scott@grandvalleykitchenandbath.com | 970.209.1806 | Grand Valley Kitchen & Bath | Grand Junction, CO
Scott Sylvester
{CKD Certified 1996}
INNOVATION, IMAGINATION,
INTEGRITY, & EXPERIENCE.
It's about a relationship
with my clients and delivering the very best to fit their
every need.
A Story
The process is new and fresh for every time,
for every kitchen, and every kitchen tells a story.
Camping as a kid with my dad and brothers was always an exciting time. As my wife and I raised our 3 children camping became one of our favorite summer time activities. The anticipation, all of the packing, kids and camping equipment piled in the truck, heading off for an adventure. It was new and unique each and every time.
What wasn’t new and unique each time was setting up the camp kitchen. Yes the camp sites were different but the basics of the camp kitchen were the same. “Kids get the tent set then start gathering firewood and kindling!” We would set the tent first, upwind from the fire ring so smoke wouldn’t blow into the tent. Summer afternoons in the Colorado high country inevitably were accompanied by thunderstorms. Getting the tent set and dry firewood was first and foremost for every camping trip.
After the initial rush to get the tent set and a good supply of firewood I would pull out the fishing poles, set some hooks, and send the kids on their way. Now I could get down to setting up the camp kitchen. I had the fire pit and a good supply of firewood first. I would then set up the cleanup station with fresh water, pots and pans, and a trash container for the stuff we would haul out at the end of our stay. Food storage was always a challenge but fortunately we were never confronted by a visit from a bear.
Most often the pantry was set up in the back of the pickup because I could close it up at the end of the day. I would often bring a camp table that I would set up for a prep station, knives, and dish towels handy for later use.
Now I could relax, check in with the kids, and look forward to fixing our first meal when we would listen to the kids regal about their adventures catching a fish, lines caught in the willows, soaked to their armpits getting stuck in a beaver pond, trampling through the woods looking for the next best fishing hole.
In a simple way this is the essential kitchen and kitchen design process illustrated in a earnest and innocent experience. The basics of the cooking center, food storage, clean up, and most importantly hanging out and enjoying each other’s company around the campfire.
How did you get started in the Kitchen and Bath business?
Twenty-eight years ago I began my career in the kitchen and bath business
in Crested Butte, Colorado. Previously I spent eighteen years in the construction trades starting at the bottom of the ladder as a laborer, then working as a trim carpenter, moving on to being a job superintendent, general contractor, and managing multiple community endeavors as a project manager. I also had
a shop fabricating custom products, cabinets, and furniture.
In the small mountain community where lived, I saw the opportunity
for a kitchen design business and joined with a longtime acquaintance
to pursue that vision. I started with some design books, 3 ring binders
of ideas and inspirations, a lot of dedication and determination, and
maybe most importantly an innate sense of curiosity. With my sights set
on being the best I could be, my career launched in the fall of 1990 moving
into a small 600 square foot showroom.
The kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s the place
that everyone convenes and gathers.
What is your foundation for the design process?
With a unique gift of imagining what I see in my mind’s eye in dimensional images each project starts as a clean slate. Through training and
comprehension of the foundation of design principals, long established
for the universal function for all kitchens, I create the initial concept
for the kitchen plan using knowledge, experience, and intuition.
When I have done my job well the reaction is “That’s just what I imagined!”
What is your inspiration for the design process?
I am fascinated by my natural surroundings of texture, light, color,
and pattern. I believe as a designer it is important to draw from a variety
of sources, natural and manmade. I am constantly looking at fresh resources
of new and inspirational trends in furniture, fashion, crafts, architecture,
and woodworking. I attend trade shows and travel as often as possible
to continue to be stimulated and motivated to provide the best resource
possible for the client.
I pay careful attention to the communication threads including body language and active listening.
If I'm Talking I'm not listening.
A successful kitchen projects is a result of getting to know a client’s
habits, when and how often they shop, their cooking preferences,
eating habits, family, friends, and social interactions and reflecting
that knowledge in the kitchen of their dreams.
The most important aspect of all kitchen design is that I become
a trusted advisor, the ability to offer the client the clear foundation
of uncompromised communication and service to their needs and wants, resulting in a well-designed space rooted in value and integrity.