I always joke around that I can frequently lose my train of thought if someone dangles something shiny in front of me. Imagine my meltdown, then, when Anissa Swanzy of SKD Studios sent me this photo of a newly renovated kitchen in Huntingtown, MD:

Besides the dramatic lighting, extending the shiny glass-and-stone-tile backsplash all the way up the wall is a great way to glamorize this space.

This shiny little jewel box of a kitchen is all the more eye-popping once you see what it used to be:

This is the story of a couple who has lived in this house for 14 years — neatniks who kept the place spotless but couldn’t do anything to avoid it becoming dated. Anissa gave them a stunning redo that, unlike so many of us with mess-making children, could preserve a showhouse quality in real life.

“They recognized that it was time to update the space and were not sure what direction to go,” Anissa writes in an e-mail. “We helped them to redesign the space to not only fit their needs but really showcase their great style.”

That means this:

Became THIS:

SKD eliminated the old pantry closet and installed tall cabinetry to surround new stainless appliances. They also narrowed the island to add more counter space on the side wall. The bar is zebra wood, crowned by its own crystal chandelier.

And this:

Became THIS:

The designers added a partition wall to break up the long, narrow space and also to house a television on the other side. The new warm gray tones (goodbye teal rug and mauve walls!) don't hurt, either.

And THIS:

The countertops are white Quartz, and the new cabinets are a chocolate-stained semi-custom maple. The flooring is Turkish marble.

Most designers get a little cagey when asked about price, because, ADMIT IT, it’s the first thing we wonder when we see an incredible project like this one. I was pleasantly surprised when Anissa offered the information right up front: About $68,000 for materials and labor — not surprising for a 100-percent makeover. Great job, ladies, and thanks for sharing!

I’ve been slowly digesting the October issue of Washingtonian, which contains a large section on dream kitchens. First, I love how every kitchen is so different from the other, and so beautiful in its own right. (And I was tickled that one of them, the “Thoroughly Modern” Capitol Hill project on p. 160, I had profiled for DC Urban Turf last year.)

But more importantly, I had already been collecting information on a gorgeous kitchen reno in DC when I saw one of the photos on p. 169, introducing a story on backsplashes. How appropriate!

All renovation photos by Greg Hadley

And here is a wider view of this amazing kitchen, built by Gilday Renovations in conjunction with architect Larysa Kurylas of Kurylas Studio in the context of a wider first-floor redo. Gilday’s Sarah Turner assisted in choosing “the color of our kitchen cabinets, marble counters, variegated gray glass tile, lighting fixtures, [and] appliances, which made my dream of a timeless gray kitchen become a beautiful reality,” owner Caroline Osborne writes.

“We love our kitchen — they way it functions, the way it feels. It is the hub of our busy family life and now our home is just right for us,” Osborne adds. If this were my kitchen, I would feel the same way.

Here’s a glimpse of how far this kitchen has come, with a “before” shot that itself was a renovation as recent as 2003:

It’s not clear what’s in the foreground here, but a “before” and “after” blueprint illustrate a massive reconfiguration, so the kitchen would take full advantage of all the space available:

“After living in the home for five years and trying to make some simple changes to the kitchen, we found that the lack of storage and a powerful gas range was getting on our nerves–okay my nerves; so we decided to renovate,” Osborne writes.

I especially love the cabinetry and storage, which beautifully hides — and displays — all the necessary functions of a busy kitchen.

Note how the backsplash continues along the ceiling above the windows here -- what a great detail.

And last, but certainly not least, I really admire the desk area Gilday and Kurylas provided in this space — I just KNOW I would keep better track of my kids’ school and sports activities if I had a lovely perch like this from which to organize our family schedule:

Wow, kitchen envy just doesn’t begin to describe it for me. Caroline — when and if we redo our little kitchen in Arlington (which is sadly lacking proper ventilation, so vent-hood envy is included here), I am definitely reaching out to you for more tips!

And just in case you haven’t had enough of this kitchen, here’s one parting shot — with a full view of that glorious vent hood.

I’m in before-and-after mode this Labor Day weekend, especially since this kitchen project in Alexandria’s Hollin Hills neighborhood is such a dramatic transformation. Kitchen and bath designer Brian McGarry helped the owners go from here:

To here, much more in keeping with the Hollin Hills Mid-Century vibe:

Monorail and pendant lighting by Tech Lighting

More on this specific project in a moment. First a note about Brian, with whom I had a delightful phone conversation this morning: Like most of us in the post-Great Recession world, he’s gone into business for himself after he was laid off from Custom Crafters Inc. when it fell victim to the economy and went out of business in 2009. He’s worked for himself full-time since January 2010, he he reports that it’s the best thing that ever happened to him.

“I don’t have to be in somebody’s showroom all day, or commute anywhere, ” he says. He also gets to work full-time with his wife Robin. “If my wife and I want to take a walk at 2 o’clock, we can take a walk at 2 o’clock!” But then again, if a client wants to meet at 7:30 a.m. before her working day starts, he’s there, too.

(Small-world tangent: Brian and Robin met years ago working at the Washington Design Center, where I now work as marketing director.)

Back to the project at hand: The clients wanted to modernize the space (obviously), and increase its efficiency. They liked the color grey, but the rest was up to Brian.

First, he got permission from the Hollin Hills board to take out a window so he could stack major appliances in the corner:

Appliances by Kitchen-Aid

Now, something from the fridge can go directly into the microwave or oven. And the stack, with its lovely glass-fronted cabinets, makes a huge visual first impression, flanked by those huge windows on either side.

And although the before and after couldn’t be more different, he did echo the old look, replacing the ugly fake-brick backsplash here,

With a glowy reflective glass tile from Architectural Ceramics, here:

Cabinetry is painted in a custom color; Floor tile is from Dal Tile. Countertop is Sea Breeze marble; vent hood is by Best.

And let’s not forget storage options — lots of them:

Brian worked with Fina Construction on the project. Robert Fina lives in Hollin Hills, and understands its unique architecture and how those 40s- and 50s-era houses were built, so he is the go-to guy for almost all remodeling jobs there. I just perused his Web site, and visually speaking, I can see the work is fantastic. Here is another kitchen Robert worked on in the neighborhood:

I love how the original plate-glass windows are preserved in these projects — all that glass that architect Charles Goodman incorporated is one of the neightborhood’s most distinctive elements.

But back to Brian. We first “met” via email when I was doing the Washington Spaces blog and he submitted an adorable condo kitchen from Penn Quarter. I’ve had these more recent photos tucked away since I did a story for the Washington Post last summer about the production designers for Sex in the City and Mad Men, who grew up together around Hollin Hills (read the story here).

“It’s a great neighborhood,” Brian says, noting that he now has a few Hollin Hills projects under his belt. “Those homes really inspire me — they’re so cool.”

Kitchen and bath designer Joe Currie wrote to me recently, saying he had decided to stop being an employee at another design firm and establish his own, called Capitol Design. What struck me most about the photos he attached was the sheer variety in style. So many designers say they don’t have a signature look, that they create a custom look for each individual client. Well, that may be so, but let’s face it — a lot of designers have a signature look and style, not matter what they say.

That’s why it was so refreshing to see him go from something ultra modern:

To projects that fit a more traditional mold:

This is a computer rendering of a current project Joe's working on in Potomac.

Now, I’ve saved the best for last — an elaborate dining room in McLean:

Wow. I mean, wow! Even if the heavy traditional look isn’t your thing, you’ve got to appreciate the craftsmanship that went into it. The couple loved Neff‘s Louis XV cabinetry (another discovery — I had always thought of Neff as making only contemporary cabinets), so Joe took it from there.

Check out just how far he took it, with these “before” pictures:

And now, here are some details of the exquisite millwork on these cabinets:

A trip to Joe’s Web site will reveal his sense of humor — besides the standard links to portfolio, services, contact, etc., he has links to New Yorker-type cartoons about kitchen design, and there’s a there’s also a tab for famous kitchens — from the sets of I love Lucy, Mad Men, Brady Bunch, Leave it to Beaver; all manner of celebrity kitchens; and even the kitchens of Barbie, Lego, and Minnie Mouse! There are also some cool photos of the White House kitchen from different years, and kitchens from various castles and well-known historic mansions.

So if you’re in the market for a new kitchen or bath — look him up.

We had a fantastic time on a Washington Design Center day trip to the Kips Bay Showhouse last week, which included lunch at the Sub-Zero/Wolf showroom at our sister design center, the A&D Building.

Here’s the post on the trip from the WDC’s new blog, right here.

You can read about the trip, who was on it, and see images fromt the show house, but here I want to show the incredible images from the NY Showroom of Sub-Zero and Wolf, along with other kitchen showrooms in the A&D Building. Unburdened by real people living in them, these kitchen displays are total eye candy!

Ok, those are the company’s gorgeous professional photos, but here are some additional pictures I took on my own:

And that’s not all! My counterpart at the A&D Building, Linda Foa, took me through some of her building’s other kitchen showrooms before we had to come back home. Since the Washington Design Center has only one kitchen and bath showroom — Poliform — it was so cool to see what else is out there.

Drop-dead Clive Christian showroom

On the opposite end of the style scale, Miele

And here’s a better photo from the company:

Finally, we went to Poliform, but instead of showing you the NY showroom, here is what WE have to show off now in DC — elegant and modern!

It’s pretty clear at this point on Election Day night that the Republicans are scoring BIG in the midterm elections. Red being the color of the day, then, I remembered these photos that my friend, freelance writer Catherine Funkhouser, sent of an Arlington kitchen she admires.

As you might imagine, this 1850′s farmhouse in Arlington belongs to an artist — who is obviously aware that the color red is known to get one’s appetite going. I particularly love the glass cabinets on the left, which remind me of British telephone booths. I also love the red-framed prints in between them.

The color extends into the adjoining family area, with a bold piece of art over the mantel that this homeowner and her children made together. I also love the diner-like stools around the island.

(I’m only hoping that Catherine sends me more pictures of this house — apparently it includes a daughter’s bedroom with jaunty window treatments that started out life as tablecloths from Target!)

Although I don’t personally claim the red mantle when it comes to politics, I wish the new cooks in Washington’s kitchen the best of luck.

I just love a good before and after story. To start off the weekend, I’ll send you off with a dramatic kitchen transformation in Potomac, Md., by designer Kristin Peake of Rockville. The gorgeous cabinetry was supplied by Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens, also in Rockville.

Here’s the finished product:

A new bar area and island replaced a "mom desk," which was moved to a study to share with dad. All "after" photos by Olson Photography

Now, look at what it used to be — an ’80s relic that Kristin brought into this century:

Here’s a shot of Kristin, obviously contemplating how she’s going to improve this space:

Now, look at the space where Kristin once stood. The window seat and chairs provide ample seating for her clients, a young couple with four children.

Kristin totally opened this space and brought so much light into it, along with lighter cabinetry, counters and furnishings. It just makes you feel like you can breathe again.

Here’s the old family room — blah:

And the new one — ahh! Kristin added bright beadboard in place of those sad shelves, and created space to hang the flat-screen TV.

And here are some more images of the working kitchen area — what a joy it must be for this family to use every day. The backsplash tile is from Architectural Ceramics.

I love product shots of kitchens and baths precisely because they are fake — the less living done in a room, the prettier it is!

I was just perusing the new offerings from the Kohler family of companies, and CHECK out this bath, using new “Cosmati” mosaic stone tile designs from the Obama White House decorator, Michael S. Smith:

The Robern company, also of the Kohler family, introduced this lovely vanity, with a built-in night light. I’ll take that, please, plus the bathroom surrounding it:

And these pictures display a curvy “Cinch” sink from Sterling, but I really like the yellow and green accents around them. Nice propping, people!

Kohler is one of the best when it comes to styling its products for press kits. I always look forward to seeing its booth at the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show — I haven’t been in a couple years due to budget constraints, but I hope to be back next year. As for the DC design community, you can find Ann Sacks in Cady’s Alley in Georgetown, and the other Kohler products at most local kitchen and bath supply stores.

]]> http://dcbydesignblog.com/kitchenbath/the-glory-of-fake-kitchens-and-baths/feed/ 4 http://dcbydesignblog.com/kitchenbath/a-snaidero-kitchen-transformation/ http://dcbydesignblog.com/kitchenbath/a-snaidero-kitchen-transformation/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:44:15 +0000 Jennifer http://dcbydesignblog.com/?p=516

I was excited to see my first freelance piece for The Washington Post published today — it features Studio Snaidero DC‘s dramatic transformation of a condo  kitchen in Georgetown’s Washington Harbor from ’80s-era dark and gloomy into 21st-century shining and sophisticated.

All "after" photographs by John W. Smith

You can read my full story on The Post’s Web site, which involves two different owners with a mutual love for this kitchen, but here I wanted to share more before and after pictures than the two that were published.

The kitchen went from this:

All "before" photographs by Studio Snaidero DC Designer Robert Templon

To THIS:

Here’s another perspective — don’t miss the little coffee cups on the dowdy wallpaper.

The new space from the same angle includes sleek new barstools from Poltrona Frau in Georgetown, and overhead, Artemide’s Logico Nano pendants from Illuminations.

These before pictures include a view of the ancient cooktop, which had a non-working burner when the renovation began; the outdated trash compactor, which didn’t work anyway; and the fridge that had also died when the new work started.

And after: Here’s a picture I took a couple weeks ago, highlighting a suite of high-end Miele appliances, with two wine chillers by U-Line in the background. The gorgeous glass-tile backspash, along with the porcelain on the floor, came from Architectural Ceramics.

I’ll leave you with the final quote from my story, by the kitchen’s current owner, Phyllis Fleischaker: “Every morning when I walk in here, I think, ‘Wow, this is mine!’ ”

Thank you, Snaidero showroom manager Robert Templon, for sending the project my way.

I was thrilled to see a story on the cover of the Washington Post Magazine this weekend about Susan Toffler’s Chevy Chase home, designed by the late modern architect David Condon and recently renovated with the help of Designer Susan Vallon. A lot of blogs have already re-posted this story, but what I am most focused on is the kitchen, full of vintage St. Charles cabinets.

Photograph by Gorden Beall

Photograph by Gordon Beall

I found out about this project last year when I was an editor at Washington Spaces, but The Post smartly snapped it up when the magazine folded in December.

Toffler’s original St. Charles kitchen is in good company: Frank Lloyd Wright used the cabinets at Falling Water in Pennsylvania,

Photograph via www.wright-house.com

and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe used them in the Farnsworth House in Illinois:

I had known about St. Charles from a visit to the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show a few years ago, shortly after the Viking Range Corporation bought it and revived the brand, which was founded in 1935.

“We took it back to its roots, and we re-launched it in its iconic state,” said Jim Gregory, the general manager of St. Charles who answered the phone himself when I called the company number today.

But rather than customers seeking a retro look, he said, St. Charles is seeing younger people who are after a thoroughly fresh design. “I think we’re seeing an extreme amount of interest from people in their 30′s and 40′s who are really into minimal design,” Gregory said.

So this is what you get today:

Images courtesy of St. Charles

Rather than a conventional toe-kick, St. Charles builds cabinets on either four-inch or six-inch legs, a European style that makes it look more like furniture.

Another think going for these sleek cabinets is that they are extremely eco-friendly. Jim tells me that the steel is 98 percent recyclable, and that 70 percent of them are made from already-recycled products.

AND, there are 23 colors to choose from:

St. Charles kitchens have been profiled in a number of publications, including House Beautiful:

House Beautiful photographs via St. Charles

A detail shot of the kitchen's wet bar

After writing this post, I’m filled with St. Charles envy — ahh, someday!

For those who want it today, the local dealer for the company is kitchen designer Nancy Thornett of Nancy Thornett Associates.