European Transitions

Kitchen and bath designers have long drawn inspiration from architectural and design styles from around the world, as have those consumers who were lucky enough to travel abroad on a regular basis.

But, in the last 10 years, the advent of the Internet and the dramatic expansion of world travel among everyday consumers have led to increased interest and demand for home designs that remind people of faraway places.

Matthew Quinn, designer and partner, Design Galleria Kitchen & Bath Studio in Atlanta, GA, also cites the plethora of European magazines and books that are currently available as a reason for the increased interest. And Linda Maglia, owner, Studio Maglia in Studio City, CA stresses other media exposure, such as HGTV, as drivers.

“I’m amazed at how educated and self-taught people are about kitchen and bath design, especially in the high-end market,” she comments.

As a designer, Maglia notes that she has studied details and materials and surfaces. “Now, the members of the general public are really absorbing their surroundings when they travel or visit a friend’s house,” she remarks. “Now that they’ve been educated and exposed to these things, they have a passion for it.”

While design influences from Europe have always been key, as more consumers are exposed to them, they become more interested in recreating that ambience. European styles, such as the romance of Old World, also blend well with many architectural styles found in the U.S.

Consumers have been particularly fond of Tuscan and country French influences in the past few years, but many designers note that these styles are growing tired. As they begin to wane in the U.S., other European design influences are gaining ground.

“If people are traveling in Europe and staying with family and friends, they are seeing that – even in vintage homes – kitchens are very contemporary,” reports Kelly Stewart, CMKBD, director of sales development, Kitchens by Deane in Stamford, CT.

But visitors from the U.S. are also being influenced by their trips to historic homes and museums and other places of interest that are hundreds of years old.

Some of the result of viewing old and new European styles is a combination of the two designs – the cleaner, simpler lines of contemporary mixed with classic design elements and influences that have been around for centuries.

The Other Europe

While styles such as Tuscan and French country ebb and flow, “English Tudor and English cottage are and have been prevalent all along,” asserts Quinn.

Among the details featured in Tudor designs, says Quinn, are X features in cabinet styling and beam design, dark wood floors, stained cabinetry, diamonds in the backsplash tile, and black and copper accents in the room.

Tudor-style homes are abundant in the area surrounding The Hammer & Nail, Inc. – homes that were built around the turn of the 20th century. In fact, the building that houses the firm’s showroom was built around that time and has a Tudor feeling to it, according to Bart Lidsky, president, The Hammer & Nail, Inc. in Wyckoff, NJ.

“Our front showroom fits in with that,” he remarks. The display features a dark, richly colored wood, which in general is a trend that people are more attracted to these days, he comments.

The showroom kitchen has “a bit more of a primitive feeling to it in the sense that, even though there are some beautiful details, there’s nothing frilly about the style. The details are very strong, the moldings are kind of oversized and the wood looks aged,” he explains.

Stone and wood fit into this overall feeling, but there are definite types of stone and wood that fit better than others, according to Lidsky. “The stones need to have a very aged feeling to them,” he points out. “In order for materials to fit in, they should look like they’ve been there since the house was built.” He adds that brick is often involved in the design of the kitchen – “a brick floor or brick wall, or maybe even a range that’s cut into a brick wall or archway.”