Kitchens and more
Three cooks in the kitchen
by Mary Regan on 11/12/11
Before
Three cooks in the kitchen
For Tom and Karen the idea of remodeling their kitchen started almost when they moved into their Chelmsford home. They had updated their home and like most homeowners we work with, they had left the kitchen for last. The kitchen always felt cramped and small. The finishes and cabinets where over 15 years old, there wasn’t enough storage or counter space for 1 person let alone 3! When their son Matt moved in after college they decided to move forward with the remodel. The kitchen was located in a center area of their colonial style home. It was close to the entry foyer, the dining room, powder room and family room. Because of the wall between the dining room and the kitchen, both rooms were small and did not allow them to entertain family and friends as everyone would congregate in the kitchen and make it impossible to function
What we did:
- We designed the new kitchen around the idea of more storage, counter space, entertaining, and ease of use for 3 cooks. We did just that without "borrowing" any space from the dining room. Just by removing the wall it allowed the space to look and feel more open.
- We removed the wall between the kitchen and dining room, relocated the refrigerator, and added a new, tall, pull-out pantry unit next to the fridge. It served two purposes: it added storage and helped create a custom enclosure for the refrigerator. We also added a decorative column to the other side of the fridge to give it a more custom look. The cabinet over the fridge was reduced depth to push it back to add more molding details.
- We were able to add a decorative hood over the new cook top and wall oven under it. We vented the hood to the outside which the homeowners love. The first time Tom and Karen made bacon, Matt was not home. When he returned a short time later, Matt had no idea his parents had just cooked bacon! The sink remained in the same location, but with the new layout the sink looked like it belonged in that spot.
- The last design element is a 7 foot by 3 foot walk-around island with room for 3 to 4 to sit.
- Future plans for the family is adding a sliding door with a deck off the kitchen where the windows are located now.
Finn's take:
I love the new kitchen Mary Regan created for my masters. I was just a puppy when the project started. The new tiles in the foyer and the kitchen were chosen because my masters thought it would be easier for me to run and cause mayhem without damaging the floors. The white cabinets with the glaze look fabulous and the warm maple island cabinets make this kitchen a real joy to live in. I love the choice of the green butterfly granite for the countertops. Master Karen and Mary did a nice job selecting such a great tiles for the backsplash. I just love the glass tiles behind the cooktop! There is one thing I miss though, Mary's visits to our home. I loved howling and causing a ruckus until she gave me some attention. This kitchen rocks and my masters love it!
Do you want to remodel your kitchen?
by Mary Regan on 08/27/11
Here are a a few money saving tips:
1. Don't add factory supplied accessories They can be added later in some cases or can be purchased from accessory suppliers.
2. If your current layout works for you, keep the appliances in the same location.
3. Don't add luxury items like a pot filler or an expensive light fixture. The pot filler sounds nice, but the cost of adding one is not justifiable. A beautiful light fixture can be added in the future.
