Case Study

New life born out of loss

The homeowner of the Cavan Wood project came to us following the difficult loss of her husband. It was a challenging season of grieving and adjusting, but also a time of empowerment and action as she put her heart into investing in her future, in memory of her husband. Renovating the kitchen of their 30-year-old home was always on this couple's list but the scale of the project meant it had not happened...until now. Our Muskoka team had the honour of working alongside this homeowner to turn her dated, confined kitchen into a brand new, fluid space finished in crisp white with just the right amount of pizazz...

There's Nothing Like Seeing a True Transformation...

• Before
• After

Handcrafted Elements.

A few ways "custom" was key in this kitchen renovation...

• We added a peninsula to the kitchen to meet the desire for additional counter space without compromising size to fit an island.
• Two walls were taken down and the door to the garage was relocated to enlarge the kitchen area.
• The crown moulding was scribed to the ceiling by hand as a result of the ceiling being inconsistent in style and height (up to 1" difference from one area to the next!).
• The double wall oven was installed in such a way that it was aesthetically balanced but also accessible to a 4'5" tall woman (the homeowner). Custom cabinets allow for a seamless, integrated look for wall appliances.
• Two vent slot frames (above the microwave and the beverage fridge) were future-proofed with removable elements to accommodate for larger units, should the homeowner choose to upgrade in the future. 
• The pantry pull-outs (an invaluable addition!) were custom-designed to be especially functional and supportive.
• Custom hinges were installed on the cabinet doors above the peninsula to ensure they could swing right out of the way and leave the homeowner with easy access to anything needed from those cabinets (without having to reach around doors).

• With the goal of bringing the laundry room upstairs in a more practical location, but still keeping the kitchen the star of the show, we designed a custom cabinet! This floor to ceiling custom cabinet is done in the same style as the kitchen, but has accessible on two sides, with two different types of storage. The kitchen side acts as a shallow broom closet, while the side next to the laundry makes up for the office space lost in the new layout by being perfectly sized to store the printer and a few other office supplies. 
• Opposite the custom, dual-purpose cabinet is a mudroom-style bench, perfectly setting you up to come in from the pool spa, throw your wet laundry straight into the washer, then carry on into the kitchen for a refreshing snack. 
• Last, but far from least, we built a gorgeous new hutch to replace the previous one. Not only did this hutch align with the finish and style of the kitchen (featuring cutouts, crown moulding, base trim, and glass shelving and doors), but it significantly expanded the amount of display storage space available to this homeowner - a truly glamourous upgrade in this already beautiful kitchen.