I had grand plans to document the process of remodeling our Kitchen. But like many people, I got busy, my days filled with working on client's projects. The Kitchen has changed our lives. It has opened up the spaces with live in and use most and has made the Kitchen the center of our home.
I'm so glad we finally did this remodel! See the new images.
Getting close to completion, this Alki split level has undergone a big transformation. A stair tower now links the original two floors to a new second floor with a Master Suite and exterior deck that takes advantage of the view to Puget Sound. rebuilding the roof over the Living room and Dining room has a dramatic effect on the interior spaces. The home opens to the the exterior with large sliding doors to allow for seamless indoor/outdoor living.
We bought our house 12 years ago as we began to think about starting a family. We found this 1944's house in Magnolia, which had 'good bones' but needed a lot of work to update it.
We began mostly painting every room and every surface.
Then our son came along a year later and we didn't seem to have time to get much farther with remodeling the house. Like may professionals, I spend my days going work that I love, but it's hard to come home at the end of the day and do the design work for your own house.
I began a project for a client/colleague to design her Kitchen remodel. She said she wanted to have a new Kitchen while her kids were still young and in the house.......before they were off to college so they could all enjoy it. That really struck me! I realized that I needed to do something as well. Why not enjoy the house as a family and update the Kitchen so we could function better. We love to cook and spend much of our time in our Kitchen/Family room which had become the center of our home.
So we jumped in. I did drawings.....I picked out finishes. My husband and I had many discussions but came up with a solution that could fit our lifestyle and our small house. Construction began on November 7th, 2016. I'd planned to write about it as we went along. But, as usual, things don't always go as planned. Working full time and having this project took a lot of time. Then the holidays came along and here we are.
The Kitchen when we moved in in 2004
The Kitchen needed a lot of help when we moved in. The cabinets were yellow (with a stain to make it look 'antiqued'.) Yellow laminate counter tops with a yellow sink. We had made some temporary progress through the years.......We painted the cabinets white, added a stainless steel sink and swapped out the counter top for an inexpensive white laminate. It was cleaned up and worked.......but just barely.
Kitchen in 2016 - before the remodel
With the start of a brand new year, I always like to get organized and start the year fresh. Our office is thriving with many new projects beginning. We now have a chance to show some of the work we have completed in the last year. Please check out our 'work' section.