Designer Profiles: Daniel Birch

"Color is everything -- I love Medallion. It was a fun space to design, it’s simple, but at the same time, it turned out extremely beautiful."

Did you have a design inspiration?

It was a fun space to design, it’s simple, but at the same time, it turned out extremely beautiful. I designed this kitchen for a contractor’s beach house; they’d been wanting to remodel for a long time and were re-doing pretty much the entire place. My customers really wanted the unique color of Islander Dry Brush finish from the Coastal Collection, so that was my starting point. I was also inspired by the reclaimed elements in the home, like the 100-year-old shiplap in the adjacent dining room. The contractor had been holding onto it for a long time and was excited to finally use it. They also repurposed some antique bureaus by making them into bathroom vanities.

What are some of the functional solutions you used?

I included an outlet drawer and double waste basket pull out, both really popular choices, and of course a lazy susan for the corner cabinet. I also went for recessed lighting bottom rails and customized a cabinet for the microwave. To give that cabinet a more finished look, I pulled it forward a bit and added 3” wall filler return panels to box the microwave in. The customer provided the floating shelves, and I really like how it all came together.

What’s your favorite part of designing with Medallion?

Well, I’ve memorized your spec books, so it’s pretty easy to create a design! I like how simple Medallion is to work with, while still having so much functionality. I also love all the finishing touches you can do with Medallion, such as extended end panel down. I like to use that mod and add molding all the way around the front of a cabinet, which really gives it a nice furniture look. There’s little things like that I’m really happy Medallion can do even with Silverline. With a lot of other companies, it’s either high-end and you can only do those finishing touches with the expensive stuff or just “boxes only” for the cheap stuff. Plus, the shared door styles that Silverline and Gold have give me a lot of flexibility.

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Any advice for kitchen designers who are just getting started?

Ask plenty of questions, find your resources and use them. I work with a team, and it’s really nice to pitch design ideas and solutions to them, but there are a lot of online forums great for getting input or even just tips on using 2020 software. I’ve reached out to a lot of people at Medallion, too, from product trainers to custom quote specialists. They’re fantastic resources and I’ve called them multiple times while working on a design. Don’t be afraid to explore, and don’t be afraid to try new things.