Downers Grove Kitchen Facelift

The old cabinets, parquet floors, and wallpaper really outdated this Downers Grove kitchen. The homeowners hated having to get on all fours just to reach a pan in the back of the base cabinets, and everything felt so cluttered when they opened their falling-apart drawers. That’s when they turned to Crimson’s design team for a solution.

For the cabinets, we chose ivory cream inset cabinets by Fieldstone Cabinetry with simple hardware to give the kitchen a crisp, clean, and timeless look. We increased the efficiency of the cabinets by adding lots of internal organization to keep everything in its place and allow all dishes to be easily accessible.

The outdated parquet floor was replaced by a new hardwood strip floor to make the space feel larger and longer. We removed the soffits and the busy wallpaper to give the kitchen even more of an open feeling.

As a bonus, we also added an extra eating area by extending the countertop and flooring into the adjacent family room. What a great transformation!

Traditional with a Twist

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dark mocha cherry cabinets (by Fieldstone Cabinetry) were a bold choice for this traditional Naperville couple, but they couldn’t be happier with the results! The cabinets offer perfect contrast with the light travertine backsplash. And the slate accents in the backsplash compliment the Tunas Green granite counters while drawing attention to the beautiful wood hood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lovely wine storage center with decorative glass upper cabinets sits where an old and rarely used built-in desk was. A closet pantry is replaced by a much more efficient pantry cabinet with plenty of roll trays for easily accessible storage. Added task and decorative lighting serve as a final touch to this beautifully renovated Naperville kitchen.

 

 

 

 

Pictures from South Naperville Kitchen

Last fall, Crimson worked hard to get a Naperville family into their brand new kitchen/addition just in time for the holidays. As you may recall from the past post “South Naperville Home Seeing The Light”, this family started out with a small, dark kitchen that blocked their view to the outdoors and wasn’t very conducive to entertaining.

With the addition of 300 square feet, plenty of windows, and a little creativity from Crimson’s design team, their kitchen is now bright, welcoming, and takes full advantage of their beautiful back yard. The ivory painted inset cabinetry brightens up the space and gives the kitchen a warm, elegant, and timeless look. The large island offers an excellent gathering spot for kids or guests without intruding on the kitchen’s work station. It’s perfect for holiday parties!

Now, almost a year later, the family has come back for more. For phase 2, Crimson is updating the entire 2^nd floor as well as redesigning the staircase for a more polished entrance into their beautiful home. The upstairs work will include new carpeting in all of the bedrooms, an updated and redesigned hall bath, built-in custom bookshelves in the master bedroom, and a modernized master bath with a spa-like feel. Stay tuned to see the finished product of phase 2.

User-Friendly Kitchen

A couple in Lisle is thrilled after Crimson did a complete redesign of their cramped 1970s kitchen. These clients like to do a good deal of baking and practically all of their meals are home-cooked, but their small and poorly designed u-shaped kitchen made this a daily struggle.

By simply changing the peninsula into an island, the kitchen opened up immensely. Now the couple can cook together and move around the kitchen with ease. Crimson also redesigned the cabinet layout and added plenty of in-cabinet organization like roll-out trays, deep drawers, and vertical storage for cookie sheets. A double-oven unit was installed so that they can do double duty when cooking large meals.

Warm caramel stained cabinetry was chosen for the perimeter of the kitchen to lighten up the space from the dark and dingy cabinets that were original to the home. Sage green cabinets on the island add a touch of color and accent the green glass tiles in the backsplash. Even after making space for all of their cooking and serving ware storage, they still had room for a decorative display cabinet for their pottery collection with a bonus mail organizer to help keep the counters less cluttered from mail.

Wow!  What a difference a little redesign can make!

Lisle Kitchen Renovation Wraps Up

We are in the final days of a kitchen renovation in Lisle, Illinois. Having had a negative experience with a previous bathroom remodel, the clients are thrilled that the project has come in on time and without any surprises! It’s wonderful when things happen as expected.

Their Lisle kitchen features cherry cabinets by Fieldstone Cabinetry in a simple Shaker style. The new kitchen layout will make cooking so much easier than before. And the tile backsplash gives their new space a lot of personality!

They chose to do two different cabinet finishes in their kitchen to make the island look like its own separate piece. The island is painted maple cabinets (see photo at left). The island contrasts nicely with the newly finished oak flooring.

New stainless steel appliances make this kitchen modern and energy efficient. In the photo below Mark, of Electrical Concepts, Inc., is making the final electrical connections to the double oven. The double oven is a wonderful piece because it allows you to cook two different meals at one time. What a great convenience!

It won’t be long before our clients are enjoying their kitchen and living easy!

 

Crimson Updates Kitchen in Record Time

A kitchen in Downers Grove just finished receiving some dramatic updates thanks to the Crimson team.  Rather than ripping out the entire kitchen and starting over, this homeowner decided to save money by keeping the existing cabinets and updating everything else.

First, we removed the old, worn-out linoleum flooring and installed brand new pre-finished hardwood.  The laminate countertops were then replaced with elegant granite counters which were extended further on the peninsula for additional seating.  We also dressed up the space by adding a natural stone backsplash to compliment the granite.  The outdated appliances and plumbing fixtures were replaced with new, more efficient options.  The walls were repainted a lighter color and more light fixtures were added to increase the visibility and open feeling in the otherwise dark kitchen.  Lastly, we installed new decorative hardware on the cabinets to add more detail and improve their functionality.

In just two weeks, this kitchen went from drab to fab with a few simple updates!

South Naperville Home Seeing The Light

Another home in south Naperville is seeing some big changes thanks to the Crimson team. The owners loved the existing home, but its kitchen was small, dark, and did not take advantage of the views to the beautiful back yard.

Our solution: a 300 square foot addition that would add ample light and space to the kitchen, making it the centerpiece of the home.

Now, the walls and drywall are up, and it’s all coming together.

As you can see, the addition blends seamlessly with the existing structure and features plenty of windows to provide light and views to the backyard.

Soon, the hardwood floors and cabinetry will be installed and it will really come to life.  The kitchen design includes ivory painted inset cabinetry by Fieldstone Cabinetry, a built-in range hood, plenty of pantry storage, and a large central island with seating.

The galley-shaped design will keep the kitchen feeling open and easy to move around in.  The large island will act as a central gathering place, encouraging the family to cook together and making it perfect for entertaining.

The space by the windows will serve as a nice sunny spot for the dining table and even enough room for some extra seating.  Stay tuned to watch this beautiful space unfold.

 

Kitchen Remodel In South Naperville

We just wrapped up an extensive kitchen remodeling project on the South Side of Naperville.  The project involved removing all the kitchen cabinets and one pantry closet (where the new wall oven and microwave are located).  The cabinets were replaced with new Fieldstone Cabinetry in stained cherry and painted maple hardwoods.  The backsplash tile is all new with a great design and accent pattern above the cooktop.

The cabinets contain many innovative design configurations such as roll-out shelving, spice rack drawers, garbage and recycling center, and self-closing drawers.

The original kitchen did not have a vent to clear cooking fumes and smoke from the range.  We were able to add one set in a dramatic mantle-like style.  The new vent exhausts to the exterior and clears any unwanted odors from the kitchen quickly.  No more setting off the smoke detector!  That’s actually a common problem we hear that our clients would like to fix.

See some before pictures of this project.

 

One of the other big changes to the kitchen space was to add a stainless steel 48″ built-in refrigerator.  This new fridge fits perfectly in an alcove that used to contain the refrigerator and some cabinets.  No lack of space in that machine.  But just to make sure, we also added a beverage fridge near the family room so that the kids can grab pops and fruit juice without getting in the way in the kitchen.

One of the biggest changes to the house was the addition of hardwood floors throughout the first floor and upper hallway.  Every room on the first floor now has beautifully stained white oak floors.  Some of the rooms even have the flooring in patterns with walnut inlays.  Quite the elegant look.

 

 

 

All of the formal spaces on the first floor, and upper hallway, were upgraded with wainscot paneling on the walls.  The white panels add a great contrast to the darker floor and really help to make the wall colors stand out.  The panels were carried up the stairway and down the hall to really tie all the spaces together.

Speaking of stairs, the stairway was also rebuilt to add oak treads and handrails.  The oak was all stained to match the flooring.  New painted balusters were also installed.  A formal wool carpet runner was installed to add that last finishing touch.

Overall this project has turned out great.  It’s a great new living space that the homeowners can be proud of for years to come.

Updating A Kitchen In South Naperville

This kitchen on the South end of Naperville is getting a dramatic facelift.  We will be pulling out all the cabinets and replacing them with new Fieldstone Cabinetry.  Beyond the kitchen, we will also be replacing two stairways in the home  with new oak treads and rails, adding hardwood flooring in the living room, dining room and study, and adding trip upgrades such as door heads and wainscot panels.  It’s really quite an extensive project.

This week the homeowners moved out and we relocated all their furniture from the first floor to the basement to make way for the hardwood floor installation.  Any flooring on the first floor that was not hardwood will be upgraded to new white oak hardwood to match the existing.  The existing floors will also be sanded, stained and refinished so that all the flooring blends together.  Three of the rooms will also get walnut inlay strips for a stunning pattern.  Not easy work, but well worth it!  After a two week temporary move the owners will be able to return to a beautiful new floor.

At this point the kitchen cabinets have been removed and as soon as the floors are done the new Fieldstone Cabinetry will be delivered.  The cabinets will be a combination of stained cherry and painted maple with a glaze.  We are using some of the existing granite countertops since they were only a couple of years old.  We will be able to match the existing tops with new granite in some areas to fit our new layout.

Naperville Addition/Kitchen Wraps Up Construction

We recently wrapped up construction on the second-story addition/kitchen renovation project that was in progress on the North side of Naperville.  We are happy to report that the homeowners are thrilled with the results and wasted no time moving back into their kitchen.  These photos were taken in our last full week at the project so you will notice some things not quite done and temporary plastic and floor coverings in place.

The kitchen features Alder hardwood cabinets from Fieldstone Cabinetry.  Caleb did a great job installing them and they are full of features such as roll-out shelves, a spice rack an apothecary drawers.  The countertops are New Venetian Gold granite and the sink and faucet are from Kohler.

Paul did an awesome job installing the backsplash tile.  Unfortunately for him the pattern worked out that he needed to install 75% of the tile pieces individually and not as sheets as they were designed.  Luckily he stuck with it and it turned out beautifully.

The new floor is red oak that was stained in place and finished with three coats of a water-based finish.  All the appliances were from the existing kitchen and we laid out the new kitchen to accommodate them.

I will need to get this kitchen into the before and after gallery just as soon as I get some real photos (no offense iPhone) of the completed project.

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