What happens when you renovate most of a home and think you’ll come back for the kitchen during phase 2 down the road a bit after you’ve had a chance to recover? Most of the time, it plays out exactly that way… you come back down the road and begin phase 2. However, you’d be shocked at how often clients just decide to move forward in the middle of a project with the phase 2. Sometimes it’s easier to rip the band aid off and just get the mess behind you. Nothing informs that decision more than having the rest of your home remodeled and having your life already turned upside down. Part 6 of our luxury brownstone renovation project in Carmel series features everything about the stunning kitchen remodel that was pulled forward. From the hand painted backsplash tile to the story behind the iconic pantry doors that are well over 100 years old, there are many interesting features to check out in this week’s story. The video is a must see and we answer questions here to inform your next remodel. Let us continue to demystify the remodeling process.
A luxury kitchen renovation is a challenge as a stand-alone project. Now, throw it in with the remodel of a 4-floor home (including the elevator) and you have our attention. In a perfect world, we certainly would choose to remodel the kitchen prior to finishing the entire path from the street to the kitchen space. All of our elegant stairway trim would have waited until we were able to get the cabinets up the steps. But that was not to be because the outcome of our early project stages actually paved the way for the kitchen to take place. The client quickly saw that keeping the original kitchen was going to diminish the other areas of the home that had been renovated. So the project planning began…
What was the largest hurdle related to adding the kitchen to the scope?
The elements of the kitchen stayed in the same locations, so the primary hurdle is that we didn’t have great access to get product to the kitchen space and we really were very carefully trying to get things up stairways that had been extensively renovated. In ever project, we are looking at traffic patterns and access. This one presented a challenge.
Any extensive design changes to the kitchen?
The only change was to remove a non-load bearing wall that had previously sectioned off a butler’s pantry area because walk space around a large island was so tight. The client made the decision that she wanted the space to feel much more open and inviting and we agreed with that decision from the perspective that the trade off was a decision between a tight walk space around a large island or possibly shinking the island. If you watch the video, we think you’ll agree the island is magnificent.
What about the pantry doors?
They are a sight to behold. The doors are completely original and Tiffany Skilling’s Team found these somewhere. We were asked if we could rebuild or reengineer these doors to work for the kitchen pantry. We took elements of the doors apart and reconstructed slightly to adapt for the pantry use, as well as changed the original single pane glass to a safer option. If you haven’t seen these, check them out in the video. They are stunning. In the video, you will also see corbels in the range area that came in their original form… many, many years old. When you get products like this, the goal is to incorporate them into the space, but modify them as little as possible and allow their original beauty to take center stage.
And what about the hand painted tile?
In the video, Ben talks about the complexities of installing beautiful tile where no 2 pieces of tile are the same in any way. They all had different thicknesses and sizes to them, but the unique nature of the product is part of the allure in the end. If you are a client that requires uniformity, this type of product might not be for you. It was described as nerve wracking while being installed piece by piece, but once the grout was completed and you could see the finished product, it was clear it couldn’t have turned out any better!