A Kitchen Project We Simply Adore!

This was definitely a favorite project from 2015!

My clients had down-sized from a home in Glencoe to a townhouse in Northbrook. It had some pretty standard builder-finishes and the clients wanted to personalize their home. They were unhappy with the kitchen which didn’t work the way they wanted it to. The wife loves to cook and experiment with recipes. She wanted to be able to stand at her sink and look out at a small front garden. She also hated having the cooktop in the island. The downdraft fan was noisy and didn’t work well. They also didn’t like where the refrigerator was as they would prefer something larger and they could only squeeze in a 36” where it was.

I re-configured the space, downsizing the island and moving the cooktop to the wall where we added a hood vent that went through a closet on the second floor to the roof. We added a pull-out trash and drawer microwave in the island. In creating a peninsula at one end we were able to relocate the sink and dishwasher there so she could look out at the garden while standing at the sink. We moved the wall ovens to where the old refrigerator was, put a larger fridge just past the peninsula and moved the desk to the wall where the ovens were. New under and above cabinet lighting added ambiance. We even added LED light in the pantry on a door switch, so every time the pantry door opens the pantry is flooded with light! Everything was fairly close at hand, and they had a cozy banquette area created by the peninsula wall.

We updated the butler’s pantry with antique mirrored backsplashes, and added a beverage fridge. The clients selected new wood flooring to replace the ceramic tile, which gave a warm and elegant feel to the first floor. They love their new space!

I was excited to work with my favorite collaborators, Nancy Jacobson of Kitchen Design Partners and Michael Menn of Michael Menn Ltd., who brought their skills and expertise to make it all come together! Michael Menn won a Silver Key Award for excellence in remodeling for this project.

See more of this project on our Houzz page or our pinterest board.