• What was the client’s dream?

• The customer’s vision was to create a kitchen that blended modern function and style to coincide with the charm and character of a 1920’s home.

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• What’s a major challenge you solved?

• The biggest hurdle was creating the look they wanted with a semi-custom cabinet line. Their original custom cabinet maker suffered an injury, and they came to me to help create the kitchen they envisioned (while also on vacation for the summer). Additionally, they wanted symmetry on the range wall, which required panels and fillers to achieve the desired look. I added fillers around the hood to accommodate the rail molding, and the top molding on the hood needed to die back cleanly into the surrounding cabinetry.

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• What’s your favorite thing about this kitchen?

• My favorite part of the kitchen is the Tall Pantry Cabinet and the boxed-in refrigerator, which create the ends of the range wall. The flush refrigerator end panels and Custom Appliance Panels create a built-in, custom, matching look, as well.

• What’s a tip, trick, or trade secret you’d like to share?

• I’m not sure it’s a trick, but I highly recommend working VERY closely with the homeowner and the contractor.  Accomplishing the vision required many phone calls and one-on-one appointments with the homeowner and her excellent installer. Also, creating detailed, hand-drawn molding profiles helped me explain the molding stacks, and taking extensive notes on the plan helped me guide the installer through detailed field modifications. Lastly, having an experienced KraftMaid rep to ask questions and get advice from is a major advantage. Always use him or her as a resource.

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• How did KraftMaid make it easy to complete this project?

• With the homeowner present, we utilized the learning tools on Tandem. We pored over cabinet details in the marketing section and the spec book. The spec book’s detailed information and imagery were especially helpful.

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• Any advice for next year’s contestants?

• I cannot stress enough how important it is to work closely with your client to achieve the look they want. Be honest about any workarounds or roadblocks that can arise with semi-custom cabinetry. Although it may be obvious, always keep your spec book open, and be ready to utilize applicable information in Tandem, which offers a wide range of helpful tools.
  
  If anything is ever unclear in the spec book or you need advice on a design solution, reach out to your rep or the design advocates. Nine times out of ten, they’ll have the answer. Both are invaluable resources.