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.

Should You Work With A Designer To Get The Best Custom Kitchen Designs?

Many people embarking on a kitchen remodeling project often question their need for someone to help with design.  Professional design has a mystique of elitism and snobbery.  This is often not the case and engaging someone to help with the design process on your kitchen project could be some of the best money you’ve ever spent!

First, let’s consider where design wouldn’t be necessary.  Some homeowners are naturally good with colors, layout and design.  Finding a few pictures in a magazine is all they need to develop a great idea for their new space.  They’re usually quick to make decisions and seldom second guess the choices they have made.  The partners in the process agree on most every aspect of the project, making the decisions easy.  The kitchen is already well organized and doesn’t require any spatial redesign.  This could be because it’s more than large enough or the changes to the space are purely cosmetic.  It may only require some new cabinets, counters, flooring and appliances to bring it up to current standards.  Any one, or more, of these situations may be a sign that having someone design the space is more service than you need.

Then there’s everyone else.  The other side of this is a kitchen or space so far gone that major work is needed or the homeowner feels completely out of their comfort zone.  Many homes built before the 1970’s and even some of those built in the 80’s or 90’s have layouts or features that the builder thought made sense at the time.  One classic example is the cabinets over a peninsula counter.  The builders of the past thought it was a great way to get additional storage space in a kitchen but unfortunately it is the number one reason the kitchen feels isolated or cut off from the rest of the main level.  Another feature was the half wall between the dinette and the family room.  It was seen as a great way to divide the spaces and separate the floor materials.  Unfortunately, that’s exactly what it did while at the same time making the dinette space extremely cramped!  These conditions point to the need for a professional designer or architect in your new kitchen.

Not all of these things are easily addressed and could require some real design experience.  Other homeowners that surely need help are the ones that can’t agree on anything or second guess every decision they make.  There’s concern over making the wrong decision with the paint colors or needing to make the perfect decision.  This can stalemate the process and make it so the project will never get off the ground.  A professional designer/remodeler will also help you with those decisions that are critical to the re-sale of your home down the road.  Those odd layout problems and bad color choices will make the home that much more difficult to sell when the time comes.  Do all the colors go together?  Is the layout efficient, simple and make the kitchen fun to cook in?  Is it so trendy that in 4 years the colors will be too much?  These questions will all be critical to you or potential buyers when the time comes.

The key to your project is creating a kitchen that makes it fun to cook, entertain and live in.  It’s the heart of the home and it needs to be current and well designed – something you can be proud of.

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.

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.

 

Huge Transformation of Naperville Ranch Home

An old ranch home in the downtown area of Naperville is undergoing a huge transformation. The plans for this 1950s house include a completely updated kitchen with a built-in office area featuring Fieldstone Cabinetry’s custom painted and stained cabinetry.

The existing cramped office space adjacent to the kitchen is being repurposed into a much needed powder room, while the living room is receiving a custom fireplace surround and expansive shelving to store and showcase the family’s book collection.

On the next level, what used to be two small bedrooms and a modest bathroom is now reconstructed into a spacious master suite including a luxurious master bath, a walk-in closet, and a home office.

On the exterior, an inviting front porch has been added featuring gables to add more architectural detail to its otherwise simple facade. The home will also have new siding installed in some areas to act as an accent while the remainder will receive a fresh coat of paint.

It is exciting for us and the homeowners to see the transformation take place. Soon, they’ll have a home that reflects their personal style and better suits their needs for daily living.

 

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.

Cool Cabinet Tricks for Your Kitchen Remodel – Video

Somebody turned Neil loose with a video camera!  Here is a short video showing off some cabinet ideas you can incorporate into your kitchen renovation.  From spice racks and roll-out shelves to garbage bins and cutting boards.  Neil takes you on a short tour of the Crimson showroom at 5th Avenue Station in Naperville.

You will see:

• Apron-front sink
• Garbage and recycling bins
• Apothecary drawers
• Roll-out shelves
• Pantry cabinet
• Spice rack
• Cutting board

Seven Reasons To Update Your Kitchen

There are many reasons to update your kitchen.  These are the top seven reasons we hear from homeowners we work with.

• My kitchen is isolated from the rest of the house – when I cook I’m not part of the family conversation

• My kitchen hasn’t been updated since the house was built – I’m embarrassed to entertain in our home

• My kitchen is not efficient – it takes too long to make a meal

• My kitchen doesn’t have enough storage space – I have small appliance and cookware stored in other parts of the house

• My kitchen only has one work area – I want my kids/spouse to have room to help with the cooking

• My kitchen is dark – it’s hard to see what I’m doing and it’s depressing

• I don’t have the space and/or appliances necessary to bake – I’d love to be able to make more cookies/cakes

Do any of these sound familiar?  Have you said any of these things or have you heard a friend share one of these comments?  Please share your thoughts.

Work Almost Complete On Downers Grove Kitchen Renovation

We are nearing the end of the Downers Grove Kitchen remodeling project.  As you can see all the cabinets are installed and we will be installing countertops next week.  That only leaves painting and appliances.

The cabinets are by Fieldstone Cabinetry in cherry and painted maple.  We will be staining the cherry crown to match the cabinets.  The new oak floors are covered in these pictures to protect them during the project.

The next photos should show a completed kitchen!

Next Page »