Services
Articles
Make the Most of What You’ve Got
By Amy Hutton, CGBP
One thing you can count on: at some point things break. How to respond is the only choice one has. Here is an example.
Our homeowner was very fond of her kitchen. The teak cabinetry was in good shape and the layout worked well without any real opportunities to make it even better. The problem was that the refrigerator had broken and there was no unit that was currently available that would fit into the existing space. This is not an uncommon situation as appliance sizes and shapes change fairly regularly.
In fact, the over/under electric range and ovens were not in great shape, either. There were no contemporary cooking appliances that had the same configuration as the ones that existed in the kitchen. And, if things had to change, the owner would prefer to be cooking with gas.
As the owner interviewed different remodelers what she heard was that the best way to remodel her kitchen was to tear out what was there and start over. This is often the “easiest” way, as everything that is to be installed is brand new and it goes together with a high level of predictability. However, to do so with this kitchen meant that the cabinets would then be demolished and thrown away. Did she really have to completely throw away her kitchen just because the refrigerator is on the blink?
No! The existing cabinetry had been built with materials that were more or less readily available, including the teak veneer plywood. The doors and drawer fronts were slabs of the veneered plywood and not a unique frame and panel construction. The finish on the existing cabinetry was oil that had no hard glossy top coat. Cleaning the existing cabinetry and applying several new coats of oil was a solution. There was no need to go through a costly (and smelly) stripping process.
Several other changes were made to the kitchen that truly transformed and updated the space. One of the most dramatic was to change the plastic laminate countertops to a type of granite that had several different colors in it, including one that almost matched the teak! The vinyl floor was removed and replaced with tile that had a peach tone to it that was also in the granite. Having the color palette blended in a way that respected all these different surfaces made the kitchen much more contemporary. All this was done while keeping the original cabinetry.
So keep in mind: there are sometimes more options than to “gut it”! Preserving what you have and enhancing it with complementary finishes, lighting and appliances can be a great way to have a “brand new” space without the expense to your pocket book and to our growing landfills.