From the Editor: The Heart of the Matter

Photo: Tracy Rivera

Kitchens invite conversation, family time, group projects and preparation of delicious meals. As the heart of a home, they’re the center of family life. In our annual kitchen issue, designers share the secrets behind six remodeled kitchens—from aesthetic updates to major renovation—all with the goal of creating a space that serves a family’s current lifestyle.

“Everyone’s always in the kitchen,” says interior designer Andrea Schumacher. Featured on the cover of the magazine, her redesigned kitchen is organized around a large island in the room’s center for gathering and meal preparation. Schumacher approached the project strategically, creating the butler’s pantry first, so the family could function while the main kitchen was finished. She offers practical advice: Begin with the way you live, not the way a kitchen looks.

In Basalt, Colorado, a couple with grown children who are beginning to start their own families knew their small, dark kitchen needed work. “We like to prepare meals together,” says the husband, so functionality was important along with style. Sometimes, for the kitchen to work, a bigger project awaits. When the designers at Aspen Design House saw the space, they understood that the main level of the home needed to be completely reimagined. Walls were removed, structural beams added, a window was placed over the kitchen sink, and a dining nook was created. The happy husband credits the designers for bring­ing co­­hesiveness and beauty into every square inch of the house.

With personalized additions like coated hand-painted wallpaper, knock-your-socks-off light fixtures, jewelry-like cabinet hardware, a hidden walk-in pantry and French bistro details, for these transformed spaces there’s no such thing as too many cooks in the kitchen.

Darla Worden
Editor in Chief

As seen in Colorado Homes & Lifestyles’ September/October 2026 issue.