When I bought my house in May 2014, there was one thing I really didn’t like about it – the 1950s bathroom complete with pink tile and mismatched gaudy fixtures was absolutely hideous. I knew redoing the bathroom would be a big, expensive project, so I vowed to just live with it while I fixed up parts of the house that were easier to update, such as putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls and updating the curtains (which I still haven’t done, by the way). Well my first winter in the new house turned out to be a bad one, and in February 2015, I noticed water stains on the walls and ceiling of the second bedroom that only got worse and worse each day. The water damage quickly spread to other rooms, and when contractors came to the house to access and fix the damage, they discovered moisture behind the pink tiled walls of my bathroom. And so started the bathroom remodel. Start to finish, this project took close to six months, due to going back and forth with insurance and difficulty finding a contractor I liked. I lived without a shower for at least four of those months, showering at the gym where I worked or in a pop-up tent in my backyard once it was warm enough out. My friend Eric and I demoed the bathroom and for the remodel, I picked out all of the design components and had a local contractor, Fred Haas do the work. I kept the original layout – as my bathroom was small to begin with and it was both impractical and expensive to start moving things around – but just about everything else about the bathroom is new, except for maybe the window and door. New tub, sink, and toilet, new tile floor and shower surround, new walls and ceiling, fresh paint, new fixtures and mirror, updated lighting, and a better ventilation system were all added. Tub – Sterling Vikrell Toilet – Kohler Wellworth® two-piece round-front dual-flush toilet Sink – Kohler Veer™ 21" pedestal bathroom sink Fixtures – Kohler Alteo® line Tile floor and shower surround – American Olean Laurel Heights ceramic tile in Summit Gray Lighting – I don't remember... will have to see if I can find it Ventilation system – NuTone Mirror – Ikea Paint – Behr Shower Curtain – eBay Here are photos of my project from start to finish. As you can see, I probably still need a thing or two (a toilet paper holder, mini storage shelf, and some art wouldn’t hurt, nor would replacing the door or painting it white), but overall I’m really happy with how my new bathroom came out. I LOVE it, which is the exact opposite of how I felt about the original bathroom. Photos © Kari Post

This townhome located on Lake Anna of Reston, VA own into a confined gall kitchen with a very limited cabinet space, short wall cabinets, big closet taking over big portion of kitchen, duct chase creating a big barrier, plumbing chases causing bulkhead and a bearing wall header to name a few of obstacles Their dream was to walk in from front door and have a clear view of wall to wall scenic view of the lake. Modernize the kitchen, eliminate bearing walls, lots of storage, upgraded appliances and so much more. They have been chasing this dream for years and have been turned down by multiple firms due to level of difficulty of the project, budget constraint and as she put it “cleeking with a design firm that can feel her needs” Our staff spent countless number of hours to hear her and bring her dream to reality. The main constraint was the bearing wall on corner of foyer and living room, which was a closet, main duct chase and return ducts, obscene amount of plumbing and not to mention structural load. By the way of re-routing mechanical chases, and reformulating all second-floor plumbing stack to back walls, and then inserting few structural beams that transfer the second-floor joists to front and back wall, we have accomplished the biggest goals of all and created the view open floor plan Now home to a big island with cooktop and beverage center. The home has front to back clear view of the scenic lake. ¬¬¬With expanding the kitchen into front breakfast area, we have doubled up on storage and cabinet space. Long line of gorgeous counter top and full backsplash under new Led lighting has glorified this kitchen project. The linear porcelain floor tile has complimented the counter top and her trophy accessories.

This townhome located on Lake Anna of Reston, VA own into a confined gall kitchen with a very limited cabinet space, short wall cabinets, big closet taking over big portion of kitchen, duct chase creating a big barrier, plumbing chases causing bulkhead and a bearing wall header to name a few of obstacles Their dream was to walk in from front door and have a clear view of wall to wall scenic view of the lake. Modernize the kitchen, eliminate bearing walls, lots of storage, upgraded appliances and so much more. They have been chasing this dream for years and have been turned down by multiple firms due to level of difficulty of the project, budget constraint and as she put it “cleeking with a design firm that can feel her needs” Our staff spent countless number of hours to hear her and bring her dream to reality. The main constraint was the bearing wall on corner of foyer and living room, which was a closet, main duct chase and return ducts, obscene amount of plumbing and not to mention structural load. By the way of re-routing mechanical chases, and reformulating all second-floor plumbing stack to back walls, and then inserting few structural beams that transfer the second-floor joists to front and back wall, we have accomplished the biggest goals of all and created the view open floor plan Now home to a big island with cooktop and beverage center. The home has front to back clear view of the scenic lake. ¬¬¬With expanding the kitchen into front breakfast area, we have doubled up on storage and cabinet space. Long line of gorgeous counter top and full backsplash under new Led lighting has glorified this kitchen project. The linear porcelain floor tile has complimented the counter top and her trophy accessories.

Our client recently purchased a newly-constructed home in order to downsize and have a low- maintenance home and yard. The existing side yard/back yard was undeveloped by the builder, leaving the homeowner with the huge challenge of creating a great outdoor entertaining space for family and friends, while creating privacy and overcoming the over 8-foot steep drop from the existing back porch down to the alley. The grade was the largest challenge because the space was so narrow with such a large fall from existing porch to the property line. The second largest challenge is that this residence is located in a semi-private community where HOA approval of plans and materials is difficult, as all the residences here share a similar look and feel with a very clean and contemporary aesthetic. We had to precisely shoot grades to know what kinds of retaining walls would need to be constructed along with how much backfill soil and dirt movement would need to be done. After that the design had to carefully consider the space with maximum functionality for outdoor entertainment with newly constructed walls to ensure it would last for many years to come. All of this was done with multiple meetings with the homeowners who are a retired engineer and active architect themselves. Once a design was settled upon, then submission to the HOA board of approval had to be completed and signed off on with all questions and concerns answered for the community by-laws. The two biggest difficulties within the construction phase were that the neighbor next to the back yard had a large retaining wall not properly backfilled up to the property line. That neighbor wouldn’t allow us proper access and control to help alleviate the issues, so we had to skillfully work around this to ensure what we constructed would last, despite their property not being properly addressed. We also had to go through multiple shipments from the manufacturer due to large variances in the material’s appearance on the steps and another shipment that was broken during shipping. These two things delayed the project we were working to complete before the spring so the homeowner could have the maximum use of the space this year. Topping off this challenging construction was a beautiful palette of native grasses, rosemary, groundcover, granite walkways, and synthetic grass to ensure year-round, practically effortless beauty.

Greg Pinn, Vice President of Pinn Brothers Fine Homes of San Jose, California, brought his dream to fruition with the completion of his own French Country Chateau. The level of quality and the attention to detail found in every aspect of his residence is a tribute to the craftsmanship of the professionals who helped build it as well as the beautiful materials that made it possible. When selecting the stone and brick for the home’s exterior, Pinn and his fellow builders contructed a full-scale wall that had four different mockups of various stone profiles and colors before finalizing their selection. Upon taking all the possibilities into consideration, Eldorado’s Fieldledge and Limestone profiles in addition to the Bracciano RomaBrick proved to be just the product their team was looking for, all of which were installed using an overgrout technique. Having worked with Eldorado exclusively for close to 10 years on all of his projects, Pinn had Eldorado in mind when the architectural plans were in the beginning stages of development and felt confident from the get-go that Eldorado would be their stone and brick of choice. By working with Eldorado, Pinn was able to implement the look of natural stone in several places throughout the home. There was extensive use of both stone and brick on the retaining walls of his yard, around the pook, the outdoor living space, and on all the chimney stacks. He also dressed the majority of the home’s exterior in Eldorado’s stone and brick because of its affordability and ease of installation versus natural stone. An added bonus was that Pinn won’t have difficulty finding similar stones if need be like he would using stone from a quarry. He can rely on the consistency and availability of Eldorado, regardless of the amount of time that goes by. According to Pinn, Eldorado Stone made all the difference in the success of creating his very own French Country Chateau. Eldorado Stone Profile Featured: Austin Cream Limestone (20%), Custom Large Fieldledge (20%) and Custom Fieldledge (60%), both in Austin Cream color with an overgrout technique Eldorado Brick Profile Featured: Bracciano RomaBrick with an overgrout technique Builder: Pinn Brothers Fine Homes, San Jose, CA Architect: Knitter & Associates, Newport Beach, CA Website: www.knitter.com Landscape Architect: Robert Mowat & Associates, San Francisco, CA Website: www.rmalandscape.com Mason: San Marino Masonry, Anaheim, CA Website: www.vecompanies.com Design Consultant: Marni Leis, San Francisco, CA

Our client recently purchased a newly-constructed home in order to downsize and have a low- maintenance home and yard. The existing side yard/back yard was undeveloped by the builder, leaving the homeowner with the huge challenge of creating a great outdoor entertaining space for family and friends, while creating privacy and overcoming the over 8-foot steep drop from the existing back porch down to the alley. The grade was the largest challenge because the space was so narrow with such a large fall from existing porch to the property line. The second largest challenge is that this residence is located in a semi-private community where HOA approval of plans and materials is difficult, as all the residences here share a similar look and feel with a very clean and contemporary aesthetic. We had to precisely shoot grades to know what kinds of retaining walls would need to be constructed along with how much backfill soil and dirt movement would need to be done. After that the design had to carefully consider the space with maximum functionality for outdoor entertainment with newly constructed walls to ensure it would last for many years to come. All of this was done with multiple meetings with the homeowners who are a retired engineer and active architect themselves. Once a design was settled upon, then submission to the HOA board of approval had to be completed and signed off on with all questions and concerns answered for the community by-laws. The two biggest difficulties within the construction phase were that the neighbor next to the back yard had a large retaining wall not properly backfilled up to the property line. That neighbor wouldn’t allow us proper access and control to help alleviate the issues, so we had to skillfully work around this to ensure what we constructed would last, despite their property not being properly addressed. We also had to go through multiple shipments from the manufacturer due to large variances in the material’s appearance on the steps and another shipment that was broken during shipping. These two things delayed the project we were working to complete before the spring so the homeowner could have the maximum use of the space this year. Topping off this challenging construction was a beautiful palette of native grasses, rosemary, groundcover, granite walkways, and synthetic grass to ensure year-round, practically effortless beauty.

This townhome located on Lake Anna of Reston, VA own into a confined gall kitchen with a very limited cabinet space, short wall cabinets, big closet taking over big portion of kitchen, duct chase creating a big barrier, plumbing chases causing bulkhead and a bearing wall header to name a few of obstacles Their dream was to walk in from front door and have a clear view of wall to wall scenic view of the lake. Modernize the kitchen, eliminate bearing walls, lots of storage, upgraded appliances and so much more. They have been chasing this dream for years and have been turned down by multiple firms due to level of difficulty of the project, budget constraint and as she put it “cleeking with a design firm that can feel her needs” Our staff spent countless number of hours to hear her and bring her dream to reality. The main constraint was the bearing wall on corner of foyer and living room, which was a closet, main duct chase and return ducts, obscene amount of plumbing and not to mention structural load. By the way of re-routing mechanical chases, and reformulating all second-floor plumbing stack to back walls, and then inserting few structural beams that transfer the second-floor joists to front and back wall, we have accomplished the biggest goals of all and created the view open floor plan Now home to a big island with cooktop and beverage center. The home has front to back clear view of the scenic lake. ¬¬¬With expanding the kitchen into front breakfast area, we have doubled up on storage and cabinet space. Long line of gorgeous counter top and full backsplash under new Led lighting has glorified this kitchen project. The linear porcelain floor tile has complimented the counter top and her trophy accessories.

This townhome located on Lake Anna of Reston, VA own into a confined gall kitchen with a very limited cabinet space, short wall cabinets, big closet taking over big portion of kitchen, duct chase creating a big barrier, plumbing chases causing bulkhead and a bearing wall header to name a few of obstacles Their dream was to walk in from front door and have a clear view of wall to wall scenic view of the lake. Modernize the kitchen, eliminate bearing walls, lots of storage, upgraded appliances and so much more. They have been chasing this dream for years and have been turned down by multiple firms due to level of difficulty of the project, budget constraint and as she put it “cleeking with a design firm that can feel her needs” Our staff spent countless number of hours to hear her and bring her dream to reality. The main constraint was the bearing wall on corner of foyer and living room, which was a closet, main duct chase and return ducts, obscene amount of plumbing and not to mention structural load. By the way of re-routing mechanical chases, and reformulating all second-floor plumbing stack to back walls, and then inserting few structural beams that transfer the second-floor joists to front and back wall, we have accomplished the biggest goals of all and created the view open floor plan Now home to a big island with cooktop and beverage center. The home has front to back clear view of the scenic lake. ¬¬¬With expanding the kitchen into front breakfast area, we have doubled up on storage and cabinet space. Long line of gorgeous counter top and full backsplash under new Led lighting has glorified this kitchen project. The linear porcelain floor tile has complimented the counter top and her trophy accessories.

The phone rings early in the morning, and it’s a long-time client who treats our team of skilled craftsmen like family, continually lauding our work. It’s these types of clients we all have and all love and, of course, will drop anything to help. As I navigate my usual morning commute, I’m greeted by a forlorn sigh and the description of the freak-fire which destroyed their beloved outdoor living area (along with the home’s family room, kitchen, and master bedroom). Getting past the initial shock, we had to act quickly to ensure their safety. Quite the start to the morning. Challenges with this project run deeper than just the build: security of the entire affected area, good and sensitive communication, and navigating a pandemic lockdown can cause even the strongest-willed person to throw their hands up and call it quits. When the fire broke out, it took out the entire backyard and portions of the home, making the structure unlivable. We needed to mitigate the fire damage and make sure the house was secure against break-ins, but also, no damage existed that could cause harm to the neighbors. It’s these moments where relationships matter. The client needed a trusted and established partner to begin the rebuilding process. Professional knowledge is only one part of the puzzle. It’s here an empathetic ear, and extra solace goes far to remind the client all can be rebuilt. Lastly, none of us saw the difficulties a pandemic would bring. At a time when a person was about to use every square foot of their home to shelter-in-place, our client would be in the middle of a rebuild with no use of their beautiful outdoor living area to get through the day. Luckily, we were able to work with the city of Clyde Hill and continue through an emergency services waiver. What was done? The outdoor living area included a complete rebuild of the gazebo, including a large sitting area and fire pit. Stone patios were replaced, and additional stone was chosen to create a secondary, uncovered living area with a fire pit to enjoy during the summer months. The build is a testament to superb craftsmanship and design. However, we believe excellence also includes the holistic approach to listen deeply, empathize and understand a client’s history, external pressures of the world, and build community and relationship.

This townhome located on Lake Anna of Reston, VA own into a confined gall kitchen with a very limited cabinet space, short wall cabinets, big closet taking over big portion of kitchen, duct chase creating a big barrier, plumbing chases causing bulkhead and a bearing wall header to name a few of obstacles Their dream was to walk in from front door and have a clear view of wall to wall scenic view of the lake. Modernize the kitchen, eliminate bearing walls, lots of storage, upgraded appliances and so much more. They have been chasing this dream for years and have been turned down by multiple firms due to level of difficulty of the project, budget constraint and as she put it “cleeking with a design firm that can feel her needs” Our staff spent countless number of hours to hear her and bring her dream to reality. The main constraint was the bearing wall on corner of foyer and living room, which was a closet, main duct chase and return ducts, obscene amount of plumbing and not to mention structural load. By the way of re-routing mechanical chases, and reformulating all second-floor plumbing stack to back walls, and then inserting few structural beams that transfer the second-floor joists to front and back wall, we have accomplished the biggest goals of all and created the view open floor plan Now home to a big island with cooktop and beverage center. The home has front to back clear view of the scenic lake. ¬¬¬With expanding the kitchen into front breakfast area, we have doubled up on storage and cabinet space. Long line of gorgeous counter top and full backsplash under new Led lighting has glorified this kitchen project. The linear porcelain floor tile has complimented the counter top and her trophy accessories.

Greg Pinn, Vice President of Pinn Brothers Fine Homes of San Jose, California, brought his dream to fruition with the completion of his own French Country Chateau. The level of quality and the attention to detail found in every aspect of his residence is a tribute to the craftsmanship of the professionals who helped build it as well as the beautiful materials that made it possible. When selecting the stone and brick for the home’s exterior, Pinn and his fellow builders contructed a full-scale wall that had four different mockups of various stone profiles and colors before finalizing their selection. Upon taking all the possibilities into consideration, Eldorado’s Fieldledge and Limestone profiles in addition to the Bracciano RomaBrick proved to be just the product their team was looking for, all of which were installed using an overgrout technique. Having worked with Eldorado exclusively for close to 10 years on all of his projects, Pinn had Eldorado in mind when the architectural plans were in the beginning stages of development and felt confident from the get-go that Eldorado would be their stone and brick of choice. By working with Eldorado, Pinn was able to implement the look of natural stone in several places throughout the home. There was extensive use of both stone and brick on the retaining walls of his yard, around the pook, the outdoor living space, and on all the chimney stacks. He also dressed the majority of the home’s exterior in Eldorado’s stone and brick because of its affordability and ease of installation versus natural stone. An added bonus was that Pinn won’t have difficulty finding similar stones if need be like he would using stone from a quarry. He can rely on the consistency and availability of Eldorado, regardless of the amount of time that goes by. According to Pinn, Eldorado Stone made all the difference in the success of creating his very own French Country Chateau. Eldorado Stone Profile Featured: Austin Cream Limestone (20%), Custom Large Fieldledge (20%) and Custom Fieldledge (60%), both in Austin Cream color with an overgrout technique Eldorado Brick Profile Featured: Bracciano RomaBrick with an overgrout technique Builder: Pinn Brothers Fine Homes, San Jose, CA Architect: Knitter & Associates, Newport Beach, CA Website: www.knitter.com Landscape Architect: Robert Mowat & Associates, San Francisco, CA Website: www.rmalandscape.com Mason: San Marino Masonry, Anaheim, CA Website: www.vecompanies.com Design Consultant: Marni Leis, San Francisco, CA

This townhome located on Lake Anna of Reston, VA own into a confined gall kitchen with a very limited cabinet space, short wall cabinets, big closet taking over big portion of kitchen, duct chase creating a big barrier, plumbing chases causing bulkhead and a bearing wall header to name a few of obstacles Their dream was to walk in from front door and have a clear view of wall to wall scenic view of the lake. Modernize the kitchen, eliminate bearing walls, lots of storage, upgraded appliances and so much more. They have been chasing this dream for years and have been turned down by multiple firms due to level of difficulty of the project, budget constraint and as she put it “cleeking with a design firm that can feel her needs” Our staff spent countless number of hours to hear her and bring her dream to reality. The main constraint was the bearing wall on corner of foyer and living room, which was a closet, main duct chase and return ducts, obscene amount of plumbing and not to mention structural load. By the way of re-routing mechanical chases, and reformulating all second-floor plumbing stack to back walls, and then inserting few structural beams that transfer the second-floor joists to front and back wall, we have accomplished the biggest goals of all and created the view open floor plan Now home to a big island with cooktop and beverage center. The home has front to back clear view of the scenic lake. ¬¬¬With expanding the kitchen into front breakfast area, we have doubled up on storage and cabinet space. Long line of gorgeous counter top and full backsplash under new Led lighting has glorified this kitchen project. The linear porcelain floor tile has complimented the counter top and her trophy accessories.

This townhome located on Lake Anna of Reston, VA own into a confined gall kitchen with a very limited cabinet space, short wall cabinets, big closet taking over big portion of kitchen, duct chase creating a big barrier, plumbing chases causing bulkhead and a bearing wall header to name a few of obstacles Their dream was to walk in from front door and have a clear view of wall to wall scenic view of the lake. Modernize the kitchen, eliminate bearing walls, lots of storage, upgraded appliances and so much more. They have been chasing this dream for years and have been turned down by multiple firms due to level of difficulty of the project, budget constraint and as she put it “cleeking with a design firm that can feel her needs” Our staff spent countless number of hours to hear her and bring her dream to reality. The main constraint was the bearing wall on corner of foyer and living room, which was a closet, main duct chase and return ducts, obscene amount of plumbing and not to mention structural load. By the way of re-routing mechanical chases, and reformulating all second-floor plumbing stack to back walls, and then inserting few structural beams that transfer the second-floor joists to front and back wall, we have accomplished the biggest goals of all and created the view open floor plan Now home to a big island with cooktop and beverage center. The home has front to back clear view of the scenic lake. ¬¬¬With expanding the kitchen into front breakfast area, we have doubled up on storage and cabinet space. Long line of gorgeous counter top and full backsplash under new Led lighting has glorified this kitchen project. The linear porcelain floor tile has complimented the counter top and her trophy accessories.

Greg Pinn, Vice President of Pinn Brothers Fine Homes of San Jose, California, brought his dream to fruition with the completion of his own French Country Chateau. The level of quality and the attention to detail found in every aspect of his residence is a tribute to the craftsmanship of the professionals who helped build it as well as the beautiful materials that made it possible. When selecting the stone and brick for the home’s exterior, Pinn and his fellow builders contructed a full-scale wall that had four different mockups of various stone profiles and colors before finalizing their selection. Upon taking all the possibilities into consideration, Eldorado’s Fieldledge and Limestone profiles in addition to the Bracciano RomaBrick proved to be just the product their team was looking for, all of which were installed using an overgrout technique. Having worked with Eldorado exclusively for close to 10 years on all of his projects, Pinn had Eldorado in mind when the architectural plans were in the beginning stages of development and felt confident from the get-go that Eldorado would be their stone and brick of choice. By working with Eldorado, Pinn was able to implement the look of natural stone in several places throughout the home. There was extensive use of both stone and brick on the retaining walls of his yard, around the pook, the outdoor living space, and on all the chimney stacks. He also dressed the majority of the home’s exterior in Eldorado’s stone and brick because of its affordability and ease of installation versus natural stone. An added bonus was that Pinn won’t have difficulty finding similar stones if need be like he would using stone from a quarry. He can rely on the consistency and availability of Eldorado, regardless of the amount of time that goes by. According to Pinn, Eldorado Stone made all the difference in the success of creating his very own French Country Chateau. Eldorado Stone Profile Featured: Austin Cream Limestone (20%), Custom Large Fieldledge (20%) and Custom Fieldledge (60%), both in Austin Cream color with an overgrout technique Eldorado Brick Profile Featured: Bracciano RomaBrick with an overgrout technique Builder: Pinn Brothers Fine Homes, San Jose, CA Architect: Knitter & Associates, Newport Beach, CA Website: www.knitter.com Landscape Architect: Robert Mowat & Associates, San Francisco, CA Website: www.rmalandscape.com Mason: San Marino Masonry, Anaheim, CA Website: www.vecompanies.com Design Consultant: Marni Leis, San Francisco, CA

Master Bedroom with Red Bed Frame and custom drapery and bedding.
Bedroom - traditional master light wood floor bedroom idea in Charlotte

This townhome located on Lake Anna of Reston, VA own into a confined gall kitchen with a very limited cabinet space, short wall cabinets, big closet taking over big portion of kitchen, duct chase creating a big barrier, plumbing chases causing bulkhead and a bearing wall header to name a few of obstacles Their dream was to walk in from front door and have a clear view of wall to wall scenic view of the lake. Modernize the kitchen, eliminate bearing walls, lots of storage, upgraded appliances and so much more. They have been chasing this dream for years and have been turned down by multiple firms due to level of difficulty of the project, budget constraint and as she put it “cleeking with a design firm that can feel her needs” Our staff spent countless number of hours to hear her and bring her dream to reality. The main constraint was the bearing wall on corner of foyer and living room, which was a closet, main duct chase and return ducts, obscene amount of plumbing and not to mention structural load. By the way of re-routing mechanical chases, and reformulating all second-floor plumbing stack to back walls, and then inserting few structural beams that transfer the second-floor joists to front and back wall, we have accomplished the biggest goals of all and created the view open floor plan Now home to a big island with cooktop and beverage center. The home has front to back clear view of the scenic lake. ¬¬¬With expanding the kitchen into front breakfast area, we have doubled up on storage and cabinet space. Long line of gorgeous counter top and full backsplash under new Led lighting has glorified this kitchen project. The linear porcelain floor tile has complimented the counter top and her trophy accessories.

“I wanted to use IKEA cabinets and knew how important it was to get the exact measurements and SKUs correct, so I needed a designer. I also already had a strong vision of how I wanted the kitchen to look, so I didn’t want to pay thousands of dollars to start from scratch,” she says. This was especially important because her pre-existing kitchen presented a lack of wall and countertop space and difficulty in placing the ovens and microwave where she and her husband wanted. “The biggest obstacle was the lack of wall space (the space has lots of French doors/windows). So we knew we needed an island and a big one at that. Our island is almost 11 feet long! This was also compounded because we wanted to install a double oven which took up more wall space!” she says. Enter IKD’s design team that made the entire design process very customer — and budget — friendly. “Our budget, including all new appliances and contractor labor costs was around $30K. But I had done pre-research and formulated our budget knowing that we would be using IKEA for both countertops and cabinets. If we’re just talking IKEA materials for cabinetry and countertops, we came in at an amazing $12K!” Specifically, Kate combined IKEA’s SEKTION cabinetry framework system with IKEA’s TINGSRYD Black door fronts with wood effect. This look was complemented by IKEA’s custom KASKER quartz countertops (outsourced through Caesarstone); a Whirlpool dishwasher; and a GE double oven, among others. The result? What was once a crowded and inefficient kitchen is now a stunning open floorplan IKEA kitchen featuring an impressive center island and plenty of counter space. She concludes: “My favorite part is the open layout that allows me to face the living room while standing at the island and cooking.” Let’s see how Kate’s kitchen came together!

This townhome located on Lake Anna of Reston, VA own into a confined gall kitchen with a very limited cabinet space, short wall cabinets, big closet taking over big portion of kitchen, duct chase creating a big barrier, plumbing chases causing bulkhead and a bearing wall header to name a few of obstacles Their dream was to walk in from front door and have a clear view of wall to wall scenic view of the lake. Modernize the kitchen, eliminate bearing walls, lots of storage, upgraded appliances and so much more. They have been chasing this dream for years and have been turned down by multiple firms due to level of difficulty of the project, budget constraint and as she put it “cleeking with a design firm that can feel her needs” Our staff spent countless number of hours to hear her and bring her dream to reality. The main constraint was the bearing wall on corner of foyer and living room, which was a closet, main duct chase and return ducts, obscene amount of plumbing and not to mention structural load. By the way of re-routing mechanical chases, and reformulating all second-floor plumbing stack to back walls, and then inserting few structural beams that transfer the second-floor joists to front and back wall, we have accomplished the biggest goals of all and created the view open floor plan Now home to a big island with cooktop and beverage center. The home has front to back clear view of the scenic lake. ¬¬¬With expanding the kitchen into front breakfast area, we have doubled up on storage and cabinet space. Long line of gorgeous counter top and full backsplash under new Led lighting has glorified this kitchen project. The linear porcelain floor tile has complimented the counter top and her trophy accessories.

This townhome located on Lake Anna of Reston, VA own into a confined gall kitchen with a very limited cabinet space, short wall cabinets, big closet taking over big portion of kitchen, duct chase creating a big barrier, plumbing chases causing bulkhead and a bearing wall header to name a few of obstacles Their dream was to walk in from front door and have a clear view of wall to wall scenic view of the lake. Modernize the kitchen, eliminate bearing walls, lots of storage, upgraded appliances and so much more. They have been chasing this dream for years and have been turned down by multiple firms due to level of difficulty of the project, budget constraint and as she put it “cleeking with a design firm that can feel her needs” Our staff spent countless number of hours to hear her and bring her dream to reality. The main constraint was the bearing wall on corner of foyer and living room, which was a closet, main duct chase and return ducts, obscene amount of plumbing and not to mention structural load. By the way of re-routing mechanical chases, and reformulating all second-floor plumbing stack to back walls, and then inserting few structural beams that transfer the second-floor joists to front and back wall, we have accomplished the biggest goals of all and created the view open floor plan Now home to a big island with cooktop and beverage center. The home has front to back clear view of the scenic lake. ¬¬¬With expanding the kitchen into front breakfast area, we have doubled up on storage and cabinet space. Long line of gorgeous counter top and full backsplash under new Led lighting has glorified this kitchen project. The linear porcelain floor tile has complimented the counter top and her trophy accessories.