Honey I'm Gone: Honey Oak Transformation Reveal
This past week, I was overjoyed to be able to bring my photographer, Ruth Skiffington Photography, to a home that has gone a complete honey oak transformation.
Honey Oak Transformation
The Big Picture
When I first met my clients, they were ready to rid themselves of the honey oak that was all over their home. Not only were they ready to get rid of the honey oak, they were also ready to get rid of some of the elements that they felt dated their home. As I typically do when I first meet clients, we talked about what was going to stay and what they wanted changed. The only thing that was going to be staying was the newer carpet.
Seeing the carpet and hearing Mr. and Mrs. Client's wishes, it was very clear right off the start that this was not going to be a grey and white home (that a lot of my other clients were moving towards). These clients loved the warm and cosy feeling of creams. I was glad to hear that as their carpet was definitely in the 'cream' category.
Honey Oak Transformation: Kitchen Design
With the kitchen being the heart of the home, we discussed how we could make changes to their existing kitchen while checking off many items on their wish list. While in the back of my head I knew cream was our foundation palette, and I knew the cabinets would be cream, creating a functional kitchen was priority. Here are a couple of renderings that would give my clients a really good idea of what their new space was going to look like.
The Driving Force
There was one driving force in the kitchen design: the counter depth fridge and freezer. Mrs. Client really wanted their new fridge and freezer to be in the kitchen. Mr. and Mrs. Client have two active teens which equals an active family. As such, the fridge and freezer (being counter depth) took up a large portion of the wall. As such, the corner pantry was removed.
Keep It Clean
Once the counter depth fridge and freezer were solidified in the kitchen design, it was time to create the rest of the kitchen. Mrs. Client envisioned a clean and clutter free new kitchen. As such, there was an area that I created to accommodate an appliance garage. Instead of having appliances shown on the counters, a space was created to hide those daily appliances. What is great (and code by the way), is that the electrical outlet shuts off when the appliance garage is closed. This ensures that no appliances are accidentally left on when the door is closed.
Changes to Locations
Since we took out the corner pantry, and although there are more useable drawers on the island, we needed to still make a spot for some sort of pantry. We ended up converting a broom closet to house a pull-out pantry (for those large Costco sized items) and we had enough room beside the fridge to provide a smaller broom closet.
The Island
Mr. and Mrs. Client love to entertain. The island design needed to be able to seat at least four people - if not more. In our planning, we were able to confirm that the built in bookcase was able to be removed along with the pillar.In being able to remove the pillar, it allowed me to design a larger island with seating as well as storage on all three sides.
Honey Oak Transformation: Family Room
In taking out the built in bookcase in the kitchen area, we were able to get rid of one pilar and really open up this space. This room now has a flow from the kitchen to the family room. Due to the two pillars that we were not able to take out due to mechanical and electrical items running through, I designed a glass cabinet to close off the eating area and provide a little bit of 'functional and pretty' to the space.
Built In Bookcase
Here is an image of the built-in bookcase before we started.
There was nothing wrong with the wood so it was decided that the bookcase would be sprayed (painted) with the same colour as the kitchen cabinets. When the new hardwood flooring stain was chosen I picked out the dark colour that the new oak floor would have for the back of the bookcase. By choosing the dark colour for the back of the bookcase, it really made things pop in this space!
Honey Oak Transformation: The Stairs
Oh the stairs. This was a topic that we re-visited a lot! Knowing that the hardwood oak floors were going to be re-stained a darker colour, and knowing the budget of this entire renovation project, we discussed keeping the staircase and spraying it two colours to go with the rest of the home. However, we also looked at the option of replacing the entire staircase with a new, modern railing.To replace the railing with a brand, new modern one was going to be a lot more money than spraying it. After having many discussions with my clients, the decision was to not exceed their renovation budget and stick with the original plan. Mr. Client was also very happy that there was not going to be any ripping out of perfectly good wood. You can read more about the entire staircase here.
Honey Oak Transformation: Rest of Main Floor
This entire home is officially in the cream foundation palette so of course we would continue that for the rest of the home. The Powder Room has a gorgeous cream pedestal sink (and toilet) with an oil rubbed bronze faucet and gorgeous vanity light (not shown). Mr. and Mrs. Client installed the wallpaper themselves and I'm glad they chose this sample (this was one out of three that I suggested to use).
Honey Oak Transformation
This was a lengthy renovation project that has really given my clients a brand new home. The minute you open the door, you get a sense of warmth and love that will fill this home for many years to come. Although I'm sad to see this project come to an end, I know for this family, the beginning of new memories has just begun!And of course, we couldn't resist getting in a few photos of Gibson. He was so excited at the start of the photo shoot but of course, at the end, he pretty much had enough.
To view all of the images for this project, you can check them out on my Houzz profile here.
Wishing to have your home go through a transformation? Contact me today to discuss your upcoming renovation.
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