 A Tale of Two Kitchens
Two area homeowners make their dream kitchens come true
BY ANNE MOORE
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times in two San Antonio-area
kitchens we recently visited. Sure, these may have looked just fine long ago
when they were new, but years of wear and tear, and innovations in today’s appliances,
materials, styles and designs, left these two kitchens looking worse than their homeowners
could bear. They dreamed of new kitchens and made their dreams come true.
Have you been longing for a new kitchen, too? One that is inviting and spacious and
has all the touches you want? You’re not the only one. Many of us yearn for a fantastic
new kitchen that incorporates all of the latest gizmos, gadgets and cookware — one that
has lots of cabinets to hide small appliances like the toaster, can opener, mixer, coffee
maker and more. We long for secret built-in touches, customized spaces for trays, knives
and spices. How about cabinets with shelves that pop up with the mixer or coffee maker
already on it? And of course we all would like more counter space. Perhaps you’d like
an island with a marble or granite top, where you can knead dough, or one that has a
reversible piece that becomes a wooden carving board.
SAN ANTONIO AT HOME recently met two local homeowners who have
realized their dreams of a perfect kitchen after working with local remodeling and
cabinetry experts.
Kitchen number one: Did someone say “… silk purse?”
While this kitchen wasn’t really anything like a pig’s ear, what
a difference the remodeling job made. Before, the kitchen was
dark, crowded and cluttered. After all, the house was built 15 to
20 years ago, and it showed its age. It had pinkish pickled finish
on the cabinets and flowery wallpaper above and surrounding it
all. It also had the requisite ceramic-tile floors of the time. A small
island was in the middle of the floor, which made moving around
a challenge and may have given the whole place a claustrophobic
feel. Then, there was a large light fixture attached to the ceiling:
big, square and bulky, it still didn’t furnish much light.
“We have this fabulous blue porcelain chef’s-quality oven out
in the garage … could you design a kitchen around it?” the first
homeowner asked the design team at Casa Linda remodeling. “No
problem,” said these experts, and the results are striking.
According to Rodney Hill of Casa Linda Remodeling, their
team took the kitchen down to the studs and started over. They
moved a wall and took part of the pantry to open up the room.
Wonderful travertine flooring was installed, along with floor-toceiling
custom-built and custom-finished cabinets. The ceiling was
painted and fitted with multiple lights – some recessed and some
with stained-glass designs, allowing soft colors to shine through the
glass. Cabinets with open shelving or with glass fronts lit from
within add a nice touch.
Granite tops the counters, which extend into part of the room,
widening and creating an oversized area with overhang to accommodate high stools or chairs. A granite-look porcelain sink blends
into the countertop. The unique hood over the burners was completely
handmade and was texturized and embellished with a
hand-painted design. The backsplash area features a framed stonewithin-
stone pattern. Openings were curved, windows refinished,
and walls were painted a spicy shade of red. As an extra touch, they
painted the owners’ china cabinet with a base coat of red and a topcoat
of black, which was then sanded to expose some of the red.
 Kitchen number two: How sweet it is!
The second kitchen remodel featured was a shock of white –
both cabinets and walls. Small blue ceramic tiles topped off the
white cabinets as they folded into the kitchen, but this made the
space feel and appear smaller. Unfortunately, the Saltillo tile floors,
in shades of orangey pink with caulking darkened over the years,
did not complement the rest of the room décor. Or, maybe it was
the blue and white combination that did not complement the
floor. Either way, it wasn’t working.
The walls were disrupted by unsightly built-in appliances and
outdated touches – a black oven and refrigerator, a gray television,
glass blocks on one small area of a wall. Angled walls in the corners
chopped up and reduced the appearance of space.
The owners had given a lot of thought to the kitchen remodel
and knew some specific materials they wanted to use, along with
other ideas they wanted to implement. For example, bird’s-eye
maple would be used for the cabinets and the large center island/work area that was installed as part
of the new design.
The whole area
opened up as the walls were straightened,
straight lines of matched floor-to-ceiling
cabinets clung to the walls, and granite
countertops were added in colors that
complemented the space.
The old tile floors became a beautiful
highly polished wood floor, blending the
floors with the natural maple cabinets.
This caused the kitchen to look even
more spacious.
Continuing the sleek modern effect,
stainless steel became part of the mix. A
Sub-Zero refrigerator with glass doors and
heavy stainless steel trim was set flush
with the cabinets. The oven, sink and the
cook top hood are all stainless steel.
Cabinets and drawers were fitted with
elongated silvery pulls.
To make the kitchen lighter, they
installed lots of recessed lighting and “can” lights. Some lights were placed
under the wall cabinets to illuminate the
workspace below. A nearly floor-to-ceiling
window replaced a small one, allowing
for more light and a greater feeling of
spaciousness. A plasma television on one
wall completes the contemporary look.
A chef’s pantry to the right of the
refrigerator gave the homeowners lots of
much-needed grocery and canned-goods
storage space.
This stunning extensive makeover was
accomplished with the experts at
Cabinetry Designs. They translated the
owner’s ideas and added some of their
own as well. Attractive bird’s-eye maple
cabinets were custom made by Wood
Mode. The counters were too tall, so
Cabinetry Designs corrected them so
they would stand at a more comfortable
work height. The experts also added pullout
spice and towel racks and created
useable space in cabinets under the overhang
of the large island.
Dreams can come true
As this tale of two kitchen remodeling
projects illustrates, a dream kitchen can
become a reality with the help of those
who know how to bring together all the
right elements for remodeling and who
know how to create distinctive custom
cabinetry. So why not wake from your
dreams and make real-life plans for a
timeless new kitchen?
Clearly, the worst spaces make
the best makeovers when it comes
to kitchens.
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