Project Highlight - Santos Kitchen Refresh

I truly believe that God has a plan for us and that he sends us some wonderful people to help us on our journey and achieve our goals. I had the privilege of meeting Rich and Teresa at the beginning of my career as a professional interior designer through a fluke phone call to one of the interns I had working for me. At that time we embarked on a long renovation process together that ended up in a long friendship over the years. Like many of my clients, I’ve worked with them on their home, project by project and goal by goal.

Phase one began 18 years ago and included major changes to their Living Room, Dining Room and Sun room. Since the existing layout for their Kitchen worked well for the couple and their oak cabinets were in good shape we only changed or added elements that would give Teresa the French Country flair she liked. This first round included wallpaper, window treatments, new dining chairs (we kept the kitchen table) and some lighting and accessories.

Then about 7 years ago Rich called asking for my help in making some additional updates. They were ready to replace their failing refrigerator and wanted my help in designing custom cabinetry for a new built-in refrigerator armoire that would also house a small TV and organization center. We worked with one of my talented cabinetmakers to create contrasting cream-colored cabinetry with a warm chocolate glaze. These tones worked well with the existing oak cabinets and stayed true to the French Country aesthetic we had created in the first phase.

This past spring I got another call from Rich and Teresa saying they were ready to refresh their kitchen again. This time they were interested in investing in new countertops, backsplash, sink and lighting. And they were finally considering changing the oak cabinets – but not replacing them. They were thinking about changing the color to match the new cabinetry that I had designed for the refrigerator a few years back.

I met with them several times in their home and at various showrooms to select a new quartz countertop and tile backsplash. We also reviewed the new under cabinet lighting I had suggested and some minor cabinet adjustments they wanted to be made before deciding on the paint color and glaze. But one of the main areas that I helped them with was the process! Often accomplishing a renovation requires the skills of MANY different tradespeople at DIFFERENT TIMES and in a SPECIFIC ORDER! It can be very confusing to homeowners, which trade person needs to do what and when. And it’s important to understand that it’s difficult to bring a contractor in to do just one thing at a time. I always try to be respectful of the talented people I work with and make sure their visits are worth their time! It’s a tricky task and takes time and patience to juggle everyone. I am fortunate that Rich and Teresa understood this and made each step of the project pleasant.

All told we had 6 different trades working on this project. From cabinet-makers, electricians, painters, countertop fabricator, tile installers, window treatment installers and myself, we needed each person to do their part to make the job a success. In this case, good things happen to those who are patient while they wait and the Santos’ are thrilled with the results!