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Lively Contemporary Kitchen
Designer Andrea Bazilus was met with a challenge when revamping this kitchen space: Make it family friendly while still keeping it hip and contemporary. But with creative design techniques and thoughtful decisions, she was able to turn the room into a sleek space fit for the whole family.
What were the main items on the family’s wish list for remodeling this space?
This project was a new-construction ranch-style home for a growing family. The existing house and lot were completely demolished and leveled out so that we could start from scratch. I worked on every room in this house to make sure that the design was constant throughout. In total, this 3,500-square-foot home sits on one acre and includes four bedrooms, four bathrooms and an office.
The most important spaces for this family were the kitchen and small dining areas. Since that is where they spend the majority of their time, we made sure that those spaces were not only beautiful but extremely functional as well.
Contemporary White and Brown Kitchen
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What was your biggest obstacle in this space?
The biggest obstacle with the project was staying on schedule. Construction of this home went quickly and the owners sold their previous house very fast and were ready to move in right away. Because of this issue, some of the design elements were selected because they were in stock and ready to go. We didn’t have the luxury of waiting for anything custom or with a long lead time on this project. Luckily, and with a lot of scouting on my part, we found great selections that were in stock for almost all of the materials that we used.
What was the single-largest issue you wanted to address for the family?
Our largest issue with this project was creating living spaces that were designed beautifully but also worked with children. I have found that many times clients feel like they have to sacrifice style because they have kids. Many of the design choices that we made and pushed for were options that were great looking and durable enough to handle a family. Ottomans instead of a coffee table in the family room would be one example of a design choice that we made because of small children crawling around.
What surprised you the most about this project?
I learned the importance of sticking to a schedule and making sure that every design decision was well documented. If I hadn’t kept ongoing spec sheets and organized notes this project could have turned into quite a mess. I will definitely be sure to maintain my obsessive note-taking habit for every project going forward.
How does the end result match up with your original vision for the space?
Since this project was new construction, almost everything went according to plan and turned out the way that I had designed. We made sure to get a very good handle on the conceptual design before any major decisions were made. Because of this, everyone involved had the same vision from the start.
What are the hidden gems in your plan?
We had a lot of fun with the furniture and accessory selections for this space. The majority of the pieces came from secondhand stores and thrift shops. We then had them refinished or re-upholstered to match the decor. Since the furniture was not a huge investment, my client will not worry about anything getting destroyed with the normal wear and tear of a family using the space.
