I have a few phases of construction that are my total favorite…besides, of course, the final reveal. One of my favorites is when the demolition is complete and you see the home in it’s raw, empty space. It’s like a fresh slate and you can really start to visualize the plans you created, because the old stuff is gone. But my other favorite phase is when new cabinets start getting set in a kitchen design. The entire kitchen will just change before your eyes. Here’s an example from the progression at Burroughs Road…
A NEW LAYOUT
You may have noticed that we moved the refrigerator from the right side of the kitchen to the left (go back and look at the “before” pictures!). This was a simple switch but made so much sense. Because the original cabinets on the right side of the kitchen were only 12″ deep, it caused the refrigerator to stick out and block the view of the whole kitchen. Switching it up opened the space substantially! The rest of the kitchen kept with the same layout as the original kitchen, but we did expand the island. At one point we considered opening the wall between the kitchen and dining room. However, it would cause us to lose storage and create some dead zones of the home. And believe it or not, there is a balance of open and TOO open.
the fireplace transformation
Take a look at how we built out the fireplace to enhance the ceiling height and frame the room. If you don’t remember what it originally looked like, go check out the “before” pictures of the whole home. It’s not done yet, though! Wine racks for storage were an important piece on the client’s wish list. We tucked them in along with some beautiful wood floating shelves and a rustic wood mantel. Stay tuned for the final reveal on those…
flooring
In the photo above, you can get a small glimpse of the flooring installed. We went with a laminate floor in a dark chocolate brown. It was some of the most realistic laminate I’ve seen! It had great rustic patches that will help hide dirt while also adding character to the clean white space. One of my favorite tricks is doing a darker floor with lighter walls because it makes a space feel bigger! Here’s another picture of the flooring…
COUNTERS ARE INSTALLED!
Let’s get back to the kitchen! Quartz countertops (shown installed above) are pretty much my favorite, but I usually stick to simple patterns and colors. This client wanted to shake things up a bit though by finding something with more pattern and color variation. We found something with a creamy undertone that had patches and speckles of brown and white. It definitely helped us reach that traditional aesthetic that the clients also liked!
Can you guess the backsplash we selected? Head on over to the final reveal to see if you’re right!
