KBB - May/June 2015 - 30

BALANCED BUDGET

Staying Within One's Means
Designer shares kitchen design tips that won't break the bank
"Design should remain timeless and make sense with the architecture
of the home," he said. "Certain images may ﬁt or look good, but experts
can offer an outside view that still meets the homeowners' tastes."

Savings Graces
Transforming the kitchen required Thelen to shift focus without tipping
the scale, but balancing function and beauty on a budget is no challenge for the designer, who says a tight bottom line enhances opportunities and deductive thinking to achieve different things within a space.
With his expertise, the homeowners were able to save about 40 percent
over comparable renovation costs by using alternative choices without
compromising design or value. Thelen worked with the couple to create a
The dining space with its custom table is
seamlessly connected to the kitchen, and
the island with its quartzite countertop
was enlarged to seat three people.

For a young couple with a growing family - as well as a large, extended one - transforming their suburban Chicago home from practical to
perfect took the help of Chicago-based design-builder, Linc Thelen. With
a tight budget to cover the entire renovation, Thelen applied a simplistic
and smart approach along with his unique "centsabilities."
The family targeted areas where they wanted the biggest improvements - and to focus on these spots without blowing the bottom line
required - Thelen combined engineering and ingenuity to stay on budget
and meet the family's needs and personality.
"This family spends a lot of time together," said Thelen. "They entertain
and greet people in the kitchen, an area very important to them and
meant to be used."
The expansive layout of the previous space compromised its ﬂow and
the function, as it stretched more than 21 feet wide. The oven was on one
end and the refrigerator on the other. The dining room table was more of
an obstacle and made the kitchen and the attached living room disjointed rather than connected. The kitchen island, which is often a focal point
of the room, was small with seating space only for two. Creating a better
working kitchen was the driving force in improving this area, but making it
beautiful on a budget was also part of the plan.

Stick to Those Who Know
Being on budget doesn't mean you have to limit options, but smart
spending and creative design are best turned over to the pros. While general consensus is that DIY is the way to go in stretching dollars, the real
experts know when to spend more and where to spend less. Renovation
plans often begin with a stack of magazines, but Thelen cautions the temptation to be trendy.

+
K BB

line-item budget rather than a total overall budget.
"It is important when budgeting to create an overall budget and then
break down and list the materials and labor into categories/line items,"
he said. "From there, ﬁnd areas where you can save the most on such
items as countertops, cabinets and appliances. Find areas where you
can save, then determine where you can splurge."
The biggest advantage architects and designers have over consumers is knowing what the good alternatives are during a project and when
to choose those.
"I constantly test products in showrooms and in the ﬁeld to ﬁnd out
what's a good value and what's a reliable choice," said Thelen.
Island Envy. Priority one was the kitchen island, which was to be the
focal point of the room. Thelen enlarged to seat three people and also
added a prep sink to give it more functionality. He chose a Whitehaus
sink for the kitchen island, knowing its $650 price tag was $1,000 less than
comparable sinks in terms of style and function. He chose a $300 Delta
touchless faucet, as opposed to $700-$800 similar faucets.
Countertop Culture. To complement the white color pattern of the
new kitchen, super white quartzite was chosen for the expanded island
and for all other countertops. Thelen advises to be careful with the stone
selection for countertops, as this can get expensive. He suggests ﬁnding
out what is priced well at the stone yard ﬁrst.The quartzite he selected was
just $80/square foot and offers strength and long-lasting composition.
Appliance Awe. Tackling another major expense, the budget-savvy
designer opted for money-saving appliances from Whirlpool, Jenn-Air
and Kitchen Aid, having tested and compared a broad range of options
on value and performance."We did add a wine fridge," he said,"because
it's what people are wanting right now; it's what's hot and helps in resale."
Cabinet Creative. By reconﬁguring the kitchen space with a larger island, the homeowners didn't need additional cabinets, just an improved
look.Thelen incorporated ﬂoating shelves that opened up the kitchen even
more and added interest. The former kitchen cabinets were 20 years
old and had water damage so they were replaced, but when existing
cabinets are in good condition, he suggests a simple ﬁnish change for
a surprising low-cost update.

May/June 2015 / www.kbbonline.com / The Ofﬁcial Sponsor of KBIS www.kbis.com

http://www.kbbonline.com http://www.kbis.com

KBB - May/June 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of KBB - May/June 2015