On our most recent From the Tap podcast, we spoke to Summer Jensen, CEO and principal of Hawk & Co., a design firm in Laguna Beach, Calif., about how to choose the perfect kitchen appliance package for your clients.
She starts out by having them fill out a survey to identify each individual project’s needs. One of the most important things to determine is whether they are more on the home chef side of things or if they prefer takeout most nights of the week. Jensen’s design would differ heavily for each scenario.
She went into detail about the most important part of the kitchen appliance package – the range and the refrigeration – and the most important part of the layout is how efficient it is. The designer does not want her clients to have to keep walking from one side of the kitchen to the other to prepare meals, so she added helpful tips on how she sets up the prep station.
Jensen admits she does not participate in manufacturer rebates, and those and other similar incentives do not affect her selection. She doesn’t want her clients to doubt her pricing structure, so she lets the contractor take the percentage markup and handle all the warranties.
The designer shared some of her tried-and-true, go-to brands for such products as induction cooktops, ovens, built-in coffee makers and ice makers. She is also a big fan of modular kitchen cabinet packages because they can save time and money.
Jensen is a huge advocate of sustainable design, and as such chooses surfacing materials from local quarries. She shared with us how she determines if her clients are on the same page but asking one crucial question, and she also played up induction over gas.
Jensen also shared her tips for designing an outdoor kitchen and not necessarily needing to include duplicate elements in the interior kitchen. We rounded out our conversation with the designer telling me how she learns about new kitchen brands and products in our industry.
To learn more, listen to the podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Pandora and other outlets.
