Summer 2002
Kitchens Then and Now:
A Feast for the Eyes
Cooking Up Tasteful Kitchens for 25 Years

 If you were to say the word “kitchen” to a group of homeowners on the South Shore of Boston, chances are this word would evoke a variety of responses...cozy...cooking...Cam.

Cam? Yes, Certified Kitchen Designer Cameron Snyder of Kitchen Concepts is synonymous with the room that brings more real estate value and eye appeal to a home than any other. He has perhaps designed more kitchens on the South Shore than anyone else over the past two and a half decades and his hunter green Cape Cod cottage-turned-design studio on Route 52 in Norwell is considered a local landmark.

“A quarter-century of kitchens...” Snyder repeats the phrase as he contemplates his firm’s 25th anniversary. “Well, it sounds like a long time, but when I think of all the changes that have happened in the kitchen industry, in real estate, in the economy and in the psyche of homeowners since I started, it’s amazing that it all could have happened in this short time span.”

In 1977, when Snyder opened the business with a partner, they identified the seaside communities south of Boston as a region with great real estate, but at the same time with few, if any, local firms offering kitchen design services. “There were a few dealers who would sell you cabinets,” he recalls, “but nobody was actually sitting down with the homeowner and designing a kitchen with function in mind. Now, of course, things are very different.”

Kitchen Concepts’ “form follows function” approach, so much a part of kitchen design today, was revolutionary at that time and Snyder soon began designing his steady stream of dream kitchens. “In the seventies, function was key, because there weren’t the number of aesthetic options that you have today,” he explained. “ There were a half-dozen door styles to choose from and a choice of light oak or dark walnut. It was a very narrow palette, so our goal was to lay out those brown cabinets in a configuration that made them work for the cook, for the family. That’s when concepts like the ‘work triangle’ were coming into vogue.

“Although it sounds painfully simple now, most kitchen companies weren’t thinking about the location of the sink or the placement of the range and refrigerator as it impacted the cook,” he said. “They were just trying to sell as many brown cabinets as possible. That’s where we differentiated ourselves.”

Kitchen Concepts is now even more distinguished among the broad field of kitchen design firms that has grown up around this industry. While Snyder spent a year as president of the National Kitchen and Bath Association, he led his firm to bigger and more interesting projects, many of which have been published in national magazines including Country Home, House Beautiful, Women’s Day,  and Gourmet.   His projects have also been featured on various kitchen and bath programs on Home & Garden Television (HGTV). In fact, the company is no longer considered just a kitchen design firm, but rather a total home renovation resource offering design and installation services for kitchens, bathrooms, master bedroom suites, home entertainment centers, home offices, and more.

“Designing kitchens and baths is far more interesting now than it was in the beginning,” says Snyder. “There are so many more options...there are hundreds of door styles, a multitude of manufacturers, and decorative finishes and hardware choices that boggle the mind.”

“It used to be that a kitchen was a seventies kitchen or an eighties kitchen,” he said.  “For a traditional look you’d have walnut cabinets and laminate countertops in the color of the era, like orange or gold, or for a contemporary we might choose what we considered ‘sleek’ white melamine cabinets and place metal chairs around a monolithic island. That was cutting edge in those days.

“Today, homeowners are so much more sophisticated,” Snyder said, smiling. “There are hundreds of design magazines they can buy at any grocery store or pharmacy to give them ideas. They have 24-hour home design television networks. They cook for pleasure, not just out of necessity. They realize that their kitchen is the soul of their home and they want it to be just the way they imagine it.”

At any one time, Snyder and his staff of designers could be working on two dozen projects in various phases of completion. “We’ve had to hone our skills more than I ever imagined when I started,” he said.  “Today we might be asked to create kitchens that closely replicate the Victorian era or the 1920s. Later the same day, we will switch gears to give another homeowner a classic cottage kitchen with white cabinetry and wood countertops, and yet another client might be looking for a sleek, urban look with  concrete countertops and brushed aluminum hardware. And all the while, everyone wants high-performance appliances to fit into their look. It’s a challenge, but it’s also much more interesting for the designer.”

Snyder notes that another big change is the fact that kitchens must facilitate multiple cooks and room for entertaining. “With today’s fast-paced families, both husband and wife cook and often the kids have food preparation responsibilities. We have to design all of those scenarios into the layout and selection of appliances, sinks and work surfaces. And though the kitchen must be very functional, families are seeing this room as their gathering place and it needs elements of comfort and a feeling of warmth . It’s now really considered the hearth again...the place where everyone comes together to share food and their lives.”

While there are general trends in kitchen design today, including a more unfitted “furniture” look in cabinetry, a greater use of natural elements like stone and concrete, a move toward plainer door styles and a continued love affair with stainless steel, Snyder says that South Shore homeowners have their own unique regional style and sense of aesthetics.

“It’s not that all of our clients are looking for the same look, but the landscape and environment in this region lends itself to bright kitchens, many white kitchens, and a classic cottage look,” he said. “In the past, homeowners wanted the latest trend, even if it didn’t match the style of their home. Today’s South Shore homeowners are much more focused on the style and period of their homes and they are making design decisions that blend and make sense. That is a distinct change in the past decade.”

When asked what his favorite kitchen style is, Snyder thinks for a moment and shakes his head. “I love so much of what’s out there,” he said. “My own kitchen has a very European feeling with glazed cabinetry, mixed wood finishes and a great attention to lighting detail. Yet, it would look out of place in some of the ocean front homes we’ve worked in where sweeping tailored white cabinets with glass doors and brushed nickel accents really pull the picture together.

“Recently we’ve worked with a few clients who have been very interested in committing to color,” Snyder recalls. “ We designed one such kitchen with yellow painted cabinetry and dramatic granite counters and another with red barn paint and solid wood work surfaces. Those have been breathtaking and very distinctive.

“Kitchen design is now like many of the other design disciplines...there is an opportunity with every project to do something different and wonderful. That’s probably why I’ve lasted 25 years in this business. It wouldn’t have taken long to grow tired of rearranging walnut boxes and blue ceramic tile. I’m thankful that the world of kitchens and the vision of homeowners have evolved this way.”

A Visual Kitchen Timeline...

	During the late 70s, many homeowners were looking for a stark, monochromatic, contemporary look.This was a time of excess, young money and kitchens were renovated more for show, not as much for personal pleasure.  The American contemporary kitchen style included straighter angles and sharp edges, while the European style was a little cleaner, more curved and sleek. Laminates were the cornerstone.
	The 80s brought more requests for a contemporary look, but homeowners wanted warmer woodtones. This shutter-front door style was touted as a hint of European flair.
	As the decade ran out, homeowners still remodeled with little regard for the style of their home. This kitchen was part of a log cabin home addition. While the door style is a little more traditional and oak was the finish of choice, the details are still fairly plain. Lots of ceramic tile on countertops and backsplashes.
	The white kitchen became the staple in kitchen design in the nineties, especially on the South Shore. Laminates and ceramic tile gave way to solid surface counters like Corian. There was still no attempt to make a kitchen blend with the period of the home, evidenced by the kitchen in photo F, which was built in a historical home on Main Street in Hingham.
	By the middle of the decade, kitchens were beginning to move toward a hint of Old World European look...influences from Tuscany or Provence. In this Duxbury home, glass doors on cabinets were starting to be seen, as well as more a ornamental range hood, ceiling mouldings and warmer tones.
Homeowners are now desiring kitchens that are true to the period of their homes, as seen in this Brockton bungalow kitchen, which is part of the restoration of this 1920s home. The challenge is to make professional appliances feel at home in these period environments.
In the past few months, several Kitchen Concepts customers have been requesting a new contemporary look. It has simpler lines and plainer door styles, but it is maintaining details like glass door fronts, interesting hardware and warm wood tones. This look, which is a fusion of much of the best features of the past 10 years,  is expected to be the look for the next several years.

Spring 2001
For the Love of a Home

An article in this issue profiled Weston/Hewittson Architects and featured work by Kitchen Concepts, done in collaboration with Sally Weston and Jane Hewittson.

East Dennis Project

Scituate Project

Spring 2000
Kitchen & Bath Future Trends

Kitchen Concepts and RoomScapes in Norwell, was chosen from a selection of kitchen designers across the U.S. to create the Design Idea Center, which will be unveiled at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Chicago in April.

The concept behind the Design Idea Center, an annual undertaking sponsored by the National Kitchen & Bath Association, is to showcase trends for kitchens and baths of the future.  This year's project actually incorporates a total living environment in the round with circular fireplace in the center of that structure.  The hearth can be seen and felt in the kitchen area, dining area, and bedroom/bathroom spa area.

“Today there are few people who are untouched by the hectic pace of our society,” explains Snyder.  “Most homeowners are balancing work, children, family needs and more.  The concept for this year's Design Idea Center is based on the home as oasis, a place where the residents can retreat and find comfort.  We wanted to create a primary residence concept that feels like a vacation home, a calm, tranquil environment in which to cook, relax and sleep.”

The spaces that would traditionally be called the bedroom and bathroom are woven together into a personal comfort zone with a spa feeling.  Snyder included a whirlpool tub, steam shower and sauna to create a haven or relaxation for the end of the day.

“Simplicity is the key in the design,” he said.  “The lack of visual clutter combined with natural elements creates a space to breathe out, safe from the demands of a fast-paced lifestyle.”

Snyder minimized sharp edges, using a lot of curves and radius corners to enhance the feeling of calmness and tranquility.  The materials are all chosen for their natural feeling.  The built-in cabinetry throughout shows a trend that is on the rise even now on the South Shore, where built-ins are being requested to help busy homeowners organize belongings quickly and neatly.”

“Taking an element like built-in cabinetry, typically found in kitchens, and using it in less traditional ways is helping to bring a feeling of simplicity to homes and keeping them clutter-free,” says Snyder.  “Today homeowners are looking for a place to put everything to make clean-up and storage easy and less time-consuming.  This is reflected in a big way in this Design Idea Center concept.”

Though many of Kitchen Concepts' South Shore kitchens design customers still request traditional and “unfitted” kitchens, Snyder expects that a more streamlined look is on the horizon for many homeowners.

For more information on designing a new kitchen or bringing built-in cabinetry into the other rooms of your home, call Kitchen Concepts at (781) 871-2400.

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