A Gentleman's Bathroom

I received a call from a lovely lady eager to create a calm, gracious retreat for her husband.  The bath she had in mind was in desperate need of an update.  When I saw his photo and heard that he was an Ansel Adams fan I knew just the palette to use for his new bath.  The first choice was the blue-gray subway tile.

We had a stunning vanity custom made just for him to suit the masculine, upscale look we had in mind for his bath.

Before

His sculptural razor and stand were the inspiration for the clean design of the space.

My color choices for his whole suite came together quickly.  The caramel color of my British tan handbag looked just terrific with the grays and blues I chose for him.  (More on the rest of the suite in another post.)

We tore out the old acrylic unit and put in a cast iron shower pan and blue subway tile walls.  The oversized floor tile in a gray linen texture is stunning!

Custom cherry cabinet and quartz countertop.

Finished clean, masculine space for a lucky man!

Custom organizational trays for vanity cabinet.

Sconces on the mirror make a strong statement and give an upscale look without breaking the bank.  Who wouldn't look good in this handsome bath?

Spa Bathroom

Such quiet elegance!  My new homeowners purchased a lovely traditional home that was ready for some updates.  The master bath was high on that priority list.  We kept the original footprint, but updated all the tile, fixtures,  and cabinetry.  We chose a soft gray-blue for the walls, tan subway tile for the back wall, and a gorgeous porcelain floor and shower tile.

Eliminating the short wall between the tub and shower, and removing the tub step makes the room more clean-lined and modern.

Pretty new cherry cabinets and a quartz countertop make the vanities fresh and modern, but still give a nod to the traditional roots of the home.

Oops, mirror is hung in the wrong spot, but take a look at that gorgeous cabinetwork!

Before

Before

Before

Ahh!  Now where are those candles?

New Color for an Updated Kitchen

Color makes all the difference.  I can't say it often enough to my clients.

Take a look at the soothing updated colors in this lovely kitchen update.  We chose timeless gray quartz countertops, light teal handmade tile for the backsplash, and a luscious teal wall color.  New LED undercabinet lighting and LED recessed cans brought this kitchen to life.  We trimmed out the formerly arched doorways and added the "wow" factor with stunning mercury glass pendants.

This mercury glass chandelier is the star of the charming breakfast area.

We did not alter the cabinets in any way in this update.  

The colors make the cabinets appear fresher.

The play of light is lovely on the mercury glass pendant chandelier.

Before.  Time for the hunter green laminate to go. 

 The peninsula needed a sleeker profile as well.

 Before.  The simple ivory wall color did not show off the pretty cabinets to their best advantage.

After.  Ahh!

New Life for a Traditional Family Kitchen

I had the privilege to meet and work for a very dear couple recently who decided that a kitchen update was long overdue.  We first tackled a bedroom and bath remodel and then rolled up our sleeves to take on this kitchen.  They have a fairly traditional home and tastes so we made all our choices based on that preference.  What a good time we had making a beautiful everyday space for them and a warm gathering place for larger events with friends and family!

  I find it best to make choices in a  remodeling project that do not look inappropriate to the rest of the home.  We chose white custom cabinetry with an updated but traditional look.  Wood floors and modern lighting give a warm glow to the finished kitchen and help it integrate seamlessly with the rest of the home.  The furniture base and crown molding add a classic timeless touch.

Before.  Look at all that potential!

Before.  Ooh.

Before.  It took a few days to convince everyone that the beams needed to go.  I was very persistent.

Day 1.  It is surprising how quickly a team can demo a kitchen!

A few weeks later, drywall is finished and painted, new recessed lights are in, and it is finally cabinet delivery day.  

Granite countertops followed soon after the cabinets.

Running water is a major step in remodeling.  And a great relief!

A long view from the garage door.

Corner unit with appliance garage, angled upper and lower cabinets, and drawers instead of a carousel.  This is one of my favorite ways to handle corners.  Notice all the work space available in front of the appliance garage.

Area to the right of the sink.  The cabinet with glass doors has LED lighting and glass shelves.  This is a beautiful way to highlight special stemware.

The client asked for her oven to be raised for easy access.  We added a lit cabinet with a soft turquoise bead board back to showcase some of her favorite items.

Spice drawer to the left of the cooktop.

What a lovely and inviting kitchen to call home.

 Adjacent family room

The clients are delighted with their new kitchen and made this project a joy for each person that was involved in the process.  New kitchens are time consuming, but so worth it in the end.  My client had this to say about the project.  I am pretty confident that he likes it!

Deb,

After viewing the before picture and serious thought, I have decided that I want to put back the popcorn, the beams, the light fixture in the middle of the room, the old cabinets, the green counter tops, and place the ice box [you call it a refrigerator] in a most visible location.  The wall paper is acceptable but the  paper towels on the counter is a matter of personal choice.  You and Lea can decide that.  Also I think the house would be more salable if we replace the broken inter-con system in the wall.  

The painter said that he just finished a kitchen in a 2,000,000 home whose kitchen was not as beautiful as ours, but painters are notorious for eye sight problem due to over-exposure to fumes.  And that raised another question about the remodeling.  How does the rest of the house feel about spending so much time on the kitchen?  Might not the bedroom upstairs complain and feel under-appreciated? In which case it might rebel and not allow us to sleep there.

Ah well, Lea thinks it is beautiful.  Lowell thinks it is beautiful.  You think it is beautiful.  I probably will adjust to more light and modern design and great taste in time.

JR

Family Life in a Beautiful Kitchen

I love to build kitchens.  I do many different types of projects as an interior designer, but my favorite projects are kitchens.  A new kitchen can literally transform the way a family lives in their home by making tasks easier, more efficient, and certainly more beautiful.

I usually do a bit of daydreaming when I plan a new kitchen for a family.  And sometimes, the reality at the end of a project is even better than I could have dreamed.  Click on the play button below to see Annie enjoying her new kitchen with a bath in the sink.

Video credit to Laura Beth Davidson

Young Family Gets a Sunny New Kitchen

Good things require time, patience, and care.  And this gorgeous kitchen certainly took its share of all  three!  But the payoff is a sunny kitchen with five windows for a young and growing family.  Last summer, I had the opportunity to redesign and build this kitchen for my young friends who purchased an older home in an established neighborhood.  The house had great potential, but was in desperate need of an updated kitchen.  You can see my little friend enjoying painting Christmas wrapping paper in her new kitchen in the photo above.

Pretty lighting over the finished island.  Notice that the sink wall is painted a more vibrant blue than the other walls.  We liked the idea of a little pop of color without painting the entire space blue.

Panning to the right, you can see the pantry and stove.

To the left, the refrigerator and a nice prep area under a pair of lovely windows.  You should have seen the white azaleas this spring under these windows.  Stunning!

The original tiny kitchen was located in the center of the house with no windows.

Looks like the Brady Bunch just moved out.  The french door open onto a lovely patio, deck, and a large backyard complete with play area and established flower gardens.

Adjacent to the kitchen and sharing a common wall was a small formal dining room.  We decide to remove the wall and open up the space.  With five windows and light to spare, we thought this was actually a much better location for the kitchen.  So, the demolition began.

The plan that we settled on made the most of the space we had with counters space to spare.  You can see that we had to sacrifice upper cabinets in order to keep the windows, but the family quickly adjusted to having plates and bowls in a large drawer instead of an upper cabinet.

The wall came out in just a matter of hours.

The wall between the old kitchen and dining room was removed the same day.  You can see that I was already trying paint colors on the sink wall.

Cabinet installation day is so exciting!  New wood floor are under the brown paper.

My little friend was pretty happy to see that her new house was not going to be a mess forever, and that it was really going to have a kitchen after all.  

Quartz countertops have been installed and the penny tile backsplash is going up in this shot.  The retro style pendant lighting over the island has also been installed.

Close up of the penny tile before grouting was completed.

I was delighted to receive this photo when my young family finally moved in and was able to prepare dinner in their pretty kitchen for the first time.  I think a few tears were shed by all.  

What a pretty space for a young family to call home and what a joy to help them build it.  Here's to many years of memories made in this lovely home!  (Call me when dinner is ready.)

A big thanks from us to:

Kent Dunford

Mountain Empire Stoneworks

Shelton Tile

K & M Flooring

Alda Smith

Allan Smith

Cindy Aiton

and a team of people too large to name!