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Trends gather in the kitchen

Creative finishes, high-quality built-in appliances are in

By Lisa Marshall, Special to the Rocky

Published May 30, 2008 at 3 p.m.

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Things are looking up for the chef of the house.

No longer does an apron-clad mom or dad need to be sequestered alone within kitchen walls while the family and guests have all the fun elsewhere. Instead, the modern-day kitchen is designed to make it easy for everyone from Junior to Grandma to help.

These days it's situated - often with no walls at all - to be the hub of entertainment, experts say.

"If you can provide an integrated kitchen, family room, indoor/ outdoor space - that's what is driving a lot of buyer decisions right now," says Paige Lentz, president of Monarch Cos., a boutique design-build firm that specializes in eco-friendly spec houses and one-of-a-kind custom homes.

Lentz's latest creation - a $1.8 million estate inspired by the châteaux of southern France - holds one of seven diverse Denver-area kitchens to be showcased June 8 during the Junior League of Denver's Fifth Annual Kitchens That Cook! self-guided tour.

The fundraiser will offer patrons a chance to peruse new builds and remodels in the upscale Cherry Hills Village, Hilltop and Greenwood Village neighborhoods, getting an up-close look at everything from a sleek, modern galley kitchen to a Tuscan-themed masterpiece designed to entertain.

Despite the sluggish economy, roughly 8.9 million homeowners put in new or remodeled kitchens in 2007, spending roughly $126.7 billion, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association. As sellers try to make their homes stand out in a tough market, the kitchen is often the first to get a face-lift.

So, what's in? A kitchen design that continues to work well as homeowners age, high-quality built- in appliances, a mix and match of creative finishes and - more than ever - green building.

"We have always built this way, but it just did not have any traction in the market," says Lentz, who makes energy efficiency a priority and uses recycled materials. "Now people are coming to us and saying, 'I want to build green.' "

Step inside the five-bedroom château that Lentz's company recently built at 20 S. Grape St. and you find a remarkably authentic European-inspired kitchen, complete with 120-year-old terra-cotta tile flooring salvaged from a château in the South of France.

On the wall behind the energy- efficient British AGA range hangs a 400-year-old iron "fireback," historically used in France to absorb the heat from the cooking fire and keep the house warm after dark. Other antiques include century- old French doors, antique European-style light fixtures and a 130- year-old German buffet table.

The kitchen is a cook's dream. No walls separate the kitchen from the breakfast area, and old- fashioned Dutch doors open out onto a glorious outdoor space with a fire pit.

In keeping with "universal design" (making a kitchen that's accessible to all ages and physical abilities), Lentz included a kid- friendly work space, with low countertops, a waist-high microwave that can be accessed without bending or reaching up, and a pot filler on the wall behind the stove (so you don't have to fill your large, heavy spaghetti pot with hot water and then walk it across the room).

Lentz's company took a chance, building the plush five-bedroom home on speculation, with no buyer in sight. But just 30 days after it hit the market, it sold.

The blend of old and new, eco- friendly and family-friendly was just what Christian McCarter, 39, his wife Jennifer, 33, and their two preschoolers Owen and Sloan were looking for.

"The kitchen really lends itself to entertaining. It isn't huge, but it isn't cramped and stuffy. And even though it's a spec home, it felt comfortable, like it had been lived in before," says Christian, an emergency-medicine doctor who just moved here with the family from West Virginia. "We probably looked at 30 homes, but we kept coming back to that house."

A few other highlights on the tour:

* 521 Columbine St.: $75,000 kitchen remodel by Kitchen Distributors. Features high-end white laminate cabinets, stainless-steel countertops, silk- screened glass backsplash, aluminum roll- up cabinets and a multipanel aluminum Bulthaup B3 wall system, which allows the homeowner to hang everything from a knife rack to an oven or a TV set on the wall.

* 2510 S. Columbine St.: Built by Kitchen Distributors for empty- nesters who love to entertain. Features a contemporary interpretation of Tuscan design, with stone arches to match the theme of the adjacent great room, French limestone flooring in a Versailles pattern and hand-blown glass light fixtures.

* 8 Cherry Hills Drive: Design u la Carte Old World Style kitchen, with custom-painted and glazed cabinets, a fireplace and a fish tank.

* 25 S. Elm St.: Designer Eve Squibb, of Eve's Creations, describes it as "city traditional," incorporating custom cabinetry, totally concealed refrigerators, freezer drawers and wine chiller, slab granite countertops and a high-end range and ovens.

* 2 Blackmer Road: Designer Pamela Fischer, of Design u la Carte, masterminded an updated traditional kitchen with state-of- the-art appliances, including an eight-burner cooktop and grill, two ovens, a convection microwave, a warming drawer, a wine chiller and two dishwashers.

If you go:

* What: the Junior League of Denver's fifth annual Kitchens That Cook! kitchen tour

* When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 8

* Where: Denver's Hilltop, Observatory Park, Cherry Hills Village and Greenwood Village neighborhoods

* Details: A self-guided tour of seven exclusive kitchens, ranging from European country estate to sleek urban sophistication. The annual fundraiser also includes tabletop design demonstrations, floral arrangements and fine food samples.

* Tickets: Available in advance for $20, and $25 the day of the tour. Patrons can buy online at jld.org or pick up their tickets at the homes. For more information, call 303-692-0270.

* Etc.: The National Kitchen and Bath Association will host a pre-tour brunch at the Denver Country Club at 10 a.m. June 8. Tickets cost $45 for brunch only.