New in portfolio: Kitchen renovation in Belgium

My latest e-design project is a kitchen renovation for a charming family of three in Leuven, Belgium. This time I had the pleasure to meet my clients in real life during one of their trips to Heraklion (one of them is actually from here!) and that made the experience even more personal and gratifying. I don't know if you follow along for a long time or have any idea what e-design is but I personally don't get the change to meet my clients at all (skype meetings don't count :)). In any case, the whole design process was done via the internet, no on-site visits whatsoever, yet I'm excited to say that the result has met the clients' needs and liking 100%. Click below to read more about the e-design project, see the final 3d visualizations of the proposal as well as a few shot of how the kitchen looked before the renovation.

A few words about the project.

Layout

The kitchen used to be separated from the dining room with a wall that the couple had torn down so as to create a visual connection for both rooms. The clients did want to maintain some sort of separation, however, along with creating a breakfast area so a bar seemed to be the best solutions to cover both needs. The kitchen is an L shape plus the extra bar side that consists of a tall cabinet unit and lower cabinets under the bar. The bar sits up to 3 people.

Cabinetry

The size of the room is average so one of the first things that had to be taken into consideration was how to add as many cabinetry and storage space as possible without feeling cramped. For that reason, we added an extra tall cabinet unit on the bar side plus a portable island in the center of the room. The tall cabinet consists of a pull-out drawer and a wine rack. The upper cabinets extend up to the ceiling to achieve as much storage as possible but also to add an illusion of height.

Kitchen island

The couple wanted an island in the kitchen but the compact size of the space prohibited the use of an ordinarily fixed one. What we utilized instead was a slim, inox trolley that is just about the appropriate size to use as an extra counter and storage space yet it is portable to move around to their needs.

Materials and colors

The lower cabinets have a matte white lacquer finish and the upper cabinets and bar top are a light oak finish. The countertop is an off-white quartz and the walls are white paint. The floor is a gray terrazzo tile. The appliances, sink and trolley are inox. The faucet is chrome. There is a deliberate lack of handles and pulls so as to keep the cabinetry as sleek and simple as possible.

Below are some snapshots of how the kitchen used to look like before the renovation.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your feedback on this project! If you like what you see and you are thinking of renovating/decorating your home, I'll be more than happy to work with you. You can send me an email with your project brief so we can start a discussion!

P.s. Another kitchen renovation I did a few months ago.