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The old cabinets, parquet floors, and wallpaper really outdated this Downers Grove kitchen.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The outdated parquet floor was replaced by a new hardwood strip floor to make the space feel larger and longer.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.

 

 

 

 

Behind the Scenes at Crimson

Homeowners see what happens at their home on a daily basis, whether its Crimson’s Project Manager, Tim Pearn, directing subcontractors, meeting inspectors, setting cabinetry or even daily clean-up (yes, he sweeps!).

They work with Crimson’s Design Coordinator, Carolyn, on a number of selections a homeowner is given – about 30 selections for a kitchen project, for instance. The selection process can be overwhelming, and Carolyn works hard to put homeowners at ease and to ensure they are selecting items to fit their lifestyle and budget.

Homeowners also work with Neil and Joel on all aspects of the project. Our hands-on owners make clients their top priority; checking in with them from the very first meeting until the final walk-thru and even after as part of our 1 Year Remodelers Warranty.

But there is one last member of the Crimson Team who has the least contact with clients – and sadly the only real contact Crimson’s Office Manager, Jen, does have is to send out invoices to clients. You can imagine how well liked poor Jen is!

Jen has been a member of the Crimson team for 5 years. She’s the one who (almost) always answers phone calls and in general ‘holds down the fort’ at Crimson Design & Construction.

But what exactly does that mean? What is it that Jen does all day?

Jen has a variety of behind the scenes job duties that help each job run legally, smoothly and happily. From assisting Joel on permit submissions to ordering our clients’ final selections to arranging on site material deliveries to being diligent that all subcontractors working on our jobs have signed proposals (subcontracts), current licenses and insurance and waivers of lien for each job they perform for Crimson.

While Jen is not actively meeting with Clients or visiting jobsites don’t think it means Jen doesn’t know or care what is going on throughout each project. The Crimson Team has weekly meetings in the office to review each job’s progress. Jen also reviews the schedule of each job for ordering and invoicing purposes.

Jen enjoys any connection she is able to form with Crimson’s Clients. She said, “I love when current and past clients call me and say ‘Hi Jen!’ like they are happy to talk with me. It makes my day that they include me in their lives, some by sending me emails or others who are so kind to ask about my daughter. I truly care about each project and each client.”

Feel free to contact Jen any time at the office. She is here to support the whole Crimson Team, and our Clients are also a part of our team! Jen can be reached by calling the office at 630-355-9070 or by email at jen@crimsondc.com.

 

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!

 

Bringing Back ‘Comfort’ Living Through Remodeling

One of the most common questions we get as designers is how to make a space more enjoyable, livable and comfortable. It’s amazing how many people don’t feel comfortable in their home. How can this happen?

Comfort is the mission for today’s remodeling client. Their home has lost the feeling of hominess. For some, it never had that feeling in the first place.

When homeowners initially purchase their home, maybe they don’t have the money to renovate and make the home everything they want it to be. At the time they are just happy to find a home with the right number of bedrooms and a kitchen that is workable.

Fast forward ten years and now they are fed up. The bathroom is dated. The tile is in disrepair and the shower lacks a modern showerhead. The kitchen is still cramped and missing specialty storage.

This is exactly how our clients on Wilshire Lane felt. Two years ago we worked with them to add a second-story addition over their garage with a bedroom, laundry and bathroom.

Recently they asked us back to remodel their original master bathroom. When they first moved in the bathroom was fine.  But, after fifteen years in the home, they realized that their bathroom needed an infusion of ‘comfort.’

Initially, Joel worked with them to explore alternate layouts of the existing bath, closet and bedroom. Ultimately, they decided against it and decided to keep the layout the same.

Using the original floor plan we updated all the fixtures and finishes. The result is a new bath with a feeling of serene comfort. The bathtub was converted to a stand up shower and made dramatically larger. The new vanity cabinets are taller with a stacked storage cabinet on the vanity counter. This eliminates the clutter of bottles and makes for a very clean-looking vanity area.

We chose oil-rubbed bronze plumbing fixtures with medium color stain on the cabinets and custom-framed mirrors. The shower tile is a mixture of neutral porcelain and slate natural stone. We added storage shelves in the shower with a new oil-rubbed sliding shower door.

The warm colors and natural materials create a sense of balance. The feeling of comfort has been restored.  Mission accomplished!

Kitchen Focused

Even though houses are scaling down, the kitchen has not been spared. Kitchens are more of a focal point in the home than ever, acting as a central area for all social activities. It’s no wonder they continue to grow in size and remain centralized in the home.

As the everyday populous places more importance on socializing and family togetherness, kitchens are being designed to stimulate social interaction. Today’s kitchens incite family togetherness and socializing by offering spaces for not only cooking, but doing homework, working on your computer, watching a movie, or just chatting.

Walls are coming down, islands are expanding, and more seating is added to encourage lingering in the kitchen and increased connection to those in other rooms of the house. These features not only meet the needs for everyday life, but also accommodate entertaining. For example; a large island used for cooking family meals or doing homework can be turned into buffet space for parties.

This open floor plan design also speaks to our multitasking lifestyle. People cooking in the kitchen do not want their backs to the action; they want to see what is happening. With the kitchen in the center of the home, you can create your gourmet meal without missing the winning touchdown of the game in the next room.

Naperville Ranch Home Completed

You may remember the whole house renovation of the ranch home in Naperville.  Well, the transformation is finally complete! The family is moved back in and ecstatic with the results!

The exterior has received a dramatic makeover complete with the addition of a porch, new siding, architectural gables, and a new driveway.

The interior has gained an updated kitchen, a powder room, a new fireplace with built-in shelving, and a brand new master suite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The focus of the kitchen design, besides the obvious aesthetics, was to increase storage and efficiency for everyday use.  By tastefully adding more cabinetry and installing organization systems in them, the kitchen is now much easier to cook in with everything in its place.

We also increased the efficiency of the space upstairs by turning two small bedrooms and a bathroom into a spacious master suite.  By moving a few walls and rethinking the space, Crimson was able to give the homeowners a bigger master bedroom, a walk-in closet, a master bathroom, and a home office.  Talk about efficiency!

Crimson is happy to welcome yet another family back to their new and improved home, custom designed for their specific needs, wants, and tastes.

Crimson Loves Repeat Clients!

Back in 2008, Crimson completed a kitchen remodel for a couple in Naperville.  Now, three years later, they’re coming back for more.  This time, we’ve moved upstairs to update the master bathroom and the hall bathroom.

In the master bath, new Fieldstone stained cabinets with granite countertops have been installed.  The cramped corner shower unit has been replaced with a custom shower surrounded by frameless glass giving it a much more open feel.  It is dressed up by a combination of ceramic and natural stone tile.  The design also includes brand new plumbing and lighting fixtures and brushed nickel accessories.

The hall bath is also undergoing some changes.  New ceramic tile flooring has been installed along with ivory painted cabinets and granite countertops.  The existing tub has been replaced with a more up-to-date tub and decorative ceramic tile adorns the walls surrounding it.

In the next week, the rest of the plumbing fixtures will be installed, the walls will be painted, and the bathroom will be ready for the family to use once again.

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