Kitchen Traditional Kitchen, Minneapolis

1. Architectural details. Traditional kitchens focus on the details in all areas. There's a bit of embellishment or adornment everywhere you look, but the best traditional kitchens just feel layered rather than overbearing. Speaking of details, this kitchen has it all — arches, moldings, beam ceilings, framed and raised-panel cabinets, a custom hood surround, chandeliers, furniture-style cabinets and, of course, island legs. Note how each area has detailing: the island's turned legs, the dark paneled wood piece in the front that's probably hiding a refrigerator, the shape and moulding of the custom hood surround. And all that is in addition to the raised panels, the flush inset cabinets and the box-beam ceiling.

Legs. Dress up a center island with decorative legs at the corners. The decorative leg in this kitchen is also a partner to the countertop detail. Notice how the countertop was carried out and around the top of the leg, creating another detail. Although a decorative leg may be just be the detail you’re looking for, keep in mind that you will need additional funds. Not only will the detailed leg cost something, but your countertop square footage will have to increase, adding to your overall cost.Dress up the kitchen island with your favorite features

And if you’d like continuity. If you plan to use toile on multiple pieces next to one another, like window shades or chairs, you may want the patterns to align. This is especially true if the toile has a prominent motif. These kitchen chairs are a perfect example. The tree-like shape on the backs of all the chairs is in the same location on each piece. To achieve this, you’ll likely need to order more fabric than what you’d need if using a different pattern. Your upholsterer will let you know how much to order depending on the size of your pieces, the fabric width, the repeat and whether you want to highlight a certain section in the motif or not. The additional yardage can sometimes be substantial, so be prepared. It’s imperative to have this discussion with your designer or upholsterer so everyone has the same expectations. How to work with an upholsterer

Casing above unifies windows to surrounding cabinetry. Chandeliers make eat-in kitchen feel more formal.