When a Chicago client calls you in Palm Springs in February, referred to you by one of your oldest and most loyal clients, one of her best friends, to work with her on a kitchen refresh, you say, “When can we start, and what do we need to do?”

This bustling family of five (two working parents, three strong daughters, and one playful pooch) built their suburban dream home 10 years ago, and it functioned beautifully for them, but the homeowners wanted a little nip and tuck for their kitchen. In the before photos, you can see the cabinets were a warm espresso finish, with a medium toned granite counter top, and a colorful glass tile backsplash. The gorgeous American Natural Walnut floors just weren’t popping against the other dark elements, and we wanted to bring their kitchen into the new decade. Our client wanted a white kitchen or a gray kitchen. She did not want a brown kitchen anymore. We assured her, “Brown is the new gray, and we got this!”


Step One—Assess the assets and identify the challenges
Asset: The cabinets were in good enough shape, and it would have been completely irresponsible to rip them out and start over. The appliances were all in ship shape.
Challenge: The backsplash was a tad busy.
Challenge: The countertops were a bit dated.
Challenge: The butler’s pantry was tricky, as the upper cabinets meet the countertop, and we didn’t want to incur the expense of gutting the entire space.
Challenge: The island pendants were skimpy in scale in relation to the hunky island.
Challenge: The kitchen table, chairs, and counter stools were worn, and very, very brown. (I am a huge brown fan, I am a brown eyed girl, but this was a lot of brown.)

Step Two—Implement our design plan
-Color block the kitchen by painting the upper cabinets and island white, and touch up the lower cabinets in their pretty espresso finish.
-Change the countertops from granite to matte Cambria _________with a full height backsplash in the kitchen.
-Beef up the island by mitering the countertop edge to 2.5”
Replace the satin nickel cabinet hardware and plumbing fixtures from satin nickel to a curated combo of matte black and satin brass
Swap out the milky white glass island pendants with sexy, smokey hand blown glass pendants
Replace existing recessed lights with LED retrofit
Repaint the entire kitchen
Add under cabinet lighting
Replace the heavy kitchen table, chairs and counter stools with furniture created with natural, warm, light organic feeling elements….and of course, shades of gray…..which are brown’s best friend.

Happy clients, happy SMI!

Stay tuned…..we are now working on the family room refresh!