When you’ve got a list of home improvement projects that vary in size, complexity, and level of importance, it can be tricky trying to figure out when to hire a design-build home remodeling contractor versus individual trade specialists or subcontractors.
When considering whether to phase your home remodel into smaller chunks, investment, disruption, and isolation are the three most significant factors to consider.
Learn how to increase your home resale value with these top improvement ideas.
Learn about Charlotte’s housing history which is rich with a diversity of architectural styles and themes that represent popular trends.
Cabinetry is one of the biggest investments you’ll make when remodeling your kitchen. We’ve gathered our best kitchen cabinet organization ideas to help you consider which features you’ll want to discuss with your kitchen designer.
Here are five of our favorite kitchen drawer organization tips to prevent “junk drawer plague” – where every drawer becomes a mess – no one has time for that nonsense.
Here’s 4 coffee station ideas to consider incorporating into your kitchen remodel.
A great kitchen design isn’t just about the traditional work triangle. Particularly for a growing family, kitchen design should also be inclusive of the myriad ways your kitchen will be used –for which activities, when and by whom. The traffic flow in, out and through a family-friendly kitchen should be a critical factor in space planning, not just during meal times, but throughout the entire day. This young family tasked us with the challenge of opening up the previously remodeled kitchen of their 1950’s Myers Park home, after hearing from other contractors that what they wanted to accomplish couldn’t be done.
While not the original kitchen to the home, the remodel by the previous owners had addressed aesthetic concerns, but not the space planning. With two young children at home, our clients’ most important goal for the remodel was an open kitchen design for increased visibility and traffic flow. Their secondary goals included maintaining a formal dining room and foyer to stay in keeping with the age and style of the home; transitional style with modern amenities such as professional-grade appliances; more functional storage and additional pantry space; a large island with seating for four and to repair the faulty hardwood floors from the previous renovation.
The angled walls with bar height pass through helped the kitchen to feel somewhat connected to the den, but it was still impossible for our clients to keep an eye on their kids while preparing meals. The tiny vestibule at the back door was tight and included two-floor transitions since the tile and den floor was higher than the kitchen and foyer, creating a tripping hazard. The light from the kitchen window couldn’t filter into the hallway or living space, creating a dark atmosphere. The plan was to remove the walls between the den and kitchen to open the space, but the challenge was ensuring enough wall space for cabinetry and appliances without sacrificing valuable storage.
Ultimately, after reviewing three different kitchen designs, our clients elected to close the doorway between the formal dining room and the kitchen. This allowed the kitchen to take on a functional L-shape and kept all the major appliances out of the island, increasing usable counter space. Because the formal dining room was right next to the kitchen, losing the extra doorway didn’t impede traffic. Opening the backdoor to the kitchen made it easier to haul toddlers and groceries to and from the car.
The new kitchen design features an open plan from the den and kitchen, making it easier to drift between the two spaces seamlessly. Reframing a portion of the existing floor system to bring the whole area down to the same level eliminated tripping hazards and made floor clean-up a breeze. We left the original window in the same location, but with the removal of the walls, light pours deeper into space, making it feel more spacious. Ultimately, there was extra space to fit an even larger island than what was in the original kitchen design, providing ample seating for the whole family.
BEFORE – The awkward, angled counter with dropped soffit kept the kitchen and den separate, preventing an easy flow for daily childcare or entertaining. The barstools blocked traffic to and from the back door—the main point of entry for this family.
AFTER – Working extra storage into this kitchen design was simple thanks to the large island. Hidden base cabinets under the seating area provide adjustable shelving for less frequently used items.
Simplifying the bar design made it visually recede and increased functionality. Removing the bar sink in favor of a dry bar allowed versatile counter space to act as an everyday drop zone or a serving space for entertaining. To delineate the bar from the kitchen while keeping some visual continuity, we repeated the same cream cabinets and used the quartzite slab material as a solid backsplash. Now guests (and kids) can easily mingle between the formal living room, the den, the bar, and the kitchen during gatherings.
The cased opening and original glass transom that were formerly separating the kitchen and foyer hallway were relocated approximately 6′ to incorporate some of the former halls into the new family-friendly kitchen design. As requested, a proper foyer was maintained in keeping with the formal architecture of the home.
An HVAC return and a tiny coat closet were relocated to create space for a custom pantry cabinet under the stairs. Increasing dry goods storage was an important goal for this growing family. Tall pantry cabinets with easily adjustable roll-out shelves are a great solution for maximizing the space available within a small footprint.
BEFORE – The stepped design of the bar cabinetry made it feel heavy and intrusive and the sink and ice-maker were never used.
AFTER – A built-in beverage center provides space for wine, beer, and mixers outside of the main refrigerator.
DETAILS – The built-in maple spice rack keeps herbs and spices organized and accessible. The fully integrated refrigerator with custom panel blends into the surrounding inset cabinetry for a traditional look.
A critical part of making the kitchen design feasible was incorporating two large steel beams —welded on-site—to support the second story floor above. Our engineering team created a structural design to ensure the integrity of the proposed kitchen design, resulting in the family-friendly entertaining space they desired.
In the den (now visible from the foyer) the colonial fireplace surround was replaced with a transitional cast stone design. Using the same material for the hearth, surround and mantel created a soothing contrast in textures as opposed to color, allowing the artwork to be the true focal point.
Custom cabinets, hidden storage accessories, matching appliance panels, and one-of-a-kind quartzite counters elevate this family-friendly kitchen design while maintaining a classic, transitional style.
BEFORE – The hood overpowered the range top and the soffit and pass-through to the den dated space. Angled walls are an inefficient use of space.
AFTER – Open site lines and clear traffic patterns are all part of this redesigned kitchen. Shades of cream, taupe, and sage green offer a soothing, timeless look.
DETAILS – Wide island drawers with built-in drawer organizers keep knives and flatware neatly sorted, right where they’re needed most.
If your current kitchen design has you frustrated and disorganized, we’d be happy to talk through the possibilities with you. Schedule a call and our team will reach out shortly.
In evaluating the ebb and flow of ongoing trends the other day, we were discussing the evolution of today’s home bar. Home bars are still incredibly popular, usually, as part of a greater kitchen remodel, but they are far from what they once were. From simple, compact dry bars to complete entertaining spaces in their own right, home bars still feature prominently on our clients’ wish lists. Here are some wet bar ideas and dry bar ideas to consider:
Home bars of the late ’90s and early 2000s almost always featured a tiny, impractical sink, smack in the middle of the countertop, rendering what was left of the counters unusable for much of anything. They were usually hidden in an alcove near the kitchen, or off the living room in an awkward hallway. The bowl-sized sinks were deal breakers for most of our clients, and they wanted them gone in favor of more flexible counter space.
BEFORE: This wet bar was added during a previous remodel, but the tiny sink only served as a dust collector.
AFTER: Electing for a dry bar with a beverage center gave this couple more flexibility, extra counter space, and improved cabinet storage with the addition of a wide drawer for bar accessories.
Fast forward to today, and home bars are still requested in at least half of the kitchen remodels we design. Nowadays, we take a multi-functional approach to the design to best utilize the space available. Most home bars err on the simpler side, and most do not feature sinks unless they have a significant amount of extra space.
This multifunctional space in the hallway between the kitchen and formal dining room acts as a dry bar and drop zone for the kids’ activity schedules. The left side features a built-in kegerator, a beverage center, and extra wine and stemware storage. The right side features open shelving for books and family photos, a pinboard for schedules and Panthers tickets, and wide drawers for the kids’ craft supplies.
Some dry bar ideas include an appliance for wine, beer, or other beverages and act as a landing zone for entertaining. Whether you’re having friends over for a casual dinner or you’re celebrating your child’s birthday, a dry bar gives you space separate from the kitchen to stage beverages, appetizers, or dessert.
Whether wet or dry, ideally your home bar would be located in close proximity to the kitchen, between it and another space like a formal dining room or living room. Locating the bar in the transition space between two rooms creates a natural flow for traffic and conversation, and allows guests to help themselves easily without entering the kitchen while you’re cooking.
Located in a nook off the hallway between the kitchen and the formal dining room, this dry bar serves as a morning station for coffee most days but quickly converts to the beverage station for holiday gatherings.
While most home bars do feature stemware and bottle storage of some sort, they aren’t limited to alcohol. Many of the families we work with prefer beverage centers—small built-in refrigerators with multiple zones that can properly store a few bottles of wine and a case or two of La Croix or Kombucha.
Beverages tend to take over the main refrigerator if left unchecked, so having a smaller space just for your daily drink of choice leaves room for more fresh produce and leftovers.
Having a flexible space to store the special occasion china that also acts as a snack station for the kids is still a worthy feature of any modern kitchen design. Thoughts on any other wet or dry bar ideas? We are all ears
This dry bar features a beverage center and drawer for snacks. The towers on the left and right are perfect for housing small appliances, vases, and stemware.
If regular movie nights and football parties are your jam, you may want to consider a more elaborate casual entertaining space. With enough room and the right design, a dry bar can easily become a full-fledged kitchenette, preventing repeated trips to the actual kitchen. A beverage center and a small (but usable) sink are must-haves in this case. Ice makers and refrigerator drawers for mixers and snacks are also a nice touch. An 18” dishwasher wouldn’t be a bad idea either, especially if your hang-out zone is in the basement or a detached garage.
Located right inside the back door and conveniently separating the kitchen and the living room, this wet bar features a wine chiller, an ice maker, and a prep sink. It’s right off the back door, making it easy to run inside and grab a cold beverage before heading back to the lake.
Whether you’d like to incorporate a multi-functional dry bar as part of your kitchen remodel, or you’re interested in creating a completely separate entertaining space, we’d be happy to help you design the space that’s perfect for your needs. Dry bar ideas, or even wet bar ideas if you feel so inclined–we are ready for any. Schedule a consultation with us today!
Whenever we begin working on a custom kitchen design with a new client, they almost always fall into one of three categories: A) Knowing what they want and relying on us to translate their vision; B) Strong opinions about a couple of crucial areas, but mostly open to any solutions we suggest for their new design; C) Unsure what they want, but the current situation isn’t working. Regardless of where you fall, here are three ways to create a custom kitchen design that feels personal to you and your family.
Higher quality, made-to-order cabinet lines are going to allow customization to some degree. This customization can be a game-changer for making the final kitchen design feel truly custom since it means we can make the cabinet as specific to your functional, aesthetic, or architectural needs as possible. Few kitchens don’t require at least one cabinet to be modified to maintain the best-finished look.
More often than not, we modify most cabinets to give our clients the best possible design. Modifications can include custom sizes, combining boxes to avoid seams in inset designs, adding unique storage accessories, or finishing the ends in a specific manner, just to name a few. The options are endless.
One of the easiest and most satisfying ways to set your kitchen apart from your friends’ kitchens (even if you have the same taste) is to incorporate something personal that tells part of your story. Our clients have approached us with unique pieces to include in their custom kitchen design on more than one occasion. Custom pieces include hundred-year-old barn beams found in an outbuilding on the property, a favorite light fixture that lasted through multiple moves, a custom colored range to match the label of a favorite bottle of champagne, and more. Incorporating these personal touches into our clients’ kitchen designs sets them apart from their neighbors.
We salvaged the vertical beam next to the staircase from an old barn on this couple’s property. Having a piece with a story gives extra life to this farmhouse kitchen.
You don’t already have something you’d like to include in the new design? No problem! Choose one item that has yet to be selected and pick something you love that can act as a statement piece. It can be something semi-permanent like a light fixture, unique cabinet hardware, or backsplash tile, or it could be something you find on your own like vintage stools for the island or a beautiful painting to hang in the breakfast area.
Just because you make coffee and take supplements every morning as part of a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean they have to be out on the counter in full view 24/7. Our kitchens are responsible for storing a LOT from everyday dishes to serving pieces, pantry items to charging stations. When everything has a place where it’s easily accessible and hidden from view, you’re able to move more efficiently and feel better in your space without visual clutter. Planning ahead of time, which tasks take place in which zones of your kitchen will help your kitchen designer suggest the best storage solutions to help your day run more smoothly from the get-go.
One of the best ways to make a kitchen more functional is to store items by use instead of similarity. For example: Instead of keeping all glasses and mugs together in one cabinet, store drinking glasses near the refrigerator for access to filtered water and store mugs near the coffee station. Customizing the design for the way you move in and around your kitchen saves time as you won’t be crisscrossing as often while you’re preparing meals, snacks, and everything in between.
We placed narrow, pull-out storage cabinets for cutting boards and spices close to the cooktop for convenient access during prep.
Want to speak with someone about your custom kitchen design? Schedule a call to speak with one of our project developers.
