Heart of the Home® Kitchen Tour to Showcase Distinct Kitchens and a Taste of the Region’s Best Cuisine
Design aficionados, foodies, and ladies looking for their next girls’ day out are marking their calendars for April 9, when The Junior League of Wilmington will hold its 11th Heart of the Home® Kitchen Tour. The daylong event will showcase recently renovated dream kitchens while offering food samples and demonstrations from some of the area’s top chefs and restaurants.
A rain or shine event, the Tour will begin at 9:30 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 each or four for $100 in advance of the Tour, and $35 on the day of the Tour. Tickets can be purchased now at www.heartofthehometour.com and will also be available at select retailers beginning March 1.
“This year’s event will delight even the most seasoned Kitchen Tour goers,” said Kitchen Tour Chair Angela Gustavsen. “There is an incredible range of gorgeous kitchen styles inside some really unique properties, and the cuisine featured this year will be top-notch. So it is really a “twofer” – attendees will enjoy a spectacular kitchen tour as well as a delicious food tour.”
Cooking demonstrations will include offerings from Chef Dan Butler of Piccolina Toscana, Brandywine Prime, and Tonic, Caffe Gelato, Brew HaHa, Bella Vista Trattoria, Two Stones Pub, Bixby’s Caterers, Levitea, 2Fat Guys American Grill, Ulysses Gastro Pub, Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids, Yo‘R So Sweet Creperie, Someone’s in the Kitchen, and many more.
Photo Credit: Wheeler Home Concepts, Real Estate Photography & Home Staging
The kitchens on the Tour are remarkable in their décor as well as for the stories behind the renovations. One traditional Greenville kitchen will make visitors feel as though it has been there for hundreds of years, despite it being newly constructed following a house fire. Another kitchen takes a coastal-inspired design to the banks of the Brandywine River, with a million-dollar view that belies an economical choice in the design: prudent homeowners decided to keep the quality cabinetry in place and paint it to suit their taste. And, a 1920’s stone home on Buck Road underwent a major overhaul, yet managed to maintain the same cozy, family kitchen feel it always had.
Also this year, some designers and contractors – such as Signature Construction & Design’s own Dan Holloway and Eric Holloway – will let Tour goers sneak a peek at recent renovations in their own homes. Tour-goers looking for ideas for their own design projects will find plenty of inspiration, as well as representation of cutting-edge kitchen features. Two trends attendees will notice include use of warmer metals and mixed metal tones, and a shift towards very personalized spaces. Homeowners seem to be looking for a more layered, collected feel in their kitchens. These trends are represented in a mother-daughter collaboration in one of Wilmington’s most time-honored neighborhoods that abounds with unique touches.
This year, designers are playing with multiple textures, using several cabinet finishes and counter materials in the kitchen. Homeowners are moving beyond ubiquitous smooth granite counters, and are choosing unusual pebbled or leathered granite, quartzite for its durability and fresh look, or warm, utilitarian butcher block. Traditional white kitchens are still popular, but eclectic touches are making these kitchens anything but cookie-cutter.
Homeowners are insisting on very individual creature comforts as well, with features suited to their family and lifestyle. “Whereas prior iterations of the Tour included added conveniences like beverage fridges and microwave drawers nearly everywhere, we have seen some really interesting must-haves on homeowners’ lists: high-end, built-in ice makers, built-in paper towel nooks, and a professional-grade espresso machine incorporated into a breakfast center,” Gustavsen said.
“The Heart of the Home® Kitchen Tour is a cherished tradition for the Junior League of Wilmington,” said Junior League President Kristen McMullen. “It is so exciting to be able to feature talented designers, wonderful homes, and great food with an event that generates funds to support training women to be leaders in the community as well as our mission to improve the lives of girls in Greater Wilmington.”
In addition to online sale, tickets will be available at the following retailers beginning March 1: Heart and Home in Pike Creek, Main Street, and Peoples Plaza; Everything but The Kitchen Sink in Hockessin; J. McLaughlin, Apropos, and The Wilmington Country Store in Greenville; and Kitchen Kapers in North Wilmington.
The Tour is generously supported by Signature Construction & Design, Bright Light Design Center, Giorgi Kitchens & Designs, Kitchens By Design, Hockessin Athletic Club; Kitchen Gallery, AAA Mid-atlantic, Holcomb Cabinetry, The Mottola Group, Waterbury Kitchen and Bath, WSFS, and WSTW.
Leave A Comment