Grey Tint Stained "Southern Charm" Maple Kitchen

Once again I admit we are completely behind on posting our projects, but it's definitely good to be so busy! This is a kitchen we were brought in to fabricate in the fall. In this case, the clients knew exactly what they wanted and were in the middle of remodelling their house top to bottom anyway, so it was just a matter of designing a functional kitchen in a fairly limited space that would give them the best usage.

What was so distinct about this kitchen was how we had the stain custom tinted with a hint of grey to make the otherwise traditional cabinet doors a little more contemporary. The client chose oil rubbed bronze hardware and lighting, and this amazing herringbone tile pattern that was created using subway tiles. The finished look reminds me almost of a very warm Southern Charm feeling kitchen.

 

The client wanted to further the traditional look with black granite, and an open corner shelf.

 

We installed the very popular spice/ bottle rack next to the range for easy cooking! (The handles still haven't been installed :)

 

To use the dead space in the right corner of the peninsula, we had a cabinet installed on the other end. Faux doors were installed throughout the rest of the peninsula so it looked finished.

Bachelor Pad Overhaul

As I thought about the post title, I felt like the cliche descriptor "Bachelor Pad" didn't really cut it, but i'm currently on a job site waiting for them to finish a spray foam insulation job so my brain isn't conjuring as witty a title as I would like. Anyway, I digress! The client, who describes the world as his oyster, is a prodigy and overachiever. While some people who have seen the before photos have mentioned "I would live there... it's not that bad", this client thought otherwise. "Nothing but your best work"- I was told (which is what I strive to always give anyway! :), but I knew that the design elements and finishes in this condo had to be nothing short of stunning. I took the invitation and opportunity to push the envelope a bit and here are the results!
(Before: A simple white kitchen which was literally falling apart at the seams even though it's not apparent in the photo)

After: A custom designed kitchen featuring new stainless steel appliances with an extended cabinet for pantry space (far left), and a stunning quartz waterfall edge countertop. The Kitchen Aid Architect Series fridge, which was ordered for it's flat profile, was not counter depth so we designed an extended cabinet with an extra 3" gable on the left side of it to give it a more custom built look.

 Before & After Photos of the kitchen. The floors were completely retiled and a wine rack was installed. What bachelor pad would be complete without a wine rack or some sort of bar area?

I'm a huge advocator of Bosch dishwashers. The general footprint of the layout has not changed, but the difference is all in the details like this undermount squared double sink.

 I had an accent wall painted a dark blue in this kitchen (the client's favourite colour is blue) to make an extra bold statement. We had a bit of tricky maneuvering to do when installing this slide in stove because of the concrete walls. I LOVE the amazing dual finish backsplash I had installed (one side is polished, the other honed) to give it that extra depth and texture.

 Another cool feature in this kitchen is the pull out spice rack that the client may use for mugs and glasses.

 Before: The bathroom was again, not unusable, but was definitely not to the client's sleek taste.

After: The beautiful Italian tile flooring was continued into the bathroom and a large accent of multi-finished tiles were installed down the center. The mosaic sheet of light grey tile had 5 different finishes to them (which had been honed, polished, tumbled to various degrees).

 Adjacent to the multifaceted tile is a GORGEOUS black matte 4" x 24" tile from Ciot. A brushed nickel Moen rainfall showerhead and slide-bar with handshower was also installed.

Totally Renovated Townhome Part III - The Kitchen

The one place you'll always want to invest in is the kitchen. Indeed, my clients felt the same way and the bulk of the budget was allocated to creating this gorgeous dream kitchen! Let me walk you through the process.

BEFORE: The only thing we kept in this kitchen was the KitchenAid fridge and Bosch dishwasher.



PROCESS: After I spoke with my clients on what they would like to see in their kitchen, I started dreaming it up and created a very general rendering of the kitchen to get an idea of the placement

PROCESS: After sourcing the appliances and giving the specs to the cabinet maker, we finalize the kitchen plan, sign off on it, and they begin making the cabinets. I create a lighting plan at this point as well.

PROGRESS: Meanwhile the kitchen is being gutted!

PROGRESS: For this particular project, my client wanted to go to the showrooms to see the light fixtures (I can also bring photos to show the client). We find the perfect pendant lights for above the island.

 The cabinets have arrived!!

 They carefully begin to install the cabinets

 AFTER: The beautiful result of a fully installed, custom designed kitchen. This kitchen features shaker style maple cabinets, a double wall oven/ microwave convection oven duo, a countertop gas range, and beautiful Caesarstone countertops with a bit of sparkle.

 I also had LED under cabinet lighting installed, which adds a wonderful effect on the carrara marble backsplash.

 Out of dozens of backsplashes, the one we finalized went beautifully with the clean lines of this townhouse. The faucet chosen was from Ginger's.

 I love the features of this kitchen, including a sauce pull out.

 A magic corner pull out feature allows you to store more pots!

 A duo garbage/ recycling pull out is built into the island.

 The client asked for a shoe rack as the back door to the garage happens to enter into the kitchen, so I custom designed this matching cabinet.

Kitchen Design & Reno- A Brand New Kitchen in Just Under 2 Weeks!



The Kitchen Before

I had the great opportunity to renovate and design a dream kitchen for Chloe and Calvin- a young couple with a very energetic toddler! The design process was spread over a few weeks so we were well prepared, and the actual renovation only took a total 1 week and 5 days. This is a very important part of our design and renovation process- that I provide a quality and well organized service so that my clients' lifestyles are impacted for only a short time. If you are looking to do a renovation, but are afraid of the inconvenience, please contact us and we can give you a realistic estimate and timeline. Ok, now it's time for the big reveal!

 
After: My client Chloe had the discipline not to see any of the renovations prior to the big reveal. It was just like the big reveals on the tv shows and she definitely was very emotional and cried because she loved her kitchen so much! The entrance that she is standing in was widened just a bit to create a more open feeling. It's these little details that count! :)

 The clients Chloe and calvin in their brand new kitchen, now much more functional with a large center island with plenty of drawers and cupboard space!

Before: The wall between the kitchen and the dining room

After: The non-load bearing wall was removed between the kitchen and the dining room to create a more open flow. The old vinyl tile flooring was removed and replaced with a beautiful 12" x 24" tile from Ciot called Land Light Grey.

 The island was designed with functionality in mind. The generous sized pot drawers are directly across from the stove (it was not possible to put them next to the stove due to the lack of space), and an electrical plug was installed on the island for plugging in their kitchen aid mixer or laptops.

The countertops were extended to create extra counter space.
 We used Caesarstone's 3141 Eggshell for the countertops and a classic subway tile backsplash, which will never go out of style! The cabinets were a cream coloured traditional door style but with brushed chrome modern handles to keep it from being too traditional.

We installed a stainless steel range hood to match the future stainless steel appliances they plan to purchase. We created a larger space for the refrigerator as well for future change ups. The result is a fully functional but beautiful kitchen that should outlast all sorts of trends, even when their toddler becomes an energetic teenager! It was a joy working with them. Congratulations on your new kitchen Chloe and Calvin!

Kitchen Makeover in 2 weeks - Let There be Light!

When my best friend asked me to help renovate her parents house in Toronto, I jumped at the chance knowing that one day it may become her own home. With a shoestring budget, we turned this dark and outdated 30 year old kitchen into a bright and functional space for their family. We also had to do this renovation incredibly quickly, as they have an autistic daughter whose schedule was turned pretty much upside down. In total, including some major changes in the layout (which can usually add weeks), the project was finished in about 2 weeks and a couple days! That's the power of scheduling and a lot of prayer:)

Before (Wall between dining and kitchen)

The first step was to create a window pass through from the dining room to the kitchen to add extra light. The owners wanted to add a slab of granite so the pass through could be used as an extra counter space.




Kitchen Before



 
The Kitchen After renovations. We had cream traditional cabinets made with iron handles and knobs. The cabinets actually matched the "bone" coloured appliances (that they will eventually replace to stainless steel to match the new dishwasher that was installed). The backsplash is a glass and marble mosaic which creates a visual break in between the cabinets. The granite is giallo ornamental.

We had matching cabinet doors fabricated for their closet, so it looks like it matches the rest of the kitchen.

Condo Renovation Before & After

OK i'm so excited to share this reno we did a few months back. This was definitely one of my favourite renovations of all time, partly because the owner really trusted my taste and partly because the result was a completely different suite. The owner had given me the direction of "hotel" and I was off! I promise that once I get real photos i'll post them up on my website, but for now here are my iPhone photos :)

Kitchen Before: We completely gutted it

 As I mentioned, the owner really trusted my design direction, and I was able to convince him how great the white gloss upper cabinets, smoked glass backsplash and walnut lowers would go with Caesarstone's Nougat countertops.

A side by side look (Before & after). Cabinets were redesigned to have more balance and functionality on either side of the stove.

The powder room was completely gutted and floating white gloss cabinets were installed with an above counter sink.

 I wish the photo was clearer but I absolutely love this master bathroom. The floating cabinets with the above counter sink gave this bathroom a luxurious hotel feeling, while the glass partition on the tub kept the lines clean and sleek.

 Left - The glass replaces the traditional shower curtain (very European). The shower head is Kohler with an extra wand (which comes in handy for cleaning)
Right- A photo of the tiling around the tub before the fixtures were installed.

Hallway- The carpeting was removed and replaced with Torly's laminate which had a beautiful gray tone to it.