After spending many years in their home raising a family, husband and wife, Angie and Jeff, found themselves looking into a home that carried the special memories of years gone by, but dragging the style of those years with it. Angie especially loved the home and the location, but began considering a new home purchase. She dreamed of new finishes, a more functional kitchen, updated colors, a master bath that felt more like a retreat, and a living room that welcomed her home at the end of each day.
After much consideration, Angie and Jeff decided they loved their home too much to wave goodbye in order to enjoy an updated lifestyle. This began a search for the perfect design plan to help them fall in love with their home once more. Many clients are seeking function or a particular style, but our goal throughout this project was to help Angie and Jeff simply love living in their space again.
Before
The kitchen is what we see in a typical build from a few decades ago. It is accented with fluorescent overhead lighting, 12x12 ceramic tile with dark grout, and white raised panel laminate cabinets.
Before
This kitchen also lost a lot of space from an oversized framed corner pantry and raised bar-height knee wall. Although there are multiple openings to the kitchen, it felt quite closed off from the rest of the house.
Additionally, the homeowners hoped to create a feel of openness which seemed to be a challenge in a kitchen with an odd layout. The corner sink and reduced counterspace interfered with function. The living room and dining room met one another with competing flooring, and the fireplace is seen here not living up to its potential. Once again, a traditionally framed closet reduces the usable space in the master bath.
Angie and Jeff were patient and flexible as the project took shape and more ideas were introduced in order to maximize space and create the overall style. They determined mid-project that it was worth the cost to tackle the removal of the prison-like columns that welcomed guests into the dining room (and tried to keep them there). The number and size of the columns was just too much for the space.
Angie and Jeff were transitional in their style and opted for a classic look that would stand the test of time. We know. We know. You want to see the finished product! We were just as excited to see this one finished! What a beautiful place to call home...
AFTER
These gorgeous icy blue/gray Bertch cabinets perfectly compliment Angie's style. She selected a beautiful quartz that reflects the look of classic marble for both the countertops and the backsplash. The framed pantry was removed along with the wall that divided the back hallway from the kitchen. This allowed us to expand the cabinet run a significant amount creating a good area of work space on the range side of the kitchen. The range is made functional with a pot filler and some flavor was added to this wall with a custom fabricated stainless hood and stylish glass front cabinets with decorative mullions. Angie was obsessed with the bird cage style light fixture and selected it to finish off the space with both fun and elegance.
Instead of having the visual interuption of the dividing wall between the fridge and the back hallway, this kitchen is finished out with cabinet panels. We opted for a counterdepth refrigerator in order to keep the kitchen looking and feeling spacious. Unless a client refuses, we try to move to counter depth in every build. The sink was relocated to the passthrough wall and includes a casual but beautiful apron front detail with a bridge faucet. The passthrough was widened for a true open feel to the living room and the knee wall was removed with the countertop extended for more useable space. We also determined that it would be best to integrate a microwave drawer under the counter for both function and style. This allows countertops to be freed up, cabinets do not have to be ordered as a large unit, and the space over the range can be utilized as a focal point worth viewing.
The rest of the home has quite the WOW effect as well...
AFTER
What a facelift! Handscrape wide-planked hardwood was selected by the client. They also decided on a casual and rustic stone for the fireplace with a reclaimed beam used as the mantel. With the wider passthrough behind the sofa and classic gray wall color, this space feels luxurious, open, and inviting.
AFTER
The dining room is now complete with one full column and two half columns (one at each wall). A trim detail on the focal wall is finished with a darker gray paint color that compliments the client's existing dining furnishings. Lastly, we are left with a love for this wood/metal mix light fixture!
READY TO SEE THAT MASTER BATH??
AFTER
Where do we start? They wanted a retreat and we believe they've got one! After walking another project we were wrapping up, Angie fell in love with the herringbone porcelain floor tiles we used there. Those are paired here with Bertch cabinets designed with an offset, drawer stack, and a linen tower. This eliminated the need for a bulky framed linen closet. We also upgraded the closet system in the oversized master closet (located in the bathroom) to help with additional linen needs.
For a luxurious finish we opted to install wall mount faucets with semi-recessed sinks and a gorgeous marble and mosaic tile backsplash. Wall sconces with mirrors that have an interesting flair complete the dual sink area. The rest of the update comes with a freestanding tub, custom tile shower, and frameless glass.
