This 1950's built home was a time capsule in the most stunning way! Every element of the original modern home was perfectly preserved, including the kitchen. Unfortunately, the closed off kitchen wasn't fitting in the lifestyle of the busy young family. We needed to open the space, update the layout and finishes, all while ensuring we didn't lose the charm of the home.

Modern Retreat | Safety Habitat, Perched at Heart. Living in solitude is the lofty ideal of ancient and modern human. The source of Chinese Seclusion Culture is streamed from far away: “As I pick chrysanthemums beneath the eastern fence, my eyes fall leisurely on the Southern Mountain." A paradise-like life lets innumerable people in longing. Looking at current day, privacy has become the expression of an attitude, a lifestyle choice. The real privacy is not about where one lives, but in the internal, physical and mental fatigue that can be placed in a home. Modern Retreat should be hidden in the heart. For modern people, if one maintains a self-sustaining practice of perseverance, follow morality and good conscience, abstinence, one can also be retained out of a pure world without being in a deep secluded valley . Real privacy is not to hideaway. The most essential element is the freedom of mind and tranquility. If people can do the things they enjoy, they are quite complete in a perfect world of their own. The spiritual world, is self-purification, under certain conditions, as long as their individually initiated. The environmental impact can be changed on their own, and can be found everywhere in the joy of life. In each city, people have a heart over normalized horticultural habitat. Enjoying the quality life does not mean deliberately escaping from the city, across thousands of miles. In the most cosmopolitan cities, it is a bucolic refuge in the midst of a great bustling city. The comfort of a home will expand into the neighbourhood when you meet acquaintances everywhere around where you live. Modern Retreat should be hidden within the city. The architectural design would have an indoor planting garden of choice. People would go to work, but once they are home and close their doors, it is their own private life where they can pretend that they are sitting in the mountain forests. For a Yin Yang disposition, ambition and pursuing righteousness fit together perfectly. One house is one world. “Home” is where we can stop to rest and relax, the place one can return to. For home design, it must go beyond being livable, the concept of the “Happy Home” is advanced to the peaceful realm. To live comfortably and privately at your own home, it is necessary for the modern home to be arranged in a "less is more" philosophy. Home goods should be simple and elegant yet practical, but without losing the taste and style, so that residents of the home can find clear air and quiet freedom. No matter how busy or tiring work is, we will be able to find peace and quiet from your home to heal and release the pressure. Modern Retreat is not the Valley of Orchards, the seclusion is not free, personalized, romantic and the ideal of Walden, but it is conceptual to the peace of mind and family atmosphere.

Our clients wanted to open up the wall between their kitchen and living areas to improve flow and continuity and they wanted to add a large island. They felt that although there were windows in both the kitchen and living area, it was still somewhat dark, so they wanted to brighten it up. There was a built-in wet bar in the corner of the family room that really wasn’t used much and they felt it was just wasted space. Their overall taste was clean, simple lines, white cabinets but still with a touch of style. They definitely wanted to lose all the gray cabinets and busy hardware. We demoed all kitchen cabinets, countertops and light fixtures in the kitchen and wet bar area. All flooring in the kitchen and throughout main common areas was also removed. Waypoint Shaker Door style cabinets were installed with Leyton satin nickel hardware. The cabinets along the wall were painted linen and java on the island for a cool contrast. Beautiful Vicostone Misterio countertops were installed. Shadow glass subway tile was installed as the backsplash with a Susan Joblon Silver White and Grey Metallic Glass accent tile behind the cooktop. A large single basin undermount stainless steel sink was installed in the island with a Genta Spot kitchen faucet. The single light over the kitchen table was Seagull Lighting “Nance” and the two hanging over the island are Kuzco Lighting Vanier LED Pendants. We removed the wet bar in the family room and added two large windows, creating a wall of windows to the backyard. This definitely helped bring more light in and open up the view to the pool. In addition to tearing out the wet bar and removing the wall between the kitchen, the fireplace was upgraded with an asymmetrical mantel finished in a modern Irving Park Gray 12x24” tile. To finish it all off and tie all the common areas together and really make it flow, the clients chose a 5” wide Java bamboo flooring. Our clients love their new spaces and the improved flow, efficiency and functionality of the kitchen and adjacent living spaces.

This downtown Rockford home carried the historic character the neighborhood is known for, but the kitchen needed refreshing to meet the needs of the family's daily routine. With two kids growing up in the house, the space needed more room without losing the charm that drew the family there in the first place. Ridgewood Home Construction reconfigured the layout for better flow and added new cabinets, countertops, and a classic tile backsplash that reflected the home's character while feeling current. Updated plumbing and lighting fixtures enhanced the room's functionality, and a fresh coat of paint tied it all together. Downstairs, custom built-in storage gave the family an organized lower level. The result is a home that runs smoother for a busy family of four, with a kitchen that feels both elevated and true to its downtown Rockford roots.

This downtown Rockford home carried the historic character the neighborhood is known for, but the kitchen needed refreshing to meet the needs of the family's daily routine. With two kids growing up in the house, the space needed more room without losing the charm that drew the family there in the first place. Ridgewood Home Construction reconfigured the layout for better flow and added new cabinets, countertops, and a classic tile backsplash that reflected the home's character while feeling current. Updated plumbing and lighting fixtures enhanced the room's functionality, and a fresh coat of paint tied it all together. Downstairs, custom built-in storage gave the family an organized lower level. The result is a home that runs smoother for a busy family of four, with a kitchen that feels both elevated and true to its downtown Rockford roots.