Mather Makeover!

Pin It This design just happened to be for a client who was very close to home. We both grew up in Elk Grove, and had many common aquaintances. Needless to say, I was VERY excited to work with her, and help her transform her "standard" kitchen into a transitional space with a little country flavor!

The biggest challenge with this project was to maximize storage without changing the layout. Making a few minor adjustments to the cabinet configuration, helped us achieve just that. We are all familiar with the infamous "blind corner" base cabinets that everyone hates. You know, the one that you have to climb into in order to see what's in the back....the place where you put holiday platters that you access once per year? We changed that cabinet to a corner "Eazy Reach" cabinet, which features a bifold door which gives a full visual of what's inside. Next, we added a 9" cabinet with a tray divider, which is great for all those cookie sheets and cutting boards. One of my favorite cabinets that we added was a 30" "3 drawer base". Every kitchen should have a large set of drawers! It provides easy access, and ample storage for pots and pans or other large items. The last thing we did, was add two additional cabinets to the right of the kitchen, which were not there before. This gave her the ability to have a double trash pullout, which everyone loves, and another large base cabinet which maximized her kitchen storage space.

Of course we can't forget to mention all of the eye candy in this space! The Quartz Countertop features a warm gray tone which helps offset the varied tones of the "Orchard Plum" laminate floors. The Shenandoah Cabinetry features a solid wood raised panel door, in an Espresso finish on Maple. I love how the dark wood leaves no room for competition between the wood tone floors and cabinetry. Finding woods that don't compete with eachother, is always a challenge.

The appliances featured are just as important as everything else. We selected a "slide-in" range; a range without a back, which creates a built-in look and allows the backsplash to continue behind for a clean consistent look. The dishwasher features hidden controls, which is always visually pleasing. Last but not least, a stainless "side by side" refrigerator, and a modern "under cabinet" range hood.

Oh yes, and I must mention the MOST important request from this client. The farmhouse sink! What better way to accent your decor of roosters and chickens, than to add a sink like this? I love that the farmhouse sink also features stainless steel. It helps keeps things "up to date" and adds to the ultimate goal of a transitional space.  This, along with the finishing touch of a gray subway tile backsplash are a perfect match.
The materials featured in this space are sure to last at least a few decades, both in style and durability.

This client just happened to be one of the easiest and most pleasant people I've ever worked with. She has amazing taste, and I am grateful to have worked with her. Thank you so much for allowing me to design this project with you!

My latest creation!

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With all the stress and craziness we all have in our lives, I think we need to do a little something for ourselves....something uplifting, something positive, something to distract us from the demands of our society.  It can make all the difference in the world! 

After an EXTREMELY overwhelming year, both good and bad, I decided to take a pottery class.  I absolutely love it!  It really helps satisfy my creative soul, and I look forward to it every week!   

Here is my latest piece!  Well, the first piece I am actually proud enough of to put on my blog : )

I had been primarily throwing clay on a potter's wheel, but due to my lack of experience, I could not make anything look good that was larger than a small bowl or a coffee cup! (It is not as easy as it looks).  So I decided to use a "coil method".  It was a lot easier, but very time consuming.  It took me about 30 hours to build this piece, which is about 12" in diameter and about 9" tall. 

Some day I will retire and spend most of my days painting, making pottery, and whatever else I discover over the next 3 decades.  Until then, it will be one here, one there.  Hopefully my next piece will come soon!

News appearance on KCRA!!! More DIY projects!

Pin It http://www.kcra.com/diy-projects-during-school-break/29902756

Tune in for another news appearance on KCRA 3 for Lowe's DIY Thanksgiving projects! 

DIY Thanksgiving Projects « Good Day Sacramento

Pin It DIY Thanksgiving Projects « Good Day Sacramento 



Here I am on Good Day Sacramento, creating DIY projects featuring Lowe's products!  It was a lot of fun!!!

American River Beauty

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American River Beauty~ 

Classy, Elegant, Transitional

It had been quite a while since this home had been updated.  So this wonderful couple decided to come to Lowe's and to look for cabinet knob ideas.  They desperately wanted to update their space but weren't quite sure where to start.  After discussing their ideas and vision,  we ended up turning that visit into an amazing transformation!

This design was inspired by a natural stone quartzite slab by the name of "Sea Pearl".  My client had seen it at Medimer Tile and Stone and fell in love.  Though there were several things that came up in this project, our biggest challenge was finding a slab that had the right amount of veining, no discoloration, and at least 130" feet long for a finish island length of 10 feet.  Finally we found it, and transferred it in from Arizona Tile in San Diego!

Some other changes to this space were definitely needed.  Though the original layout of this kitchen was quite large, the space still felt a bit cramped in the main work areas.  The cooktop was crammed in between the refrigerator and double oven, and the main sink was way across the room, and out of the main work triangle.  No space should ever have a main work center closer than 4 feet away, or further than 9 feet from another main work center.  The cooking surface, the sink, and the refrigerator all fit into that criteria. 

So we made more space!  Lots and lots of space!  A 10 foot island with the main sink now incorporated within.  The refrigerator moved further to the left, and we straightened out all of those neo-angles, which made the original layout feel busy and cluttered.  We added a huge pantry cabinet with rollout trays, and a full depth cabinet over the refrigerator for cookie sheets.  We maximized the storage by adding 12" deep cabinets on the back of the island going across the entire length. 

Manufacturers Featured:

Latitude Cabinetry -

"Moda Barnwood"

"Midway Cherry Peppercorn"

Island Countertop-

Quartzite "Sea Pearl"

Main Countertop-

Silestone Quartz "Lagoon"

Backsplash-

Emser Tile

Lucente Stone Blend "Andrea"

Spiritual ~ Classic ~ Eclectic

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Spiritual. Classic. Eclectic. I know it seems strange to put those words together in one space, but it definitely works! However, this was not always the case. When my client first came in, she was very sad about her kitchen- to say the least.

Throughout my client's life she had collected many pieces of art, all of which were very important to her. They each represented a piece of her soul; free spirited, caring, compassionate, and artistic- All of the things that helped bring us together. The more I learned about her, the more I was intrigued. I could not wait to help her bring her spirit to life in the "heart of the home"....her kitchen.

 Although my client is a flower child at heart, she is still a very strong, yet refined woman. We wanted to make sure we captured this within her space. So we decided to go for a traditional style of cabinetry. It is a solid wood, raised panel door and drawer front, with a cream painted finish, topped with a butterscotch glaze. Complimetary to this, we featured a classic wood hood in a rich cherry finish. This would set the foundation which would showcase her unique, bohemian treasures.

We brought things together in many different ways. Starting with the most important thing to her....her collection of crystals. All of them have some type of spiritual meaning. They are part of the earth, and deserve to have the sun shine through them. These are showcased on her window for all to see.

 One of my favorite features was her cabinet knobs. She was looking for something unique. Not just the "standard" knob from aisle 12. Surprisingly, this was not something she had collected over the years and stashed away for her future kitchen project. As she searched and searched on the internet for the perfect accent for her space, she kept running into road blocks. One day she stopped in and was very concerned about this particular task. She just could not figure it out. Then it hit me, the perfect place to go to find unique and handmade pieces of art....Etsy! And there we found her wonderful tree knobs.

 Last but not least, was her granite. Black Cosmos from Bedrosians Tile and Stone. This beautiful black stone slab, mixed with waves of gold and sparkling white swirls was absolutely perfect. Words can not describe the beauty.

  Before

  After

A little taste of Modern Living

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It has been a dream of mine for the past 9 years to work on a project like this.  As soon as I met these clients, we instantly knew we would be the perfect match.  

From New York, the rest of their home truly reflected where they were from.  Walking in, you felt like you were walking into a loft in the middle of the city.  Their modern space was truly inspiring, and it was my job to help them incorporate their unique style into their most used space; the kitchen.

  Clean lines, unique features, and ultra modern materials were much needed in order to achieve this look.  From the lowered eating bar on the island, to high-gloss reflection in the cabinetry, and the straight stacked glass backsplash; we definitely created their contemporary style

These clients were truly amazing to work with, and they are very much enjoying showing off their flashy kitchen.  When we came to take these final photos, they couldn't help but mention their neighbors frequently lining up to see their newly remodeled space.