Woodale Designs » What’s New in Design

Modern Kitchen Design

Keith Fennelly — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:32:06 +0000

I’ve been looking at other designers work both online and in magazines. They continue to talk about the kitchen triangle and to be honest I don’t get what the big deal is. Surely you design the kitchen so that it works for the client. A kitchen that is comfortable for them to work in, have a coffee with friends. For me the Kitchen Triangle never comes into it, it’s all about where I think the appliances, sink etc should go in the room.

Any good designer will visualise the working space as soon as they see the room plans. Obviously they will have a brief from their client and will have to work within this whether it be budget or the actual design. With today’s kitchen you are no longer limited to the classic layout. A sink doesn’t need to go in the kitchen window. An extractor fan does not have to be hung on a wall, it can go in the worktop or be hung from a ceiling. A dishwasher no longer need to be the conventional drop down door.

They are a number of drawer dishwashers on the market which can be installed at different height or in the kitchen island. A kitchen island is now seen as the work center of the kitchen. The central point where you place you food for preparation, dining and storage. My advice is to take your time. If you are unsure or want to see a different kitchen layout just ask your designer. Kitchens are the room in our homes that get lived in the most. While kitchens need to look good in both design and finish, just as important is that they work for you. The main work centres need to be close to hand or a couple of steps apart.

Farrow and Ball painted Kitchens

Keith Fennelly — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:48:17 +0000

We’ve been working hard to give the client that little bit extra without increasing the cost of kitchens. Farrow and ball paints have some amazing colours to choose from. One of our more recent projects was Farrow and Ball “Stoney Ground”. Our client wanted something different colour wise but didn’t want a hand painted kitchen so we basically color coppied the paint and gave it a spray finish which is durable, resistant to steam from kettles and cooking with a beautiful even finish. When designing the kitchen we were conscious that the kitchen would need some wood elements to it so we added a walnut island with curved doors.

The SileStone worktops are Blanco Capri. They are stain resistant, anti-bacterial and very durable. SileStone has become a much more affordable counter top for the kitchen and now competes with granite on a budget level.

Here are some worktop pictures of the kitchen during it manufacture. Not much to look at in its raw stage but gives you an idea of how thing start out!

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We use an MDF centre panel when manufacturing painted kitchen doors. This elimated paint cracks around the centr panel of our kitchen doors.

Gorenje’s New SmarTable | The Worlds Coolest Table

Keith Fennelly — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:10:33 +0000

Gorenje have come up with a table that can only be described as “the worlds coolest table” – Excuse the pun! While I can’t see it having much use in the home, I think it is an excellent idea for say boardrooms, wine bars, restaurants and even airports.

With the click of a button the SmarTable is activated and a refridgerated plateau appears from the center of your table top with fresh food and cool drinks at the touch of your finger. The remote controlled unit can be raised to your required height and also has adjustable shelving to suit different products. The table top comes in 14 different finishes, from granite to coloured glass and even wood.

While I can’t see this product being used in Kitchens at this time, I think it is an excellent idea for a restaurant, boardroom or airport. Gorenje also mentioned that this cylinder shaped refridgerator can be purchased without the table so maybe we will see it in some exciting design features in the future…

Kitchen Lighting, Led lighting

Keith Fennelly — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 13:27:40 +0000

Led (Light-emitting diode) lighting is relatively new to the market although they have been around since 1962. Early versions of led had low light emittance but in recent years has improved in both quality and brightness. The lighting effect from led is called electroluminescent and the energy gap of the semiconductor determines the colour of the lighting.

The main advantages of led lighting are low energy consumption and a large lifetime of up to 60,000 hours. One of the disadvantages I see with led’s are that they are not very effective during the daytime when lighting is sometimes needed in the kitchen.

So where do you need to add lighting to your kitchen design? Well definitely under the wall cabinets lighting the worktops area. There is nothing worse than preparing food in the kitchen with a shadow from you on the work area caused by ceiling lights. Under wall cabinet lighting solves this problem for you. If you have glass display units then lighting is a must and gives a beautiful effect to your kitchen in the evening time. Plinth lighting is also a beautiful feature for your new kitchen design. The come in both blue and white light and are water resistant which helps when washing floors.

Neff Kitchen appliances

Keith Fennelly — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:15:18 +0000

Neff appliances have always been a market leader when it come to kitchen appliances. I have always been to busy with the design and manufacture of kitchens to focus on the advantages of having Neff in the kitchen. In recent months I have changed this and have and studied some of the benifits of having these ovens,hobs fridges etc in the kitchen. KAL, our suppliers have dropped their prices to compete with the likes of Siemens and Bosch while offering a superior product. They are currently running a scrappage scheme where by you receive large discounts on package deals.

Here’s a really nice oven. It has a feature which they call the slide away door.

CircoTherm is the most advanced cooking system out there. It works by forcing air from the oven into ducts at the rear oven wall where it heats the air and recycles it back into the cooker. There is no need to preheat your oven with this feature. CircoTherm defrost circulates unheated air into the oven which is excellent for delicate meat like fish and poultry. Food is cooked from the inside out with this feature which holds in the moisture.

Here are some more of there product for the chef in you or you can view their 360 degree showroom here.

Kitchens Dublin | Woodale Kitchens

Keith Fennelly — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:15:07 +0000

The bulk of our customers seem to be traveling from Dublin for their kitchens. Country prices are a lot more competitive to those in cities like Dublin offering more value you for more and true bespoke kitchen designs. When the celtic tiger hit Ireland its seem people wanted to say how MUCH a kitchen cost now it seems that the average person is happier to tell everyone about the bargain they just got. The conversation usually start with “We’re are coming to Carlow for a quotation because we don’t want to pay Dublin kitchen prices”. People now want value for money bespoke kitchens at a fraction of the cost. Getting that dream kitchen doesn’t have to cost the earth it couldn’t be a better time to shop around and obviously we would advise you all on calling down to see us!!

Essential kitchen Design Tips

Keith Fennelly — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:16:54 +0000

Your Kitchen is one of the main expenditures in your home, we all want to make a statement with it. The first thing everyone wants to hear when a visitor enters the kitchen is “Wow your kitchen is beautiful, who did it for you?” – The question all kitchen designers and manufacturers love to hear being asked.

Obviously the style, design, layout and size you have to work with are an important element to consider when choosing your desired kitchen but colour plays an important part of any design.

One of the obstacles we encounter when designing a kitchen is that the client has left it to late. What I mean is that the house is already structurally complete. The ideal time to start considering your kitchen is when you have received your house plans from the architect. While an architect is highly skilled he or she is more focused on light, space and design. This is where the kitchen designer comes into play. Having a window moved 300mm is not a big deal to the design of a house but can make a huge difference to the overall kitchen design. It can make the difference between having a chimney breast effect or turning a corner with kitchen cabinets, moving a door can also have the same desired effect. When your new home structure is complete and the plumber, electricians want to know where the cooker switch, power points, light switches are to go this this is where your early planning comes into play. Having the answer to all your tradesmen questions can save money in the long run.

Sliding Wardrobes | New Showroom

Keith Fennelly — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:55:29 +0000

We are adding the finishing touches to our new Wardrobe showroom in Carlow town. Our sliding door range is a huge success. Sliding Wardrobes tick every box, with space being a concern in almost every bedroom sliding doors solve this dilema. Adding mirrored sliding doors can make a room seem more spacious while adding light. If mirror isn’t what you are looking for we also offer a wide range of wood finishes – Walnut, beech, oak to mention a few. Another nice touch within our range is mirror and coloured glass.

The same goes for the actual framing of our sliding robe systems. While we carry the usual range of metal framing we also have wood effect frames. Our door widths can be as much as 1200mm wide with standard heights of up to 2450mm and the option of reaching 3000mm high.

At Woodale Design Centres we try to add variation to our designs mixing wood with mirror, colour glass panelling to name but a few options – You choose a design we manufacture!

New projects

Keith Fennelly — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:46:57 +0000

What a busy week! We are adding the finishing touches to some of our most recent projects and just about to start some very nice kitchens. Clients are coming from all over Ireland and we seem to be going further afield this last few week. Our next project is a large painted kitchen in Dublin, one which I am personally looking forward to starting.

I will be posting pictures of the manufacturing of each of the kitchens above. And more inportantly showing you all the finished product…