Choosing Cherry for Your Kitchen Cabinetry

A few weeks ago, we began our blog series on the different wood types available to choose from when redesigning your kitchen or bathroom. This week, we examine the distinctive characteristics of cherry.

Often associated with use in more traditional settings, cherry can be paired with modern finishes for a more contemporary look and feel. “There’s a richness and depth that you can only get with cherry," says Monarch designer Jackie Schagen. "The variation in colour and grain gives a very elemental look that can only come from a truly natural material.”

Cherry:

• brings a sense of warmth to any space
• smooth, fine-grained appearance with uniform texture and random markings
• character comes from mineral streaking, fine pinholes and pitch pockets
• ranges from tan blonde to deep brown and darkens naturally as it ages
• hard enough to withstand everyday life

Are you ready to make your kitchen and bath renovation dreams a reality? Call Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre at 905-686-2001, or drop by our kitchen and bath showroom and chat with a member of our design team. 

Photo courtesy of Cuisines Laurier.

Which Wood Type is Right for Your New Kitchen Cabinetry?

Although many of today’s new kitchen designs contain the modern elegance of glass and stainless steel, it’s often the warmth and texture of wood cabinetry that can make your kitchen feel like home.

Over the coming weeks, Monarch will be examining the different wood types available for your kitchen and bathroom cabinetry. This week, we take a look at the unique characteristics of maple.

Photo courtesy of Cuisines Laurier

Maple:

• is a strong, resilient hardwood with a more uniform grain than other wood types
• may include tiny "bird's eye" dots and mineral streaks
• is known for its smooth texture and creamy white color, which can exhibit subtle variation from white to light brown
• is an ideal wood species for painted, glazed and stained finishes
• popular for its shock resistance and durability
• produces a smooth, clean look when stained
• can be finished to resemble other, more expensive, hardwoods and softwoods such as cherry and cedar
• is a good choice if you’re looking for a light, airy kitchen or a dramatic kitchen with darker finishes
  
  

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Are you ready to make your home renovation dreams a reality? Call Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre at 905-686-2001, or drop by our kitchen and bath showroom and chat with a member of our design team.

Choosing the Drawer Style that Fits Your New Kitchen Design and Your Budget

Kitchen design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

If a new kitchen design is in your future, you’re probably balancing a desire to have a beautiful kitchen with your basic need to have a more functional workspace.

This is where your choice of kitchen cabinetry comes in. Sure, you want your cabinetry to look great on the outside, but don’t underestimate the importance of making the time you spend in your kitchen more convenient.

Today, an increasing number of homeowners are choosing to include more drawers in their kitchen cabinetry design. Stronger glide technology has allowed manufacturers to create bigger drawers that can handle heavier items like pots, pans, dishware, large serving dishes and chopping blocks. With drawers, items are in full view and no longer become lost at the back of the cupboard!

Like most design elements, there are a variety of styles and sizes to choose from. “When you are looking at what type of drawer to get in your kitchen, generally budget does come into play. If you’re on a tight budget, then a drawer without the slow close features, and without full extension is what you might consider,” says Monarch designer Amanda Willson-Suppa. “If you’ve got some room in your budget, drawers that provide full extension and slow-close technology are preferred.”

Double-wall steel drawers have the slow close and full extension glides on them, but the bottom of the drawer is melamine to match the interior of your kitchen. “The wood dovetail drawers are generally made out of birch, but can have an extra style feature of being constructed out of walnut,” says Amanda. “These drawers are more traditional, and often we find that people chose the wood dovetail when they are constructing a more transitional or traditional kitchen.”

Dovetail Drawers by Cuisines Laurier

These traditional wooden dovetail drawers are assembled by hand; one by one; to make sure that every joint is perfect. Dovetail drawers are made of birch wood and mounted on premium quality soft closing full extension slides.

Tandembox Drawers by Cuisines Laurier

These contemporary drawers are available in gray aluminum or stainless steel. Light and strong, Tamdembox drawers are a modern alternative to the traditional dovetail drawers. The drawers are mounted on premium quality soft closing full extension slides. Gallery, double gallery and double walled sides options are available. 

To get a closer look at the cabinetry and drawer options available, drop by Monarch’s showroom today.

Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre's Black Friday Extravaganza Continues Until December 2nd!

You don't have to live south of the border to enjoy extended Black Friday sales!

Drop by Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre's Pickering showroom from now until Friday, December 2nd, and receive 10% off your new cabinetry order (for installations done before the end of 2012).

Browse through our onsite selection from such suppliers as...

• Urban Effects by Norcraft 
• Cuisines Laurier 
• Laurier Lite 
• KitchenCraft Cabinetry 
• Miralis 
• 
  

...and let one of our designers help you choose the cabinetry that's right for your new kitchen or bath.

For more information, call us at 905-686-2001 or visit us at 1020 Brock Road, Unit 6, in Pickering.

Monarch's Showroom Makeover is Complete!

Visitors to Monarch's 30th Anniversary Celebration were blown away by our newest kitchen showroom.

Why not drop by soon and see it for yourself? Pictures just don't do it justice!

Cabinetry: White framed maple cabinetry by Cuisines Laurier

Countertops: Granite by Interstone Granite & Marble

Backsplash: Glass and stainless steel mosaic tiles from Saltillo

Hood Fan: Vent-A-Hood

Coffee Maker: Miele espresso and cappuccino maker

Oven: Miele wall oven

Range: KitchenAid Slide-in

Fridge: GE Monogram wine fridge

Sink: Kindred

Faucet: GROHE

Chairs: Chair Source

Door handles: Select Hardware

Pendant lights: Osso City Lighting, Oshawa

Don't Miss Monarch's 30th Anniversary Celebration!

Please join us on Saturday, June 11th at our Pickering showroom -- 1020 Brock Road South, Unit 6 -- as we thank our new and previous clients, local business partners and the City of Pickering for their patronage and support over the past 30 years.

There will be food and refreshments, live musical entertainment and wine tasting from 12 to 4 p.m. Pickering Mayor Dave Ryan will be on hand to speak with guests and congratulate Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre owners Neil and Sharon Samson on their continuing success.

Drop by our showroom and put your name into a draw for "no-strings-attached" raffle prizes from such companies as:
Hamilton Beach
GROHE 
ProSource
Riobel 
Cuisines Laurier and more.

For additional information, contact Amanda Willson-Suppa at 905-686-2011 or email her at amanda@mkbi.com.

The White Kitchen Cabinetry Has Been Installed as Monarch's Pickering Showroom Takes Shape

Looking at pictures of beautifully designed kitchens online and in magazines is a great way to get ideas, discover the latest trends and figure out what you like--and what you don't. But when it comes to getting truly inspired, there's nothing quite like standing in a kitchen and imagining how the cabinets, countertop, sink etc. would look in your home.

At Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre, we've witnessed some of our clients' biggest "a-ha" moments while standing in one of our showroom kitchens...one of the many reasons why we take such pride in getting our model kitchens "just right." 

Monarch's latest showroom update--a framed white kitchen--is almost complete. The Cuisines Laurier cabinetry is now in place and the granite countertop from Interstone Marble and Granite will soon be installed. We invite you to stop by and view it for yourself.

Redesigning Your Kitchen or Bathroom This Spring?

We can relate...our designer kitchen showroom in Pickering is under renovation, too.

At Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre, we believe the best way to keep up-to-date with our clients' design needs is to have our showroom reflect the latest kitchen and bath design styles and trends. 

Monarch will remain open for business during the showroom renovation. After all, our clients live through major renovations for weeks at a time. If they can do it, we can too! If you'd like to drop by and take a tour of our showroom, why not come by now and view a renovation in progress? 

We'd like to thank our partners Cuisines Laurier and Interstone Marble and Granite Limited for their support. 

Stay tuned for the "after" pictures of our new designer showroom and our stunning new silver wave countertops.

Monarch Designers Visit Cuisines Laurier in Quebec City

Last fall, Monarch Kitchen and Bath designers went to Quebec City to learn first hand what makes Cuisines Laurier one of the finest custom cabinetry manufacturers in North America.

"As the person in charge of ordering, It was great to finally put faces to the names I've been dealing with every day over the phone," says designer Melissa Foley. "And after seeing the way their facility is run, I have no doubt that the secret to their exceptional cabinetry is the craftspeople."

"I really enjoyed seeing the entire fabricating process from start to finish," adds Melissa."I had a pretty clear understanding of what was involved, but seeing it for myself made it easier to understand why their cabinets take the time they do...there is an incredible amount of detail work involved and their entire team takes such great care with each and every project."

What was the most interesting part of the trip? "I learned that there are sections in the cabinetry finishing process that only women work on because they are more detail-oriented."

Let a Monarch designer show you why Cuisines Laurier's diversified selection of door styles, wood species, colors and specialty finishes has made them a favourite among designers across North America. To learn more about their products call Monarch today at 905-686-2001, visit Cuisines Laurier online or view their video below.

High-end Kitchen Design for Less

Are you worried about getting the look you want while keeping your kitchen design budget in check?

Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre is pleased to carry the Laurier Lite collection, a line of stunning cabinet designs from Cuisines Laurier. Assembling their most popular cabinet colours and styles, Cuisines Laurier has created a cabinetry collection that puts a spectacular, high-end kitchen design within your reach.

Known as one of the finest custom cabinetry manufacturer in North America, Cuisines Laurier offers an amazingly diversified selection of door styles, wood species, colors and specialty finishes. To learn more, click here or watch Cuisines Laurier's video below.

Visit Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre today and discover why designers from all over North America choose Cuisines Laurier for its extended flexibility and its capacity to deliver the most detailed projects.