Sam Clark Design: A Client's Perspective - Working with Sam Clark Design

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!