by Darcie Duranceau | photos by Adam Grubb Media
In the quiet revitalization of downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana, 127 West Wayne Street stands as something more than a retail destination. It is a boutique design house. Within these walls, the “Heartland” isn’t just a geographic location, it’s an invitation to enjoy a cup of coffee, a warm croissant, and a taste of thoughtfully executed design.
THE MISSING PIECE
While the showroom is a new anchor for Fort Wayne, its roots stretch back over 35 years to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Founded in 1989 by Susan Rocco, The Kitchenworks was born out of a desire for public access to high-end cabinetry.
For years, the path to a high-end kitchen in Fort Wayne required a certain level of travel and imagination. Lead Designer Janielle Gregory remembers driving clients to rural barns. “I’d have to ask them to walk through hay and straw, over piles of muck, just to see what the cabinetry options looked like.” Even then, the cabinetry options were hand-built, but not the high-end options that luxury buyers were seeking.
There was a distinct gap between Fort Wayne’s growing ambition and its local resources. Now, Kitchenworks has filled that void. By planting roots at 127 West Wayne, they brought the “showroom experience” home, and created some inspiring examples to jumpstart projects.
A LEGACY OF CRAFT
The Kitchenworks showroom is anchored with two legacy names: Grabill Cabinets and Dutch Made Custom Cabinetry. Kitchenworks has brought them together to create a space that drops jaws.
“We have just enough of the trend to appeal to those who like to be at the forefront of what’s most popular at the moment, but we also keep the more classically traditional customer in mind,” says Ashley James, design concierge.
THE SENSORY WELCOME
Hospitality is the first thing that you’ll find when you enter the doors of Fort Wayne’s Kitchenworks. It is designed to make a client feel welcomed and at ease. “We love to host here. If we’re having a client in the morning, I make sure there are croissants in the oven and the cappuccinos ready,” James says. “I love making people feel special in my own home, and that is the goal here at Kitchenworks, too.”
AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE
Kitchenworks invites every guest to partake in a truly interactive, “hidden luxuries” experience. Visitors can explore a variety of customization options with their cabinetry, including brilliant Corner LeMans System cabinets, aerated produce shelves, and knife block inserts for easy storage.
BEYOND THE KITCHEN
Whether it is a family renovating a historic Northside gem or a professional relocating to the city’s revitalized core, Kitchenworks simplifies the complexity, the showroom serves as a testament to the evolving modern lifestyle. By integrating outdoor living setups, pantry and scullery spaces, laundry room installs, and comprehensive lighting curation, Kitchenworks simplifies the complexity of highend renovation throughout the home. The result is an environment that honors the home as a place where daily life, that comforting choreography of chaos and intention, can unfold.
