NARI OF GREATER PHOENIX CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER

RESIDENTIAL KITCHEN $100,001 – $150,000

The goal for this renovation was to curate a space for family and friends to enjoy.  Always the entertainers, our homeowners dreamt of an open inclusive space with a cooking focal point to serve around.  The rooms around the kitchen were boxed off.  Removing walls and creating a standing peninsula transformed the space.  This new kitchen boasts an on-trend color palette, custom frameless cabinets, quartz counters, and a textured backsplash. This showpiece now serves as the hub of their home as a modern entertainer’s kitchen.  Our goal is to serve homeowners with excellence, through honest communication, quality construction, integrity, and uniquely creative remodels.

Our clients loved and enjoyed their 1990’s contemporary kitchen when it was the 1990s. ​Now, in 2020, the whole space felt cramped, closed off from other areas of the home, and dated. As future empty nesters, it was time to plan for just the two of them in the home. The blocked-off rooms that had served so well before now seemed lonely and segregated with little space to interact with one another or guests. They diligently saved and dreamed of a new space to serve as the hub of their home. Their goals include: opening the rooms to one another, making the space more inclusive for entertaining, creating a cooking focal point to work around, and maximizing their storage to contain the clutter they were inclined to. They also wanted to update the finishes and functions for their current lifestyle.

This past client had us build a master suite addition onto this home 10 years prior and called us in to complete this next phase. Trust was built-in, so discussing the budget honestly, was not a challenge. Their attention was on trust and quality, knowing that cheap does not buy that. During our Design and Pre-Construction Phase, our MCKBR UDCP design professional collaborated with the homeowners to explore space plans that functioned well within their footprint. They shopped for and selected products that were cost-conscious with splurges on select decorative and necessary elements.

The final open floor plan removed all the walls and the dropped ceiling that created the half bath and hall to the master suite. It would also create a standing peninsula by partially opening the wall between the dining room and kitchen. The doorway that closed off the dining room to the kitchen would be removed. Finally, the wall and pocket door at the home’s entry that had previously enclosed the kitchen would be removed. The new kitchen layout includes the standing peninsula, where the cook is included in the party while serving an intimate dinner for two or al fresco for a larger holiday gathering from the new cook and bake center. The full-height wall space left at the end of the peninsula created the perfect spot in the dining room for a cherished piece of art and left a nice location for the double oven within the kitchen. This design decision would also block some of the lines of sight from the living room beyond, which was high on the wife’s priority list. The previous half-bath location is now where we placed the wet bar with a beverage refrigerator, open shelves with task lighting, and decorative counter-to-ceiling backsplash. Next to the wet bar is the new refrigerator. The space of the previous dry bar became the docking station, open bookshelf, and pantry storage. To complete the kitchen layout, the main sink would stay at the large window viewing the idyllic neighborhood setting of this home.

Appliance selection was straightforward since they had been dreaming for a while and knew what they wanted. The challenge came up around the new position of the refrigerator within the kitchen. The wife did not want to see a metal refrigerator in the living room beyond, so we determined to find a cost-effective panel-ready, counter-depth, French-door refrigerator.

For the cabinets, our budget-conscious initial selection was to provide semi-custom face frame boxes from our cabinet manufacturer. We found they had recently discontinued custom panel options for all appliances. With the panel-ready refrigerator, a necessity, we had to splurge on locally sourced custom frameless cabinets. The homeowners appreciated locally sourced products, so we specified local wherever we could. The plan includes ample functional storage with multiple in-cabinet storage solutions. Fifteen-inch-deep wall cabinets flank the sink to effectively organize all the necessary serveware, place settings, and glasses. Built-in vertical storage is in the opening above the double oven with a large shallow drawer for platters below. Several deep drawers serve as base cabinets throughout the kitchen with peg storage for ones that make sense. Deep roll-out trays keep the pantry storage easily accessible and organized.

The most important goal for our clients was to make the space better for entertaining friends.  Removing the walls to create an inclusive atmosphere for the husband to cook and serve, was the ultimate dream.

Premier Home Remodeling in the Greater Phoenix Area

For high-end home design, build, and remodeling in the greater Phoenix area that reflects your vision, Homework Remodels will help you love your home again. Start your project by calling us at (602) 478-5102 or emailing [email protected] to discuss your remodeling project.  We offer no-obligation in-home consultation. Our NARI-certified award-winning designers and craftsmen are eager to work with you to make your vision for your home a reality!   To help you plan your remodel, you can find informative blogs on our website here.