Project Overview

This was the first of 4 significant remodels we did for this work-at-home client. He is a consultant that travels the world for his profession, and this kitchen and adjoining rooms project reflects a strong South American influence that reflects their style tastes. It has the classic white cabinets and bluish counters of a Country French kitchen, with the South American influence of stained and finished Mexican paver floors throughout the remodeled area.

The kitchen was completely reworked. The main work areas — sink, cook top and refrigerator — are well placed with good counter and storage space available. A second work area was created next to the ovens by adding a prep sink and appliance garage that houses the coffee maker, as well as a pass-through to the formal dining area when entertaining. The breakfast nook and adjoining closet with bi-fold doors offers additional pantry like storage, and we also added an additional work/display/storage area.

Like the majority of my clients who originally requested this white painted look, as you will see in my portfolio, when I showed them samples of white raised panel thermofoil doors and explained how easy they are to keep clean, how they last many years longer than a painted door, and how much less expensive they are, they selected the thermofoil. Unlike most other kitchen fabricators, I do not limit the molding options for a thermofoil cabinet project like this to only thermofoil light valence or crown moldings, since they are very limited in size, shape, and color. When I say these doors look like painted doors, I am not exaggerating. What I have always done with solid color thermofoil’s like this is offer all the same molding that we use on real wood projects, and simply paint the wood to match the thermofoil. This has always given my thermofoil projects much greater depth and detail than other manufactures, who do not seem as capable of thinking outside the box and mixing materials to create unique and stunning detailed overall looks that can be shaped to any style, by the use of appropriate detailed moldings. Classic, Mission, Craftsmen, Art Deco, and most other styles are not defined as much by the actual door style used as they are by the choice of how to accent the doors with accompanying crown, casing, or light valence molding that create the overall style.

A larger bay window was added over the sink area to add dimensionality and more natural light, as did the coffered ceiling we added to the middle of the kitchen and the crown molding we extended over the entire breakfast room ceiling.

Notice the placement of the Halogen recessed down lights over the countertops 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 under cabinet florescent lights.

In the entry we had a custom made Dutch Door made by a regional fabricator that really redefined the entryway. The upper part of this door is left open most summer days, keeping the dogs in but allowing the ocean breeze to sweep through the house.

The dining room and living room were originally separated by an old very rustic flagstone covered facing and hearth that spanned the entire wall on both sides. That flagstone and hearths were removed, and the client chose the more elegant and traditional look of simple marble around the mouth of the fireplace and no hearth; since the new tile floors are non-flammable, a raised hearth was no longer needed. This hearth removal added over 16″ of floor space to both rooms when done, making them both feel and function much larger than before.

The only thing needed today to bring this entire living space up to today’s standards would be to replace the ceiling halogen cans and florescent under cabinet lights with LED versions.