See "5-Year Kitchen in Elgin" for the kitchen featured in this description. Bud Kane has remodeled nearly every room in his own home over many years. Now reaching his 70’s, he contemplated heading up a major kitchen and laundry room renovation himself, planning on doing the carpentry work with his own hands. “I was not convinced I would ever meet anyone who could do it as well as I could do it myself”, said Bud. Ruth and Bud spent 5 years visiting kitchen firms and interviewing designers. They couldn’t however bring themselves to pull the trigger on the project, until they met Advance Design Studio in 2015. “No one understood what I wanted”, said Ruth. She was continually frustrated by experiences with designers who weren’t hearing what was important to her. “Everyone kept designing my kitchen with what they thought it should look like; I couldn’t find anyone who would listen to me”! When they met designer Scott Christensen from Advance Design Studio, they liked him right away. He listened to Ruth and designed a kitchen that she loved, all the while interjecting years of wisdom and design expertise that Ruth appreciated. “The finished product is better than I expected”, says Ruth. “I respected Scott’s opinions and together we created the perfect place for me to bake with my grandkids and truly enjoy the kitchen and laundry room I’ve been dreaming of for many years!” The kitchen transformation began with removing the home’s soffits, and extending new painted maple cabinetry to the ceiling with the addition of an elegant crown molding. Ruth’s new Vita Mix holds a coveted place on her counter, and adjustments were planned to size the cabinets in conjunction with the under cabinet decorative light molding to fit this appliance just right. “This one small detail was really important to me”, says Ruth smiling. An elegant new island replaced the original island, complete with room for 3 stools where her grandchildren will sit to make home-made pasta every Thanksgiving, and cookies at Christmas time. “Traditions are very important in my family, and making my kitchen work to suit cherished activities with my family was the number one reason this renovation was so desired”, replied Ruth when asked about the island. A picture perfect new tea station replaced a cluttered unused desk area, creating a wonderful place to prepare hot drinks for sipping any season of the year while overlooking the couple’s wonderfully manicured gardens from the lovely 3 season’s room just off the kitchen. The soft sage island bead panel detail was repeated on the backsplash, replicating the feel of a fine old piece of furniture. The biggest problem with the laundry room was 3 doors, one from the garage, one from the closet, and one to the hallway. “Scott designed a pocket door, and oh what a dream it is now to bring groceries in from the garage!” exclaims Bud who grew to disdain this task! Doing laundry is now a breeze in this attractive new space that doubles as a wonderful pantry for the kitchen with room to store food items that didn’t have a home in the poorly designed original space. New Hickory distressed wood flooring was laid both in the kitchen and leading to the hall foyer. Soft gray wood-replicating porcelain was placed in the laundry area, making for an easily cleanable surface for what doubles as a mud room from the garage. Creamy tumbled marble graces an unobtrusive backsplash spilling onto shiny granite counter tops in a rich earthy pattern of fall colors that mimic colors throughout the home. Advance is known details that included custom crafted furniture toe kicks, luxurious crown moldings, and beaded under cabinet moldings. The kitchen is complete with a glass display cabinet showing Ruth’s treasured china tea collection. Early on, it was initially only their intention of purchasing cabinets for the new design. They were so impressed however with Advance Design’s complete program for budgeting, design, installation and management that it became clear to them both that they wanted Advance to handle the entire project from start to finish. “After seeing the quality work they did, coupled with the in-house team completely dedicated to our satisfaction, it became apparent there was no other choice but to hire them to handle everything. And we’re so glad we did, we have not one regret”, says Bud. “The attention to detail by the carpentry crew more than satisfied my perfectionist expectations of the finished carpentry,” exclaimed Bud. “Every one of Advance Design’s people we encountered from design through construction was wonderful. We’ve never met a group of people so dedicated to making sure we were happy with every single detail, and every single part of this experience”, said Ruth and Bud. Designer: Scott Christensen Photographer: Joe Nowak

Plato Woodwork Frameless Inovae Cabinetry

In this laundry room remodel, we installed Medallion Gold Maple cabinets in the Dana Pointe Flat Panel door style in the Divinity Classic finish. Corian Solid Surface countertops in the Sahara color were installed. A Sterling Latitude Utility Sink in White with a Moen Camerist single handle pull out faucet in spot resist stainless.

Photo By Gannon

Medium size laundry to match the kitchen. Plenty of benchspace for folding laundry and feeding the pets. dirty clothes hampers under the bench and a broom cupboard at the end. A mini mudroom on the opposite wall for shoe storage, coats and hats. A timber seat for putting on shoes and boots.

Kolanowski Studio

Designer Tim Moser-- Sollera Fine Cabinetry-- Acadia door style Maple painted in Sea Haze

This 3 storey mid-terrace townhouse on the Harringay Ladder was in desperate need for some modernisation and general recuperation, having not been altered for several decades. We were appointed to reconfigure and completely overhaul the outrigger over two floors which included new kitchen/dining and replacement conservatory to the ground with bathroom, bedroom & en-suite to the floor above. Like all our projects we considered a variety of layouts and paid close attention to the form of the new extension to replace the uPVC conservatory to the rear garden. Conceived as a garden room, this space needed to be flexible forming an extension to the kitchen, containing utilities, storage and a nursery for plants but a space that could be closed off with when required, which led to discrete glazed pocket sliding doors to retain natural light. We made the most of the north-facing orientation by adopting a butterfly roof form, typical to the London terrace, and introduced high-level clerestory windows, reaching up like wings to bring in morning and evening sunlight. An entirely bespoke glazed roof, double glazed panels supported by exposed Douglas fir rafters, provides an abundance of light at the end of the spacial sequence, a threshold space between the kitchen and the garden. The orientation also meant it was essential to enhance the thermal performance of the un-insulated and damp masonry structure so we introduced insulation to the roof, floor and walls, installed passive ventilation which increased the efficiency of the external envelope. A predominantly timber-based material palette of ash veneered plywood, for the garden room walls and new cabinets throughout, douglas fir doors and windows and structure, and an oak engineered floor all contribute towards creating a warm and characterful space.

It always feels good when you take a house out of the 80s/90s with all the oak cabinetry, carpet in the bathroom, and oversized soakers that take up half a bathroom. The result? Clean lines with a little flare, sleek design elements in the master bath and kitchen, gorgeous custom stained floors, and staircase. Special thanks to Wheatland Custom Cabinetry for bathroom, laundry room, and kitchen cabinetry.

This laundry room serves many purposes. It's great for doing the wash but also serves as a place to take a little break and catch up on some reading. Plenty of natural light and soft colors make this laundry room a pleasing place to be. Photo Credit: Susan Debbe

Marcell Puzsar, Brightroom Photography

Designed by Ty Thomas of Reico Kitchen & Bath in Williamsburg, VA this traditional kitchen remodel features Woodharbor Cabinetry in the Portland door style in 2 finishes: Dove White and Cherry Ginger. Kitchen countertops are granite in the color Ambrosia White. The tile backsplash features Melange Crema Marfil/Brick Mosaics/Mother of Pearl. Kitchen appliances are by KitchenAid. According to the client, "Ty was very important to the success of our project. She guided us through the selection process, coordinated all aspects of the job, and followed up on all the details." This was important to Ty, who added "I enjoyed working with them because they were open to my design ideas and put trust in me to execute this for them." Photos courtesy of Frank Biganski/Agents Choice 360.

A custom pantry with medium hardwood flooring and a single hung window.

Lisa Brown - Photographer

Laundry room with single sink and long counter.