Example of a classic kitchen design in DC Metro

At Kitchen Solvers of Grayslake, we're excited to unveil the stunning transformation of the Lake Villa Homeowners' kitchen space! Witness the remarkable journey from tired oak cabinets and grease-covered surfaces to a warm and inviting culinary oasis. Check out the before-and-after shots of this incredible transformation. Our expert team meticulously crafted custom Legacy Collection cabinets from our Kitchen Solvers line, featuring the Marquette door in Natural Hickory. The double arched raised panel design perfectly complements the traditional style preferred by the homeowners. The kitchen now exudes timeless charm with natural hickory wood cabinets and Cambria Quartz countertops in the stunning Montgomery design. The full backsplash in the same material creates a seamless flow and adds a touch of sophistication to the space. The main focus of this kitchen design was functionality and storage. We combined large drawers and rollouts, including a custom pantry split with rollouts and shelves. Filler spice pullouts on both sides of the hood add convenience and organization to the cooking space. To brighten up the room and enhance functionality, we installed a combination of recessed lighting, under cabinet lighting, and a center ceiling fan. This lighting design not only illuminates the space but also creates a welcoming ambiance for cooking and gathering. Every detail was meticulously planned and executed to meet the Lake Villa Homeowners' specific functional requirements. As avid cooks, they now have a kitchen that accommodates all their needs, with ample storage, efficient workflow, and designated prep areas for their culinary endeavors. Ready to turn your kitchen dreams into reality? Contact us today to schedule your consultation and take the first step toward your dream kitchen.

Installed New Chimney Flashing to ensure a fully functional roofing system.
Inspiration for a mid-sized gray split-level mixed siding and clapboard exterior home remodel in Minneapolis with a shingle roof and a gray roof

Inspiration for a timeless kitchen remodel in DC Metro

The new floor plan design made more effective use of the space, accommodating multiple renovation needs into the kitchen. The new layout created an open galley kitchen with a 13 1/2′ Island with seating at each end, a cool-grey custom banquette with 2 tables.

The DRT6300 Direct-Vent Fireplace offers the versatility and performance necessary to make it a stunning centerpiece for any home. With a traditional premium oak log set and three interior liners to choose from, the DRT6300 can complement any style. The focal point of the DRT6300 is its exceptionally tall, dancing flame seen through an expansive ceramic-glass opening for unmatched clarity and radiance. A vast array of accessories including several interior panel styles and optional andirons gives further ability to customize the look to add warmth and ambiance and value to your home. Aesthetics Powerful burner system produces tall, dancing flames. Clean-face design provides a seamless, built-in look. Tall opening provides an exceptional view of the fire and interior panels. Contemporary glossy black porcelain panels amplify the look of the flame. Premium, split-oak log set and beautiful glowing embers provide fine detailing that replicates the natural look of a real wood fire. Comfort Clean-face design features ceramic glass for optimum heat transfer and safety. Adjustable flame height gives you full control of heat output. Intermittent pilot ignition includes battery backup to provide continued operation in the event of a power outage. Ease of Operation Full-function remote offers an array of controls, including modulating flame height. Gas controls are conveniently located to the side of the fireplace opening for easy installation and operation. Design Versatility Premium split oak log set has the look of a traditional wood fire. Choice of two realistic ceramic brick fireplace liners for the true look of masonry craftsmanship to complete the traditional look. Smooth porcelain interior liners complement the traditional log fire. Optional andirons and free-standing fire screens allow for further customization. This fireplace meets all 2015 ANSI barrier requirements.

Overthinking a situation isn’t always a bad thing, particularly when the home in question is one in which the past is suddenly meeting the present. Originally designed by Finnish architect Olav Hammarstrom in 1952 for fellow architect Eero Saarinen, this unique home recently received its first transformation in decades. Still in its 1950s skin, it was completely gutted, inside and out. It was a serious undertaking, as the homeowner wanted modern upgrades, while keeping an eye toward retaining the home’s 1950s charm. She had a vision for her home, and she stuck to it from beginning to end. Perched on a rise of land and overlooking the tranquil Wellfleet Herring Pond, the home initially appears split, with the guest house on the left, and the main house of the right, but both ends are connected with a breezeway. The original home’s bones were in good shape, but many upgrades and replacements were necessary to bring the house up to date. New siding, roofing, gutters, insulation and mechanical systems were all replaced. Doors and windows with metal frames were custom made by a company in Long Island that fabricates doors for office buildings. Modern heating and cooling systems were added, and the three bathrooms were all updated. The footprint of the home remained unchanged. Inside, the only expansion was more closet space. The attention to detail in retaining the 50s-style look took a lot of online searching, from handles and knobs to lighting fixtures, with bits and pieces arriving from all over the world, including a doorstop from New Zealand. The homeowner selected many of the fixtures herself, while a very detail-oriented foreman exhaustively researched as well, looking for just the right piece for each and every location. High-end appliances were purchased to modernize the kitchen and all of the old cabinetry was removed, replaced and refaced with NUVACOR, a versatile surfacing material that not only provided a sleek, modern look, but added convenience and ease of use. Bare, wood-beamed ceilings throughout give a nod to the home’s natural surroundings, while the main living area (formerly a fisherman’s cabin), with a brick fireplace, was completely trimmed in walnut, while multiple windows of varying sizes welcome sunlight to brighten the home. Here, the sheetrock ceiling with faux rafters provides an interesting and room-brightening feature. Behind the house sits the serene pond, which can now be enjoyed from the stunning new deck. Here, decking material was not laid out side by side, as it typically is but, instead, meticulously laid out on edge, creating an unusual and eye-catching effect. A railing of tempered glass panels allows unobstructed views of the surrounding natural beauty, and keeps consistent with the open, airy feel of the place. A new outdoor shower is accessible via the deck and left open to the wilderness and the pond below, completing the bold yet sophisticated feeling of this retro-modern home.

Carolyn Bates Photography
Inspiration for a timeless slate floor mudroom remodel in Burlington with white walls

Bloomington is filled with a lot of homes that have remained trapped in time, which is awesome and fascinating (albeit sometimes frightening). When this young family moved to Bloomington last spring, they saw potential behind the Florida wallpaper of this Eastside ranch, and good bones despite its choppy layout. Wisely, they called SYI and Loren Wood Builders for help bringing it into the two thousand-teens. Two adjacent bathrooms were gutted together and went back up in much better configurations. A half bath and mud-cum-laundry room near the garage went from useful but blah, to an area you don't have to close the door on when guests come over. Walls came down to open up the family, living, kitchen and dining areas, creating a flow of light and function that we all openly envy at SYI. (We do not hide it whatsoever. We all want to live in this happy, bright house. Also the homeowners are amazing cooks, another good reason to want to move in.) Like split-levels and bi-levels, ranches are often easy to open up for the casual and connected spaces we dig so much in middle America this century. Knock down walls; unify flooring; lighten and brighten the space; and voila! a dated midcentury shell becomes a modern family home. Contractor: Loren Wood Builders Cabinetry: Stoll's Woodworking Tile work: Fitzgerald Flooring & Construction Photography: Gina Rogers

Built by Schumacher Homes, America's Largest Custom Home Builder, this stunning Charleston II Modern Farmhouse in Whitestown, Indiana, effortlessly balances classic architectural details with modern charm. Based on one of our most popular plans, the Charleston II maximizes spatial volume by increasing ceiling heights throughout both levels. The main living space boasts an expansive, open-concept floor plan featuring 10-foot ceilings throughout, which soar to a dramatic 12 feet across the central great room, kitchen, and bright morning room. Designed for seamless entertaining and effortless organization, the chef-ready kitchen is equipped with abundant counter space, a large central island to gather around, and a giant walk-in pantry. This dual-purpose pantry features a highly functional "messy kitchen" secondary prep zone, brilliantly engineered to keep cooking clutter, meal prep, and mess completely out of sight from the main living area. The thoughtful layout continues with a perfectly placed pocket office, offering a quiet, dedicated space to organize daily tasks or work from home. This pocket office flows gracefully into the luxurious owner’s retreat, a private sanctuary showcasing an expansive primary bath and two large walk-in closets. To elevate the primary suite's design aesthetic, the bedroom features a show-stopping ceiling accented with custom stained wood beams—meticulously finished to match the flooring—with integrated hidden lighting to cast a warm, indirect glow. A smart split-bedroom floor plan ensures ultimate privacy for the entire family, keeping the additional secondary bedrooms situated on the opposite side of the residence so everyone can enjoy their own independent space.

Transforming a Master Bathroom When our clients purchased their beautiful home in South Fort Myers, FL they fell in love with the expansive, sweeping space. It wasn’t long, however, before they realized the master bathroom just didn’t suit their taste. The large walk-in shower was practically cave-like. Consequentially, it completely dwarfed the bathroom. Along with bland colors, outdated finishes, and a dividing wall in the middle of the room, the whole space felt smaller than its ample dimensions implied. There was no question about it – the bathroom needed an update. Making Room for More First, we demolished the existing finishes and cut the concrete slab for new underground plumbing. We minimized the imposing shower and moved it to the other side of the room. Moving the shower also allowed for the installation of our Dura Supreme Alectra style cabinetry in cocoa brown. For increased functionality, we created split his-and-hers vanities. Then we added towers to match the cabinets. With interior outlets, the towers added smart storage for bathroom appliances, helping to keep the counters clutter-free. For a finishing touch, we outlined the large mirrors with crown molding trim in a complimentary finish – an essential detail to tie all the cabinetry together. The Spa To bring the feel of the spa to this gorgeous home, we installed our luxurious drop-in 72”x42” Kohler Air Massage bathtub. We completely surrounded it with 3cm granite countertops in Delicatus green and added a tub deck with tile backsplashes for a sumptuous ambiance. Lighting On either side of the his-and-hers vanity, we installed George Kovach tube sconces. Vertical placement of the sconces provided ample lighting while enhancing the contemporary style of the space. To frame the room, we added a drop ceiling with recessed lighting and outlined the tray ceiling with crown molding to match the rest of the design. To complete the bath remodel, we installed the final element – a stunningly unique 10-light polished chrome chandelier from Maxim lighting. A Complete Transformation When we met with our clients, it was instantly clear to us why they were unhappy with their master bathroom. The cave-like shower and cumbersome dividing wall overpowered a room in dire need of a modernizing. Furthermore, with two small children and a busy lifestyle, we could sense our clients not only desired a bathroom renovation, they needed a relaxing retreat. Ultimately, this project was nothing less than a complete transformation of space. In fact, by the time we had finished, the only original fixtures left were the windows! With beautifully updated finishes and an improved layout, we were able to achieve the functionality our clients craved along with a new, spa-like feel. The end result was nothing short of a haven at home – the perfect spot to recharge at the end of a long day.

Hi everyone, I'm Sarah and Ogun we are here with fine line kitchens. So we are a couple working together. I do the interior design and remodeling of the space material selection meeting with the clients. And I handled operations outside, you know meaning all the construction work that is taking place the inside. The houses that we work in. I handle all the aspects of the construction, so today's project is very special. We're in Vienna and the client had a very big family. It's a family of seven that lives here. So we had a few aspects that we needed to keep in mind while designing this one. Having everybody be able to sit on the island. So we wanted plenty of seating all the way around. We didn't want anybody standing or anything like that. So what we did is we maximize the space. The center island is the biggest part of the kitchen. We use a natural stone to kind of give it a beautiful texture versus quartz. It's kind of standard white or kind of fabricated, so I wanted something very natural. We did this because I took my inspiration from the outside, so the inspiration if you look at the view right in front of me is there are so many greens there's a lot of brass accents and I wanted to bring this. Into this kitchen while designing it for my clients. She is very warm very. She wanted a very homey, comfy kind of look for the kitchen. So that's what we did today. As you can see, the cabinets are sage green, very light, so I still think it's a neutral, but it's a lighter color that again brings the outside in and we combine that with the oak right behind me so it's a slightly warm oak. It's not very dark. It's not very light. It's a medium brown and the same color went on the island. To kind of tie these two in and the backsplash, my favorite part is where you can see a little bit of design. It is, in my opinion still classic, but includes a pattern so the outside part is as we said in the beginning, is handled by my husband. I'd like him to speak a little bit about that. Thanks, Sarah, I want to talk to you guys a little bit about the construction part of this project. Originally this kitchen was located mostly in this area. They had their stove there sing. It was more of a peninsula layout in Sarah's and the customer vision they wanted. They wanted to get rid of the peninsula and they want to be able to have a huge island that can at least sit seven people because they're familiar with seven. So we wanted to make sure that we can achieve this design and bring it to life so that they can be happy with this layout. Some of the challenges we had, the house, the home being, you know, old home. There were a lot of you know the older electrical and plumbing that had to be replaced. We had to relocate the stove from here to this area. Over here we had put a nice foot fan that we had to relocate all the ductwork and the plumbing. Was being on the peninsula area. We had to relocate it to the center islands. So we achieved all this and kind of like bring it to bring in this kitchen up to date it looks beautiful. That's true, so yes, the old layout did not function for my clients because everything was kind of gathered on one side of the kitchen. So there was like a peninsula right there. So the end of this island kind of continued straight. And that was just the L shape. Kind of where everything was and there used to be another big table here, so they were using only kind of half of the space. So like I said at the beginning, our vision was to kind of feed everybody at the island, create some symmetry. 'cause I love that. So as you can see behind me, this is kind of the focal point symmetrical. Everything is kind of even we wanted to also panel the fridge here so it mimics the pantry and another size. So when you're looking at it, it is bringing again that symmetry back again. I hope you enjoyed this kitchen and this video and I'll see you soon. So how do you think this project turned out? It's nice. I like the color. I think it turned out nice. It's kind of like a little bit different color than what we always do. So I realize. Are you giving me a little bit of credit here that I did something different? Are you proud? I'm so proud of you. Other than that I like it. That they have kind of like a two sink. So if this was our kitchen, if we ever like you can have your own. I can have mine if we ever get into a fight then this can be like my own kitchen. Why are we gonna bring in a fight right now? So I'm cooking anyway. You're grilling most of the time, So what are you even talking about? My kitchen? That's my kitchen. You can just take the small sink. That's fine. It's always good to have your own space right there, so anyways. Thank you guys for watching. We hope to see you soon and if you have any questions please click the link below. It'll lead you to our website, house, YouTube and all of the social media is so nice to have you guys. We'll see you soon. Thanks bye bye-bye.

A kitchen remodel started with a big challenge. The homeowner wanted a more open usable space. The kitchen was cramped, dark and didn’t accommodate two people. The result is a beautiful kitchen that took clever space planning. There was a supporting wall in the way of their dreams of an open kitchen. The space was split into two small rooms. For various reasons putting in a supporting beam was not an option. This was a “make it work” challenge. The layout was key to making this kitchen function and also feel open. The wall was removed between the split rooms, but it was necessary to leave a post in place so frankly the ceiling wouldn’t collapse. Many scenarios were considered before the final plan went forward. The supporting post was united into the design. Between the post and the wall, an open cabinet was incorporated. The open shelves are perfect for displaying and quick access for the chef’s cookbooks.

Open concept kitchen - large traditional u-shaped light wood floor and beige floor open concept kitchen idea in Detroit with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, green cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, marble backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

MULTIPLE AWARD WINNING KITCHEN. 2019 Westchester Home Design Awards Best Traditional Kitchen. KBDN magazine Award winner. Houzz Kitchen of the Week January 2019. Kitchen design and cabinetry – Studio Dearborn. This historic colonial in Edgemont NY was home in the 1930s and 40s to the world famous Walter Winchell, gossip commentator. The home underwent a 2 year gut renovation with an addition and relocation of the kitchen, along with other extensive renovations. Cabinetry by Studio Dearborn/Schrocks of Walnut Creek in Rockport Gray; Bluestar range; custom hood; Quartzmaster engineered quartz countertops; Rejuvenation Pendants; Waterstone faucet; Equipe subway tile; Foundryman hardware. Photos, Adam Kane Macchia.

photo by Douglas Gibb
Bathroom photo in Edinburgh

Complete bathroom remodel Summer 2013. This bath offers generous space without going overboard in square footage. The homeowner chose to go with a large double vanity, a nice shower with custom features a shower seat. We decided to keep the existing tub and deck it with carrara marble. The vanity area shown in this photo has plenty of storage for bathroom appliances in the tower. Below the mirrored wall cabinets we added a open towel storage space below. The mirrors were cased out with the matching woodwork, crown detail and carrara tile mosaics on each side. The countertop is Carrara slab marble with undermount Marzi sinks. The Kallista faucets are wall mounted, we was chosen in chrome since it was an easier finish to maintain for years to come. The floor tile is a 20 x 20 Silver Strand with a Carrara Marble strip set in straight. The backsplash to the vanity is the companion carrara mosaic random. Vaulted ceilings add to the dramatic feel of this bath. The polished nickel Restoration glass globe chandelier also adds to the dramatic glamour of the bath. The shower has three zones function, with a polished gray porcelain tile, mixed with split face white marble and carrara marble mosaics. This luxury bath sets its residence in Houston Texas.

This is the Catio designed for my clients 5 adopted kitties with issues. She came to me to install a vestibule between her garage and the family room which were not connected. I designed that area and when she also wanted to take the room she was currently using as the littler box room into a library I came up with using the extra space next to the new vestibule for the cats. The living room contains a custom tree with 5 cat beds, a chair for people to sit in and the sofa tunnel I designed for them to crawl through and hide in. I designed steps that they can use to climb up to the wooden bridge so they can look at the birds eye to eye out in the garden. My client is an artist and painted portraits of the cats that are on the walls. We installed a door with a frosted window and a hole cut in the bottom which leads into another room which is strictly the litter room. we have lots of storage and two Litter Robots that are enough to take care of all their needs. I installed a functional transom window that she can keep open for fresh air. We also installed a mini split air conditioner if they are in there when it is hot. They all seem to love it! They live in the rest of the house and this room is only used if the client is entertaining so she doesn't have to worry about them getting out. It is attached to the family room which is shown here in the foreground, so they can keep an eye on us while we keep an eye on them.

While this new home had an architecturally striking exterior, the home’s interior fell short in terms of true functionality and overall style. The most critical element in this renovation was the kitchen and dining area, which needed careful attention to bring it to the level that suited the home and the homeowners. As a graduate of Culinary Institute of America, our client wanted a kitchen that “feels like a restaurant, with the warmth of a home kitchen,” where guests can gather over great food, great wine, and truly feel comfortable in the open concept home. Although it follows a typical chef’s galley layout, the unique design solutions and unusual materials set it apart from the typical kitchen design. Polished countertops, laminated and stainless cabinets fronts, and professional appliances are complemented by the introduction of wood, glass, and blackened metal – materials introduced in the overall design of the house. Unique features include a wall clad in walnut for dangling heavy pots and utensils; a floating, sculptural walnut countertop piece housing an herb garden; an open pantry that serves as a coffee bar and wine station; and a hanging chalkboard that hides a water heater closet and features different coffee offerings available to guests. The dining area addition, enclosed by windows, continues to vivify the organic elements and brings in ample natural light, enhancing the darker finishes and creating additional warmth. Photography by Ira Montgomery