Before:  The situation and the frustrations

In the three or four years since we bought the house and when we actually became serious about the kitchen, we chatted about it often when family and friends were over. What we thought we would do, when we might do the project,etc. In that time we had good ideas to reimagine the house overall- the best idea was to swap the spaces so the kitchen was in our current playroom instead of just expanding it (we have to contend with some weird angles and beams due to the way the addition was built).

Like so many, being home more during the pandemic brought our house frustrations to the forefront and we were using our kitchen more than ever before. The inadequacies of the space, being a main thoroughfare of traffic, lack of counter space, and other frustrations were highlighted to the point where it became the next major project to tackle. 

I started talking to our designer, Andy Pauldine, in late 2021 that we were going to have the project upcoming and what we were going to be doing and said we were looking to do begin the process after the holidays.

FIRST DESIGN & CHOOSING FINISHES

We got a first design from Andy a few weeks after our house measure and set up a followup for my husband and I to come into the showroom to discuss it and look at finishes. We reviewed the initial design- what we liked about it, things we were concerned about, suggestions, etc. We talked through with Andy how we would use the new kitchen to make sure the design worked for us. 

 When we talked at our in home design meeting, I listed off several things I had envisioned in what the space would look like and that I’d like to have in there. Andy did a great job making sure those items (a dedicated coffee bar, a low seating area with drawers under the window) were in there. But unfortunately those items detracted from the overall kitchen in how we would use it and look we wanted so we had to move in a bit of a different direction. 

During our time with Andy we were able to prioritize what WAS most important to us. This is always a challenge for those remodeling – especially if you are expanding your space or changing your layout. It is very important to have your list of wants- and all your wants. But to know what items on that list are More important than others is imperative for a smooth remodeling process. 

If you are unsure of that list or those priorities keep changing, the design will never be set and you will never be able to move forward. 

After working through the design we looked at samples to narrow down what doorstyles, wood, and colors/stains we would want. I personally had a hard time with this – much to Andy’s and my husband Mike’s amusement. I always loved when new samples came into the showroom – and the showroom staff would discuss the new styles. What type of kitchens it would work with, other coordinating colors and countertops, if it was their personal style, etc. We have a display in Saratoga I’ve LOVED since we put it in – but Mike flat out said NO to putting in our house. So I had lots of ideas of various styles I liked- but I never narrowed it down to one option. 

The actual process took a while- probably 45 minutes of going through the samples and the different brands to ensure we were in the right brand. We decided we wanted to do two tones as we were going to have lots of cabinets and I wanted a color in our kitchen. I knew I didn’t want a white/cream color or a straight gray. So I pulled various blue and green paints and narrowed that down to 2 or 3 choices. Then I started to look for colors to match. Mike likes wood tones and seeing the grain and I don’t like too much grain (like an Oak) so we tried to focus on samples that had those features. Andy suggested we stick with an Alder wood to get the wood grain for Mike and coordinate well with the paint door style. 

We got down to 2 choices – what we called the ‘Green Option’ and the ‘Blue Option’. For each we chose a door style that would coordinate with the overall feel of the choices. Andy walked us through the various construction types (ie: Mieter door) to consider and what would be best for the cabinets to last long term without seams cracking over time. 

We coordinated our final choices with a Cambria Quartz countertop and faucet finishes for a complete look. Recording our choices, we borrowed the samples to see it at home in our space, in our lighting, and to determine which way to go.