New Kitchen and Bath Projects Fall 2013

The first snow of the year is predicted to fall this weekend.  It's only the first week of October, but after living in Colorado for almost 5 years now, it's not surprising that we will have snowy weather on Friday and sunny 70 degree weather on Sunday.  Go figure. I'm pleased to announce that I have recently been retained to work on four new projects.

A master bathroom remodel in Cherry Creek North:  We're going for a sleek transitional look.  I am specifying large format porcelain tile (18 x 36) for the flooring and a wainscot tile that is 12 x 24.  I'll tie everything together with and carrara accents, and then add some interest with vibrant colors on the walls.   The new frameless European shower will be a vast improvement.

Just up the street from the master bathroom remodel is a house owned by a couple with a young child.  It's a wonderful old house that has a newer addition on the back of it.  Problem is that the new part of the house does not tie into the old part.  There are several areas I am working on in this project including, the master suite, kitchen, great room, mudroom, entry way, and flooring.  The homeowners are very involved with the process and are excited about bringing this wonderful house together into one cohesive home.

You may have seen pictures on this blog of a classic home restoration project that I completed about a year ago...That homeowner referred me to his neighbor just down the street, and we are now currently in the design phase on her master bathroom.  Her home is very traditional, with clean lines.  I plan to give her a new bathroom that is really beautiful - but most importantly, it is going to feel like it belongs in the house.

I was also hired on to a kitchen remodel project up in Boulder.  Fortunately, this couple avoided any major flood damage - many of their neighbors are still recovering.  We're going to update their kitchen to something totally sleek and modern.  High gloss lacquer, white glass, textured laminates and quartz counters are going to make this space really POP.

We are also finishing up installation of new construction in Greenwood Village.  That project should be complete by Thanksgiving.

I will report back with pictures soon!

Custom Glass Wine Enclosure with a View!

My clients asked me to design an area to store their wine inside their corner unit on the 28th floor of The Spire building, in downtown Denver.  I found the wine racking system locally here in Denver.  VintageView; a Denver based wine cellar company provided the interior racking system.  None of their standard units were perfect for our application, so they made a custom rack for us and delivered it directly to the building.  The sides of the racking system are made out of a high quality clear acrylic that is 3/4" thick.  Each rod is polished stainless steel.  In all, the unit weighs in at over 250lbs and is extremely sturdy.  It is a free standing system that can be placed anywhere. We chose to enclose the 350 bottle capacity wine rack with a custom glass surround.  1/2" industrial grade tempered glass was used and we worked with Denver Glass Interiors to create the finished product.  Not shown in this photo: LED lights are strategically placed along the floor.  They shine upward - creating a really unique effect for entertaining.

I know what you're thinking - with all that light, it's really going to mess with the wine!  AHH HAAA - I brought in a special commercial window tinting specialist to advise on this.  As it turns out, the windows in this LEED certified building are all super Low E...meaning they block 99% of all UV rays, and a lot of the heat.  Also - the patio of the unit above this apartment casts a year long shadow over the windowed area where we installed the glass enclosure.  But just to be sure, the homeowners also had auto-blinds installed behind the wine rack.  The blinds are operated by remote control and can be closed in any situation where directly sunlight makes its way into the apartment.

I think this wine enclosure is awesome.  It was the first one I had ever designed and I think that it turned out amazing.  I can easily see using this version or a modified version of it (possibly temperature controlled) in any wine enthusiast's home.

Bathroom Project Featured in 5280 Home Magazine June 2013 Issue

A bathroom project that I finished about a year ago is featured in this month's 5280 Home Magazine. Here is a link to the article:  TotalTranquility_June2013_5280Home

Historical Remodel in Cheesman Park

My client has painstakingly restored this beautiful Denver Square over the past three years.  I was fortunate enough to work with him on the kitchen and three bathrooms in this residence.  We carefully planned each space to have its own unique character.  I respected the history of the home as much as possible throughout the design phase.  We saved items from each room and integrated them into the new design so that our new kitchen and baths had a similar feel to the rest of the home. Photography by Teri Fotheringham.

The Kitchen

Exposed brick walls in the kitchen thoughtfully contrast the stainless steel range and pro hood.  It's the classic, "Old and New", theme that I like so much.  Also in the kitchen, original leaded glass panes of glass were preserved from the original cabinetry and integrated into the new cabinetry.  I literally designed the kitchen around these glass panes.  We removed a large load bearing wall and replaced it with a 20' long steel beam to gain some much added space.  The client desperately wanted an island - any island - in his kitchen.  I designed a small functional island with a lot of storage in the middle of the kitchen and it even has space for two small bar stools...

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The Bathrooms

We gutted all three bathrooms in the home, and all three now have their own unique feel and charm.  The powder room is simple and sophisticated.   A white porcelain vessel sink sits atop a piece of granite.  The wall mounted bridge faucet adds interest.  A tin ceiling, adds a bit of drama to the space.

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The Master Bathroom again utilizes an exposed brick wall.  Interestingly enough, the brick wall was not part of the original design.  It was covered in plaster and we had no idea it would look so stunning when we took the plaster down.  However, after seeing the space with the brick exposed, it was a no brainer to just restore the brick and leave it as a statement wall in the bathroom.  All the surfaces are custom concrete forms that I designed myself.  An integrated planter tray, with its own drainage system is actually the same piece of concrete as the shower bench.  A piece of frameless shower glass separates shower bench from planter.

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The upstairs hall bathroom was a different style all together.  The owner wanted to provide a very sophisticated, clean, white space for his guests to use.  To capture that dynamic, I utilized an antique white penny round flooring tile, and sourced a very simple white pedestal sink and free standing tub.  The waincot paneling, which I also designed, has white glass center panels.  The mixture of glass and wood updates the space and gives it a glamorous feel.