Last
fall Dave and I decided to renovate our circa 1977 kitchen with updated
cabinets, counter tops and shelving. We have a simple salt box style house
finished with a lot of wood and other natural materials, so I was on the hunt
for a custom cabinet maker who had a simple, yet elegant and natural style that
would match the style of the house. We wanted a serious upgrade from the 40
year old stock cabinets and pine board open shelving in the old kitchen, but
also wanted it to blend in with other aspects of the house. Changing the
footprint wasn’t in the game plan, but we were hoping to modify the design to
improve the efficiency in our small kitchen. As soon as I saw Sam Clark’s work
on his blog and website, I knew I wanted him to build our kitchen.
I
felt comfortable with Sam from the first time we spoke on the phone, and even
more so when we met in person. Having done this for years, he is very skilled
at working through the process of developing a design and all that it entails,
yet open to other ideas. I felt that he accommodated me easily when I had a
good idea of what I was looking for, and could easily take over and offer
suggestions when I was vague my preferences. He suggested small changes in the
layout - moving the stove and sink to allow for more counter space, which have
significantly improved the function of our kitchen. A few phone conversations
to decide drawer height and contents, and our design was finished. Because of
Sam’s extensive experience in designing kitchens for improved function, I had
complete confidence that all his suggestions would work out, and I was right.
Sam
was very clear about the schedule for installing our kitchen, and did not have
to adjust it in any way. While we were away for the week they did the installation,
when we stopped by a few times everything was neat and tidy. All told, it took
6 days from start to finish, which I think is a new world record.
We’ve
been using our kitchen for about 4 months now, and have enjoyed every minute of
it. The kitchen is the centerpiece of our house (like most homes!) and it is
such a joy to have it be both so beautiful and functional. We had very high
expectations when we started our project, and yet both Dave and I believe our
expectations were exceeded. The wood of the cabinet fronts is so beautiful,
especially with small details such as having the wood grain extend into the
next drawer front for a continuous look. The dish drainer makes doing dishes
much more pleasant as they don’t all have to fit in the small dish rack.
Everything is right where we need it after designing the custom drawers. I no
longer have a meltdown every time I try to match a Tupperware top and bottom. Because
the kitchen fits much more in a smaller space, we were able to open up the area
above the stove so that the house has a much more open feel. We can’t thank Sam
Clark and his crew enough!
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| The new kitchen in the same footprint as the old kitchen. |
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| The stove was shifted to provide more counter space. |
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| Beautiful wood grain throughout. Built in dish drainer next to and on wall. . |
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| A place for storage containers and their lids for ease of use. |
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| Built in knife rack and drawer dividers allow for improved storage. |
