Everyday Visual Value

I love watching HGTV and all the fresh ideas! One show added lime green cabinets to the kitchen and the homeowner loved it at the reveal. Last weekend a homeowner installed a totally unique backsplash that was a cutting edge design and it did look very nice. However, at the end of the day I don’t work with budgets that will allow me or my clients to just experiment or be all that “cutting edge” because it is real money and it is their hard earned money. We don’t have the luxury of hoping ten years down the road lime green cabinets will be all the rage. So as much fun as it is to dream about all the cool things we could do, it takes money to execute those dreams and the result has to last for a long time. In the everyday world of design most homeowners want visual bang for the buck because as I hear at least once a day ……, “this is the last time I am doing this, no pressure!” Let’s take a peek into the kitchen of a 1999 Rancho Mirage model that is updated and full of visual bang for the buck. This model closely resembles the current Williamsburg Model somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

• Goodbye Oak
This kitchen had the old golden oak cabinets that were all the rage in the eighties and mid-nineties. However, as much as the homeowner loved her oak cabinets she realized that it was time for an update. Re-facing the kitchen cabinets was the way to go since she had no damage to any of the current cabinet boxes. When a kitchen is re-faced the doors are replaced with larger and in this case, white doors that meet in the middle. The face frames of the cabinet boxes are painted white to match the doors and a new larger crown molding is added to the top of the cabinets. The best color to re-face is always white because white never goes out of style. Color washes can be added to the white cabinets if the homeowner needs a little more but crisp clean white will never steer wrong.

• Raise cabinets
While the cabinet doors are off the re-facer can move the boxes up or down if the homeowner would like. Each box is separate and removable. In this kitchen we decided to bring the large cabinet above the refrigerator out to meet the line of the pantry. This makes the refrigerator look more integrated into the cabinetry. We also raised the cabinet over the microwave for the staged effect on the stove wall side.

• Custom island
This is a big kitchen and without an island it feels cavernous. The kitchen re-facer built a custom island. We made it big enough that she could use it but not so big that it became a nuisance to walk around it. The homeowner loves it!

• Wainscot
We installed a wainscot treatment on the island. This not only visually connects the island to the kitchen but it does protect it from kicking feet. The wainscot is made of frames with bead board inside the frames. The look is classical and visually supports the granite better than a color on the wall.

• Granite and backsplash
The homeowner chose granite called Ivory Fantasy and it is gorgeous! The granite has some movement but still looks neutral enough that any new home buyer would be happy to have it. The granite was installed as the backsplash too.
A granite backsplash = no grout! If you don’t have to deal with grout it makes kitchen clean up much easier. The homeowner chose granite over quartz because most granite choice’s cost less than quartz and the granite kept us on budget.

• Shutters
This kitchen has beautiful windows but they had been hiding behind purple curtains for 21 years. We had plantation shutters installed on both arched windows and covered the entire window. This is a two for one because the shutter covers the window for privacy and regulates light; while offering trim around the entire window that really makes the window stand out.

• Paint
The paint is Bluesy Note SW 9046. It is a bright pop of blue and really looks good with all the white. I love the color which adds so much life and light to the space and best of all the homeowner loves it too!

P.S. –Attention all club presidents! We give free decorating seminars. It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today. Also, we are on-line check out our web-site at www.ruthdyer.com and you can always e-mail us at ruth@finishingtouchfl.com or Call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.

Before and After Pics Below