Thurston Kitchen and Bath

Thurston Kitchen and Bath is a 42-year-old company headquartered in Aspen, Colorado, with showrooms in Aspen, Crested Butte, Telluride, Steamboat Springs, Vail, and the Denver metro area.

Presented by Thurston Kitchen and Bath What’s This? February 19, 2019 Published in the Midwinter/Spring 2019 issue of Aspen Sojourner

Scott Sylvester, Kelly Jenkins, Audrey Tom, John Rogan, and Mac Thurston.

What makes Thurston unique is their focus on customization and their Define Your Design process—which progresses through appliance selection and placement, cabinetry, countertops, accessory selection, and conceptualized design modeling—which incorporates Thurston’s decades of experience to help customers navigate the multitude of decisions involved when creating their dream kitchen or bath.

Why do you advise people to begin with appliance selection?
Appliances have made incredible advancements, with most now having Bluetooth connectivity, self-monitoring, and more. They are a massive investment, meaning it’s important to design your space around your appliances. We look at the process as though the appliances are toys and you need to choose those first to design a better toy box (kitchen) around them.

What are some of the most popular trends you’re currently incorporating into your designs?
At any point in time, there are four to five mega trends in kitchen and bath design. Popular ones now include using the color white throughout a design, high-pressure laminate cabinetry that allows seamless integration of appliances into cabinetry, cabinet doors that open by touch instead of with a handle, and manufactured countertop surfaces that can have a similar look and feel to granite, with more consistent results. We look at ourselves as “kitchen tailors,” who guide you to create a custom space.

It may come as a surprise to consumers that some appliances can be affected by altitude. How do you address that with customers?
High altitude does bring some challenges with fuel and air mixtures in appliances, most noticeably in ice makers, ovens, and gas stovetops. We go to great lengths to test all of the brands we use to ensure the appliances deliver the results they are supposed to deliver, especially at altitude. Based upon our experience, we have a select few brands we recommend, and we tell our clients why. The products we sell in Aspen are very proprietary for the Aspen market.

How do you guide customers through the many choices to be made?
Our showrooms let clients experience the latest styles in person. People come to us with great ideas, and through our showrooms and library of samples, we have the resources to show them the options for incorporating those ideas to create a truly unique design.