Simple Life
David Jefferson says you can  add interest to the simplest kitchen designs without blowing  your budget. Here's how:

LIGHTING
Consider pendant lights, which hang from the ceiling. "They're warm without being  overwhelming."  Also, hidden lighting creates interest without too much expense. Jefferson installed glass panels at the top of four tall cabinets and lit them from within.

CABINETS
There are myriad ways to save money on cabinets, from using recycled wood to sustainable materials like bamboo. Beef them up with interesting hinges and knobs.

HARDWARE
Look for doorknobs and handles made from recycled glass. You can often find antique knobs, handles and even hinges at local antique stores.

Easy Does It
Designer David Jefferson offers high-end design ideas that are simple and affordable.

By Karen Croake
As published in the November 2009 issue of Rockland Magazine.

                                
Not surprisingly, "home is where everything is happening right now," says David Jefferson, a custom cabinet designer and space planner from Sparkill. And even in a less-than-stellar remodeling environment, Jefferson says when homeowners are spending this year, what they want most is an easy way to connect the kitchen to other living spaces.
"The kitchen is doing a number of different jobs; it's not just for cooking . It's all about getting together, and for that, you need a fluid space." In a recent remodel of a Suffern ranch, Jefferson combined two cramped spaces into a seamless living area. By removing part of a wall and adding a streamlined bar, he opened up the kitchen to the family room. 
The breakfast bar has no bells and whistles. There's no pop-up flat screen; no ingenious hidden storage. Instead, it's simple polished piece of two-inch-thick cherry wood with a detailed edge. The bar cuts into an adjoining wall, where Jefferson created a lighted display area, perfect for a vase filled with flowers. "The bar gives a bit of separation in the space, but it anchors the entire room with integrity" says Jefferson, a British expat who began his career as a set designer in London before launching his own Rockland based business 10 years ago.
The look, while very simple, is also very contemporary, which is what many of Jefferson's customers have been asking for in their kitchens. He says, "In this economy, design is much less fussy."