KITCHENS
A Renovation
CONSTRUCTIVITY renovated this kitchen in a home originally built in the 1930's. The original wood countertops had been covered with ceramic tile, but water from around the sink had rotted the wood and the countertop had collapsed there. In addition, the 1930's vintage gas range had become problematic. The customer wanted the lower cabinets replaced with custom units while leaving the upper cabinets to maintain the period style. For ease of cleaning she wanted laminate countertops and backsplashes. It all had to be white, except for the new checkerboard vinyl floor and the existing newer dishwasher, to make the smallish kitchen bright and clean looking.
(Click on picture thumbnails to see a larger version)
Some features of this kitchen are worth noting:
The countertops are 38" high (as opposed to the "standard" 36" height) which makes them easier to work on for the homeowner.
This height also allows for large pull-out breadboard work trays just below the countertops (their knobs are visible in the pictures). These were made from recycled material from the original wood countertops, mounted on 100 lb. full extension ball-bearing slides, and oiled for water resistance. These almost double usable counter space in the galley-type kitchen.
Instead of lower door/shelf base units, most of the base units on the sink side feature large drawers, also on full-extension slides. This is much easier for the older homeowner to use -- you don't have to digging around in the back of the cabinets to get an item. Next to the stove there are pull-out trays behind the doors, which similarly allows for much easier access to pots and pans.
The sink is a large heavy stainless steel unit with integral drain board, sprayer, and hot water dispenser for the morning cuppa.
A new professional-style stainless steel gas range and high-volume hood complete the kitchen and make it ready for another 70 years!
A New Kitchen
This homeowner was downsizing from a house to a new apartment in a back house on her daughter's property. The builder had a rough kitchen design, but the homeowner also had some ideas for the kitchen. She needed space for her grandchildren to eat, and lots of storage for her cooking utensils and dishes. She liked natural wood, so we settled on natural oak for the cabinets and ubatuba granite, an almost black granite with gold flecks. [See here for what we did with the cutouts from the granite!!] The island would have a cooktop and partial overhang counter for eating. We specified a cabinet for a built-in oven, a large pantry unit, space for a microwave oven, large lower drawers, angled corner cabinets with rotating shelves, and glass doors on some of the upper cabinets.
CONSTRUCTIVITY used a software package to develop a concept for the kitchen and show what it would look like. It was quite close to the final design.
CONSTRUCTIVITY built and finished all cabinets both in the shop and on site. She ended up with a huge amount of cabinet space in a fairly small but nice open area.
(Click on picture thumbnails to see a larger version)
Another new kitchen in an old Victorian house can be seen here.