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Every business has a story to tell.
Contemporary Kitchen Renovation
Spokane Valley, Wa
Published on:
February 10, 2024 at 2:23:33 AM
Photo Credit:
Re-Style Interiors
Featuring:
Re-Style Interiors
Specialty:
Kitchens, baths, Living spaces
Service Areas:
Spokane County, can also work virtually
Designer:
Sandy Anchondo
Website:
Ignite Project Features shares the stories of design, home staging and real estate projects, from designers and real estate agents across the world, detailing project origins, insights, and details about projects that you might not learn elsewhere. Project Features is designed to truly highlight the creative genius of designers and agents worldwide.
How a Contemporary Kitchen Reno Evolved into a Design Course!
Spokane Valley, Wa
Published on:
February 10, 2024 at 2:23:33 AM
Thank you for joining us today. Before we dive into your latest project, can you share a little bit about yourself and your company?
I’m Sandy Anchondo, the founder and owner of Re-Style Interiors, a full service design company. As a designer since 2004, I’ve seen so many people struggle to bring their design dreams to life. I love supporting clients as we take their design vision for a space and make it reality.
So, I'm excited to dive into your latest project. Can you start out by sharing a little bit about how this project came to be?
Absolutely! The design project I’m sharing is my own contemporary kitchen renovation.
As a professional designer, when I walk into clients spaces I can always see the potential to transform it into something amazing.
That’s exactly how I felt in my own kitchen – there was so much potential for the space to be lighter, brighter, more open, and more functional.
And, for years I’d been receiving requests to share my unique 5-step design process with people and create a course around it. I just needed the perfect project to serve as a step by step example.
So I decided it was time to put my skills to work creating my own beautiful, functional space that I could fall in love with!
We often gloss over a very important aspect of design, "What was the design challenge" for this project?
That is SUCH a great question. I'll say that so many times the design challenges we run into actually happen because we didn’t take the time or have the right approach to map out the project details fully at the beginning.
For example, in my case, I knew the existing island had three big challenges:
It was too small and needed to be enlarged
It needed more practical storage space
The seating was facing a wall and needed to be re-orientated
The "island redesign" challenge could have created more challenges, if not approached from a big picture view! By keeping the overall kitchen design in mind, redesigning the island to be larger, changing the color and style, and moving the seating actually helped the space feel larger instead of feeling unbalanced and crowded.
So, using the island as the focal point of the kitchen made the rest of the design choices for the kitchen flow effortlessly and smoothly.
Before Images
Now that we know the challenge. What was your vision for the project?
My vision was to transform my kitchen into a functional space I’d love working and being in!
And I know that the secret to creating a space you truly love and feel comfortable in, is knowing both the functionality you want and the style that’s “you”.
So my vision was to enlarge the space by extending the base cabinetry along the back wall to offset the larger kitchen island. And, of course, brightening up all the cabinetry just by painting with a lighter color. Then to wrap it all together with a more modern, contemporary feel aligned with my own design style.
So, now you have the scope and vision. Walk us through your team of vendors, reps and specialists you leveraged to make this a reality?
Being a boutique company, I’m a firm believer in having trusted resources and vendors to bring onto my team as I manage projects.
For this kitchen, I brought in a team of specialists including:
NHance Cabinet Makeover Specialists (https://www.nhance.com/spokane/)
My trusted electrician
My local plumber
And a reliable handyman/painter
Now, we all have some key features of a project that we are especially proud of. What were some aspects of this project that you were excited about?
There were three design aspects that really set this kitchen off:
Using a beautiful off-white quartz product with subtle veining on the kitchen countertops.
And punctuating the design with a darker granite product for the island, creating the illusion of a built-in piece of furniture
Then to tie it all together, finishing the backsplash off with a honed marble subway tile with a small accent of mosaic tile applied in a horizontal line.
I’m also incredibly excited that I was able to document each step of this project with tips and suggestions along the way for others to follow along and turn it into a digital course.
Having the right team in place when things go wrong is vital. Can you share a specific issue that came up during the project? And how did you and your team solve it?
While minor hurdles always pop up no matter how well a project is designed and managed, the beautiful thing about following a professional system for a design project is that major hurdles can be avoided!
One minor hurdle we had was removing an existing cabinet above the microwave to make room for a new, taller cabinet reaching to the ceiling. It was really wedged in there. But with a clear vision, determination, and elbow-grease, we prevailed and the new architectural detail that the taller cabinet provided is stunning!
After Images
Now, not every project goes as planned. What design hurdle did you and your team encounter,? And how'd you overcome it?
Having 20 years experience in the industry has taught me many lessens!
I would say, one of the most important factors to consider before starting ANY design project is to plan ahead.
Have all your materials in hand before the project starts.
Give yourself ample time (I call it wiggle room) in case there are scheduling issues with your vendors.
Be available to answer questions as the work is being done to avoid potential expensive mistakes that can occur on the job site.
This has been a blast sitting with you. If our readers wanted to work with you and your company, where can they learn more? And what would be their next steps?
Whether your readers are DIYers looking to save time, money and energy, or need direct professional guidance and assistance, I’ve got a design service that’s just right!
If they’re still in the pondering and dream phase of future design projects, they can take my free, fun design quiz to discover their unique design personality at
https://restyleinteriors.com/quiz
For the DIY design peeps, check out my new digital product for step by step instruction on how to successfully complete your own design project:
Don't Let Your Budget Block Your Creativity, How to Decorate without Breaking the Bank -
https://restyleinteriors.com/diy
Or for those interested in professional design service, visit
https://restyleinteriors.com/concierge-connection
It has been such an honor to sit with you today. I look forward to sharing more of your projects with our readers.
Thank you, I appreciate the opportunity to share my design project!
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