It’s all about the kitchen. They aren’t just for meal prep and storage, either. They’re for families. For gathering. For entertaining. For time spent together. These homeowners were lucky enough to spend their quarantine in a kitchen constructed for that very purpose. Once tucked away into the back corner of the 100-plus year old home, the kitchen is the new centerpiece of the home, opened up to a cozy living area filled with original woodwork and details.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

Architect: drawing dept

The cook now gets to be part of the action and the family gets to gather around an island so large that it seems unfair to call it an island. An island, by definition, is a piece of land surrounded by water, and is often thought to be isolated, separated from the mainland action, where space is at a premium. That’s why this structure is called The Continent.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

Architect: drawing dept

Once you see the details of this kitchen, you’ll want to swap out your kitchen island for a continent too. The Continent is the focal point not only of the kitchen, but of the living space of the home. It’s a place to dine. A place to sit and work (especially now). A place to gather. And it offers plenty of storage, too. The countertop has enough overhang to accommodate comfortable seating and underneath is a ton of hidden storage. Can your kitchen table do that?

With a palette of black and white, this kitchen is clean and bright. Upper cabinetry was eliminated to keep everything feeling open and airy. Plus, all that wall space gives the chance for this backsplash tile to make a statement. The geometric pattern of the tile is reminiscent of a modern Art Deco stye. The metallic black and brass light fixture only adds to that motif.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

Architect: drawing dept

We’d be remiss not to mention this open shelving, custom made for the space and mounted directly over the new black-framed window. This corner nook is the perfect place for some shelves and we love how the homeowner accessorized them with rose colored glasses. What a beautiful display of a collection that only adds to the Art Deco feel.

The countertops in this space are another element that add interest, while continuing with the neutral palette. White cabinetry is topped with a beautiful, black leathered granite. The Continent, on the other hand, has a base of grey cabinetry and is topped with a sparkly white quartz.

The Continent, however, has utility beyond seating and storage. It’s equipped with hidden outlets that appear at the touch of a button, convenient for cooking tools and charing a smart phone, but it also makes this surface turn—presto, change-o, into a conference table.

The sink, too, is worth mentioning. The elegantly-shaped brass faucet so beautifully coordinates with the lighting and cabinet hardware. The elongated, stainless steel sink is fitted with a removable cutting board, providing additional work space, and, in a pinch, to hide a stack of dirty dishes.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

Architect: drawing dept

A kitchen that was once an after thought, hidden in the back of this older home, is now the crown jewel, adding modern style with an Art Deco aesthetic. And following the pandemic trends in home design, this room serves many purposes: meal prep, family gathering, entertaining, and work. At a time where so many of us are spending more time in our own homes, a room like this is quite the antidote for quarantine living.

Has the extra time spent in your home revealed the need for a renovation? We’re just the people to call. Projects in the works now need some extra lead time for materials to be sourced and delivered, so now’s the time to get started for mid-year projects.

Quarantine caused a lot of us to change our plans. Working from home, stockpiling supplies, with frequent hand washing and face masks as the new norm, life looked a bit different. Without a commute to the office and free time spent at home, it was also a time for people to take up new hobbies. Some learned a new language. Some started baking bread. Some purged every closet and drawer.

And some people’s productivity put us all to shame. Like this homeowner, who designed and renovated an entire home. We were proud partners in the process and are still in awe of her style and design sense.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

The English Contractor team was originally tasked with a simple kitchen remodel and we were well into that project as the world slowed down. With proper precautions in place, we just kept going, until this house was entirely transformed. We’ll take you through this project in three parts over the next few weeks: kitchen, dining and living area; bathroom, and basement. Prepare to be inspired.

You might describe the house in its “before” state as a scoop of vanilla ice cream. In a dish. No cone. No whipped cream. Certainly no rainbow sprinkles or a cherry on top. It looked just fine. It was in good working order. But when you have a vision and a team with a talent, a scoop of vanilla ice cream is not for you.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

The new space is a vision to behold, in each and every corner. Gone is the small breakfast bar in favor of a wide opening into the newly repainted dining room. Hughes of pale blue and brass accents repeat throughout the home. These are at the same cabinets, repurposed with a coat of light blue paint and door knobs and pulls from Restoration Hardware.

Photo : Ross Van Pelt

This cozy kitchen once had a second opening into the hallway. In the reconfiguration, that doorway was closed off in favor of some contiguous counter space, a luxurious marble. The backsplash is marble, too, adding a layer of richness. New new range is from Samsung, topped with a custom wood ventilation hood. The dishwasher and refrigerator were reused in the remodel.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

A door once separated the kitchen from a steps leading to a back door and the home’s basement. With the door now gone, the kitchen is washed with light and the basement seems less like a basement and fully integrated into the flow of the home. The existing flooring remains, with the kitchen floor patched where cabinets were removed and reconfigured.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

The new sink is an elegant white porcelain, sourced from Wayfair. It’s paired with a Kohler deck-mounted, bridge kitchen sink faucet with level handles and side spray in a polished nickel. Here you get a close up of the marble counter and backsplash. Under cabinet lighting is paired with a flush mount from Circa Lighting to further brighten this rejuvenated kitchen.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

The kitchen flows into this elegant dining space. The blue hues from the kitchen repeat here, thanks to a gorgeous Sisal wallpaper from Schumacher. The texture and color add to the richness of this space. The ceiling was painted in an Alabaster semi-gloss with matching crown molding. The floor trim was installed and painted in Stonybrook from Benjamin Moore, an unexpected detail that adds to the elegance of the room.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

The dining room opens up to this beautiful living space. We can’t take much credit for this room, beyond some paint and crown molding, but we wanted you to see the new flow of this home, made possible both through the kitchen reconfiguration and the home owner’s sense of style. If she ever decides to open up her own design business, we want you to remember that you learned about her from us!

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The front of the house came together so beautifully that we all just kept on going. The project was small enough that only one or two (socially distanced) team members were ever on site at a time. Quarantine has added on some delays to product sourcing, but luck was on our side when it came to ordering. So we kept on going. There’s more to come and you won’t want to miss how this whole home remodel came together.

In the meantime, if you’re inspired to start renovating your own home, send us a message today. Many suppliers are still experiencing product delays from the shut down this spring, so extra advance planning is necessary to keep projects moving smoothly. We’ll walk you through the process, every step of the way.

Remember our bathroom remodel with the beautiful blue accent tile with walls painted a serene blue to match? Our work with this homeowner went far beyond a bathroom renovation. These clients also worked with The English Contractor team to turn their existing family room into a new dining room. And then we added a completely new addition to the home to create a beautiful space for this family to spend time together.

And who wouldn’t want to spend time here? The kitchen now opens up to the family room, with a bar that not only provides a great space for a quick breakfast but also is the perfect serving spot for drinks and snacks when entertaining. A natural extension of the kitchen, we know this family room will be the place to be during a party.

 This addition is large enough to accommodate a comfortable seating area. New windows, from the Marvin Integrity line, offer plenty of natural light, but as evening approaches, the room is illuminated by recessed lighting. The space was completed with French doors, also from Marvin Integrity, provided, along with the windows, by Marsh Building Products

 Our carpenters outdid themselves with the beautiful fireplace surround, offering niches for family photos, books and accessories, as well as pull out drawers for some extra storage. What’s more, these built ins offer extra seating, too, with window seats that offer a cozy nook to sit with a book.

 A gas fireplace provides both atmosphere and warmth. This beautiful focal piece is accented by stone and a stained wood mantle. The English Contractor team completed this space with gorgeous wood flooring, stained to match the mantle. 

The special details our team added to the space are almost too many to count. Are you looking to add some upgrades to your home? Give us a call and let’s talk.