The designers of Inspire KDS in Denver have been published in many magazines throughout the years. Here are a few from Colorado Homes & Lifestyles, Denver Life Magazine and more! The published works speak for themselves. Read more now!
June 2019
By: Stacy Moya | Photography by Design Corner
Angela Otten and husband Steve have more than 55 years of experience in the design and construction biz. With a thriving and very in-demand kitchen design business, Inspire Kitchen Design Studio, the Ottens and their team are very busy but also loving every minute of it.
You can see their style on display at her showroom in the brand new International Design Collection (opened May 2019) just steps from Denver’s Santa Fe Arts District. Several of Inspire’s amazing finished projects have graced the pages of local publications of note, such as Colorado Homes & Lifestyles and Denver Life Magazine. Needless to say, Angela is a top designer in the Denver community.
March 2023
Photography by William Ohs Showrooms
Having worked in the design industry for 20 years, Angela Otten has come to understand the dynamics of form versus function. She tends to view each project as artwork that reflects the personalities of her clients. She is a space planner at heart, which allows her to view an entire space as a whole and then bring in the individual elements that operate to bring the room to life. Kitchen design is especially rewarding in this regard as it always must function to the client’s expectations. She truly enjoys the process of collaborating with other professionals, the homeowners, and all who come together to create amazing living environments. Her style is eclectic; each project’s design is based on her client’s vision of beauty, form, and function. She thrives on creating spaces that work for the specific family’s needs while simultaneously using materials, balance, and proportion to produce beautiful rooms in which to live.
March 2023
By: Richa Mitchell | Photography by Susie Brenner
For their dream kitchen, the homeowners of this striking Boulder, Colorado, retreat enlisted power duo Angela Otten from Inspire KDS and Jenn Medoff from Dragonfly Designs to craft an eclectic rustic kitchen that blends earthy elements with contemporary. “We wanted to embrace the woodsy views and midcentury ceiling, and then layer textures and vintage touches for a rustic look with a bit of sparkle,” says Otten.
A modeled bronze hood from Raw Urth commands attention in the intimate space. Distressed blue-gray base cabinets ground the perimeter, adding a splash of color. Thoughtfully selected naturally aged woods bring nature into the home. “We had to source and sift through many wood selections to find the exact colors and textures for the two-toned cabinet doors we were trying to achieve,” Otten explains. “The result is a complex combination of materials and styles, pulled together to create a space with warmth and richness.”
October 2019
By: Allison Gwinn | Photography: S. Brenner Photography
October 2017
5280 Home
September 2019
By: Julie Dugdale | Photography by Aaron Colussi
Kitchen designer Angela Otten just opened her first showroom, and we got a tour—and some serious renovation inspiration.
An expansive marble countertop gleams atop a chic island. Across the room, a glamorous, white oven hood trimmed with patinaed brass anchors a wall of sleek cabinetry. Through a doorway, another covetable kitchen awaits—then another, and another. The dazzling space, Inspire Kitchen Design Studio (KDS), is a treasure trove of ideas. And it’s the manifestation of veteran kitchen designer Angela Otten’s 21-plus years of experience.
Otten’s credentials are hard-earned: She cut her teeth in the industry during a 14-year stint with local, luxury kitchen-design firm William Ohs. Just over a year ago, she branched out and founded Inspire KDS in her home with her husband, Steve, who runs the installation side of the business. And when the opportunity to open a showroom in the new 60,000-square-foot International Design Collection (IDC) building (see below) presented itself, Otten jumped at the chance. Says the designer of her new space: “I wanted to make sure there’s something for everyone, from modern to transitional to traditional with a modern edge. All classic, but with interesting details.”
Decorative Materials
September, 2019
By Decorative Materials
One of the greatest privileges of working in the tile business: collaborating with the region's best and brightest designers. Their passion cannot be denied — nor can their inherent talent.
At Decorative Materials, we're always impressed by Angela Otten of Inspire Kitchen Design Studio. The studio's name fits; we came away feeling deeply inspired when we recently chatted with Angela about her growing company and her new showroom.
Denver Life Magazine
Posted February 19, 2016
By Kimberly Field | Photography by Emily Minton Redfield
The open, unfit kitchen “has a rawness to it, like found pieces that came together over time,” says Angela Otten, kitchen designer with William Ohs Kitchens. Open shelving along with built-in cabinets featuring chicken-wire panels sit alongside furniture-inspired painted pieces and a floating island. Woods used include antique, reclaimed oak; knotty oak; and alder in rough-sawn, painted, and rubbed finishes. Parana white honed granite tops the counters and island, providing the cool look of marble with the durability needed in a hardworking kitchen. Concrete mimics earthen tiles on the kitchen floor and flows smoothly into the antique oak flooring in the main areas. A weathered metal range hood fabricated by Raw Urth helps define the space.
Colorado Homes & Lifestyles Magazine
Posted March, 2016
By Alison Gwinn | Photography by Emily Minton Redfield
On March 10, Colorado Homes & Lifestyles magazine gathered with approximately 70 home industry design professionals to present the 2nd annual Circle of Excellence Awards, paying tribute to five pioneering experts who have paved the way for Colorado's design evolution.
If the kitchen is indeed the heart of the home, then Angela Otten is one of the most skilled heart surgeons around. Otten has been designing kitchens since 1999, working on everything from budget spec houses to ultra-custom high-dollar homes, and she has built a reputation as one of the top kitchen designers in the country. “We like to work with Angela because she can do any genre—modern, country, traditional, whatever,” says Steve Whipple, president of the Aspen design and development company Whipple & Brewster. “And she has good taste, which is something you either have or you don’t.”
Colorado Homes & Lifestyles Magazine
Fantasy Islands: 13 Kitchens That Welcome Us In
By Lacey Howard | Photography by Shauna Intelisano
When a single mom wanted to transform her boring, builder-grade, suburban kitchen into something that would encourage creativity in an activity she loves (feeding her family), she turned to kitchen designer Angela Otten, now at Inspire Kitchen Design Studio, and interior designer Kristina Sterling. The homeowner also requested a walk-in pantry in the corner of the room, a big sink, nice appliances and “a couple of things like the steam oven and a specific ice maker that I haven’t had a lot of people request,” says Sterling, who answered the call with a 48-inch Wolf range, a steam oven and a microwave drawer. The range hood was custom made and finished with liquid metal. Bridging the space between the range and hood is an Ann Sacks handmade-tile backsplash, which also inspired the color of the Homestead cabinets. “We went through about five different whites until we found the right one—not too blue or too yellow or too creamy,” says Otten. The upper cabinets have water-glass panels that echo the look of the translucent pantry door (not shown here). Pendant lights from Denver’s Fusion Light and Design continue the white scheme.
Adding color to the design mix are dreamy soapstone countertops (“nonporous, so a great material for a kitchen,” Otten says), a chalkboard wall (a family favorite saved from the previous kitchen) and blue stools (a DIY painting project for this mom and her preteen daughter). And as a reward? The Scotsman ice maker that “makes ice similar to Sonic Drive-In,” Otten says. “It’s the homeowner’s personal favorite."
Kitchen Designer: Angela Otten
Interior Designer: Kristina Sterling, Seek Interior Design
DESIGNER’S PLAYBOOK
Angela's designer tip: One of my favorite things to do is work in zones, and the prep zone is most important. I always have a prep sink, a single pull-out trash, cutting boards and knives all in the same area.
Colorado Homes & Lifestyles Magazine
Published April, 2014
By Nancy Richman Milligan
Jan and Joe Kneib were looking for a home in a particular Colorado Springs neighborhood when they almost passed this one by. “We didn’t like the house at all from the photos, but when I saw it in person, I fell in love with all the light—the vaulted ceilings and large windows, the ease of living and the connection to the outdoors,” Jan Kneib says. Designed by architect Michael Collins and built in 1975, the U-shaped ranch house features a central courtyard with indoor/outdoor access from almost every room.
The renovation included removing walls and soffits, replacing drywall, floors and fireplaces, and adding square footage for a new kitchen and master suite. Kitchen and bath designer Angela Otten joined the team early in the process, handling space planning and introducing finishes and materials to fulfill the Kneibs’ vision.
With décor that features light, color and an eclectic art collection, this renovated ‘70s-era house reflects its happy homeowners.
The new kitchen, designed by Angela Otten, is sleek and efficient, yet cheerful and welcoming. Open shelves below the peninsula offer an abundance of accessible storage. The wood veneer pendant lamp from YLighting adds a burst of color, and the raised marble counter invites seating while also providing some separation from the adjacent family room. Maple Cherner Vortex Chairs offer a contrasting sculptural element.
Luxe. Interiors + Design Magazine
2014 GOLD LIST
Photography by Emily Minton Redfield
When a Denver couple wanted to expand into a larger home to accommodate their growing family, the husband and wife knew the house had to meet several criteria. It needed to be in their beloved Hilltop neighborhood near great schools and close to Cherry Creek. An open plan was also a must, because the family loves spending time together. Finally, the house had to be visually interesting with plenty of eye-catching details. “I’m in the apparel and accessories business,” says the husband. “I like color. I like fashion. I like unique.”
He likes two colors in particular. “Red and gold bring luck and prosperity,” he says. So when William Ohs designer Angela Otten started thinking about what she would do in the kitchen—a collaboration with designer Kristi Dinner—she used an accent wall of bright red tile, selected by Dinner, as her guide. How to make that wall pop even more? “We used a neutral palette in the cabinetry so it recedes around the red,” says Otten. The room’s darker cabinets are a shaker-style, ebonized rift-cut white oak; the lighter have a simple white-finished slab-style door. Back-painted white glass inserts are set into stainless-steel frames to create lively contrast. Curved brackets hold up one island’s countertop, and customized cabinetry was crafted for dishware.
Colorado Homes & Lifestyles Magazine
By Alison Gwinn | Photography by Emily Minton Redfield
“Authentic Craftsman detailing that looks like it was original to the house”—that was Otten’s goal when she created the kitchen of this 1908 house in Denver’s Country Club neighborhood. She began by using quartersawn oak (a hallmark of the Arts & Crafts period) not only in the cabinetry around the stove and in the island but also in the floors and the box beams on the ceiling, the latter of which offer their own symmetry by lining up exactly with the stove hood and with the cabinets that bookend the leaded-glass windows.
Carrying out the Arts & Crafts feel are schoolhouse-style pendant lamps over the island, which is topped with Carrara marble. Otten added simple, geometric design elements for the inset cabinet doors (which sit flush with the frame, with exposed hardware) and door casings, including the mullion detailing on the glass cabinets and refrigerator panels.
Finally, by insetting the Wolf range within its own cubby and hiding the hood within an oak frame that is part of the architecture, “we created a true hearth; you could imagine even having a fireplace in there,” Otten says.
Denver Life Magazine
August, 2014
By: Sharon Withers | Photography by Emily Minton Redfield
Remodelers report that the appearance and atmosphere of a space is a stronger motive for remodeling than function, revealing that the kitchen may indeed be the heart of the home.
Homeowners’ most popular choices when designing a kitchen are an island, hardwood floors, soft colors, white cabinets and stainless steel appliances. The most important appliance is a “chef’s stove,” which could mean induction cooktop or gas, European or American. Some home chefs swear by Viking or Wolf, but the British Aga and French LaCornue are appearing in an increasing number of American homes. Retro appliances are adding a splash of color to the marketplace and kitchens.
A designer trend is the return of marble. Beautifully grained wood will always be on-trend as well, but white cabinets, whether in sleek laminate or painted wood cabinets, are resurging in popularity. Homeowners are storing everything from chips to china in drawers, which are replacing cabinets under countertops due to easy access. DLM chose five kitchens that marry these examples of style and function seamlessly, and certainly beautifully.
The homeowners told designer, Angela Otten, that they wanted to “live” in a kitchen-focused home, with the flow from the kitchen to the great room and into a lovely outdoor room. “The homeowners are a young active family,” says designer, Irit Waldbaum. “They enjoy cooking and entertaining, and wanted a kitchen that is casual yet elegant, with plenty of gathering space for their extended family and many friends.”
The result is a kitchen that functions as one large open area with four distinct work zones: prep, cooking, cleanup and entertainment. “We wanted to make the best use of the fabulous view from outside the large window, as well as have it be the focal point,” says Otten. “We found an extraordinary island hood to hang in front of the picture window and made that our range wall.”
Colorado Homes & Lifestyles Magazine
August 2011
CLEAN AND CLASSIC
A dialed-back traditional white kitchen makes for the perfect family gathering spot
Where It Began
The original kitchen was designed 15 years ago with an emphasis more on function than beauty. By the time of the remodel, it was totally dated, with older appliances, beat-up cherry cabinets and a long narrow island with a bulky exhaust hood. “The client wanted to turn the utilitarian kitchen into a warm space that would act as the epicenter for her family of four,” says Angela Otten, who was hired to help revamp the space. The homeowner, who had designed several spec homes prior to this remodel, came to the table with lots of interesting ideas for making the space functional and good-looking: an under-counter refrigeration unit that the kids could easily access, plus compartments in the main island for homework and crafts. Overall, says Otten, the client wanted the kitchen to look clean and classic, yet warm and comfortable.
Pulling It Together
For starters, Colorado Master Builders & Architects added several feet to the kitchen to accommodate a larger layout. Next, Otten chose integrated appliances to keep the lines and surfaces of the room clean—including a hidden pantry entrance between two refrigeration/freezer units. Finally, she designed an arched niche to highlight an etched turquoise china buffet (built new, but painted to look antique) that displays fine dishes and adds interest.
The range wall is a focal point with a stone-and-pewter hood and glass-paned wall cabinets. And three islands make up the center of the kitchen, each with a different purpose: the butcher-block island for prep work, with a cutting surface and prep sink; the center island for cleanup and casual dining; the third island for extra, easy-access refrigeration.
Style Tips
—Otten created a traditional, timeless kitchen by avoiding what she calls “fluffy details”—such as corbels on the islands—so that “your eye goes across the entire kitchen without getting stuck on any one detail.”
—Thoughtful, artistic touches such as the antique-inspired turquoise hutch, which was created with a time-
intensive painting and etching style, add personality and unique style to the space.
—On the island, the diamond-style pattern on the doors provides interest without being fussy. “We took cabinets with a very simple style and added detailing that catches your eye only slightly,” Otten says.
—Go easy on the stainless steel appliances. “To achieve a comfortable, warmer space,” says the designer, “use more wood, less metal.”
Colorado Homes and Lifestyles
April 2013
By Misty Milioto
A busy doctor and parent with a hectic lifestyle, the owner of this 6,000-square-foot home in Denver’s Hilltop neighborhood wanted her space to be a source of Zen-like serenity. For the San Francisco transplant, that meant a refined yet casual space with a calm, monochromatic palette.
Although the home, built in the 1990s, is relatively new, the interior architecture needed a complete facelift before interior designer Beth Armijo of Armijo Design Group could start thinking about color, furnishings and materials. The structural renovations included gutting the master bath and—to kick off the project—reinventing the kitchen.
Enter Angela Otten, a kitchen designer, who created a beautiful, functional space that suits the homeowner’s needs. “She wanted a clean look that was far from traditional,” Otten explains, “with two ovens, plenty of storage and ample seating for her two children and their friends.”
The remodeled kitchen is simple and symmetrical, with a range wall as its focal point. The alder wood cabinets, featuring varying door styles, are painted a custom shade of gray with a soft glaze. An oversized island with dark contrasting cabinetry provides plenty of gathering space.