Jennifer Gilmer, CKD, is an award-winning designer whose eponymous Washington, D.C. firm has designed more than 1,000 kitchens in a variety of styles and won more than 15 national awards, including the “Pinnacle of Design” for the best overall space at this year’s annual National Kitchen & Bath Association convention in Atlanta.

With kitchens remaining many homeowners’ favorite rooms to remodel, there’s a stronger chance of recouping dollars spent on this investment than several others. Here Gilmer discusses the latest trends, including how to pare the high cost of remodeling and her latest venture, Kitchen Design OnLine, which helps homeowners plan their dream kitchen wherever they live.

Question: You're used to designing fairly high-end kitchens. What are the essentials that differentiate them from lower- and mid-range kitchens?

Answer: Better quality kitchens have more character, like open shelves that float or are suspended by cables, pantry cabinets or islands designed to look like furniture, stacked cabinets almost to the ceiling with interesting moldings and thicker countertops. They also have built-in refrigerators, double side-by-side instead of stacked ovens and more specialized appliances like steam/convection ovens. Finishes are also more custom, such as milk paint, crackle and exotic woods. Backsplashes are more intricate or custom. Lighting is improved with smaller low-voltage recessed cans or an antique chandelier over an island or table.

Q: Kitchens have grown so big and have different zones. What if homeowners have a small kitchen and can't add on?

A: They should take down or open a wall. The dining room can be incorporated into the kitchen. If a wall can't be removed, they should use open shelves or glass cabinets that are lit inside and smaller built-in appliances such as a 27-inch refrigerator-freezer, 18-inch dishwasher and 24-inch wide cooktop with oven below.

Q: How important is “green” in a kitchen?

A: Kitchens make up a very small percentage of importance for LEED certification. Yet, green is a subject that’s gaining in importance in the kitchen. Cabinets can be made of plywood that is low in off gassing; almost all appliances today are ENERGY STAR, but may be less efficient than European appliances such as Bosch, Miele and Gaggenau, which have been energy-efficient for longer. Manmade countertops, like quartz products – Silestone, CeasarStone, Zodiaq – are considered green-friendly since they incorporate recycled products. Some tiles, especially glass, are green-friendly. Marmoleum™ is a modern-day linoleum made from recycled paper.

Q: With smaller budgets due to the economy, could you provide some ideas for smart, chic, recession-fit fixes, especially for a kitchen?

A: For a dated kitchen, remove an old, tired backsplash and put in something more updated and with a color customized to your liking, such as glass tiles, or purchase stainless accessories that can be affixed to the backsplash like a utensil holder. Improve lighting by replacing fluorescents with small recessed cans and adding directional lights that focus on nice accents, including, perhaps, a new piece of art. Use an accent tile on the floor where the island was removed. Take the six panel doors off a pantry that’s built into the wall and replace with doors that are different, perhaps with frosted glass. Add lighting in the pantry so the doors glow.

Q: You've recently developed KitchenDesignOnline.net, where you help homeowners bridge the gap between high-end showrooms and home improvement stores by providing design plans online. How does this work?

A: I developed the idea after hearing people talk about not being able to find a good designer at the discount cabinet store where they were planning on buying cabinets. Our service offers a few levels of design from basic drawings to detailed plan views, elevations and a three-dimensional drawing.

A client fills out a questionnaire about the style they prefer, appliances, their lifestyle, number of family members, number of cooks, entertaining needs, et cetera. We also ask clients to measure and sketch their kitchen, and we have a section on our site that explains how to do this. Once that sketch is uploaded to our site, we draw the existing space and send back drawing(s) to be checked. We work on the floor plan until they’re satisfied.

Next comes elevations. The process continues until clients approve the final design. They can take it to the cabinet showroom where they’ll purchase cabinetry or use the design to shop around and choose a cabinet dealer.

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