Tudor Style Home Gets a Make-Over!

Kitchen remodels can be a huge undertaking. What about a kitchen, bar and laundry room remodel?! Well that’s exactly the journey we embarked on with a Colorado family at the end of 2015. The final touches were completed this past week and we couldn't be happier!  Here is how it all came to be.

This family of 4 decided it was time to make their beautiful Tudor style home represent their modern lifestyle today. A poor kitchen layout destroyed the natural flow of their living space. Not only did the kitchen physically have tight spaces, with dropped ceilings and a closed off bar area, but visually gave off a less then desirable impression. It is amazing what bad lighting, short cabinets, and out of date finishes can do to a home! Oh, and did we mention there was a huge copper hood in the middle of the ceiling?! Yes, there was a lot going on and not much of it was good.

Our clients wanted to create a space that allowed easy movement from the kitchen, to the bar, to the family room. A love of entertaining inspired the family to rethink the central hang-out spots. Traditionally, Tudor style homes were designed to host guests in other living areas; a more modern approach to entertaining today is in and around the kitchen.

That is exactly what they decided to do; make the kitchen the heart of the home. It was important to modernize the features while keeping true to the characteristics of the homes style. Not only did they hope to gain more storage throughout, but wanted to utilize the laundry room as a drop off point for storage overflow and everyday items.

First order of business; open up the entry to the kitchen! We did this by extending the opening into the kitchen from the foyer to a large 5 feet. This was a challenge. The original paneling, molding and trim had to be replaced to make it appear as if it had never been touched. Fortunately, the experts at Jaguar Construction undertook this challenge along with the whole remodel from start to finish.  

The construction phase of the remodel generally takes up half the time of the total process. In this case, a full wall, upholstered walls and saloon doors that once closed off the bar area, needed to be removed. A new header beam was installed between the kitchen and living room to lend support to the new open area. Once these structural items were taken care of, wide 4” oak floors were laid in the whole space. Working from the studs does come with many advantages. We were able to re-work plumbing and electrical without walls interfering. Our client was able to get all new lighting to brighten every spot of their kitchen and new plumbing to work in their favor.

 

Now onto the second phase of the process (a.k.a. the fun part!) We created a modern space by using 2 color tones for the cabinets. A lighter color was chosen for the uppers and a contrasting dark tone for the base. To incorporate the two colors into the overall space, we choose the lighter putty color for the hutch and the darker color for the bar area. Travertine, beveled subway tile was laid in a herringbone basket weave. This layout was designed to emulate the pattern in the existing brick fireplace located in the living room.

The homeowners chose top of the line stainless steel appliances to compliment the design details. A single steel granite sink was selected in a cappuccino color. It blends beautifully with the countertops. We added more depth and interest to the bar by selecting a stacked stone for the front sides of the counter. This visually connects the kitchen's backsplash to the bar area allowing continuous flow throughout the space.

Bar Area Before:

 

We couldn’t discuss the bar and kitchen without mentioning our clients fabulous laundry room! Just like the other space, we redesigned the layout be more functional. The laundry room door was moved to the hallway by the bar in order to open up space for their new hutch (located on opposite side of wall). Modern 12” x 24” tile was laid on the floor, while granite countertops and a stainless steel sink now grace the new cabinets. A mud bench with hooks (not pictured) finished off the newly designed laundry room.

The time we spent with both our client and Jaguar Construction was such a pleasurable experience. Thank you for allowing us to take on such a huge remodel! We couldn't start off 2016 any better! 

For pictures of the whole finished project, visit our HOUZZ page:
http://www.houzz.com/projects/1542516/tutor-home-kitchen-bar-and-laundry

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