Projects

With some projects, we can’t help but smile. Recently October 5 met a beautiful couple, Al and Shawn. With their two sons gone, they decided to remodel their kitchen. The house was built in 1957 and still had its original kitchen. When we first met, Shawn was determined she wanted “dark cabinets with a dark floor.” We simply smiled and listened. She finally asked what we thought of the idea. “Well,” we said. “We don’t really see dark cabinets with a dark floor.”

Or thinking was informed by the beautifully carved wooden beams supporting the living room ceiling, along with a well-designed wrap-around bay-window seat. All of it was painted white, a color that looked beautiful for these architectural significant features. After living in a house for 27 years, we tend to overlook its natural treasures.

Shawn was having none of it. “Oh my god, white? Who’s going to keep it clean? No way? Dark, dark, dark!”

Sometimes, though, you just have to let an idea sit and marinate. We debated, argued, and even kept score. Shawn won on the countertops, Arabian Nights, as well as on the backsplash. She didn’t want outlets in the Carrera Marble backsplash—not a problem for October 5. Paired with the white cabinets, the finished project is stunning and the clients Shawn and Al have to be one of our favorites of all times.