When a busy family of five in Highland Park was ready to renovate their multi-level home, including an addition to two levels, their architect and builder, Michael Menn, Ltd. suggested they interview us at Kitchen Design Partners and we were happy they engaged our services. We enjoyed collaborating with the homeowners and Michael Menn Ltd. to create this gorgeous whole-house renovation. Just look at the difference in the “before” and “after” kitchen!
In the home’s original design, the main living spaces were closed off from each other, making it difficult for the family to interact. The old kitchen was tightly designed and had a few bottle-necks that didn’t work well and involved lots of reaching into high cabinets and family members squeezing past each other around the island.
A new ground-level addition opens the family’s living space considerably, creating a spacious, great room concept with the kitchen, dining room, and family room flowing together while maintaining separation with contemporary architectural elements. Utilizing Holiday Kitchens’ frameless cabinets throughout the kitchen and dining room provided more storage space than traditional framed cabinets. The dramatic Truffle finish on the island and dining room cabinets was chosen to match the dining room table and offers crisp contrast to the bright Nordic white paint of the perimeter cabinets. We coordinated two countertop styles with the two cabinet finishes, using Cambria Quartz in Torquay on the breakfast bar and lower level of the peninsula, paired with Cambria Bellingham on the island and the top level of the peninsula. The gorgeous porcelain tile backsplash was custom sourced locally, adding just the right combination of sparkle and texture to the new contemporary style.
KDP especially loves how this remodel illustrates that kitchen and bath design revolves around the needs of the people living in the spaces, making the home work efficiently and comfortably for every family member, without compromising on the beauty of the design. Take a look at how functional and “hard-working” a beautiful kitchen design can be:
A roomy peninsula between the kitchen and the dining room has an elevated breakfast bar so that when seated at the dining room, guests can’t see the kitchen countertops, a critical feature during clean-up! The children can sit at the breakfast bar for homework, snacks, and interacting with a parent who is working in the kitchen. The drawers and appliances on this side of the kitchen are intended for the children to easily access without entering busier work zones. The microwave is close to the French door refrigerator and low enough for the children to access. A warming drawer on the opposite end keeps dinners warm when family members are on different schedules. The peninsula and island offer access to a double waste unit and child-friendly storage aplenty without being in the work triangle. We designed this layout with intention for efficient and safe participation of all family members.
Along the back wall of the kitchen and the far side of the island, the work triangle of the kitchen begins, with the cooktop, sink with garbage disposal, dishwasher, and dual wall ovens. The homeowners opted to eliminate most of the wall cabinets in the new kitchen which opened up the space and required us to provide purposeful design of every cabinet. Each drawer, door, and pullout provided essential storage. KDP utilized several cabinet accessories to customize the storage space including deep drawers for pots and pans, pullouts for spices and oils and shallow drawers for utensils. A reverse sink base cabinet in the island provides useful storage in an area that is often unused, adding function and storage right in the center of work triangle.
Down the hallway from the kitchen, KDP helped create this gorgeous contemporary powder room (below left). Novara frameless cabinets by Holiday Kitchens in Wenge gloss paint provide deep shine under Cambria countertops in New Quay. The textured tile wall and delicate, glittery pendant lighting make statement that feels both dressed up and special.
The laundry room was relocated to the second floor and you can see some of the original kitchen cabinets and countertops repurposed here. Every single cabinet and countertop from the old kitchen was reused somewhere in the home, saving both money and environmental resources.
KDP also collaborated on three new full bathrooms upstairs. The bathroom on the left below, designed for the homeowners’ son, features a neutral palette with colorful accessories that will stand the test of time. Cambria countertops in the Waverton design over Dura Supreme “slab style” cabinets in Storm Gray paint provide muted tones and plenty of storage.
The bathroom on the right above was part of the new addition to the upstairs, added on for the homeowners’ two daughters to share. Winslow style cabinets from Holiday Kitchens in Vineyard paint with Harbor Brush glaze, each with 6 drawers, offers plenty of storage for both girls as they grow.
The new master bathroom is the real show-stopper. Look at this gorgeous contemporary design!
Winslow style cabinets from Holiday Kitchens in Storm paint with Harbor Brush glaze offer dramatic contrast to the Cambria countertops in their Berwyn design. The huge walk-in shower is absolutely gorgeous from tiled ceiling to tiled floor. The Cambria Berwyn quartz continues on the shower threshold and shower bench, tying the design together beautifully.
KDP enjoyed working with this lovely family and Michael Menn’s team. We were thankful to help this family achieve a stunning contemporary and functional home that will continue to provide them with a purposeful design now and into the future.
