East Side Bungalow Reno
Sometimes buying a first time house that needs a ton of work can be pretty daunting. Enter: Designer.
This couple hired me on to help come up with a layout for their kitchen that was completely gutted. We took into consideration that it A) Was not their forever home and B)They wanted to move in asap. After a few different floor plan work arounds we landed on a design that would not only keep the plumbing and electrical outlets for the stove and refrigerator in the existing spots; but also created more function adding in an island.
They love to host so adding in the island was something I wanted to find a way to make it work no matter what. By keeping the appliance and sink locations in their current spots, not only did it save money but more time, getting them into their new space a lot faster. We were able to still make those appliance locations more functional and intentional by using custom cabinetry to build out those items and create spaces for each appliance to be used to its best potential. For instance, having a refrigerator and oven next to a wall isn’t the most ideal. You find the door hitting the wall, your arm hitting the wall, or a mess running down the side of your oven onto your wall. By adding in filler strips to each side, it looks a bit more cohesive as well solves those issues.
This specific project was a little different than many of my others I’ve worked on. I was mostly hired on to help come up with the flow of how the kitchen will function and assist in cabinet design. The homeowner has such a good eye for design so aside from the floor plans, and some help with cabinet paint color and countertops, she was able to confidently take over with all the other elements and put her personal touch on it. As much as I love a project that I get to design from start to finish, I also love being able to help people as little or as much as they need to help get their project off the ground and help them with a starting point to build off of.
I couldn’t be more proud of her in her decisions as well as the confidence to ask the right questions to myself when she felt a little stuck. One thing that I like to tell all my clients is that any space can be made beautiful. It really is that simple. However, sometimes designers have to take budget and longevity into consideration. Are you living here forever? How much traffic will this area get? Do you cook frequently? Will the next owner appreciate the money spent here or will they end up ripping it out because its not their style? They are all very valid questions and this project was one we had to make the hard decisions on. Could we have moved everything around, expanded the kitchen and spent a ton more on materials? Yes. However, I am so glad we didn’t because this space turned out STUNNING and just as much as show stoppers as it would have been making it a massive space.
I have to give her major credit on this project because not only did she take the reigns on knowing what she wanted for design choices, they also were gutting every single room in the house and she took over all those design choices on her own. I think people forget that designers can be utilized in so many different ways. She bounced ideas off me after making selections on her own and took my professional opinion and ran with it, and she pulled together a stellar little home as well as working as a team we created such a beautiful, quaint kitchen. And that is what I am all about. Listening to the client, making sure all of their wants, needs and desires are met and use my expertise to curate a space that represents them.
