“We take into consideration the budget, needs, family size, and the operation of the family’s lifestyle to help our clients understand what’s most fruitful when it comes to a new kitchen design or remodeling project,” says Elliott Landman. “We want to enhance the beauty of the house, not overprice it and truly make the kitchen the heart of the home.”

Landman’s experience, client list, and recognition speak for themselves. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology School of Art and Design in New York City, Landman opened his first design showroom in New Jersey before deciding to relocate to Florida almost 18 years ago. He worked for New River Cabinets for four years and successfully opened up the company’s retail division. Four years later, he decides to go on his own again opening a design showroom in Dania in 1988.

“We were inundated the first year,” recalls Landman. However, after Hurricane Andrew hit the second year in the business, it was more than the crew could handle. Landman sold the business in 1990 and opened a showroom in Boca Raton which soon put him on the map with celebrities such as Cher, Gloria Estefan, Joe Piscapo, and many others. In 1999, he became Director of Design & Development for Regal Kitchens.

“I said I would never go back to running my own business again,” says Landman. Six years later his wife Nora, Director of Sales for Lennar Homes in Broward, convinced Landman to partner in a new business. Both resigned their jobs and opened Kitchen Designs & More in November 2004 in Weston.

“It’s going great,” says Landman. “It’s about using quality people and quality products for the job. We go to select manufacturers who provide a stock or custom brand and offer a combination of middle to high-end products.” For example, a budget for kitchen cabinets can start at $15,000 in the midrange and go up from there to $50,000 or $70,000 dollars.

His focus on quality design work has prompted many write-ups including features in South Florida magazine, the Caribbean Network, Casa & Estilo, Kitchen & Bath Concepts, Haut Décor magazine, the front cover of House Plans, and various newspapers. He hosted a kitchen design talk show on 610 WIOD and his jobs have been featured on Channel 6 and Channel 10.

“Many builders, architects, and designers give us free reign to design their model homes or their own home,” says Landman. The team frequently gets asked to design and build out kitchens for important people in the building industry even though they have their own contractors. They have also gone beyond Florida to work on homes in Colorado, California, New York, as well as in Honduras, Grand Cayman, and Bermuda.

Landman sees four different avenues in kitchen design for today’s marketplace – a cherry traditional look with “hearths” or specialized cooking areas; a very clean line contemporary Shaker style look; an Italian/Germany styled brightly colored kitchen with stainless steel appliances; and another popular look is stained wood with glazed crevices or “hand-rubbed glaze” in brown or white stain. “It’s hard to fathom all the different types of styles and appliances there are. We help our clients to make sense of it and come to an intelligent conclusion,” says the designer.

Nora and Elliott Landman seem to have a flair for celebration. On Valentine’s Day they set up two tents and a giant six-foot tall bear saying “I Love You” in front of the store and handed out long-stemmed roses, heart-shaped balloons, and chocolate to anyone who passed by. If you missed that, don’t worry – Kitchen Designs & More is planning a nice Mother’s Day event on Friday, April 29th that you won’t want to miss!
 
Kitchen Designs & More is located at the Waterway Shoppes II, 2330 Weston Road, Weston, Florida. For more information, call (954) 389-5991 or email Elliott Landman at Elliott@kitchendesignsandmore.com.