The Article below is intended to showcase ideas about how, why and when Kitchen Workstation Furniture should be used as well as some thoughts concerning the design process.  The paragraphs are purposely disjointed in an effort to jog your mind away from the existing concepts of kitchen design that we all have grown up knowing.

YesterTec is an innovative company, brash in its fervor to promote a unique concept in the ultra- conservative world of kitchen design. Most cabinet companies, when they talk about innovation, are talking about a new finish, a new door style or a new storage accessory. At YesterTec, innovation is all about a completely new kitchen design concept, a new way to conceal cooking appliances, a new way to market, sell, and install kitchens. That’s the definition of Brash.

A YesterTec kitchen is first and foremost an exciting, multi-purpose room for living. Now, rooms with very strong architectural features and design character do not need to be comprised by a stronger, lineal cabinet and appliance presence. Furniture allows these special features to continue between and around each piece, preserving the room’s strong design theme. In fact, YesterTec’s furniture is designed to quietly blend into the design motif of almost any room, unpretentiously preserving the integrity of the overall room design. Kitchens typically found in new log homes or post and beam construction cover up the rich structural elements of the room. Why? Because there needs to be a smooth wall to line up the continuous cabinetry. YesterTec workstations allow the logs or posts to be seen between each piece, preserving the continuity of the space. In these applications, the room or structure needs to be the star and the kitchen furniture assumes an unpretentious character.

YesterTec workstations can be the most ideal choice for many occasions. In older homes, with their many windows and doors, 3-D furniture, already finished on three sides is perfect to fit between the openings.

Smaller lofts and open-plan apartments where the kitchen is never out-of-view are perfect candidates for a kitchen that ‘closes-up’ and becomes a collection of furniture when the cooking is done.

A real plus for any product is if it has a real, lasting benefit for society. YesterTec workstations are not beneficial because they give a consumer a different way to consume. Consuming is not an enviable trait on its own. But by creating a kitchen design concept, and products that allow rooms to combine usage, huge benefits can result. For the first time, a kitchen/living area can completely eliminate the need for a separate living room, dining room, even study or foyer, thus saving under-utilized square footage! Why? Because YesterTec workstations can actually allow a room to have a formal look combined with informal functionality and visa-versa! By controlling exactly what a consumer wants to see, rather than accepting only what the appliance and cabinet industries produce, home designs can finally become more efficient. The quality over quantity concept can finally become a reality. Saving square footage, while increasing the quality of the built environment experienced on the domestic level is truly a benefit to society. And saving space is the most ‘GREEN’ approach to any design as it conserves both materials and future energy use.

YesterTec workstations are today’s workhorses and tomorrow’s treasured antiques. They are built to last. They are built to show the wear of its users in a most gradual and natural way. They will develop a patina all their own. And they can be moved from house to house, generation to generation.

Using the latest techniques, including power tools of all sorts, YesterTec still builds each piece one at a time. One master craftsman is in charge of each piece, insuring that the quality standards are met for each order. There is no assembly line.

YesterTec workstations can complement the functions of many different rooms, especially when a room has a dual function or theme. For example, a few YT pieces separated by floor to ceiling bookshelves, including a large table in the middle can create a library/kitchen or a home office kitchen. Then there is the conservatory/kitchen filled with plants and large windows. The formal dining room/kitchen is a YesterTec specialty. Island pieces, topped with a storage unit conceal the chaos of the countertops from being seen when sitting at the dining table. A serving bar, cupboards and wet or dry bar pieces complement the kitchen pieces enhancing this formal setting. YesterTec’s Armoire Style Mini-Kitchens, all-in-one kitchen complete kitchens are great for Studio Kitchens, or one room apartments. Loft living, or open plan Living/Dining/Kitchens are the reason YesterTec developed the workstation concept.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the ‘Not So Big House’ movement, as promoted by architect Sarah Susanka, only a few YesterTec pieces are required to complete a kitchen. The avalanche of baby boomers who are moving out of their McMansions still demand quality in a smaller wrapper. This quality over quantity movement is well suited for YesterTec’s line of super-efficient, heirloom quality pieces.

The roots of YesterTec furniture predate cabinetry. Furniture was prevalent in kitchens long before built-ins. Going back to these roots, discovering the rich settings that some of the early kitchen furniture occupied was the inspiration for developing this updated version of furniture for today’s kitchens. Kitchens with furniture were typically the social and working hub of the house. But non-cooking activities also took place in the kitchen. Today, due to our very busy schedules, much of the time that we have to spare is spent in and around the kitchen. YesterTec has developed a way to combine the working parts of a kitchen into a more visually appealing living area.

YesterTec workstations can be moved from place to place and state to state. This makes them great for renovating because YesterTec pieces can move from one area to another just by unfastening them from the wall and disconnecting any utilities. They can move temporarily to another area, or to a new room that has been completely finished prior to moving in the kitchen pieces as the last operation, all the while keeping the functioning YesterTec kitchen intact. They can move from house to house in the same way. Blanket wrap them for the trip and they will arrive in great shape! Recently, we moved our entire showroom to a new location in a commercial moving van, with only blankets to protect them. And they all arrived completely undamaged, and were set up again by the moving crew, not cabinet installers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes, moving just one YesterTec piece in a kitchen design can do just the right thing for a small renovation. Or moving a piece and adding another. The key word is moving; almost impossible to do with built-in cabinetry.

YesterTec’s workstations are not intended for large, showcase kitchens. They have been designed to bring practicality into an open plan room using as few pieces as possible to get the job done. That said, they have found real life application in kitchens of all sizes and shapes, from kitchen-only rooms to more multi-functioning rooms. Cabinetry that has been converted to freestanding furniture rarely is as practical due to their typical lack of efficiency.

The Design Process, It really is a fun experience for all!

Getting to know what pieces are available in the YesterTec line is typically the most difficult part of designing with our workstations. They are so unusual, compared to the standards in the cabinet industry.  And there are so many models and options. But once the designer (or untrained homeowner) is familiar with YesterTec’s catalog, magic can happen! You have unlimited access by phone an email to YesterTec’s design staff who can help you find the best solution for your project.  A 3-D CAD program helps us model your room design and our pricing software has every option of each model already pre-priced for instant quoting.

YesterTec’s customers who are not trained as professional designers love the flexibility that the YesterTec catalog’s pre-designed selections give them to create the room of their dreams. By taking the pain and guesswork out of the kitchen design process and making the process a wonderful experience for the consumer, they have stated that they look forward to doing it again! “Purchasing a product from YesterTec is definitely not like going to a store and picking out a piece of furniture or selecting a basic style and color of cabinets. The consumer is the designer and has the versatility of expanding their room by adding more pieces, one at a time if they like.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YesterTec has been told by our customers that walking into our showroom is an awesome experience. We know that seeing many of the exclusive designs all in one place is exciting, but for our clients, the pioneers, the original thinkers who have been anticipating a visit, it is an awesome experience. Walking around, opening and closing the doors that hide the appliances, seeing pieces that have been featured in so many national publications up close for the first time, YesterTec’s customers are ultimately very pleased with themselves for having discovered and visited the showroom, because the difference between seeing workstations in a photograph and experiencing them in reality is quite substantial. The 3-D qualities that define the appearance and efficiency characteristics of YesterTec’s furniture can best be appreciated in person, especially for people who have only been accustomed to seeing standard cabinetry.

What makes YesterTec so exceptional? Listen to what one of our customers wrote. “The support and advice we received at the time of the sale was as good as it gets but realistically everyone selling a top of the line product should provide gold standard service. What sets YesterTec apart from the rest is the product. There are two types of kitchens; YesterTec and everyone else.”

Granted, YesterTec workstations are different compared to built-in standard cabinetry. Quality and innovation of the product line is top-of-the-line. But in terms of offering design expertise that assists customers who are planning their own kitchens, the YesterTec design staff is exceptional in our knowledge of the design capabilities of this new and unique concept. Having designed hundreds of custom homes has given YesterTec’s founder the design expertise to relate to almost any design challenge that arises.

The high quality of products and service is a standard that we try to uphold. Stated by a past client, “As a contractor, I deal with cabinets and furnishings that arrive on site with many defects and faults. YesterTec products are immaculately finished and perfectly shaped.” Another, “The professionalism of the YesterTec staff was exceptional. They follow through with details, not to mention the quality of the overall product is in itself exceptional. Another, “YesterTec’s products are unsurpassed in quality. YesterTec has given much time to the durability and quality of their superb finishes.”

From the independent nature of each piece to the way workstations are ordered and shipped, YesterTec’s workstation concept is a radical departure from the status quo of cabinetry. Every process involved in creating a kitchen/room-for-living is an abrupt but pleasant change from designing with cabinetry. In the words of an owner, “YesterTec took a very complex decision making process and made it easy and even fun with their creative ideas and innovative solutions. Our friends love our ‘new’ kitchen and I am happy to tell them about the high level of quality and service at YesterTec!”

The rugged individualist, the true pioneer, the trailblazers tend to be unrelenting in their pursuits. YesterTec’s developers took this approach when trying to find the best way to create an open-plan kitchen/living environment. Many designers before us had compromised on key issues (such as concealing cooking appliances). The harsh road to finding the right solution took 2 ½ years. These times were very unsettling, as multiple roadblocks surfaced but were ultimately traversed. Patience was required and perseverance resulted in the creation of a truly unique alternative to normal kitchen design.

YesterTec is a story exemplified by the following: “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail!”