WHIDBEY ISLAND REMODEL- 1 year to finish

When you don’t have lot of space and want a jetted jacuzzi tub and a shower, this works! It is a 48” long Japanese Style soaking tub that has really powerful jets- not those tickling bubbly ones that do not get into your sore muscles. Have done 2 projects with this tub and everyone loves it. 30” deep. EMPAVA EMPV-48JT11

The tub faucet is built into the lip of the tub with the controls and an integral sprayer to wash down the tub after use- very handy! The wiring is a bit tricky. The contractor did not look at my drawings when installing the cabinet handles and put the lower drawer handles in the middle of the door panel instead of at the top. This means that one has to bend down another 6 inches and practically touch your toes to open a drawer- ugh! My pet peeve! Please try to catch your hardware installer before they make this mistake….once the holes are drilled, it is over. You can patch the holes, but a divot will always be there.

The Laundry involved adding a skylight, changing flooring, adding cabinets . Much more functional with storage to put stuff and a folding counter.

Nice new shower in the Guest Bathroom!

New media cabinets with pull out drawers for an extensive record collection! Equipment hidden behind screened doors. Again, cabinet pulls are mounted in the center of the doors instead of a the top of the doors! The older that you get, the harder it is to bend down:-) No patching those holes now…..these cabinet installers are likely on the construction crew, do not look at the drawings, and are told to install the hardware….do I sound picky? God is in the details, as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe used to say!

Kitchen needed more storage, so the space under the overhang with filled in with cabinets. Easy fix! And people can still gather there.

KITCHEN & BATH MAKE-OVER IN ANACORTES, WA.

This was a challenging existing space with many 45 degree angles. I was determined to get rid of the 45 angles in the cabinets and not ditto them as the previous design had done.

Kitchen “AFTER” uses rift cut Oak Cabinets from “Smith & Vallee” in Bow, WA. Photo Credit- Damian Vines Photography.

The Kitchen “BEFORE” had angled cabinets everywhere and a refrigerator that took center stage. We moved the stove to the peninsula, moved the refrig. and kept the sink where it was.

The Kitchen “BEFORE” had a weird corner area to the right of the refrig. with more angled cabinets, even in places where the wall did not angle.

Kitchen “After” backsplash detail is glass mosaics that go well with the Quartzite counters. The gas stove was supposed to have a pop-up downdraft, but there was a structural member in the way so had to go with an over-head fan. New doors go out to the deck, where there once was a picture window.

AFTER- New Master Bathroom utilizes that existing space much better then the old design with flanking storage cabinets.

AFTER- The backlit Vanity Mirror really floats off the wall and adds good light at the same time.

The Master Shower ”AFTER” features a pre-fab shower base, a bench under the shower head, glass tiles (from Home Depot, no less) and a glass enclosure. The free-standing tub replaces a huge tub deck that took up most of the bathroom before. This is very light and airy.

Master Bath BEFORE had 2 sinks, an enclosed shower.

Master Bath BEFORE with huge tub deck. Very dated looking and not a good use of space.

CONTRACTOR = TRUE BEARING BUILT CONSTRUCTION (This is my 4th kitchen/bath job with them- they really keep the clients informed on weekly progress with reports that are very helpful)

FIDALGO ISLAND KITCHEN REMODEL FOR ARTIST COUPLE

It is my honor to be able to work with Josh Williamson of TRUE BEARING BUILT CONSTRUCTION on another project! The clients are both amazing artists and the centerpiece of the kitchen was all about the La Cornue Periwinkle Blue 110 Range and matching Hood.

https://www.truebearingbuilt.com/portfolio-items/fidalgo-island-remodel/

ARCHITECT: Island Architecture

CABINETS: Smith and Vallee Cabinet Makers

COUNTERTOPS: Creative Surfaces

PHOTOGRAPHY: Damian Vines

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

This is a fully re-visioned kitchen space that is hardly recognizable as compared to the old layout. Some bold moves make all the difference! The former location of the refrigerator was turned into a butler’s pantry, allowing the workflow to be rearranged for better functionality.

A new lighting plan with dimmable LED cans and undercabinet task lighting provides a warm ambiance, greatly improving functionality throughout the kitchen. Dramatic floating shelves add definition to the space, and the countertop and tile finishes complement the warmth of the wood finishes.

The project was made possible by a collaboration between Smith and Vallee Cabinet Makers and Island Architecture. Together, they tied the client’s love of art and design by adding pops of color and unique hardware to the project.

The wrap around corner floating shelves were quite the challenge to install, but with the help of the Artist, who is a wood worker, it was a collaborative vision that came to be.

The upper counter continues as a shelf that runs in back of the sink and into the lowered window sill to become a place of distinction for future art and plants to occupy.

The window was enlarged and the sill dropped. The clients have a huge art collection that they plan on displaying and I can’t wait to get some more shots with all their collection up and displayed! It will be a transformation of this Zen look, for sure. All the up-lighting above the cabinets is for art!!!! Can’t wait to see…..

Here is a photo of that amazing stove during construction- the photographer did not get a shot of this side of the kitchen for a good after shot, sorry! Love the color!!!!

This is the kitchen before. Dark Cherry cabinets with the stove in the back and heavy upper cabinets- we punched out a wall and added a window back where the old pantry was and expanded the kitchen back to gain counter space.

Kitchen Before

Kitchen Before- see how the window sill was high and cut off view to the garden?

Here is the shot I was looking for of the finished stove side!!!!!! Art is starting to bubble in….

Orcas Island continued-walls removed/re-oriented!

This is a continuation of the last project that has the new entry and staircase. The interior was gutted to the studs and interior walls were taken down to open up the space. A new 16’ wide sliding glass door was installed to replace a door and windows to open up the view to Rosario. A 3-sided gas fireplace was installed to connect the living area to the kitchen.

This is the other side looking into the kitchen. The new island has “Waterfall” sides.

Lookin into the lithe from the living room.

The other side of the living room with new staircase visible on the left, that connects the 2 levels.

Love the new banquet!

This is the “BEFORE” photo of that space.

This was the kitchen before! It was shoved in the back of the unit away from the view. We flipped the kitchen to the view side.

This is the kitchen moved, after… much better eh? Wood tiles on the backsplash are the same manufacturer that I quoted before. The flooring and tile are from IndoTeak Design, a great little company in San Diego. 

Their tile line is called Cinta. 

Matt is the manager and Kim runs the showroom.

https://indoteakdesign.com

The cabinet bases are from IKEA and the fronts are from SEMI HAND MADE does really nice driftwood fronts for Ikea cabinets. https://www.semihandmade.com/

I also like the interior lights that light up the back of each drawer, so that you can see what is in there.

The pantry has loads of storage.

San Juan Island Addition survives Covid!

Oh my, what a journey this project has been! 1st of all, getting materials to an island is hard….then material prices went crazy with supply chain delays. Plywood went from $25/sheet to $125/sheet in a year. Much appreciation to my clients for sticking through it thick and thin, and figuring out a way to keep the project going. Kathleen is a designer in her own right, and has a fantastic eye for detail and color! The blackened columns on the front entry were executed by local wood working legend Joe Romano. Construction by Ivan Plaza.

The front of the house used to have an old rotted exterior stair, and the client wanted to have an enclosed interior stair that united with floors of the existing house;

Partially a 2 story space, partially a cantilevered space, the addition adds an elegant way to access the main living space which is on the 2nd floor.

The new steel railings and wood treads blend in with the Zen Esthetic throughout.

Th new Powder Room features a wall of mirror with a floating LED circle light suspended delicately in front to light the whole room.

The Master Bathroom sink features a cool sliding up Robern Medicine Cabinet, that has a hidden LED strip below to light the counter- a built in night light for the whole bathroom. LED lights also frame and highlight an antique stained glass window that the clients have saved from another house.

The Master Bedroom features a cool window Bench that will eventually look out onto a nicely landscaped garden- still in progress.

A cedar wood paneled feature stripe runs across the ceiling of the Master Bedroom from the Window bench across to the opposite wall, to create an accent feature that focuses the room down the walls on both sides.

Master Bath has a lot os hidden storage.

Kathleen loves the Japanese soaking tub and says that the jets are more powerful then her hot tub outside! It is only 48” long!!!

Before & After Kitchen- Pandemic Survival 2020-21 Build!

Looking at this photo, you would never guess what this kitchen used to look like!

They got the framing for the new beam across that opens up the kitchen to the Living Room, in before the lumber prices went thru the sky! The kitchen used to be cut off from the living room and accessed thru by a side opening into a slot, with a doorway on the other end. We blocked off the other doorway and opened it up to the rest of the Living Room, so that it flowed with the rest of the house.

The final results are quite the transformation. The neighbors think that they are running a cooking show at night, because it looks like a stage set:-) If that is not a compliment, I am not sure what is. Kudos to these clients for sticking it out thru the pandemic without a kitchen for 3 months!!!!

Kitchen Breaks Out!

This kitchen was once behind a closed door.

The Kitchen now opens up to the Dining Room and the rest of the Living Room

Here is the view that it was cut off from before. It really made a huge difference. The kitchen is now united with the rest of the space.

COOL SINKS!

Bronze Sink in the shape of a shell at http://solerasinks.com/

Sea Urchin shaped Bronze Sink by the same company

These are some of the nicest sinks I have seen on the market for that special powder room application. The company also does copper kitchen sinks. My cousin is installing on his boat- perfect, right? The shell sink is especially great the way that the water is going to follow the shape into the drain.

Zen Spa Master Tub

Kohler Tub Filler is mounted in the ceiling of this Master Bath with a waterfront view. Kohler SOK Tub is paired with it to create a Zen home SPA experience. Granite Tub surround. Glass tile face.

The tranquility of this Master Bath is achieved with the use of serene soothing colors of Celadon Green and light blue from the recycled glass tiles from Hakatai Glass.

Small Windowless Bathroom Solution

Small Bathroom Solution: Glass Pebble Floor adds a nice texture and contrast to the dark slate border. Even though this bathroom has no windows, the visual interest gives it character. Also the dark slate might be counter-intuitive about what to do in a bathroom with no windows, but it actually gives the small space a sense of security and refuge. The pebbles flowing into the shower give the room a sculptural feeling.