This beloved cook needed a kitchen makeover badly!
People called this cook from all over the world to get advice on just which herb or spice or combination of ingredients would work for a special dish. Her reputation was as large as her heart, and her talent with combining spices legendary.
Kitchen Makeover
Everything was always messy and difficult to find. Items fell on the ground on a regular basis and it was hard to keep clean, let alone find the ingredients.
Before
It’s hard to cook when the kitchen is tiny and doesn’t have enough storage or work space. This condo kitchen that really needed a makeover. There wasn’t enough cupboards due to a pass through from the kitchen to the living room. We closed this off which enabled us to add in additional upper cabinets and dedicated space for the microwave. Because it’s a condo kitchen space was limited. The client didn’t want to make the kitchen open to the living/dining space due to cooking smells. A high powered ventilation fan was a needed upgrade.
After
Client Needs and Wants
Since this kitchen was so important to the Client – she loved to cook and spent most of her day here, it was vital that we captured all the needs and wants that she had to have in this small space.
Storage was the most obvious – not just for her spice jars but also for her food containers and pantry items. Countertop space was also essential as she made multiple dishes for each meal. And, as someone lucky enough to enjoy some of these meals, they were all delicious. She had a unique ability with her cooking where you could identify each spice and enjoy it. Ok, (head shake), moving on. A new fan that would take the cooking smells away was necessary. Getting the microwave off the counter to provide more space was necessary. Weeding out the mishmash of storage containers and random items no longer needed was necessary. Fortunately a family member was able to do this while she was on vacation, making it an easier transition to a new bright kitchen.
An easy to clean backsplash was also high on her list of wants. The previous backsplash was the previous owner’s wallpaper, long outdated, and difficult to keep clean.
Steps to the Transformation
We replaced the floor and cabinets, tiled the back splash, replaced the counter top, sink and faucet, as well as installing a new exhaust (ventilation) fan. We painted and re-organized items so that they were easier to access. At the time the client chose to keep some of her appliances. Now, a few years later we’ve replaced the appliances.
This cook uses a lot of spices in her cooking. One of the changes that made the greatest impact was taking her mish-mash (yes, that’s a technical term!) of spice and herb containers and de-canting all of them into similar sized glass containers which we then put in a drawer so it was easy to access but tidy.
Happy client
“I love what Clarissa has done with my kitchen. It never worked for me – was always messy and cluttered without enough storage space. When I went on vacation Clarissa and her team came in and renovated the kitchen – changing the floors, kitchen cabinets, counter top, painting, and installing beautiful green glass back splash tiles. I love it! It was dark and dingy before – now it’s bright and fresh and clean. Clarissa even made sure there was space for a spice drawer so now I am organized and able to cook even more.” Nishat K
Kitchen Makeover Tips
One of the most important things to consider when designing a kitchen is to think about your cooking and storage needs.
- Do drawers or cabinets work better for you?
- Is additional storage for seasonal or party dishes, bowls, plates, or glasses needed?
- Do you need extra ventilation for spices and cooking with high heat?
- How important is counter space?
- Are there some appliances that have to be out on the counter as they are used all the time?
By really digging deep and thinking about your cooking/storage/entertaining needs you can start writing up a list of must-have’s. That’s a great starting point for creating a kitchen that is functional. Ignore the “pretty” items like countertop and backsplash details until you’ve really worked out the functional details.
Is a kitchen renovation in your future? Click HERE to read “Is a Kitchen Renovation a good investment?”
If you’re interested in reading about the study on what return you’d get for a kitchen renovation you can find that HERE on the Appraisal Institute of Canada.
