Whole House Remodel

Jan 17, 2019 | Designer Insider

How To Remodel & Keep Spaces Functioning

by Designer Jamie Heinz

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As an Interior Designer we often have to work within the elements of the client’s home. That was the case with this particular project. The homeowner loved their home and the location, they just wanted to update the look of the kitchen and adjacent rooms. We began the conversation with what are the elements that you like about your home?

The Back Story:

Their first comment was, “Well it’s not that we love everything, but we have recently replaced the flooring and the granite countertops.” So, rather than starting from scratch, which can be very costly and would require time not using their kitchen, my thought process was to work from the elements that were recently done but to update the style of the cabinets and the color. This would give the kitchen a completely new look without sacrificing the use of the kitchen and saving cost. This sounded like the most sensible plan for my client.

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The Design Process:

IMG 0434copyWe began by taking a trip to our showroom, so that I could show them door styles that were current with today’s trends. They knew they wanted a painted finish, but they had no idea that painted finishes meant any color Sherwin Williams made. Luckily, we had just the color they were thinking of on display, a soft lacey white.

BA2Now it was time to get West Michigan Cabinetry involved. They were going to make all the new doors and drawers fronts, and upgrade to all new soft close drawer runners and soft close hinges. While we were upgrading all the components, we decided to take it one more step and provide all plywood decorative doors to the ends of the cabinets that were exposed. This really made the kitchen look finished. We changed out the desk that was never used and put in a cabinet to provide more storage. We were able to keep the current floor, granite countertops, and tile backsplash.

We had the professional painters from Creations by Brian come in and paint all the cabinet boxes and frames on site. They came back with our new doors freshly painted to hang them and adjust them properly.

The Detailing:

IMG 0440copyIMG 0482copyA fresh coat of Sherwin Williams Oak Barrel paint on the walls and new satin nickel hardware to go with the new style pulled the whole concept together. We updated the space leading into the kitchen with new Homecrest in Winter Wheat hardwood floors and new Mohawk carpet. Then, the whole house was painted to blend all the new elements together and give a sense of harmony from room to room.

The Master Bathroom Update:

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IMG 0465copyWe gave the master bath a make over as well. We said goodbye to the fiberglass shower and hello to a new tiled shower~ that was a dramatic change! Then we pulled colors from the shower tile to provide a new quartz countertop. We also added some fun lights and mirrors too.  The floating vanity shelves provided a great space for décor and made the space look larger. With a new paint color on the wall it was as if we had changed the whole space. The statement “less is more,” is really the concept in this design project.

When you go into a space keep an open mind, take time to look closely and observe. There are always elements that are worth working with. They will often require a challenge but in the overall concept they can become the best part of the design. I often say,”You can always build new, but you can’t rebuild old”.