An Island For Everyone!
When Katie first bought her house we knew it was going to be A LOT of work to get it up to par—but we own a construction company so we weren’t scared. Well we were scared but we knew how to get it there! I mean — how bad could it be?! These young clients, however, boldly jumped into a renovation and trusted us with their first home! How brave?! It was going to require lots of demo, new flooring, a new kitchen…the list goes on! We were blown away from the get go at the gumption they had! LOVE IT!
1. What specific needs stuck out on this project?
Ummmm. y’all this kitchen was straight up bad. Bless it’s heart. Ya know, sometimes projects have specific needs like “this family has 10 kids and they need seats for hiney’s” but sometimes, it’s just like “okay…yeah this kitchen is just unattractive, and that’s gotta change ASAP!” The space was tiny, the layout ineffective, and the materials (*clutches chest*) were terribly outdated! Everything about this 80’s kitchen had to change, but that took some serious rearranging! The existing kitchen had several walls shutting it off from the rest of the house so we knew we’d need to remove walls and update the floor plan to be more open. The drawing to the right is the actual drawing we worked off of to create this kitchen! The before photo below gives you a glimpse of the very sad previous kitchen, and the veryyyyy beautiful new kitchen!
2. What did we do to find solutions to the needs?
We started by imagining “what if none of these walls were here” followed quickly by “wait, can we even do that?!” Once we got approval from our structural engineer we were off and running, dreaming up an open kitchen+living+dining space. From there we ended up with our biggest island yet (13 feet!) for daily dining, meal prep, and party hosting!
3. What selections did we make and why?
When you’re dealing with an ugly duckling of a kitchen, it’s fun to be uninhibited by nitty gritty and get to freely design for the client’s aesthetic! The materials we chose were based on durability and their timeless quality. White subway tiles—they’ve been using them for over 100 years and I don’t see that slowing down any time soon! We chose to make the island more distinct by making it’s countertop and finish different than the perimeter cabinets. I wanted it to clearly be the place we wanted you to end up—“Party's over here, guys!"
We chose an incredible product for the floors called Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP). Now don’t go scrolling off just yet! Yes, we LOVE a natural hardwood floor! Who doesn’t?! Who can deny the warmth, the beauty, the timeless nature of a hardwood floor?! And yet — in 2020, many of us have big inside doggies who run around, many of us have kids splashing in from the pool zone, or tromping in mud from the yard, and that means sometimes the best decision is a water proof, scratch proof, non-fading, magical material called Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP)! As. you can see, the product carries the same warm natural look of hardwood but possesses a number of incredible qualities that make it a no-brainer for someone with pets, leak concerns, foundation concerns, or adventurous kids who love mud!
Have questions about LVP? Learn all about it here and our other favorite flooring selections!
4. What was the most memorable part of this project?
This project stands out to me because Katie scheduled their ‘final presentation’ at a time I couldn’t be there. Instead of canceling like she wanted to I somehow convinced her to go ahead! (lol HOW did she go along with this?!) She called me after the meeting was over and said “well, I BLEW IT! THEY HATED IT! I’M NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN!” In her mind, all was lost, and although I tried to assure her that it couldn’t have been that bad, I did secretly think “oh man, that was going to be such a good project! Dang it!”
Well! The clients called the very next day to move forward with their project! These clients were first-time-homeowners with a clear vision of what they liked and wanted their space to be. The fact that they put their trust in us as a team was an honor I do not take lightly! I gave them so many A+’s on their homework I lost count! For example I gave them “cabinetry homework” which is when I give you your cabinetry elevations and plans and you go home and label what should live where. Tupperware? Bottom drawer! Pots and pans? Near the stove. These two sent us the most thorough homework I’ve ever received—it blessed my heart to see how much value they placed in custom cabinetry! ME TOO! It should be special and a celebration that you get to look forward to for months!
It was truly a blessing to work with this sweet couple and although it’s always a thrill to see a project through to completion, this one felt extra special because they were just so earnest and lovable through the entire process! Bless them!
5. What’s your favorite part of the project now that it’s completed?
How to choose?! I LOVE the giant island, the custom storage in the island, and the stain-grade floating shelves but my favorite feature is the corner window. It was dated and scary at first, wrapped in Formica and I thought “well…what do we do here?!”. Now it’s wrapped in beautiful subway tile and it just lets so much light into the kitchen—it almost makes me want to do dishes! … Almost.
- S
ABOUT US
We’re Sarah and Katie — sisters who own and operate a full-scale interior design and home-remodeling firm in North Texas! Check out our portfolio or these Before & Afters for some inspiration!!
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