R&A Magazine - Spring 2021 - 25

cially easy to work with and enjoyed
their time collaborating-bouncing
ideas off each other, exploring options, and really diving into the details.
Upon completion of their beautiful
and transformative kitchen project it
was a no brainer for Chris and Mike to
request Kitchen Encounters' help in
tackling their future bathroom renovations. Chris recognized the unique creative synergy that she had with David
and completely trusted him and his
team to deliver a finished product that
would match their high standards.
As with the kitchen project, the
couple's bathroom projects (a master
bath, a full hallway bath, as well as
a powder room) went without a hitch
and turned out well beyond their expectations. With Kitchen Encounters,
they found a contractor to hold onto
and they had no intentions of letting
go. What followed later was a move
to the living room and a complete
replacement of the long balustrade
(bannister) that was improperly installed when the home was built. Not
only is the stairway finally safe-the
replacement is a great-looking livingroom feature.
What's next you might ask? Rumor
has it that Chris is thinking of a basement remodel. Stay tuned.

BEFORE

SPOTLIGHT
Featured Builder

Kitchen Encounters
(see ad on inside front cover)

PROJECT TRADE PARTNERS
Dtail Painting (see ad p. 30)
Natural Stoneworks (see ad p. 28)
Zimco Plumbing (see ad p. 30)

KITCHEN ENCOUNTERS' PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Phase I - Kitchen/Laundry. The kitchen project

started with a desire to better utilize the area the desk
occupied, increase the amount of storage and countertops as well as somehow incorporate an island. With the
available space being what it was, there was no way to
really fit an island into the kitchen without taking space
from somewhere else. Since the breakfast area of the
kitchen was out of the question, the only space left was
the mudroom/ laundry that was between the garage entry
and the kitchen wall. So we did identify a space we could
use, but the homeowner also wanted to retain the first
floor laundry. Since there was no other place on the first
floor it could go, we decided to incorporate a stackable
unit inside a tall cabinet, so that it could stay on the first
floor in the expanded kitchen space, while also being concealed by cabinetry. This solution allowed us to remove
the wall between the kitchen and laundry, assume that
floor space as kitchen, install an island, and still maintain
the first floor washer and dryer.
Once the overall footprint of the new kitchen had been determined, we were able to relocate the sink into the island
so that it faced guests in the breakfast area as opposed
to the corner windows. We also were able to claim the
wall that housed the desk and corner of the mudroom to
incorporate a wall of shallow pantries. This change helped
to both offset and increase the storage that was originally
available in the mudroom and kitchen. Overall, by simply removing a partition wall between the mudroom and
kitchen, we were able to dramatically improve the kitchen
plan while maintaining what was most needed in the laundry. As for the finishes, the homeowners chose custom
cabinets with a painted finish, honed granite countertops,
subway tile backsplash and a site finished wood floor that
matched the existing hardwood in the adjoining family
room. New lighting, appliances and plumbing fixtures
rounded out the remodel.
R&A MAGAZINE - SPRING 2021 - 25

R&A Magazine - Spring 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of R&A Magazine - Spring 2021