Lake Forest Kitchen Facelift

If your 2016 New Year’s resolutions include giving your kitchen a facelift with minimal muss and fuss, here’s a great example for you. The homeowner’s wanted to achieve a major change in this Lake Forest kitchen but they didn’t want to undergo any major construction. This was our “before” kitchen:

Lake Forest Facelift Before1

Overall, a kitchen that had been well-maintained but was dated and had some crowded countertop issues. Now check out the gorgeous transformation we accomplished, all with minimal mess for the homeowners:

Lake Forest Facelift After1

Can you spot all the changes? One of the most obvious is the island. Here’s a closeup of the original:

Lake Forest Facelift Before3

Compare that to this functional new beauty!

Lake Forest Facelift Island Views

A butcherblock countertop has an overhang with seating for three. And notice the kitchen countertop in the background – no more microwave to take up space. The stunning new island cabinetry includes a microwave drawer that cleared up valuable work space. A system of deep drawers allows for more functional storage too.

Lake Forest Facelift Hood and Backsplash

A new hood was an easy install that brings a cleaner, brighter look to the cooktop. And did you notice the update backsplash throughout? This elegant tile is a mixture of glass, ceramic, and onyx that glitters and shines.

Lake Forest Facelift After4

An updated sink and faucet nestle snugly into a bright new perimeter countertop. This countertop is quartz with marble look, so it offers the beauty of marble but it is more durable and won’t stain like marble will.

Beautiful, updated lighting, new paint, and a new valance round out the major changes to this sparkling fresh kitchen. Let us know what you think on our facebook page.

Designer Kitchens

So, you’d like to redo your kitchen. Great! You should work with a kitchen designer! “What? I don’t need a designer for my kitchen,” you think. Well, here is a list of things that a kitchen designer can do to make your kitchen re-do better than you dreamed.

  1. They’ll get to know you, how you use your kitchen and what’s important to you and your family before they design anything.
  2. They will take that information and incorporate it into a plan that allows for the best flow and function for you.

  3. They understand the decisions that need to be made, when they need to be made, and can assist you in keeping the look cohesive and stay within your budget.
  4. They understand how to talk with the contractor and various trades to ensure that what gets built is what you had envisioned.

These are just 4 of the many reasons that having a kitchen designer on your team is a great idea. In upcoming posts we’ll discuss how to select and work with a designer. Here’s to a fabulous result!!

Kitchen Change-Up

I’ve been working with one of my very favorite clients on her kitchen for the past few months.  It has been great fun and we’re almost at the finish line!  Yea!!  I’ll give you an overview of the project and a couple of “before” shots, and next week I’ll have some (non-professional) shots of the finished project for you to see.

Here’s what we started with:

You can get a peek at her beautiful view here

 

View of the windows, and space for table and chairs

 

Refrigerator wall

 

Our Challenges:

  • Very small kitchen
  • We wanted to be able to give her the greatest amount of counter space, yet we have to allow for access to the window in case of a problem with it.
  • Better access to cabinets and more organized storage
  • Strange placement of outlets with the inability to change their location (we’d have to put a plate over the existing location)
  • The overall footprint would remain the same
  • We didn’t want to block her view, which is of the lake and is fabulous but wanted to allow for some privacy from a neighboring hi-rise in the evening.
  • The space for a table & chairs is very small

We changed:

  • Lighting
  • Flooring
  • Cabinetry
  • Paint instead of the wall paper
  • The range and microwave (she had replaced the dishwasher and fridge a couple of years ago)
  • Sink & faucet
  • Window treatments
  • Backsplash

I look forward to showing you some pictures of the completed project next week!

    Creating Your Dream Kitchen – Part 2

    First of all- I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend.  It sort of signals the end of summer no matter what the weather.  Everyone begins to focus on fall activities and holidays.  Happy New Year to all my Jewish friends and family!  We start to think about spending more time indoors- perfect timing for creating that dream kitchen!

    In part 1 we discussed thinking about how everything in the kitchen works together and assessing what doesn’t work and why.  Today we’ll look at what you do in the kitchen, how you do it, and we’ll make some lists. 

    First, let’s look at kitchen activities.  In your kitchen, do you:

    • Socialize? Does everyone usually end up in your kitchen?
    • Cook frequently or infrequently?
    • Is there generally one cook or does more than one person share cooking tasks?  Do you cook together or take turns?
    • Use the computer- to look up recipies, or just in general?
    • Watch TV?
    • Have an eating area, or do you go elsewhere to eat?
    • Have to keep cell phone chargers?
    • Pay bills, or do other desk work?

    Now let’s think about how you cook. 

    • Do you use your microwave often?
    • Do you cook more frequently on your range/cooktop?
    • Do you bake or broil often?
    • Do you use a steamer?
    • Do you often cook for a crowd, or for small groups?
    • Do you have caterers bring in food, or do you prepare the food yourself and just have serving help?

    Now for the lists (the fun stuff!)  First list; all the must-haves.

    • Fridge (obviously)
    • cooktop or range
    • sink
    • garbage disposal
    • trash storage
    • oven(s)
    • microwave
    • you get the idea!

    Next list; your dream kichen would have….

    • steamer?
    • warming drawer?
    • wine cooler?
    • wine storage?
    • larger refrigerator?
    • more than one oven?
    • more than one dishwasher?
    • a second sink?
    • this is the time to dream big!  What would you really enjoy using or what would make your preparation easier?  Put it down!  If you know what you’d like, you can find ways to fit them in. 

    The more you think about the possibilities, and what you’d really like to have, the better- remember you don’t remodel your kitchen often so it’s best to do a lot of planning beforehand.  If I were planning a new kitchen today I would look into induction cooking, and would choose a French-door refrigerator.  What are your dreams for your kitchen?

    contemporary kitchen, with blocks of blue and red

    Could this be your dream kitchen?