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Shiloh Cabinetry. Polar White, Inset
Kitchen - transitional kitchen idea in Manchester with white cabinets, beaded inset cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, marble backsplash and stainless steel appliances

Dream Home in Algonquin

Advance Design Studio, Ltd.

Jackie and Sean loved the Algonquin neighborhood they lived in with the peaceful neighborhood and the close proximity to work and school. What they didn’t love was how outdated their home had become. With a cramped kitchen and an unused dining room, they decided a remodel was the perfect solution to their problem. They would be able to continue to live in the area they loved, while at the same time they could have the dream home they envisioned. After a thorough search, Jackie came across Advance Design Studio. She was impressed by all of the positive reviews she saw on the internet and saw herself identifying with all of the project stories she saw on the website. Once they met with designer Scott Christensen and owner Todd Jurs, they knew Advance Design was the right company to make their dreams a reality. The project consisted of four main areas: the kitchen/dining/powder room, the laundry room, the master bathroom, and the kid’s bathroom. They wanted to expand the kitchen into the seldom used dining room and add a large island for hosting parties and family gatherings. They also wanted new hardwood flooring throughout the first level. The laundry room needed to be more functional, and all three bathrooms were in dire need of updating. The closed off kitchen was opened up to create a sweeping space between the new eating area and the much larger kitchen. A handsome dry bar complete with a beverage refrigerator and lighted glass door cabinetry makes an elegant transition across from a peninsula area filled with storage. An additional decorative cabinet lighting up elegant dishware through the mullioned glass sits directly across from the drybar. An expansive island was critical to the kitchen plans. Jackie, Sean and Scott worked closely together to create just the right details for their design. They wanted the island to be functional in addition to being the centerpiece of the room. Added storage for the kid’s school supplies was hidden behind cabinet doors so the children could do their schoolwork right at the island, and a microwave drawer glides open with the touch of a finger hidden inconspicuously within the island space. The easy to care for Cambria Britannica Quartz island top with its sweeping grey and white marble look perched atop hand-carved Craftsman corbels was absolutely what they were hoping for, blending both beauty and function perfectly. Adding a nice contrast to the brightness of the quartz and the white cabinetry, Kodiak - Leather granite countertops were used to balance the light and dark tones of the space. Dura Supreme Classic White painted cabinets grace the perimeter, while Maple Poppy Seed stained cabinets with a beautiful soft grey woodgrain were used in the beverage center and island. The two tones compliment the large space balancing it out nicely creating interest and elegance with the simple Craftsman style full overlay doors. A deep warm Barnwood White Oak flooring was added throughout the lower level. The new floor brings additional contrast to the bright kitchen and provides unity with the now open floorplan as it rolls in to the foyer and family room. Final details like the show-stopping lunar like duo light fixtures complete the space and intermix expertly with crisscross details of the glass door mullions, the island bar seating and even accessories in the space. The small cluttered laundry room needed more space and more storage. With a busy family it seemed to overflow daily and did not have anywhere to hide the families “in and out stuff.” Scott designed the new space with a stackable washer and dryer and much more efficiently organized cabinetry. Doing laundry is now (almost!) a pleasure and keeping everyone’s “stuff” hidden, but readily accessible is now a snap. The master bath was not a place where the couple enjoyed spending time getting ready for their day. The tub almost never was used, so removing it made it possible to build an extra-large shower, replacing the small cramped cube of the previous shower they hated. Clean, horizontal lines softly draw your eye around the space with porcelain tile called Driftwood Sea spray. Full overlay cabinetry in a soft white vanity with double sinks makes getting ready for the day much more convenient for the busy couple. Long floor planks made of porcelain tile mimic real hardwood floors in a soft grey to compliment the shower, but with the ease and care of a tile surface. Cambrian Black Granite counters with a matte finish and under mount porcelain sinks with handsome brushed chrome hardware complete the handsome space. A real bonus in any master bath; a custom built in storage nook was tucked in the corner of the space for linens and heavenly storage. The kid’s bath was in sad shape because it was original to the house. To keep the budget in control, the tub which was in great condition was retained, but focus was on the new large brick style porcelain charcoal tile on the floor, crisp white new Craftsman style cabinetry with pretty furniture details on the corner base, a striking granite top with white under mount porcelain sinks and fresh hardware and faucets. Some beautiful soft grey wood mirrors to match mom and dads were custom sized and placed under new lighting, and 4 hooks were smartly arranged down the wall for kids’ towels. This couple was determined not to move, and made their house their dream home. Not only does their home function greatly now, but Jackie says, “When the neighbors come to visit, they’re asking if they can “steal” the design”! The added functionality, elegance, and open floor plan were exactly what this family needed in order to stay. Advance Design Studio, Joe Nowak

Dream Home in Algonquin

Advance Design Studio, Ltd.

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Home design - small industrial concrete floor home design idea in San Luis Obispo with white walls and a metal front door

Your Huntley, IL Neighbor’s Kitchen Renovation

Advance Design Studio, Ltd.

After six years of living in their Huntley IL home, Chris and Meghan were tired of their dark, dingy, outdated kitchen and it was finally time for a long-anticipated change. “The kitchen is the place where we live, it’s where we do everything,” Meghan said. “It was important that it be a space where we wanted to be.” Meghan loves cooking and enjoys including their girls in healthy meal prepping, this led them to want a brighter, more enjoyable kitchen with increased functionality and improved storage. For Chris especially, the laundry room was an entirely dysfunctional eyesore. “We had a washer and a dryer, but it was all kind-of cobbled together!” Chris said. “There were always laundry piles everywhere, we weren’t really sure what we wanted to do in there, but it was time for us to make a change.” The mess of the space was stressful every time they walked in the door from the garage each day. Kids’ backpacks and shoes piled up haphazardly in the makeshift boot-bench closet left the family feeling disorganized and stressed. They needed space for folding clothes and locker cubbies to help keep the family organized. Having known Christine and Todd in the Huntley community for years, Chris and Meghan were familiar with their work. “We already trusted them personally and having seen their projects for years we knew they did top notch work. After we reviewed the initial round of designs, we knew that hiring them was definitely the right choice,” Meghan and Chris said. Although Chris had done a lot of work in their home himself, the kitchen and laundry room renovation was such a large undertaking that he didn’t want to steal time away from his family to spend what would surely be many long weekends doing the job himself. “That would not have been a wise choice for us,” Chris laughed. “Our designer, Michelle was very, very, easy to work with; anything we wanted to see or weren’t sure about, she went above and beyond to make this easy for us. She was easy to get hold of and always quick to respond,” the couple said. Michelle pulled ideas that mirrored the couple’s taste and style and was adept at directing the couple to limited choices that didn’t overwhelm them and kept the process moving. “I have a hard time making decisions. Michelle made the decision-making process so easy. I loved how she listened to what I liked and then presented three great options for me to choose from,” Meghan said. The main objectives for the kitchen were better storage solutions, they wanted the space to reflect their lifestyle and taste, and they wanted it to last for years with low maintenance. One of the first steps in creating a more functional kitchen was relocating the refrigerator, creating an improved workflow for the busy family. “We didn’t know that we could even move the refrigerator to a new location where it is now, that was something that we never would have thought of,” Chris said. “The new refrigerator location makes the kitchen feel so much bigger. We didn’t add any space, but our whole kitchen with the new design just seems like it’s so much larger than before!” Meghan said. The perimeter mist colored cabinets helped warm and brighten the entire room, while the graphite colored cabinets on the island added contrast. Using this fresh, clean color palette satisfied the couple’s desire for a bright space that was the exact opposite of what they had before. Organization accessories were also added to the cabinets such as a spice drawer tray and roll outs to create hidden convenience. “I absolutely love the hidden spices – it makes cooking so much more enjoyable!” Chris said. “And all the pull outs, and the double trash bin, who would think you could get so excited about organization!” the couple said in unison. One thing they hated in their original kitchen was how dark the space felt. Added lighting on the ceiling with the new light fixtures combined with the lighter cabinetry colors throughout solved this problem. “Our new kitchen has this warm, almost cozy feeling that our old kitchen never had, it’s just a space that I love spending my time in now,” Meghan said. The light airy feeling was accentuated with the use of floating white shelves on either side of the decorative range hood. “We have so much cabinetry space, the new design is amazing we actually have more storage space than we will ever need,” Meghan said. The island was extended to create more work surface and added space for stool seating. “The new island changes how we live. Now the kids can be in the kitchen with us, doing homework, eating breakfast, and the three of us have special dinners there when Chris is working late,” Meghan said. The Carrara Marmi Quartz countertops were chosen because they are, not only beautiful, but are made from hard-working material that doesn’t require maintenance. The white subway tile backsplash that wraps to the ceiling behind the focal point cooktop range/hood compliments the crisp white countertops perfectly, while brushed brass hardware and light fixtures keep the design fresh and new. The couple had a few fears at the beginning of the project, as most homeowners do. Their biggest fear was being out of their kitchen and laundry room for an extended time. The crew made it very easy for the family to work in a limited space keeping the washer and dryer hooked up the majority of the time, and also getting appliances working with minimal downtime. “They above and beyond accommodated us to get us through the process,” Meghan said. “They did a great job making sure we were as comfortable as possible throughout the process,” Chris added. “Our project manager DJ did a great job. He was very good at updating us on schedule changes, getting guys in as quickly as possible. Everyone that stepped in the house was nice and did great work,” said Chris. They thought Advance’s carpenter was phenomenal and were impressed when he took a conceptual idea from a photograph and worked with designer Michelle to create a one of a kind range/hood that has become the topic of conversation with friends and family who visit the new kitchen. “He was in our house literally every day for several weeks. He was easy to work with and good at what he did,” Meghan and Chris said. The focal point of the kitchen; a hand-crafted, custom-built ventilation hood was clad with handpicked reclaimed barnwood. Advance Design’s carpenter built the framework and the cladding to create a one-of-a-kind design element that the couple loves. “I think it was especially fun for him to create something unique from scratch, showcasing his talent in this area,” Meghan said. “I love that my kitchen is not like everyone else’s. I got to pick out the wood on my hood and watch it being built and was able to choose what pieces of wood went where on it. It’s totally unique.” Red Oak flooring was toothed-in throughout the kitchen and the rest of the first floor anywhere changes were made. Then the whole floor was refinished to tone down the orange undertones in the existing floor stain, ultimately changing the color complexion of the entire first floor. The result is a completely new feeling to the entire home. Renovating the laundry room was extremely important to Meghan and Chris, but they had trouble visualizing what the possibilities were for the seemingly small space. Michelle produced beautiful 3D illustrations that helped them envision the space in a whole new way. “I must have told Michelle 100 times that I am a visual person, seeing the designs in 3D made it so easy to make decisions and see what we could really do with our space,” Meghan said. A dividing wall and doorway were removed between the existing laundry room and hallway formerly containing a coat closet, providing space to design specialized graphite colored cabinetry matching the kitchen island to house custom storage cubbies for each family member. Adding the tall utility cabinetry in the new laundry area helped solve the storage issue, tucking away cleaning supplies, household items, and even the cat got its own cubby. “I love how everything is now hidden in its own space. I can’t tell you how much I hated coming home and seeing everything sitting around on counters,” Chris said. Electrical outlets were planned for the inside of utility cabinets, so devices could charge in hidden locations. Stacking the washer and dryer allowed for wider countertop space to provide a folding area and a special space for clothes to hang. “The way I do laundry has been completely transformed! I can actually fold clothes and hang them now right out of the washer and dryer,” Meghan said. “The end result in the kitchen and the laundry/mud room was an updated light and bright space, with a smarter work flow that better meets the needs of this family,” Michelle said. “I would totally recommend Advance Design,” Meghan said. “Sometimes I sit and just look at my kitchen and laundry room and think ‘Wow, I can’t believe I get to live here!’ It’s an understatement to say we love our new space.”

How to Create an Imperfect Smooth Texture and Prepare Your Orange-Peel Textured

Corbin Henry

Corbin Henry
Example of a tuscan family room design in Sacramento

Dream Home in Algonquin

Advance Design Studio, Ltd.

Sponsored

Columbus, OH

Bella Casa LLC17 Reviews

The Leading Interior Design Studio in Franklin County

Center of Attention

Skill Construction & Design, LLC

There are so many design elements to this kitchen, I almost don’t know where to start. Bright and airy with crisp clean white cabinets, the kitchen is open and welcoming. Still crisp but gently contrasting, the stainless steel appliance add depth amid the white. To keep this kitchen warm, natural oak covers the floors and a toasted wheat color washes the walls. And then there is the architectural elements. You know. That post and beam in the middle of the room. It’s the center of attention. When you walk into a room your eyes roam around, establishing the size and shape of the room as your feet take you forward. From the front door of this home straight ahead you encountered this wall. The dining area to the right gives you a glimpse of things to come. Where there is a dining room you will usually find a kitchen. The architecture of years gone by consistently hides the kitchen, the heart of the home, behind walls. I sympathize with my Mom, and all the other Moms, who have had to spend so much time tucked into a tight kitchen, away from the family. This wall had to go, but it was structural. We needed its support but not its bulk. So we got rid of the bulk and only the bulk. Instead of a wall we have a post and beam, offering all of the structure we need. We could have installed a huge steel beam and reconfigure the joists to upset the beam, but why? The small beam and post add an incredible architectural element. It’s turning lemons into lemon, we simply made the most of what we had. It may be functional but it’s so fantastic. It looks like we created the effect just for the drama. The original kitchen may have had a working triangle and some counter space, but it was fairly small, with each area only a step or two away. The dark cabinets made the space feel even smaller and the butcher block patterned laminate counter tops were very dated. The appliances were feeling their age as well, from a coil burner electric stove to a top freezer refrigerator. To keep this kitchen within its space, a half wall separated it from the dining area. With the wall gone we borrowed some space from the living room and extended what was a U shaped kitchen into an L. At the living room window we start our new kitchen. We kept a small part of the wall to support the other end of our decorative beam. Sandwiched between a large pantry and our new French door refrigerator, the wall disappears. With our new open floor plan a sizable island was in order. We split our cooking areas and installed a continuous grill gas cooktop into the island. A sleek island hood takes care of exhaust and adds an extra element to our architectural feature. Under the cooktop we added over-sized drawers for pots and pan storage. The frameless cabinets from New River Cabinetry are maple, painted white, with the Herndon door style. With the cooktop safely nestled into our island, we still had to add an oven. We used the space where the old range sat for a large single oven of stainless steel and glass. If it worked for one, why not two? We created a home for a microwave in the wall cabinets. It’s perfect for heating leftovers so close to the refrigerator. An important consideration for hot spots in your kitchen is landing zones. Each of our cooking areas have generous landing zones, one on each side of the cooktop and an entire counter area above or below the ovens, depending on which one you’re using. We wanted to give the sink area more room so the half wall had to come out. We moved the trash and recycle cans into a cabinet, removed the heavy soffits and kept the sink under the window. With that little bit of extra space we were able to add a larger cabinet above the dishwasher and slide it all down. This used to be where the carpeting met the vinyl floor, but all of it is gone. Long oak planks eliminate that final divide between the kitchen and the dining area, while adding visual length to the area. White wall cabinets on each side of the window reflect the sunlight for a brighter view. With all of the darker cabinetry the backsplash walls had been painted white. Even still, there was a darkness in the corners and it wasn’t very exciting. We wanted to add visual interest and reflect the new under-cabinet lighting, eliminating the shadows in this corner. With 1″x 2″ Arabescato Honed marble mosaics and those under-cabinet lights, we achieved the perfect balance. The marble has subtle swirls in gray and beige on a clean white background, but with the honed finish the light is softly reflected instead of glaring. For granite, we chose the soft gray tones of Luna Pearl. The speckles of gray and beige are a gentle contrast to the white cabinets and emulate the color of the stainless steel. Between the carpet, red half wall, dark railing and dated light fixture, the dining area felt tired. Since the kitchen lacked sufficient storage, a large utility cabinet crowded the table space without adding any decorate elements. Although it didn’t get any bigger, our dining area feels fresher and more open too. With the oak flooring joining the area to the rest of our space and the toasted wheat on the walls, the white table and chairs compliment the cabinetry while contrasting the warmer colors. We replaced the chandelier with recessed lighting and changed that railing too. With our new open floor plan, we ended up with a fairly open area in between our foyer closet and the living room window. Not one to miss an opportunity, we filled the space with a multi-functional work space. With the sunlight streaming in this bright corner works for anything this family needs. There’s plenty of space for a chair under this large desk drawer. A closed cabinet below, glass doors above and lots of open shelving let you store and or showcase your belongings. We added a lite area at the top to keep away the darker corners. The transformation is complete. This kitchen and all of its features are truly the center of attention in this home. http://www.designsbyskill.com/ http://www.rjkconstructioninc.com/

Dream Home in Algonquin

Advance Design Studio, Ltd.

Dream Home in Algonquin

Advance Design Studio, Ltd.

Red Oak - Whitewash Stain

Victor Mulbauer

New Installation of Red Oak Wood, 3 1/4 in width. White-washed Bona Stain was used, Bona Finish, as well as Bona Traffic HD. **This photo is of the Red Oak Wood (3 1/4 inch) prior to the application of the white-washed Bona Stain.