19 August 2010

Kitchen Renovation - 1003

I was approached to design a new kitchen/dining room.  The house's main entry was like walking in the back door.  It was closed off and separated.  The client wanted to update cabinets and appliances, as well as remove all the evidence that wallpaper had ever existed.   The image below is the existing floorplan.
 

The door on the bottom left is the entry into the residence.  From there you can go down the stairs to the basement, or through the door on the right into the kitchen.  The space next to the kitchen is the dining room, and following counter clockwise, you get the fireplace, living room, and down the hallway, the bathroom on the right, and then two bedrooms.  Following are some existing photos of the residence's kitchen and dining rooms.



The photo here shows the original kitchen from the island.  The door that you see is the door to the exterior of the house.  This is the main entry.  The entire kitchen was wallpapered and had vinyl floor covering.










The photo on the right, shows the original dining room.  The pantry is the door on the right, the door on the left is a sliding glass door.  This dining room has had wallpaper.  The flooring is carpet.





These photos are other views of the kitchen/dining rooms.















The PLAN:
The plan below shows the proposed design for this kitchen/dining room renovation.  Complete Demolition of the cabinets and walls, down to studs and plywood flooring. 

The new layout provides a floorplan that is more conducive to the open floorplan that the client was wanting to achieve.  When you walk in the door, the rooms are open and you can get anywhere in the house without having to walk through it in its entirety.  The wall upon which the stove used to call home is now a half wall, which is one of the key factors in opening up the space.  (This wall was non-load bearing.)  The wall which the kitchen sink used to face, received a new header and a door opening, allowing visitors to walk straight through to the living room or bathroom, without having to walk through the kitchen, the dining room and/or living room. 
The photos below show the newly renovated kitchen.  The cabinets are a deep cherry finish and will darken with age.  The countertop is laminate.  The island became a simple butler's island which can be moved if a larger dining table is needed.  It also provides space for the previous island's barstools.  The new flooring is porcelain tile.  

This views to the left and above shows what you see from the living room.
The image to the right is a view from where the kitchen sink used to be.  It shows all the cabinets.  The tall cabinet at the end is the pantry and has storage for brooms and other cleaning items.  The view to the left is the main entry to the residence and is shown from the hallway, through the new opening.  The wood paneling that we removed was reused in this half wall.  The wood paneling that is on the wall behind has now been painted to match the other walls, by the owner.


The views above show what you see when you first walk in (left) and when you're going down the stairs (right).
This view shows the kitchen/dining from the sliding door.  Again, the full height wood paneling has now been painted by the owner.  

The new kitchen sink location allows the dish washer to enjoy the seclude view instead of looking at a wall in the "old" kitchen.




I'd like to thank the homeowner for hiring me, and allowing me to use some of my contractors.  If you are in need of a Kitchen Renovation, please feel free to give us a call, or send an email loxley.designs@yahoo.com
Kitchen prices vary in cost, depending upon the amount of detail required.  This one I designed and contracted for 10 percent of the total costs.


Laundry Room

New appliances are an excitement.  It still means chores, but provides for a more user friendly fixture.  It also sometimes gets you in the spirit to actually accomplish those tasks in a somewhat enjoyable manner.  I recently purchased a new washer and dryer.  This meant that I could finally get rid of the ancient set that caused me frustrations.  It also meant that I had a lot of work to complete before the new set arrived.

First, I needed to get rid of the old set.  Fortunately I had a friend who needed them.  Task one completed.  Then I decided that since the old set was gone, that I should finish the floor and wall, and give the laundry/pantry room a complete deep clean.  So, hauled everything out, clear finished the floor and walls. 

Here is a "before".  Notice the unfinished walls and floor.

Here is an overall view of the Pantry/Laundry Room. (Left and lower) And on the right is a better photo of the new wall.  This is birch and mahogany plywood, cut in strips.  Thanks to the lumber company for cutting it... 



The stripes are made from some leftover paint I had lying around the house.  I think they bring a little bit of cheer into an otherwise dark gloomy space. 

If anyone is curious as to whether or not Samsung's Vibration Reduction Technology works, I can positively tell you it is great!  This set is quiet and does NOT shake my whole entire house when the washer is spinning.  They're easy to use, and aesthetically much more pleasing than the old set.


Does your laundry room need a face lift?  If so, give us a call...we'd be more than happy to discuss the possibilities with you.  Our going rate is $3.00 a square foot for design...no matter how large or small the space.  Typically we do not complete the work that goes into the design.  You are welcome to execute the design yourselves, or we can recommend contractors.