With Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, and Festivas around the corner, cooking (…or at least eating) is on everyone’s mind. Has that old kitchen of yours seen better days? Would you just love to have a cooking space that is actually functional? Tired of working in a crammed space? Is it time to tear down some walls and create a more open floor plan, or perhaps put on an addition? Need a kosher kitchen?

Here’s a little story about a kitchen we designed for Kathy and Andrew:

We were brought in shortly after the couple had purchased a beautiful old home on Courtland Boulevard in Shaker Heights. The kitchen was tiny and didn’t fit the style or size of the home.

In our first meeting, Kathy presented us with her kitchen scrapbook full of ideas and inspiration. It was organized just like a planning scrapbook you might see prepared for “that perfect wedding”. The challenge: It contained lots of conflicting design styles, colors and details. Our job…Tie it all together to be super functional for their family’s specific needs, make it all work together to be aesthetically beautiful and timeless, while tripling the size of the kitchen.  Andrew’s “requirement”, besides that we make his wife happy with the new kitchen of course, that we incorporate a kegerator for cold draft beer. As the design was finalized, it turned out that he had actually been joking and hadn’t really imagined that getting a kegerator in a traditionally styled kitchen was even an option. Well…turns out it was and Andrew was quite excited to say the least! A unique feature no doubt, but one that is enjoyed and talked about immensely when friends come for a visit.

The kitchen was functionally designed to allow the owners to prepare everything in advance for faster assembly and cooking. A large multi-functional island was designed. During the week, it’s a place where the kids can sit and do homework while mom is cooking. On weekends, the kids can easily assist with baking and cooking. And when it’s time to entertain, the island and adjacent built-in bench areas provide amble space for family and friends to be part of the action. An area for serving drinks, etc. was included as well. The serving area was purposely located out of the main cooking flow to give both the chefs their space, while providing guests plenty of room to comfortably move around during parties.

The layout allows Kathy and Andrew to host small and large parties, and to have the family over for holidays as well. The kitchen cabinetry was all custom designed and detailed by Martin Johannessen in close coordination with Kathy to make sure it was just right for her. Every little detail, down to what goes in each cabinet and drawer, was addressed. The result…A stunning, timeless and functional kitchen that is sure to be enjoyed for many years to come.

You can see more pictures from this and other projects here on our website.  Let us know what you think!