo) that frees up both hands for kitchen prep and clean-up tasks. “This articulating faucet represents a breakthrough in the evolution of the category,” says Les Petch, senior product manager for KOHLER kitchen faucets. 

This faucet maintains its exact position and provides both spray and aerated water flow options. Another design detail is the remote joystick valve that has a sleek look flush with the countertop.

Go global

More than ever, Alberta condo owners can be bolder and choose sleek world-class luxury kitchen design from companies like Poggenpohl from Germany. International luxury blends 

with top aesthetic and technical quality in Poggenpohl designs derived from cubism 

by Le Corbusier. Poggenpohl has sleek lines 

and extreme functionality in its kitchens like the Plusmodo or the P’7340, created with Porsche Design.  

ALNO is another leading European kitchen design innovator. One popular, new design is the ALNOART PUR kitchen made with sustainable materials and green design. 

Its ALNOART WOODGLAS was named Kitchen Innovation of the Year in 2008. The German company combines high gloss with wood, shedding light on the natural material. Kitchen cabinets come with glass fronts framed in aluminum with a rosewood and olive grain print along the back. There are no handles taking up space. Recessed grips allow for opening the 120-centimetre-wide drawers and pullouts. The line also boasts downlit shelves and a glass backboard.  

On the edge 

One of Italy’s top kitchen manufacturers, Pedini is know for its unique, innovative designs and cutting-edge technology. Among the company’s trademark innovations are the radius doors (both concave and convex), available in natural wood, high-gloss, matte and textured lacquer. Another is the stainless steel kitchen—with the cabinetry’s box, drawers and doors all made in stainless steel. 

“(Alberta) kitchens are now planned, well thought-out and researched,” says Melnychuk-Millard. “Thoughts about lifestyle, multi-purpose uses, and recycling are being incorporated (into kitchens now). To do that, we have to spend time before cabinets are selected to think about where things should go and the best use of space.” 

Counter culture 

“When it comes to durability, versatility and style, nothing compares to CaesarStone,” says Kirsten Kemp, designer and host of TLC’s Property Ladder. An increasingly popular choice for kitchen countertops, CaesarStone is quartz surface that’s tough enough and available in wide ranging colours. 

Netting the details: 

Check out the following websites:

www.coreasotropa.ca  

www.vivacalgary.com 

www.unioncondos.com  

www.godesigngroup.com

www.coastappliances.com 

www.gaggenau-usa.com 

www.geappliances.ca 

www.kohler.com

www.caesarstone.com 

tlc.discovery.com 

www.poggenpohl.ca 

www.ALNOusa.com/choices

www.pediniusa.com