A Kitchen Makeover

The snow on the ground today has me recalling, nearly a year ago, the snow of February 2010 - naturally that's when I began one of my favorite kitchen renovations. 

My clients brought me the inspiration for their "feature" wall, from an advertisement by La Cornue, for their Chateau Collection, a mix of color enamel and stainless.  With an idea in my head, I was off to see my custom fabricator in Tyson's Corner to discuss the idea of stainless framed wooden drawers and doors.  He was quite happy to accomodate the request and soon we were making sawdust! 

I chose to keep the palette white and gray, since Carerra marble was also a must-have in this kitchen.  However, I ended up with White Fantasy granite, since it's more durable than marble, which is softer and can etch more easily.  I did choose a blend of Carerra marble for the backsplash - the finish is a combination of polished, honed and "flamed" (simply meaning a rough surface) - it's really something when the light hits it.

Take a look at the "Before" photos, below, and scroll through for a quick play by play and the reveal of the "After". 

Before

Before, take note of the kitchen window -
we ended up swapping out this window for a taller one to gain the view of the landscaped backyard - it was a smart move.

Before

Before

Before

Of course we started this project during the major snow storm of February 2010, shoveling our way to the front door...

Demo begins

I donated all the cabinets, appliances and even the counter tops to the Alexandria Habitat for Humanity ReStore - I know they were thrilled to get the donation and my clients were elated with the donation tax receipt.
In addition to renovating the kitchen, all the floors on the main floor were sanded and given a darker finish - a perfect compliment to the gray and white color palette.

My new floor finish - a one of a kind color - don't even ask me which colors I ended up mixing together!

So, now my new floors are covered and protected for the arrival of the new cabinetry.

Install has begun!

It's shaping up!  The island is a custom lacquer finish of Benjamin Moore's color, Kendall Charcoal.

Look!  My new (taller) window has been installed!  What a difference!

Now we can really appreciate the view - Spring is here!

All moved in!  The custom stainless framed cabinetry, along the back wall, is finished in a custom lacquer of Benjamin Moore's color, Wrought Iron, as well as the range hood shroud.

White Fantasy granite on the island and a compliment of Storm Grey Zodiaq, engineered quartz surfacing, for the perimeter cabinetry counter tops.

A closer view of the Storm Grey Zodiaq counter top.
In addition, a commerical grade sink faucet from KWC and Franke's Double D bowl sink, help round out this kitchen.

There's even a little coffee bar - I chose a smokey gray glass tile mosaic for the backsplash here, just to mix it up a bit.

Oh Boy!  Matching Sub-Zero refrigerators!

Here's a nice detail - I chose "Glacier" glass to use in my doors.  It was interesting and helped obscure, ever so slightly, the contents behind.

Here's a fun pop of the orange I've been so intrigued with lately -
custom lacquer counter stools in Benjamin Moore's color, Salsa Dancing.
This photo was taken by my friend, Jennifer Chappell