Custom Kitchen Design Tour: Stunning Features & Trends with KLM Builders
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- 3 min read
We recently spent time with the team at KLM Builders walking through one of their custom kitchens, and it’s packed with the kind of thoughtful details that make a space both beautiful and genuinely livable. The full narrated tour is live on our YouTube channel—watch it here:
Custom Kitchen Tour with the Builder
This kitchen leans into current trends while staying practical for everyday cooking and entertaining. Here’s what stood out as we moved through the space with the builder.
Cabinetry That Feels Fresh and Functional
The cabinetry features a thinner shaker profile for a cleaner, more contemporary look. It’s rift-cut oak—smooth, uniform grain without the busy striations of traditional oak. Everything is soft-close, with full-extension dovetail drawers and solid plywood construction for strength.
Built-in accessories make daily life easier: knife blocks, spice racks, cutlery dividers, and soft-close roll-out trays. The island includes a double trash cabinet and cabinets facing the great room for extra glassware and barware storage. The entire island face is panelized, so there’s no exposed drywall.
Tall 51-inch wall cabinets maximize vertical storage, and the upper cabinets are a full 15 inches deep (instead of the usual 12). That extra depth is perfect for plates, platters, and glassware. LED lighting runs under the cabinets, on top, along light rails, and even under the island face for both task and ambient light.
High-End Appliances Integrated Seamlessly
The kitchen uses a full Sub-Zero + Wolf suite. Highlights include:
A Wolf induction cooktop (thin profile that allows a stack of three deep drawers underneath)
Built-in Wolf double ovens
Sub-Zero refrigerator
Sub-Zero Cove dishwasher (quiet and thorough)
Built-in microwave with a storage drawer below
A reverse-osmosis system feeds purified water to the fridge and ice maker. Continuous outlets run under the upper cabinets so nothing breaks up the clean backsplash.
Surfaces, Sink & Details That Elevate the Space
The island has a seamless one-piece quartz top with a waterfall edge that runs all the way to the floor—both stylish and protective for the cabinetry. Perimeter countertops are leather-finished granite that’s fully sealed for low maintenance.
The farmhouse-style apron-front sink is a Kohler porcelain-enamel cast-iron model built to last. Above the cooktop sits a custom wood hood that matches the cabinetry, with proper lighting and exterior venting. A Moen pot filler in their newer gold finish is mounted nearby. The marble backsplash is sealed and pulls the warm tones of the oak together. All faucets throughout the home are Moen.
Right off the kitchen is a walk-in pantry with 10-foot ceilings, plenty of storage, and porcelain tile flooring that complements the hardwoods.
Why These Choices Work
KLM’s approach here balances trend and function: warmer natural materials, hidden storage and outlets for a cleaner look, induction cooking, taller and deeper cabinetry, and durable surfaces that don’t demand constant upkeep. It’s the kind of kitchen that feels current in 2026 without sacrificing the things that actually make cooking and gathering easier.
If you’re planning a new custom home or a kitchen remodel in northern Illinois or southern Wisconsin, KLM Builders is worth a look: klmbuildersinc.com.
What was your favorite detail from the tour—the rift-cut oak, the waterfall island, the induction setup, or those deep upper cabinets? Drop a comment and let us know. And if you found the video helpful, give it a like and subscribe for more home tours and design ideas.
Watch the full kitchen tour again: https://youtu.be/1zA4J4NQMqU
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