Project Details

This kitchen was renovated with the intent to utilize wasted space in front of the sliding doors and improve circulation space around the kitchen. The original location of the island was located too close to the basement stair, while there was too much space in front of the sliding doors where it was not needed. The clients wanted to move the island toward the back of the house, create bar seating for their children and guests to sit, while making the island a focal point of the kitchen. Some of the clients’ other requirements were to move the beverage fridge to the end and face out so that guests don’t have to walk into the kitchen to get a beverage and to make the two cabinets more functional by moving them together, instead of at the far ends. Lastly, the client wanted to paint the entire kitchen for a more modern, clean look.

Some of the challenges faced during this renovation were that the dishwasher in the existing island could not be moved and there is radiant heating beneath the tile floor so they could not screw/nail into the floor. The three existing pendants along the existing island had to be removed because they were no longer centered over the island; they were replaced with a new light fixture that is more of a statement piece. The clients wanted to have the bar countertop waterfall on both sides, but this could not be achieved where the beverage fridge was proposed to be located because it could not open. Another issue encountered by the builder was that the stone counter would cantilever over the beverage fridge, so there was some concern about movement in this area.

In the end, the clients were able to achieve all their requirements for the new island and kitchen. They were able to reuse the existing island stone slab and island cabinets with very little modification to the existing kitchen materials which kept the cost of this renovation within budget.