When a visual artist purchases a mass production home in one of Wilmington, NC’s developing neighborhoods, she quickly realizes that the builder’s standard house plans and amenity options lack the personality she craved. A chance visit to the Kitchen & Bath Design Studio showroom proves to be ‘love at first sight’ when a designer listens to the artist’s needs and immediately produces a tile sample that matches the artist’s vision. Can our designer achieve the client’s vision while respecting the production builder’s restrictions and architectural plans? Of course she can! To satisfy the client’s wish list, the kitchen design required a larger island, more counter space, and semi-custom cabinetry. The client settled on Brazilian cherry-style flooring, her favorite of the builder-approved upgrades for flooring. Iridescent glass mosaic tile and multiple chandelier pendants brought in the “bling factor” at the top of the client’s list—she has penchant for “bright, shiny objects” and wanted her kitchen to reflect a Farmhouse Chic or Rustic Glam aesthetic. Left to her own devices, the client would have veered toward a more liberal, Liberace-esque application of bling, so the designer introduced a neutral color palette and warm, polished nickel finishes as a counterbalance to all of that sparkle and shine. Working within the builder’s constraints, the designer made changes to the kitchen’s layout to increase island workspace and nearly double countertop space. The client had to go with an entry-level builder-approved refrigerator available in only one fridge counter depth size. So the designer moved the pantry location, situating it behind the refrigerator and then recessed the refrigerator into the pantry to cheat the counter depth needed to flow seamlessly with the semi-custom cabinetry line. She also maximized drawers and upper cabinets to increase storage space, but did not take the upper cabinets to the ceiling to respect the home’s half crown molding details. Chris Davis Photography