Recently, one of Wise Design & Remodel’s kitchen projects has been creating some world wide buzz because of it’s color — pink! Yes, you heard that right, pink and from Australia to England and right back here to United States, this Minneapolis project is turning heads and changing the way color can be incorporated into a design that both compliments what the homeowner wants and needs in a living space.
For this project, the couple wanted a kitchen that did more with the closed-off layout of their current gray and white space and for expertise in that area, they turned to Designer/Builder, Phillip Hide of Wise Design & Remodel.
If you’d like to see more about the Perfectly Pink Kitchen or any of our other kitchen projects, you can visit our kitchen gallery here.
Some exciting changes are happening at Wise Design and Remodel this year! To begin, we have collaborated with two high end cabinet makers, Decor and Zonavita, to be their local distributors in the Twin Cities and metro area.
Further enhancing this partnership will be a 2500 sq. foot, private office/showroom located in the Wycliff Building conveniently located in the heart of the Twin Cities. This will provide our clients with a central meeting place for project details, as well as hands on viewing of the high quality cabinet products we will now be distributing for these fine cabinet companies.
Stay tuned for more details on the showroom to come later this year, but in the meantime, check out our new cabinet partners and see what kind of impact they can have on your next project.
This Vadnais Heights remodel demonstrates that accessibility really can have universal appeal.
The original bathroom was awkward and felt cluttered. The couple wanted the new bath to look nice, suit them as they age in place, and accommodate their wheelchair-using son Jordan, when he visits with his family.
Accessible tub, toilet and door
We replaced the hard-to-reach, jetted corner tub with a smaller rectangular Kohler soaking tub. It conserves water, features a long grab bar and is much easy to navigate. The comfort-height Kohler toilet has both vertical and horizontal grab bars. The new, six-panel bathroom door is 2-in. wider than before and fitted with offset hinges that add even more clearance for the wheelchair.
We created the porcelain mosaic tile floor, roll-in shower room with both the clients and their son in mind. It features a frameless glass door within a solid quartz jamb and curb-free pan. The 6-position Delta shower controls at the bench can direct water from the high showerhead, the low showerhead and hand shower individually or in combination.
We wanted the bench user to have a proper shower soaking experience when sitting back on the bench if desired, along with the convenience of a hand held. So, we installed a lower showerhead and a hand shower there. The hand shower adjustable wall bracket also doubles as a grab bar. While ADA guidelines are useful in public spaces, we customize residential baths for the actual users. It’s important to consider body type, mobility, reach and strength when positioning grab bars. If someone’s left arm is stronger or their right shoulder is weaker, we mount the bars to provide the best comfort and support. In this case we got critical measurements such as height, width of the chair and any unique requirements.
We removed and repainted the long, double vanity and fitted it with an Ice White quartz top, new hardware and Kohler fixtures. The quartz repeats at the knee wall, niche and shower jamb. The porcelain tile floor is equipped with Nu-Heat in-floor heat for comfort and quick drying. We enhanced both task lighting and ambient lighting throughout. We also squared the angled closet wall to make more room for the toilet, without sacrificing usable space in the closet.
Although he doesn’t get to enjoy it as often, Jordan appreciates the new bathroom as much as his parents and had us do some work on his own home.
“We had some unique circumstances that required extra planning and targeted execution. Phil was really good about communicating. He was conscientious and thorough to ensure our wants and needs were fully understood. His team was professional in every respect and we are happy with the quality of the work,” he said.
Growing up in North London and working in the family plumbing supply and remodeling company, I learned that great bathrooms don’t have to be especially large. An efficient layout, smart features and quality surfaces are more important than size.
I got to prove this premise when I remodeled the main level bath at our own 1937 Minneapolis home this year. It lacked room for a separate tub and shower or a double vanity. So we pushed the available space to the limit and maxed out the functionality and beauty of everything within.
My wife says, “The bathroom has gone from a place where I never wanted to spend time to the room I love the most in our home. It really is like an in-home spa for me.”
I invested lot of late nights and weekends to complete the project while remodeling clients’ homes and businesses, but it was well worth the effort. It’s true what they say about a happy wife.
Most people prefer a separate tub and shower if space allows. For master bath updates, that often involves enlarging the shower and replacing the old jetted tub with a more space efficient soaker tub. Combination tub showers are the ultimate compromise small bathrooms. They typically are cramped in shower mode. And the curtain or framed enclosure makes them feel closed in and less sanitary in bath mode. If you have traveled through Europe in recent years, you may have discovered a neat solution I applied here.
My wife prefers baths. She found our old tub too short and shallow and the curtain was always in the way. I stole several inches from the bedroom closet to enlarge the alcove so I could install a deep, full-size soaker tub. Then I installed a custom, hinged glass enclosure that screens about two-thirds of the tub. That’s enough to keep the floor dry when I shower but virtually disappears when folded back during her baths. With no frame and factory applied Diamond Fusion coating, it’s easy to clean.
The tub-shower improvements didn’t stop there. I configured digital controls typically used for body sprays to work with the showerhead and the tub filler. It’s programmed differently for Julianne and me. It’s convenient and safe. I mounted it on the alcove’s dry wall so we can turn the water on from outside the tub without getting wet.
I normally recommend adjustable handshowers because they accommodate different height users and are handy for rinsing down surfaces. The down side is that they clutter the head wall in a tub shower. We kept the tile plumbing wall clean with an articulating showerhead that can be raised and lowered and by positioning the digital controls on the opposite wall.
I also wanted to make the most of the sink area. I’m 6 ft. 4 so I opted for a comfort height vanity to reduce bending. I also configured the vanity doors and drawers to suit what we planned to store there and even modified a deep drawer to wrap around the sink drain. We have young kids and the vanity is right in the pathway from the door. The flat (slab) door and drawer faces are easier to keep clean and closed pulls won’t snag on passing pockets.
With so little space, the medicine needed to work as hard as the vanity. We chose a recessed Rovina unit with a heated (fog free) two-sided mirror, integral down-facing night light and internal USB and power ports.
Improving comfort was a key objective in our new bathroom. I started by insulating the 2×4 exterior wall with spray foam insulation for the greatest R-value. Then I incorporated a programmable, wall-mounted radiator that dries and warms towels. It’s positioned under the new energy efficient window, near a robe hook and within reach of the tub. Meanwhile, a programmable NuHeat system keeps the travertine tile floor comfortable and dry. And a timer-controlled Broan fan vents excess moisture outdoors.
Tile is in bathrooms because it presents endless design possibilities and can be adapted to suit any space. Because our space was small, we used the same large format tile for the walls and floor. However, we added Arabesque accents above the vanity and in the tub niche. And we installed a wood, nickel-slot ceiling to balance the hard tile surfaces.
Making every inch count
Every inch counts in a small bathroom. By moving the door an inch, eliminating a narrow closet and jogging mechanicals into hall wall, we were able to install full depth vanity. We also gained storage be recessing the cabinet over the stool into the wall.
This is one of the most dramatic kitchen transformation I’ve achieved in 20 years. It was such a pleasure working with Liv and Rolf.
Go with the flow
We started with a dysfunctional space that was starved of natural light by an earlier sunroom addition. Worse, the awkward interior layout snarled traffic flow from every adjacent room.
Enhanced floor plan
The new kitchen area is actually a little bit smaller. But by integrating the dining room, eliminating the living room access and adding a sunroom pass-thru, it now feels bigger, brighter, has more storage and flows wonderfully. It Looks fantastic too!
The cooking wall features a unique seamless stainless steel backsplash — My alternative to the budget-busting stainless countertops Liv originally wanted. We also installed deeper cabinets so they would be flush with the stove and microwave giving a more integrated appearance and flush lines.
The floor plan eliminates the small kitchen table and stubby peninsula and introduces a shallow hutch cabinet opposite the sunroom entry. This creates clear passage from the mudroom and the sunroom. The new dining room archway and the open pass-thru that replaced the old window at the sink stream natural light from the sunroom and the patio door. By creating a doorway between the dining room and the front entry, natural light now penetrates the hall.
Project tour
Liv and Rolf’s Wise Design & Remodel kitchen
Accessible kitchen storage
It was important to add storage space and work surfaces and make them more functional and accessible despite the slightly smaller kitchen footprint. We incorporated deep drawers and custom pullouts for spices, knifes and supplies. They bring order and eliminate countertop clutter.
The clients especially like the built-in pantry cabinet that replaced the compromised closet with its slanted bottom over the stairway below. The pullout shelves in the new cabinet provide full access to the deep space.
Easy clean features
With two professional careers and young children, this family needed a kitchen that would be durable and easy to clean. Now they can sweep crumbs and spills from the solid natural Quartzite counter into the Kraus undermount sink and rinse everything down with the spray-in-spout faucet. We also terminated base cabinet toekick into appliance furniture end panels so crumbs and pet hair can’t sneak under the dishwasher and stove.
We worked hard to incorporate personal design elements that would be meaningful to these family-oriented, nature-loving clients. The thick pine sill for the pass-thru was reclaimed wood from Liv’s childhood home. We also opted for natural materials in the light maple cabinets, flowing Quartzite counters and dark oak floor. Conversation continues over the hutch with it’s North Shore stone knobs which were a personal touch requested by Liv embracing their love of the great outdoors!
Outside the box
This kitchen forms the crossroads at the center of the home. In addition to improving traffic flow, the remodeling makes all of the surrounding rooms look and function better. The living room, with its cozy wood fireplace, gains wall space and is spared through traffic between the main entry and the kitchen. The bright dining room off the deck gets used daily, and Liv can keep an eye on her young kids at the table while cooking. The sunroom feels better engaged with the open pass-thru.
Hybrid cabinets
The hybrid design cabinets we used may be unusual for Minnesota but they are something I routinely created when remodeling kitchens in London. Eurostyle/full access cabinets have no faceframes; doors fully overlay the carcass/cabinet. While this provides full access and better storage it forfeits the inset door look of high-end traditional inset cabinetry. I combine the best of both worlds by adding side panels and light valances around the Eurostyle cases flush with the door faces. This makes the doors look inset without compromising access. We also installed the upper cabinets slightly below the ceiling. It creates a pleasing shadow line and masks an uneven ceiling without fussy crown moldings.
