Dramatic Transformation

Winner of the 2004 NARI Contractor of the Year (locally and regionally) for Kitchen over $100,000

Click any image below to see it in more detail.

Before:

This gorgeous house in Powell has a great floor plan and the homeowner's wished to make updates that would allow them to age in their home, entertain their large family and increase their enjoyment of the home through functional and aesthetic changes.  The kitchen was part of a great room design that was quite roomy.  The problem was that there was so much room that cooking was challenging due to a work triangle that caused many extra steps.  And the functionality of the space was not very efficient; lighting was almost non-existent.

After:

A visually intriguing, highly functional space full of light.

A disorganized space
The homeowner had expressed interest in making the space look more "furnished" and manicured than their previous kitchen. Because of this , it was of great importance to us that every piece fit perfectly into the design scheme. Ways that we achieved this look:
* Using a built-in refrigerator.
* Adding panels to certain appliances, such as the refrigerator and the trash compactor to make the appear like cabinets.
* Using a two drawer dishwasher.
* Crown molding that extends to the ceiling.
* Using frameless cabinets.

Making the kitchen more functional
Whereas a big kitchen is nice, this kitchen was entirely too big. The existing work triangle was large, so there was a lot of walking around when using the kitchen. This made cooking in the kitchen exhausting. Because of the ceiling height change and the layout of the home, we did not want to change the basic existing footprint. Our homeowners are planning on aging in-home, so adding an island to cut down on the necessary walking was a sound choice.

A unifying element
* Although the shape of the existing countertop was interesting, it did little for the family room area located on the other side.
* We chose to put a vent-free fireplace in the area to help tie the kitchen area into the family room.
* In keeping with the furnished feel of the kitchen, we also added some built in cabinets with glass shelves to help display the owner's glass tiles and other items.
* The same dentil molding is used to cap the area, which further ties it to the kitchen area.
* Classic elements are used, such as the fluted columns and the keystone above the fireplace.
* An arch is used to keep the area from looking too formal.

Glasswork
Our Homeowner worked with a local artist to create these beautiful glass inserts for the wall cabinets. There is a beautiful backyard with a specialty in-ground pool. The glass work is meant to be a mirror image of the backyard scene (an artistic interpretation, mind you!) The vibrant colors and expert craftsmanship make an alluring focal point.

Tile
Great care as given with the blacksplash tiles. They are glass, which always requires high level of expertise and care. However, the homeowner wanted her glass tiles to be displayed in the backsplash as well. She handcrafted each of the tiles, a hobby which she has won several awards for in the past. Each of her tiles had to be precisely fit into the glass tiles. In the end, the extra time and precision paid off. The art tiles are an excellent accent to the lovely backsplash.

Moldings
Extensive stacked molding was used to allow the molding to reach the ceiling. The dentil molding was chosen to add visual interest and pairs nicely with the frequency of the fluted panels. These two elements are a nice contrast to the smooth and unified feeling of the flat-paneled frameless cabinets.

Special Considerations
Existing Backsplash - Special Care had to be given when removing the existing tile backsplash. The homeowner wanted to preserve the backsplash, so each tile needed to be carefully removed to avoid breakage. Overall, it was a very successful and the homeowner was very pleased.

Floor - The floor in the area was an exquisite marble with fairly intricate inlaid work. The homeowner obviously opted to keep the existing floors, however, this posed a problem for the crew. The entire job needed to be done on extremely expensive marble floors. Everyone worked together on the job, and in the end the floor was still intact with only minimal patching to be done, which was to be expected.