The Renovation Story

If there is a room in your home that could instantly benefit from a facelift, it’s most likely your kitchen. It can even make or break someone’s interest in buying a home. A well-designed kitchen can also allow you to spend more quality time with your family and create memorable stories.  We were invited to do a major kitchen renovation by our client in Cochrane, who wanted a bigger kitchen, with a more open layout.

The Vision – Open Space, Open Arms

The main floor of the house originally had two walls that separated the kitchen from the dining room and living room. We took these walls down to open the space up and added a central island to promote collaboration with the other areas.  We went with a natural yet modern look, with sleek maple kitchen cabinets and granite countertops hand-selected by the client that is a true attention grabber.

 The Build Process

This major renovation project took a total duration of two months with a demolition time of one week. This involved removal of the dividing walls, existing kitchen cabinets, counters, and flooring. We also rerouted electrical and plumbing where required.

As the existing appliances were still in good shape, and still fit with the new design, the client decided to keep these to help control the budget. After all, they could always be replaced at a later stage whenever they wish!

To balance the rich tones of the maple kitchen cabinets and the patterned granite countertops, we decided to go with a classic white subway tile backsplash. We then used a mixture of brushed nickel and chrome for the lighting, cabinet hardware, and plumbing fixtures to achieve that sleek and modern look.

With this new open layout and beautiful finish, of course, we need to showcase it! So, we installed pot lights and new lighting throughout the main floor. We also re-textured the entire ceiling to seamlessly blend this newly combined open living area. Just imagine how this place will come alive when entertaining guests over for dinner.

Tying It All Together

With such a major layout and design transformation as this, it is great to be able to extend similar touches to the rest of the house. So, along with the maple kitchen cabinets renovation, we were requested to update the finishes in other areas of the house. We first replaced the carpets in all the bedrooms as well as all the doors and trim. We also replaced all the existing flooring on the main floor with engineered hardwood. For the steps leading to the entrance, we used tiles as it is water-resistant. Then we finished it up by updating the handrail with a combination of maple and black powder-coated spindles. This brought the entire main floor together to achieve that effortless contemporary look.

The Renovation Story

If there could be a kitchen that makes you feel like you’re on a beach vacation – this would be the one. This Turquoise Tile Kitchen project we did a few years ago for our client in Cochrane features a new full set of modern Ikea kitchen cabinets with a breathtaking ocean blue backsplash.

A Breath of Fresh Air from Your Kitchen

Our client felt that their old kitchen was quite dark and was looking for a complete update to the design with a fresh, bright, and airy look. One of the simplest yet most effective ways to significantly update the look of your kitchen is by adding a touch of colour to the backsplash tile. For this particular kitchen, we opted for a refreshing shade of turquoise that goes really well with the cool-toned Ikea kitchen cabinets. The client also wanted more storage space which was effortlessly added to the space.

Out with The Old, In with The Bold

This renovation project takes a total duration of 2 months with 1-week demolition. We began by removing the existing cabinetry, counters, and flooring so that we could start with a clean slate. First, we installed tonal tile flooring that matches the wooden Ikea cabinets. Tonal flooring was chosen to avoid an overwhelming blend of colours that can distract from the star of the show, which is the turquoise backsplash. Following the flooring, we installed the wooden Ikea cabinets with white sand door panels that feature plenty of storage space.  For the counters, we went with the naturally glossy quartz countertops that complement the blue-toned backsplash tiles which mimic beachy sand touching the water. Then, a new range hood fan and custom open shelving were added at the end of the build process.

The Details

After we completed the major parts of the kitchen, we decided to complete the look of this turquoise tile kitchen design with glass sphere pendant lighting and a new faucet.  When creating an open and welcoming space, it’s very important to aim for a harmonious overall look. This can be achieved through a combination of complementary instead of uniformed colours and shapes.