With a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from Northeastern University and more than a decade of kitchen remodeling and design experience, Ken Schaefer started his own firm Right Angle Kitchens & Design in 2006, right before a major economic downturn and has never looked back. His Woburn, Massachusetts firm has not only survived, it has grown every year since. While the bulk of his clients are in New England, he would love the opportunity to someday design a kitchen in a remotely located home in the Caribbean, combining nature and indoor living in creative ways.
Natural Wood Elements Enhance Kitchen Remodeling
His kitchen remodeling projects encompass a wide array of designs and materials, and Ken loves working with natural and stained woods. In a time when white kitchens reign supreme, he loves bringing the organic lines and natural warm tones of wood into a kitchen. According to Ken, “Every piece of wood tells a story.” He believes natural wood elements bring a space to life and is an expert at integrating wood accents with other materials for a visually and texturally interesting space.
Appliance Selection is Key
Ken sees the cooking appliances as the lifeblood of the kitchen. If he had to select a favorite appliance, it would be the classic 36” Wolf gas range. “It is basic and not overstated and performs for anyone from a total beginner to a professional chef,” he explains. “However, since a good meal is never complete without a glass of wine, I also love to incorporate a 24” Sub-Zero wine column.”
Everyone on Ken’s staff at Right Angle Kitchens takes particular interest in how the kitchen relates to the rest of the home and its surrounding landscape. They love creating spaces that can be enhanced by natural light. Ken’s own home is a late 80s contemporary that sits on a wonderful wooded site overlooking a private golf course with distant ocean views in Gloucester, MA. He and his wife have embraced and transformed the 1980s nature of the home and it is an ongoing project where he practices what he preaches to clients. It is all about where it sits and its relationship to the landscape beyond. Views of nature and light beyond the walls impact the design inside the home.
Another View of Kitchen Remodeling and Design
Ken and his team were called upon when Clarke, New England’s Official Sub-Zero, Wolf & Cove Showroom, was creating their Test Kitchen at 7 Tide in Boston Seaport. This project is a great example of sleek, contemporary Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances being enhanced by the warmth of wood.
While projects designed by Right Angle Kitchens are typically considered designer kitchens, reflecting a full spectrum of styles and materials, Ken shared that he would embrace the opportunity to look at kitchen design for affordable housing projects. He believes that no matter what a person’s financial situation is, they deserve a well-designed space.
Explore Right Angle Kitchens:
Right Angle Kitchens & Design
Founder and Owner: Ken Schaefer
Showroom in Woburn, MA
781-938-0178
rightanglekitchens.com
