Tuesday, February 9, 2016

#ProjectMyKindaKitchen

I’m telling you, there’s definitely a correlation between kitchen remodels and crack. The moment I find out someone I know is remodeling their kitchen, I become annoyingly interested, and quite possibly borderline intrusive. I’ve been fearing it would become a real problem, that is until I figured out how to channel the obsession and start helping others with their kitchen remodels. You could say I’m doing it for them and to ‘help a kitchen in need’, but it’s more than likely I’m doing it for myself. I’m selfish that way 😛

I started working with a couple on their kitchen remodel back in September/October. The couple had just bought their home a few months before, and were eager to get started on renovations to make it their own. The home was built in the 70’s, it’s a two story townhouse style layout, and needed a lot of work to make it current.

Allow me to introduce you to project #mykindakitchen. These photos were taken just a couple days before demo, with a fancy shmancy cell phone. The best before photos should always be the worst photos. Ha!

Client Kitchen Before 4

Above is the view while standing at the dining table. This angle is shows the cramped kitchen at it’s finest, a kitchen that only allows one person working at a time. Not very optimal for a growing family.

Client Kitchen Before 1

Client Kitchen Before 5

Above is the view of the kitchen while standing in the living room. The door to the kitchen is a pocket door, and narrower than a standard door, and was at the top of the list of things to demo out. I find it so interesting, at one time in our, or our parent’s, lives physical separation between spaces was coveted, and now we’re all just swinging hammers at walls trying to open that shiz up! I love it.

Client Kitchen Before 2

As you can see, there are quite a few elements in the kitchen that just weren’t working, like the transition from the laminate flooring to the linoleum, or this garbage wall.

Client Kitchen Before 3

Now, excuse this photo as it was taken pre-demo in the middle of kitchen-packing, but you can see here just how little space there was for dining and entertaining. The table was too big for the space, cabinetry in the kitchen was lacking so glassware had to be kept safe in a china cabinet, also making the space feel cramped. More cabinetry was definitely top priority for the remodel.

I think a lot of folks would feel overwhelmed with how to go about solving kitchen situations like these. I think the easiest thing to do is to break it down into segmented thoughts: First, the problems: the kitchen is cramped, inadequate counter space, tired & outdated cabinets & fixtures, not to mention the linoleum floors needed to go. Something you can’t see in the photos is roughly a 6″ soffit throughout the entire kitchen which houses the most beautiful fluorescent lighting (not). The kitchen itself is severely closed off from the living room, and there just doesn’t seem to be enough space for a dining table without the space feeling claustrophobic.

Second, the wishlist: make the kitchen & dining room feel like part of the house, make the entire space feel open and inviting, add cabinets for more storage, add a crap ton of counter space, and add a space to entertain. And you know, keep it budget friendly :)

It seems like a doozy, but we can make this work!

Next I’ll talk about how we nailed down the client’s taste & style, and answer that strange question – So, how do you go about making the kitchen feel united with the rest of the house?

 

LoveB

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Article Source: #ProjectMyKindaKitchen

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