Before & After: Fully Renovated Kitchen with Lakefront Access
The kitchen is the heart of the home, and I’m thrilled to share a kitchen transformation with you today that meets all the criteria for a happy, functional, and connection-filled space. But first, let’s meet the family behind the design...
Lakefront Living
George and Hannah (names changed) recently retired and decided to move to Cranbrook where they could be close to family and enjoy the lake life. When George and Hannah aren’t playing with their grandkids, they like to take their kayaks out on the water, go for a walk, and travel around Canada. Another hobby they enjoy is cooking, which they found difficult in their dated kitchen. I think you’ll agree when you see what it looked like...
Before: Our clients’ kitchen felt dark, dated, and lacked functional flow and storage.
Project Goals & Scope
This lovely couple called me in to update their kitchen, and when I met with them, we came up with a healthy list of project goals. Their home is a lakefront property with a gorgeous view, so we decided to design the kitchen around the view with tons of open space for their family (their kids, grandkids, and furry family members) and friends to gather.
The biggest challenge? The kitchen is positioned right off a beautiful deck with lakefront access, which means that it gets significant indoor and outdoor traffic.
The deck is directly to the left in this photo. This view also shows how the peninsula was closing off their kitchen and wasting valuable space between the kitchen and outdoors.
We would need to make sure this space could handle the ebb and flow of daily life and include storage for items like dog leashes, footwear, mittens, and coats. This required a really creative design solution. (Wait until you see what we came up with!) Above all, they wanted an efficient kitchen with maximum function for easy and rewarding everyday living.
We planned George and Hannah’s complete kitchen renovation, including new flooring, paint, lighting, cabinets, counters, a backsplash, appliances, doors, and windows. First up, a 3D rendering of the new design...
Kitchen Design
We came up with a new kitchen design that would include a built-in bench, an island with seating and a lake view, custom cabinets, and a beautiful tile backsplash. In fact, when I presented the concept to our clients, one of the first comments George made was that he loved the idea of having colour in the backsplash. That’s the beauty and benefit of 3D renderings — it allows you to visualise the space as if it already exists!
Once our clients approved the design, I worked with several trades to help direct its execution. After many months of ordering materials, construction, and installation, our clients finally had their dream kitchen. Come take a look...
Lake House Kitchen Reveal
Ahhh, this is lakefront living at its finest! Can you believe this is the same kitchen as the Before photo? I can hardly believe it either. The blue backsplash in this kitchen brings the lake view inside while feeling soothing and energising all at once.
George and Hannah also love how spacious and open their new kitchen feels. White cabinets and cream-coloured countertops keep the space feeling bright yet welcoming, and the new layout makes it easy for several people to be in the kitchen at one time without bumping into each other… What a dream!
I love where we positioned the island and sink. Who wouldn’t want to look out at the stunning lake views while doing dishes? This kitchen is ready for cooking family meals in style and soaking up nature’s beauty. Not to mention that at least 2 people can sit at the island and enjoy a beverage or snack without bumping into the chef. They also love the neatly tucked away recycle bins we added to the left of the sink, since nowadays there is often more recycling than garbage.
Can you spot the wine cabinet? One of the biggest design challenges in this space was the structural beam running right through the kitchen. We couldn’t remove it, so I had to get creative with an upper cabinet design to camouflage it. I decided it was the perfect width to position a wine storage cabinet below!
Now, it adds a perfect touch of custom character and speaks to our clients’ interests and lifestyle. Easy entertaining? You betcha.
George and Hannah also loved all the built-in organisation, especially the large drawers in their kitchen. Hannah said that the drawers make everything so accessible and easy to find. She doesn’t have to rummage through cabinets or pull items out from the front to access those at the back. Sounds like a small update, but a little less frustration each day adds up to a much happier daily lifestyle.
We had to change the kitchen layout because the flow from the foyer was dysfunctional and narrow. We updated the kitchen entrance by pushing back the pantry wall and moving the refrigerator to the opposite side of the kitchen. Then, we had space to build a full-height pantry with upper and lower cabinets. Now, this is the perfect spot for charging phones or dropping keys when coming home at the end of the day.
How cute is their furry friend waiting to go on a walk? My favourite feature of the final design is the bench area that leads out to the patio door. It's perfect for storing extra footwear and clothing, dog leashes, mittens and toques. I also love the stained wood back that picks up the tones of the floor and adds warmth to the white kitchen.
Of course, this area is going to get a lot of lake traffic, so the flooring needs to stand up to kids, dogs, and dirt. We chose a durable, luxury vinyl plank that is perfect for their needs. There is no need to worry about removing footwear when going from indoors to outdoors. This makes lake life fun, easy, and completely worry-free.
Beautiful Kitchen, Happy Couple
“Adrienne was wonderful to work with. She listened and took our thoughts and designed us a kitchen and living room which exceeded our expectations. We would definitely recommend her to anyone who is considering renovating their home and wants to create a special place that will be functional and a joy to behold.”
— Happy Clients
Working with this couple was equally joyful, and I feel honoured to have helped set them up for a happy retirement in a place they love with the people they care about most.
If you’re ready to transform your kitchen and daily life into an easy, joyful place to be, I’d love to help. Reach out to me here and book a 15-minute chat. We’ll talk about your project and see if we are the right fit for each other. I can’t wait to meet you.
Warmly,
Adrienne
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