Before & After: A kitchen reno by Retreat Design
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (6)
- 4 years ago
Related Discussions
Kitchen Mania before & after kitchen project in 1970's house
Comments (0)David and Tammy bought their 1970s home a year ago and have two sons. They are a young Air Force family and their dream is to become as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible. Since moving into their home, they have added a lick of paint here and there but have a whiteboard with over 70 items on the 'to-do' list! With an oven that didn't cook, a sink that didn't drain and a pantry with no door, this family was in desperate need of a new kitchen! The existing kitchen had good bones, but just needed some attention to design, layout and functionality - and that's where we came in! Fresh off the plane from the worlds largest kitchen trade fair in Italy, our talented designer Mark worked with interior designer Melissa to come up with a kitchen design and colour scheme that would "Bring Milan to Massey!" This gorgeous kitchen has matte black cabinetry, two gold accent doors, a marble look laminate bench top and black sink, tap and handles. The Before and After images speak for themselves! Before Before After After...See MoreBefore and After: From cruddy to country
Comments (0)At the end of 2019 I put the finishing touches to a kitchen that was many months in the design and build process. Client Brief: My client, originally from Scotland had always dreamed of having a country kitchen with lots of detail, warmth and charm. The name Charles Rennie Mackintosh was thrown around a couple of times which certainly put the pressure on me, the clients expectations were clearly set very high but also gave me a very clear visual of the style she liked. Before: With space at a premium and two entrances in to the kitchen it was always going to be hard to change the layout of the appliances and fortunately working within this space will always be functional for that reason. After: This kitchen was all about the detail, and how to maximize the impact without taking up and loosing too much space. The pantry, which is opposite the hallway entrance had always been a square eye sore. I told my client I wanted to make it look more like a piece of furniture and vary the depth to take away from its heaviness. By having tall elegant bi-folding doors and lead light windows at the top it was definitely a Mackintosh inspired look from his amazing chairs. No sacrificing on function though as we made sure the top part of the unit was deep enough for all my clients requirements and easy to access drawers under bench height. With the main area of the kitchen I managed to get some symmetry around the oven using a blind corner to the right and drawers to the left for access and function. For simplicity of the visual I manufactured the drawers to the left of the oven with the same molding as a door, I then put them on push-to-open runners and offset the door knob to finish the balance. A beautiful hand made butler sink was sourced to give some authenticity to the space and a modern integrated dishwasher allowed us to not have too many things fighting for the limelight. depth and character we given to the design with my hand finished details from the shaped toe kicks and fluted column panels, up to the Flemish glass lead light windows and shaped cornice molding. I am very fortunate to have a fantastic stone fabricator that I work with, who fully embraced my requirements for detail. He manufactured the bench with no joins in the corners just behind the hob and sink really completing this amazing transformation. As with any renovation, the final judgement comes down to how the client reacts and feels towards their new space.. and by her reviews I know this is one very happy customer! If you would like to know more about this, any of my other projects or would like some advice on your own kitchen projects please feel free to contact me. Jack Bradbrook for Interior Fittings (NZ)...See MoreMaximising Property Value with a Home Renovation: Before and After
Comments (6)Thank you for your feedback. Personal taste will always impact on how one feels about design, architecture, art, even how food is presented. When renovating to sell this needs to be considered, however one cannot meet everyone’s taste. Your comments and critique are appreciated, especially in regard to the appliances. The client has renovated for sale in the past and this particular location allowed him to be more daring with the design in particular in regard to the staircase. He was positive that he would get the return on investment. We ensured that we picked the points of impact and ensured all other costs were minimized by updating ceiling, wall and flooring finishes with cost effective materials that are aesthetically pleasing and hard wearing. By making necessary repairs and updates, one can improve the property's overall appearance, functionality, and appeal, making it more attractive to a larger pool of potential buyers, as well as being able to set a higher asking price and have more leverage during negotiations with potential buyers. We do not believe that a paint job alone and sharing the ideas with the new owner would have assisted our client in making the best return on his investment....See MoreBefore and After: A Stunning Whole House Renovation
Comments (1)Wow, the transformation is amazing. Well done Fiona and your team. From Hawkes Bay Refresh....See More
Retreat DesignOriginal Author