Kitchen and Family Room Renovation
When clients of mine decided to renovate their outdated kitchen after being in their home for over fifteen years; one of my goals was to try to keep as much existing product as possible.
A couple who are very serious about their cooking, they too were very particular about maintaining the existing footprint of the kitchen, yet creating an updated look that was in harmony with the rest of the home. We were able to reuse the existing cook top and counter tops to maintain the layout while updating everything else in the kitchen, including new appliances, cabinets (some refaces, some replaced), backsplash tiles, flooring and lighting.
The one decorative element we had to design the new kitchen around was the solid surface counter tops which are a teal green color. With this in mind, we decided to go for a neutral color scheme to tone down the green counter tops yet incorporate decorative elements that would complement the green.
Instead of replacing all the cabinets, we contracted Cornerstone Kitchens to reface the cabinets, and reconfigure the cabinets on the wall where the refrigerator and new microwave warming drawer unit were installed. The choice of cabinets was maple with double beaded insets in a harvest gold finish. Crown molding detail was added above the cabinets along with new door and drawer hardware.
Kitchen Renovation
The client, a collector of pottery made by artist Lisa Tevia-Clarke found out she also designed custom hand-glazed tiles so she wanted to incorporate them into the new kitchen. After some research we found the tile was sold locally at Triangle Tile & Stone, and were able to select specific colors to blend with our design. We reviewed two sets of samples, and selected the perfect tiles for the project. Decorative accent tiles from the same collection were added over the cook top and sporadically inserted in the field tile which was all installed on a diagonal.
Our choice of flooring for durability, style and ease of cleaning was Stainmaster Extra Life vinyl flooring – Dakota Ridge. It blends well with the maple cabinetry and counter tops and gave the kitchen a whole new look.
The lighting was an area of concern, since the current kitchen lacked sufficient light in the main work spaces. Overhead recessed lights where added to go down the center of the kitchen which distributes light throughout the kitchen work spaces. New under counter lights were also added to conceal the bulbs.
To accommodate their grown son’s and friends, we replaced the rectangular table with a square table with seating for eight and added four new counter swivel stools. The table chairs have upholstered seats and backs for more comfort.
For completion of the overall project we addressed the adjacent family room by adding a new sofa, chairs, ottoman cocktail table, lighting – both recessed lights and table lamp, ceiling fan, area rugs, window treatments, and repainted all the walls.
Designers Tip: When remodeling, consider what can be kept and what really needs to be replaced.
Remodeling and Living Sustainable – It’s not unexpected or unusual to be more considerate of our environment when remodeling. Consumers are more comfortable asking how, where and with what a product was produced. Multiple websites will have multiple resources who product “green” environmentally friendly products.
www.greenhome.com/products/home_improvement/
Visit the above site for great green home products.
