Kathleen designed a kitchen remodel for us beginning in 2001. We were so thrilled with her design that we hired her in 2004 to design a cabin for us and again in 2012 to redesign our deck. We are presently working with her once more to remodel two bathrooms. Kathleen has a genius for use of space. Our kitchen was just a square, but she created a pass-through into our dining room so that now we can see our gorgeous canyon view from the kitchen while cooking. She opened up a wall into a useless "parson's room" so that now we have direct access from the kitchen to the rest of the house, instead of having to walk around and through the living room to get anywhere. The useless room has become our breakfast/music room. From our kitchen we now also have a view to the front yard. We even have a mirrored view from another window by looking into the reflection cast on the refrigerator. The cabinetry is designed so that there are several levels, making it visually pleasing. Kathleen was an art major before she went into kitchen and bath design, so everything she does is pleasing to the eye.
We liked our kitchen so much that we asked her to design a cabin for us in the mountains. She asked us how many people we would like to feed and sleep. I said we'd like to feed 11 and sleep 9. We now have a beautiful 750 square foot cabin that can feed 14 and sleep 11! It is so compact but every square inch is useful and beautiful. We have our own bedroom in that tiny space and a loft that has really versatile space. She even used all the cabinets from our old kitchen! She said we would want a space that we would love to be stuck in during a mountain snowstorm, and there are lots of windows. The floor is tiled so that it can easily be washed. Our cabin is in a remote place in the mountains at over 10,000 feet and is a haven for all who come there.
The deck that we had before Kathleen redesigned was an ugly 48' x 12' rectangle enclosed by rickety wooden planks. Kathleen changed the angle which faces east and now we have a lovely eating area that faces southeast toward our spectacular canyon view. We also have a hot tub that is raised so we can see over the railing. The railing surrounds the tub at different heights to add visual interest.
So now we are redoing our bathrooms. Kathleen redesigned the space in the master bath so that upon entering one will see a beautiful vanity and sink instead the side view of a shower. In the hall bathroom by taking out a large linen closet she is enlarging the bedroom closet behind it, making it a walk-in closet. That space will be replaced within the bathroom by better use of space, making more storage space that we have now.
Kathleen has exquisite taste, but her ability to reflect her client's taste instead of her own is her real gift. I personally know 14 different families who have hired her, and each design is unique, personal, and a much-improved use of space. We are privileged to work with Kathleen Beres.
2 Comments