Kurfiss|Sotheby's International Realty - Agent Jim Pearsall's Blog

A. James Pearsall (Kurfiss|Sotheby's International Realty) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:00:32 -0600

What I know about kitchens and how I can help you find the perfect kitchen along with the perfect home.

My mother was not the world's best cook....but she knew it and she encouraged me to try it. She knew what she was doing and a chef was born! I opened my first restaurant when I was 16 years old and Craig Claiborne, food editor of the New York Times wrote a nearly full page article about me and my little restaurant above Harvey's Lake, PA. After graduating from Cornell University's prestigious School of Hotel Administration and a stint at the 3 star restaurant, Tallivent in Paris, France, I opened my second restaurant and shortly after met my future wife. Enjoying our success in Pennsylvania, we traveled to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to open the third and our final restaurant. Three years later, I was a slave to the restaurant business and my wife and I wanted to start a family. We both felt that the restaurant business was not conducive to raising a family and without so much as a second thought, I left the restaurant business and began a career selling furniture as a manufacturers representative throughout the state of Florida. Twenty years later, we remodeled our home in Boca Raton centering our entire re-design around entertaining and specifically - The kitchen.

Whether we realize it or not, for most of us, the kitchen is truly the centerpiece of our homes. Weekday mornings, the perfect kitchen should be bright and cheery and active. Weekday evenings, the kitchen should be welcoming and flowing with the aroma of a flavorful meal and a late night snack. Weekends are full of unscheduled meals and of course the wonderful evenings consisting of your best friends, some good spirits and your best cooking without showing the effort you put behind it all.

Not all kitchens are perfect and not everyone can agree on what the perfect kitchen should look like or how it should be laid out. But my many years in kitchens around the world in some of the finest homes and restaurants has given me some advantage in helping you avoid making some costly mistakes. If you plan on renovating your kitchen before you sell your home, I can help you avoid some costly mistakes. If you are in the market to purchase a home In Bucks county, PA l will not waste your time showing you a home that has no potential for a great kitchen or doesn't have one already!

In recent years, the trend in kitchen design has been the larger, the better. Although the luxury of space does create envy for many of us, a truly efficient kitchen need not occupy a significantly large area. In fact, some of best kitchens I have worked in may seem criminally small by today's usual standards. Some of the best kitchens I have seen recently have been old farmhouse renovations where moving walls to open space just has not been an option. Innovative equipment designs, primarily from European manufacturers have enabled contractors and designers to give the consumer every conceivable convenience without tearing out walls. My mother, although not a cook had what she thought was a cooks kitchen. Space was what she wanted and space is what she got. The center island was 25' long and 7' wide! The sink was at the far left end and the garbage can was on the other side on the far right. The floor was a very hard uneven tile. Cooking in this kitchen was exhausting. Guests loved it because they could be in the kitchen while food was being prepared and not be in the way, but when they left, cleanup was difficult, from sweeping the floors to scrubbing all of the counter-tops.

First, let's start with the flooring....uneven brick tile! Sure, it looked beautiful, but oh my legs at the end of an evening. Some time later, my parents built a kitchen in a summer home with cork floors. That kitchen was a dream to work in. Wood floors with a good amount of padding under them are my favorite. Unless you are planning some major spills or hot pots falling on the floor, give serious consideration to wood floors. I actually think that Pergo and other high traffic laminates are perfect for kitchens and baths. Its relatively inexpensive and even the very occasional do-it-yourself owner can install.

Cabinets: There are so many styles to choose from so I really can not offer to much help here except for this: make certain that the cabinets are DEEP enough to accommodate the larger plate sizes we are seeing in table top design currently. And make sure the shelves are strong enough to carry the load of heavy dishes. Three foot lengths of laminate board are not strong enough to carry the normal load of twelve plates, butter dishes and bowls without showing considerable bend in the center. And make sure the underside of the cabinets is finished with fascia board and lighting. If the tops of the cabinets are going to be visible from a second floor area, make certain that the cabinets will be finished on top as well. Some people like hardware on their cabinets, others do not. Just make sure it is all the same if you choose to use hardware.

Equipment: Refrigerators are the number one item and in most cases, the larger the better. Not long ago, we all moved our refrigerators along with the sofa, but if that happens at all now, they end up in the garage or the basement. Built ins that match the cabinetry keep the kitchen looking clean and uncluttered. The next best thing is stainless steel front, but white and black are dated. I have seen some with a chalkboard front which in my opinion is far better than a slew of magnets.

More to come...

A. James's Blog

Kurfiss|Sotheby's International Realty - Agent Jim Pearsall's Blog