Demo + Design Plan- Lago Bend Lane

How is it Monday again?! Some weekends just fly by in the blink of an eye. If you follow Wild Rose Interiors on Instagram then you saw that I went to the ASID Designer Show House this weekend. I love taking advantage of opportunities like this to walk through spaces completed by other designers. There was lots to see in this 10,000 square foot home, but I particularly liked the tile application in the mud room and the matte black walls and white coffered ceiling in one of the office spaces (there were two offices + a holiday/gift wrapping room + a small desk space off the kitchen). 

Before I get into today's project update, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who participated in my 1 year anniversary giveaway on Facebook and Instagram. I truly love what I do, and feel so fortunate that I’ve been given an opportunity to turn my passion into a career. I honestly cannot believe I’ve been working at building this company for over a year now, and love sharing a little glimpse into my world on this blog. I’m excited to see what the next year has instore for Wild Rose Interiors! 

Last time, which seems like forever ago, I posted a new kitchen remodel I’ve been assisting with. Today, I have a few pictures of the demo process to share, as well as the design plan. As you can see, everything was removed so we were truly starting from scratch. 

It was great to see the kitchen without that poorly planned kitchen island.  

The homeowners also decided to replace the vanity in the powder room. The mirror and fixtures are also being updated for a more current look. 

While their existing fridge and dishwasher were still in great shape, they wanted a new 36" gas range and a powerful vent hood to keep up with their heavy cooking. They also opted for double wall ovens, which is always a great addition when you have the space. The renderings below show the overall plan for the new kitchen space. On the far left you will see the appliance center which replaced the underused desk space form the original kitchen. The cabinets have now been taken to the ceiling to maximize the space and add to the visual height of the room. 

Since we added double ovens, we relocated the microwave to the other side of the kitchen. You can also see how the opening into the living room will look with the counter being all one height. 

My clients like clean, simple lines but were also very aware that their home is slightly more traditional. Our goal was to choose things in their style but making sure we weren't going too contemporary for the home. It was a fun challenge to try to blend these together for a truly transitional style. We knew from the beginning that we were removing the skinny, polished oak floors throughout almost all of the first floor and replacing them with a wider plank, lighter flooring option. I ended up finding a beautiful engineered hardwood option in a 5.75” plank. It has a lighter base color but with lots of darker variation throughout, which complimented the darker stain the homeowners wanted for the kitchen cabinets. 

Because the family does a lot of cooking, they really wanted a low maintenance countertop- enter quartz counters. While we didn’t want to go too modern with the quartz selection, we knew we needed a lighter option to help balance out the darker cabinets. The one we selected is dominantly white but has some soft gray and tan movement throughout. The glass backsplash brings a touch of modern but in soft, traditional earth tones. You may have noticed in the renderings that we aren't running the backsplash behind the cooktop. Instead, we opted for a solid surface in the same sheen as the tile (unfortunately I don't have a picture of this). This allows for easy cleanup after cooking and most importantly, no grout lines to try to scrub.  

Next week I'll be sharing a few of the progress pictures before getting caught up with the current state of this kitchen, which is 99% completed and looking beautiful I might add. I'm hoping to post a few updated pictures of the Glen Arbor project later this week which is almost ready for the homeowners to move into. I'm also planning to do a Facebook Live tour so everyone can get a better feel for the space. Well, there is no more denying that the work week has begun, so I suppose I should get to it. Hope everyone has a great Monday!!! 

New Project- Lago Bend Lane

Welcome back after that strange holiday week. I don’t know about all of you, but having the 4^thof July on a Tuesday made all forms of normalcy go out the window last week. And this week isn’t much better for me as I’m heading back to Iowa to see family on Wednesday and spending an entire week where time moves at a gentler pace. I’ll still be working while I’m home, but it’s always nice to get away from the grind of the city for a bit. I would say it’s nice to escape the Texas heat, but it looks like Iowa has plenty of that instore for us while we’re back #getittogetheriowa!!!!! Before heading back I wanted to check in to share a new project that I’ve been working on for the past several months. We are actually almost finished with the construction aspects, and I’m starting to work on the furniture plan, so most this project won’t be shared in real time like I typically do.

A little background- the homeowners wanted to renovate their kitchen, put in new flooring on the first floor, update the fixtures in their powder bath, and purchase new living and dining room furniture. To get started, they wanted my help with the kitchen design so that it stayed true to their more traditional home, while still feeling modern and current (aka transitional design). The kitchen certainly wasn’t bad to start with, but it did not function as well as it could be and the homeowners wanted a cleaner, more updated look. The general layout of the kitchen has remained intact, but we knew we wanted to make a few key changes that would improve the overall aesthetic and function of the space, starting with taking the cabinetry to the ceiling. As you can see in their original kitchen there was a small awkward space between the upper cabinets and the ceiling that is really only good for collecting dust. By taking them to the ceiling you do add some additional storage space, but truly it's more of visual thing as it adds height to the room.

The next thing we decided early on to eliminate was the built-in desk. There is already a dedicated office in the home, so the desk was a waste of valuable kitchen real estate. This multi-generational family does a lot of cooking and everyone was onboard with clearing a few of their appliances off the counters as long as they were still accessible. In place of this desk will be base cabinets and instead of a traditional upper cabinet with backsplash below, we decided to sit the cabinet on the countertop with electrical outlets inside so that several small appliances could easily be pulled out for use and tucked back in for storage. Additional adjustable shelves inside will be the perfect spot for less frequently used kitchen gadgets.

An early visit from the contractor determined that the pillars on either side of the opening of the kitchen are structural and the cost to remove them was not worth the minimal difference to the overall look of the space. Once that was crossed off as an option, I suggested doing away with the two-level countertop for one larger counter with an overhang to allow for stools to be pulled up on the other side.  

The last big decision to be made was in regards to the island, which was small and oddly shaped. The homeowners used it some, but I felt like for the size of the kitchen it really didn’t work and was in the way of a fully functioning work triangle. While my clients were nervous about whether they would miss having the island, I encouraged them to try it without as we could always have an island built or add a moveable one if they wanted it back in the space. Without jumping too far ahead, I will say we all agree, hands down, removing the island made the space feel so much larger and instantly improved the traffic flow. Plus, they’re gaining more countertop space now that many of their appliances will be tucked neatly away in the cabinet where the desk is. I know EVERYONE loves an island, but not every kitchen is meant to have one. If you feel like yours is chopping up your space and the flow, get rid of it!!

Next week I’ll share more of the design details- renderings, cabinet style + finish, countertops, backsplash, hardware, flooring, and the plan for built-in banquet seating in the adjoining breakfast nook.

Be sure to check back on Facebook tomorrow for a big announcement on a giveaway I’m hosting. You won’t want to miss it!!!!