Project Overview

Because of my design approach of encouraging my clients play a major role in all of the decision making processes, all of my projects are truly active collaborations between my professional experience and the clients’ needs and aesthetic vision. This client was aggressively encouraged by a past client to contact me about their kitchen remodeling project. The wife had been planning for this remodel for quite some time, but the project was continually put on hold because the husband did not think it was possible to find a designer or contractor that he would not frighten away — he felt he was overly fastidious regarding quality of construction and adherence to details and plans. When they finally called me to meet, he looked me right in the eye and said as much; I couldn’t help but laugh to myself, thinking he had unknowingly just met his match or better (or worse, depending on perspective). I told him as much, just the same. Predicably, our relationship was extremely productive. We all got the high-level communication that results in beautiful and successful projects with utmost efficiency and zero friction, so much that they went on to have me do more work in other parts of the home.

This project started as a kitchen remodel, but with change orders grew in scope to include a new family room entertainment center, revamped wet bar, entryway flooring, and fireplace facade & mantel. The homeowners were both looking towards retirement in a decade and wanted to do an upgrade for the 30 year old home that would markedly enhance their enjoyment of the home for years to come. They do a good share of entertaining and planned to increase that as they retired. As meticulous as the husband felt he was, it was his wife that was the real vision driver that played a major role in the look this project took on. Admittedly, that is not an uncommon combination.

The L-shaped main kitchen area is a very efficient layout. It was important to keep plenty of floor space for the breakfast table, so the wall with the unique Sharp over-the-counter microwave has shallower cabinets to keep the floor space plentiful. Their entertaining area can overflow out to the back patio and yard, which this floor plan encourages.

Notice the placement of the Halogen recessed down lights over the counter tops as you look around the kitchen, they are not in the typical brain-dead architectural geometric pattern seen in most magazines. These kitchen lights are placed where they are needed over work spaces, in front of cabinets so the cabinets are highlighted and you are not standing and working in your own shadow like you would if the lights were behind you in a geometric pattern in the ceiling. We also supplemented the lighting with undercabinet fluorescent lights.

The wet bar was upgraded by simply replacing the countertop with leftover stone from the kitchen and adding a new mirrored wall with glass shelving. The cabinets were not changed.

The entertainment center in the family room was made with high pressure laminate in a clear maple color. The doors were post-formed (rolled rounded edges on each side) in the same laminate. The countertop, upper valance, and toe kicks were made of black laminate. We also added indirect lighting on the top shelf with puck lights facing up.

The entry floor was redone in 12″ x 12″ porcelain tiles that look like marble with a black granite tile perimeter boarder and riser step, while the fireplace facade was replaced with gloss crema marfil marble tiles and a new simple style cherry wood mantel.

The only thing this client could do today to upgrade this beautiful and timeless project is replace the ceiling halogen fixtures and florescent under cabinet lights with LED versions of those same products.