Simply Beautiful

Owners Maysa and Mostafa Yacoub purchased their home knowing that their kitchen was just going to be temporary. When Maysa looked at the kitchen style she thought that it was obsolete. She also thought that it was strange that the dining room and kitchen eating area were in such close proximity. Useless space was with first thing that came to her mind. With their big family of six and a pretty decent sized kitchen she knew that there was a better way to do it.

Before:
This kitchen certainly showed its age. By today’s standards it was completely nonfunctional, but in its heyday the cabinets were probably considered well-made. The thin wood that was used had expired and now could be considered archaic.  The backsplash and vinyl tile flooring had seen their glory days and those days are over. The ceiling was at a decent height but the soffit shrunk the space.  The refrigerator was located right across from the peninsula, causing it to block them from adding another stool.

The Goals:

-Create a functional kitchen utilizing the entire space.

-Include suitable informal seating for six with an island.

-Relocate the refrigerator for better flow.

-Remove the window and create patio doors for an outdoor living space.

-Create a functional lighting plan.

 

Maysa and Mostafa knew that this was possible and allowed us to steal a little space from the useless mudroom adjacent to the kitchen. This allowed the homeowners to create some wanted storage space and a larger powder room from the rest of the mudroom. They also wanted to have a new kitchen with a classic and clean look.

The Plan:

The project begins. It was a complete gut job. Everything including the floors and ceiling was demoed. We then opened up the wall to the mudroom, now a storage space, to create a pantry and refrigerator area.

The newly L-shaped kitchen is more functional and allows for an island that seats 4 to 6.  New bamboo flooring gives it a beautiful look of wood, but is soft to your feet and highly functional.

 

Mostafa, an engineer by trade, decided to tackle this job himself. He was smart enough to use professionals where he felt that it was needed as well as to save time. After demo and the reconstruction of all the walls and ceiling, he put in the floor himself. He did a beautiful job, I must add. He then installed the cabinetry. The stainless steel farm sink required some skill. If you speak to anyone in the trade, they will tell you farm sink installations are a pain in the backside. The reason is that farm sinks do not have standard sizes. You can pick from any one you love and any two will have a different width, length and depth. This requires trade people to retrofit the sink.

This beautiful stainless steel farm sink came with the manufacturer’s installation requirements. Mostafa took one look at the requirements and said ‘This will not do”. He actually created a better mousetrap. Imagine people have been installing these for years and this was Mostafa’s first time. He did a better job than I’ve seen it done in the last seven years. I’m sure his engineering background and sharp mind had much to do with it.

The cabinets are a shaker style in a natural cherry finished wood.  Shaker style furniture is a distinctive style developed by the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, commonly known as the Shakers.  Shaker communities were largely self-sufficient. In their attempt to separate themselves from the outside world and to create a heaven-on-earth, members grew their own food, constructed their own buildings, and manufactured their own tools and household furnishings. Their beliefs were reflected in the well-made furniture of minimalist designs. Rather than using ornamentation, they wanted their furniture to be simple and functional. The flat frame like border was just enough embellishment to add a little beauty.

We added a quartz backsplash and countertops. Note, the backsplash is not only in the same material, but it is also a solid piece of quartz with no seems.

Absolutely stunning! It not only looks like a piece of art, but it also lends itself to easy cleanup and is very functional. At the end of the island there is space for two more stools, if the owners desire. This kitchen is Simply Beautiful.

 

 

 

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