Homeowners, who are grandparents, love to entertain their family and friends. They especially love to take care of their grandchildren. Although the kitchen had an upscale remodeling by previous owners, many things about the kitchen didn’t fit my clients’ needs. Main problem: It was very dark. We created a bright new kitchen for the grandparents! I was pleased to use virtual-reality renderings to help the couple make important decisions, to create an ideal space for family and friends.
The Challenges:
- Lighting was insufficient, and the dark cherry cabinets and granite countertops soaked up most of the light.
- A pantry closet dictated the placement of appliances and limited available countertop space for food preparation.
- The only place for the cooktop was in the island; it was a downdraft with a pot rack above, which created an ongoing cleaning problem from grease that escaped the surface-mount downdraft.
- There was no place in the kitchen for sorting mail or charging phones and pads.
- There were very few storage accessories inside the existing cabinets.
The Solutions:
- Dimmable LED strip lighting was added below and above the wall cabinets to provide great task and indirect light. Dimmable LED recessed fixtures were placed in a 4′ grid, providing aisleway lighting. The same fixtures were installed above the new island.
- Turning the closet pantry 900 gave more space for the ovens and cooktop, and freed up the island countertop for food preparation.
- Custom alder cabinets with storage accessories provided what the homeowners needed for storage. A new pantry cabinet with chrome wire pullout shelves provided more storage than the previous closet pantry had. Other cabinet accessories included:
- Rollouts for small appliances and pots and pans
- Tray dividers above the ovens
- Dual-level utensil drawer
- Deep drawers, as requested by the homeowners for special needs
- A custom cubbyhole niche for sorting mail and charging electronic devices
- A wine rack and bookshelf in the back of the island
- Cabinets around the perimeter were natural alder; the island was stained darker for visual interest.
Design Advice:
- Stain the crown molding at the top of the cabinets and the light baffle below the wall cabinets to be stained the same color as the island to tie everything together. I showed them two alternatives in virtual-reality renderings. The homeowners chose not to follow my advice, even after I showed them the difference.
- Install a prep. sink in the island. During the value engineering by the contractor, we discovered that this feature was more than the homeowners wanted to pay, but they were able to make an informed decision without any regrets.
I give advice to show clients the possibilities and to make informed decisions. I listen to their needs and work with them to achieve what they want within a reasonable budget. I honor all of my clients’ decisions. It’s their home, and their budget. The kitchen was transformed and we created a bright new kitchen for the grandparents!
If you know what you want in and for your new kitchen, but don’t know how to pull it together, I can help you select the right products and offer alternatives, so you won’t have any regrets down the road about your decisions. Call me today, so we can talk about your kitchen!
Product Specifications:
APPLIANCES
Convection oven and convection microwave: Bosch
French-door refrigerator: LG
Gas cooktop: Bosch 36”
Hood: Zephyr “Anzio” 42”
Dishwasher: Reinstalled existing that was only 2 years old
CABINETS
Custom, with special storage and function features, natural alder (around perimeter)
Custom island, with wine rack and bookshelf on back side; rollouts and drawers on front side.
COUNTERTOPS
“Crystal Gold” granite; all outside corners had a 2” radius for safety
BACKSPLASH
Elysium “Inga Gray” glass tiles, 3”x12”
LIGHTING
Dimmable LED self-adhesive strip lighting behind upper and lower crown molding for indirect illumination
Halo 5” dimmable LED recessed fixtures over aisleways and the island (the clients chose not to have the popular pendant fixtures over the island)
FLOORING
Existing floors were patched as needed and refinished