Project Description & Challenges
The starting point for this project was a tiny, outdated kitchen and an underutilized sunroom. The kitchen was in the front of the house, lacking views and a connection with the backyard. The clients envisioned an
energetic family center with well-planned work and play areas integrating exciting details and personality.

The design team turned the sunroom into a dining area in order to view a dramatic rock ledge. The kitchen expanded into the old dining room. Beyond its extraordinary visual appeal, the layout provides the benefits of the traditional work triangle and embraces the functionality of specialized kitchen zones. The kitchen has three zones: the cooking area, the desk area and breakfast prep / bar areas.

The design of this kitchen successfully illustrates the integration of the modern style into a traditional home. This kitchen serves as the hub of the home, connecting living areas and creating multiple activity centers within the space.

The mix of colors, inspired by a painting in the client's home, personalizes the space and gives it vibrancy. The blue mosaic glass backsplash and the striking island with its floating blue CaesarStoneŽ countertop are dynamic elements in a distinctive design that is both functional and comfortable-perfectly fitting the American lifestyle. The kitchen perfectly expresses the personality, lifestyle and aesthetics of this modern family.

 
Best Remodeling:
Kitchen Over $150,000 (Silver) 2006

The kitchen artfully blends several cultures in a modern design that brings warmth and sensuality to the space. This is accomplished through the contrast between unadorned natural and man-made materials. The underside of the island reflects a soft Asian influence as it mimics Japanese shoji screens. Laminated rice paper is sandwiched between layers of frosted glass that are set in a maple framework.

The blue CaesarStoneŽ flyover counter, shaped like an exclamation point, is a jewel in this modern style kitchen. It is supported by custom stainless steel brackets and leg supports. The honed gray surface of the lower work area increases its visual impact. This island visually leads your eye to the dining area and provides a terrific anchor to the room.

Sunshine floods this dining area creating a cheerful place to have lunch on a winters day. The window seat in niche created near the arched window allows you to gaze at the dramatic rock outcropping in back yard or watch the children playing in the yard. French style sliding doors, just beyond view in this photo, open up onto a lovely brick terrace for summer entertaining. This area provides a perfect place for entertaining no matter what the season.

The design team created a zone within the kitchen that contains a small sink, wine cooler and microwave. This area functions well as a coffee bar in the morning. The wine cooler also makes this a popular area for evening entertaining. The mix of glass-paned cabinets adds visual interest and there is ample shelf area for collecting cookbooks or displaying special
serving items.

Wolf double wall ovens, a warming drawer and ample countertop provide all you need to create fabulous baked good in this zone of the kitchen. The lighting in the flyovers adds the extra task lighting needed for this area. The cork floor adds another element of texture and contrasts with the other
modern elements. As an added benefit, there are storage drawers under the
window seat. This is the perfect spot to take a break while the cookies are baking in the oven.

Across from the baking center is the desk area. This is where this family gets organized with a corkboard for schedules, appointments and important to-do's. The tank for the family frog fits perfectly in the custom
cabinetry above and there is plenty of room for special books and mementos. The screen is for a television that can be adjusted so that it can be viewed from many angles in the kitchen. You can view a cooking show from the baking area and create a gourmet treat right along with your favorite
celebrity chef.

This spacious room is connected to the kitchen and it is a wonderful space
for the children to hang out. The built in bookcases hold their favorite games, books and puzzles while the desk is the location of the family
computer. The cork floor has a feeling of warmth and comfort, yet is easy to clean in this highly trafficked room. There is ample room for a ping-pong table and the windows allow for plenty of natural light for arts and crafts projects.

This mudroom was custom built for the family with cubbies for the children and benches to sit on to make it easy to get winter boots on and off. Just out of view, the adults have their storage needs met as well with hangers for the adults and areas for the storage of shoes. The design team also incorporated shelving with electrical outlets for cell phones. The area connects with the garage as well as directly out into the front yard making it the perfect spot for coats, gloves and tennis rackets. Grab what you need and go! 

This renovation improved the aesthetics of this home literally from the inside out. By changing the orientation of the door opening in order to create a mudroom, Tibma gave this entrance symmetry and balance. The designer matched the pre-existing octagonal window, bringing character into the reconfigured space. We also added a large picture window to accomplish the mission of bringing light into this family room.

The addition onto this home made use of a preexisting porch and allowed the design team to provide a dining area for this family. In this view, you can see how the French style sliders give access to the brick patio and grill area. What a fabulous way to open up the entertaining area. Imagine a warm summer evening on the patio. Can't you almost smell the steaks cooking on
the grill?