THE SETUP Our journey began with a familiar face — Alicia had previously transformed the client’s mother’s home, establishing a trusted relationship that naturally led to this personal project. The client desired a kitchen that truly reflected her own style while facilitating seamless entertaining. Design Vision: The original kitchen, segregated from the dining area by a wall, hindered the flow of interaction and space. Our client envisioned a unified area where she could engage with guests in both the kitchen and dining room simultaneously. Moreover, the space lacked a central island, relying instead on a floorplan anchored by cabinetry in a u-shaped layout. Design Objectives: Open up the space for an airy design conducive to entertaining large gatherings Modernize the kitchen to be both stylish and functional Integrate the design with the home’s new black-framed windows and doors Relocate the cooktop to a central position to enhance usability and interaction Design Challenges: Removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room would necessitate the rerouting of existing HVAC ductwork that services the upper floor Limited pantry space in the existing kitchen The existing u-shaped layout of the kitchen restricted functionality and storage options Insufficient space for wine storage The client desired a raised-furniture look for the island, but without showing a new downdraft vent THE RENEWED SPACE Design Solutions: We added a second HVAC unit to the upper floor and rerouted the existing ductwork in that wall Created tall pantry pullouts on either side of the fridge to maximize dry goods storage Designed a long island to facilitate cooking stations and dining moments Created a stylish open display cabinet for wine Engineered a dual-design island with a footed floating aesthetic on one side, and a full floor reach on the other to conceal the new downdraft ventilation. Paired with the newly opened adjacent dining room featuring a wet bar, the kitchen has become a stylish and highly functional space for cooking and entertaining. Following a large baby shower hosted by the client (which seamlessly accommodated an 80-person gathering!), it is clear that the new design not only meets but exceeds the needs for hosting and everyday living. This project was a harmonious blend of the client’s vision and Alicia’s innovative design solutions, resulting in a kitchen that truly embodies personalized elegance and functionality.

Inspiration for a large transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor open concept kitchen remodel in Calgary with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz countertops, beige backsplash, porcelain backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

This beautiful kitchen designed by Curtis Lumber features Merillat Masterpiece Cabinets in Maple wood with the Fairlane Arch door style and Biscotti finish. The stand- alone Butler Pantry features Bertch Kitchen Plus Cabinets in Red Birch wood, in the Northbrook door style with a Natural finish. Countertops are Cambria Quartz in Buckingham. The downdraft vent in the stove and all the details in the hardware and newels just brings this entire look together! Photos property of Curtis Lumber.

This kitchen has is all! Double islands, kegerator, mini fridge and TV for entertaining. Cook top, downdraft vent, coffee station and hidden pantry for cooking! Charcoal stained perimeter cabinets with Viatera Aria & natural knotty alder islands with Cambria Laneshaw.

Inspiration for a large transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor open concept kitchen remodel in Calgary with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz countertops, beige backsplash, porcelain backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

This beautiful kitchen designed by Curtis Lumber features Merillat Masterpiece Cabinets in Maple wood with the Fairlane Arch door style and Biscotti finish. The stand- alone Butler Pantry features Bertch Kitchen Plus Cabinets in Red Birch wood, in the Northbrook door style with a Natural finish. Countertops are Cambria Quartz in Buckingham. The downdraft vent in the stove and all the details in the hardware and newels just brings this entire look together! Photos property of Curtis Lumber.

This beautiful kitchen designed by Curtis Lumber features Merillat Masterpiece Cabinets in Maple wood with the Fairlane Arch door style and Biscotti finish. The stand- alone Butler Pantry features Bertch Kitchen Plus Cabinets in Red Birch wood, in the Northbrook door style with a Natural finish. Countertops are Cambria Quartz in Buckingham. The downdraft vent in the stove and all the details in the hardware and newels just brings this entire look together! Photos property of Curtis Lumber.

Inspiration for a large transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor open concept kitchen remodel in Calgary with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz countertops, beige backsplash, porcelain backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Inspiration for a modern light wood floor kitchen remodel in San Francisco with an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances and an island

THE SETUP Our journey began with a familiar face — Alicia had previously transformed the client’s mother’s home, establishing a trusted relationship that naturally led to this personal project. The client desired a kitchen that truly reflected her own style while facilitating seamless entertaining. Design Vision: The original kitchen, segregated from the dining area by a wall, hindered the flow of interaction and space. Our client envisioned a unified area where she could engage with guests in both the kitchen and dining room simultaneously. Moreover, the space lacked a central island, relying instead on a floorplan anchored by cabinetry in a u-shaped layout. Design Objectives: Open up the space for an airy design conducive to entertaining large gatherings Modernize the kitchen to be both stylish and functional Integrate the design with the home’s new black-framed windows and doors Relocate the cooktop to a central position to enhance usability and interaction Design Challenges: Removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room would necessitate the rerouting of existing HVAC ductwork that services the upper floor Limited pantry space in the existing kitchen The existing u-shaped layout of the kitchen restricted functionality and storage options Insufficient space for wine storage The client desired a raised-furniture look for the island, but without showing a new downdraft vent THE RENEWED SPACE Design Solutions: We added a second HVAC unit to the upper floor and rerouted the existing ductwork in that wall Created tall pantry pullouts on either side of the fridge to maximize dry goods storage Designed a long island to facilitate cooking stations and dining moments Created a stylish open display cabinet for wine Engineered a dual-design island with a footed floating aesthetic on one side, and a full floor reach on the other to conceal the new downdraft ventilation. Paired with the newly opened adjacent dining room featuring a wet bar, the kitchen has become a stylish and highly functional space for cooking and entertaining. Following a large baby shower hosted by the client (which seamlessly accommodated an 80-person gathering!), it is clear that the new design not only meets but exceeds the needs for hosting and everyday living. This project was a harmonious blend of the client’s vision and Alicia’s innovative design solutions, resulting in a kitchen that truly embodies personalized elegance and functionality.

Example of a large transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor open concept kitchen design in Calgary with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz countertops, beige backsplash, porcelain backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

This beautiful kitchen designed by Curtis Lumber features Merillat Masterpiece Cabinets in Maple wood with the Fairlane Arch door style and Biscotti finish. The stand- alone Butler Pantry features Bertch Kitchen Plus Cabinets in Red Birch wood, in the Northbrook door style with a Natural finish. Countertops are Cambria Quartz in Buckingham. The downdraft vent in the stove and all the details in the hardware and newels just brings this entire look together! Photos property of Curtis Lumber.

This kitchen has is all! Double islands, kegerator, mini fridge and TV for entertaining. Cook top, downdraft vent, coffee station and hidden pantry for cooking! Charcoal stained perimeter cabinets with Viatera Aria & natural knotty alder islands with Cambria Laneshaw.

New island, cabinets, windows and a good external vent (downdraft vents are useless) for the new cooktop. Photos © Jo Ann Snover
Large transitional light wood floor enclosed kitchen photo in Seattle with a double-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, quartz countertops, gray backsplash, glass sheet backsplash, an island and stainless steel appliances

Principal Architect and Photography by Steve Johnson
Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in Raleigh

Example of a large transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor open concept kitchen design in Calgary with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz countertops, beige backsplash, porcelain backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

This beautiful kitchen designed by Curtis Lumber features Merillat Masterpiece Cabinets in Maple wood with the Fairlane Arch door style and Biscotti finish. The stand- alone Butler Pantry features Bertch Kitchen Plus Cabinets in Red Birch wood, in the Northbrook door style with a Natural finish. Countertops are Cambria Quartz in Buckingham. The downdraft vent in the stove and all the details in the hardware and newels just brings this entire look together! Photos property of Curtis Lumber.

This kitchen has is all! Double islands, kegerator, mini fridge and TV for entertaining. Cook top, downdraft vent, coffee station and hidden pantry for cooking! Charcoal stained perimeter cabinets with Viatera Aria & natural knotty alder islands with Cambria Laneshaw.

The kitchen was designed to incorporate the natural light from the large windows so there are very few upper cabinets. However, the island adds a lot of storage as well as a pantry to the right of the island. The appliances are all Bosch with a self-retracting downdraft ventilation system and a remote blower installed away from the kitchen to limit the amount of noise during operation.