My Rookie Trip to Las Vegas for KBIS as a Design Hound - Part One

Late last year I received the amazing news that I'd been selected as one of the design hounds who would have an all-expense paid trip to the annual Kitchen and Bath Industry Show aka KBIS to scope out all the latest and greatest in the world of kitchen and bathroom designs. This was an incredible opportunity curated by Modenus, which connects brands directly with design influencers to get their product seen by people who will actually use them one day. 



Our sponsors on this whirlwind experience would be Nobilia (a German manufacturer or modern kitchen cabinetry), Mr. Steam (the leader in all things steam for an exceptional shower and spa experience), Thermador (the appliance brand that created the wall oven), Compac (leader in the quartz and solid surface industry) and Control4, the company revolutionizing smart home technology.  
Over the course of four days we would swoon over some pretty transformative new designs in the industry and as a bonus, make some true connections with industry leaders and fellow design hounds, fueled by exceptional meals and lots of wine and spirits. If you missed all the hoopla while I bombarded you with coverage last month, you can still view my behind the scenes excursions of the trip via the KBISDesignhounds highlight in my Instagram stories. 

But here's a photo recap of our experience. Let's Go! 




After geeking out over the Vegas skyline we mixed and mingled at the welcome mixer. 

Influencers, and swag bags who dat! 

 

Fully rested and kinda hydrated we hit the Vegas streets the next day and my heart would be aflutter for hours. Let's go!

Kitchens and bathrooms are my jam so my heart skipped many beats when we saw the innovative ways Compac had engineered their quartz and the new ways to integrate slabs including this geometric shaped island made by molding several slabs together. This statement island and other pieces unveiled at KBIS are the brainchild of designer and international artist Arik Levy. The Spanish brand worked closely with Levy who created the Ice Black™ and Ice White™ designs for the Ice of Genesis collection, a collection which has set a milestone in the world of quartz.

But it was this tub that stole the show. Carved from one piece of slab, the design showed the endless possibilities of working with quartz to make a statement. And by statement I mean, how to fit three design hounds in a tub!

I think it's safe to say we are attentive students who now know a LOT about quartz and how it can be manipulated to make our designs as amazing as can be. 

Our next stop was Thermador, so daring and bold with their designs that they kinda tell ya to do you! Literally. 

The appliance brand is loaded with innovative appliances including wi-fi activated ovens, a new line of wine refrigerators and just in case you party too hard and serve too much wine, a dishwasher dedicated to glassware with special lipstick removal capabilities. Genius. 

Okay. We did a LOT during this whirlwind trip so stay tuned for more of my recap tomorrow. But first, a selfie because #designhounds

Holy Yikes! It's Our First Reveal of 2020

A year ago we got a call from Mindy, a potential client who'd been referred by my design sis, Renee. Mindy had big plans for her kitchen - but she wanted it designed and planned only. The renovation would take place in 2020. Hmmmm. That's an unusual request for us since most clients want instant design gratification, but we said no worries - let’s meet and get the ball rolling. We knew some things immediately at our consultation:

1. Mindy was a tiny firecracker with a colorful vocabulary. Her hashtag was immediate #nwdholyshit
2. Family was everything to her and would inspire and drive this project.
3. Her husband Danny and I were gym buddies but he had no idea what I did for a living - because I’m usually out of breathe on the treadmill or at the boxing bags struggling to stay alive - while he glides along effortlessly. Let's just say he was shocked to come home one day and see me seated at his kitchen table chatting design with his wife. The look on his face was priceless.
4. She had a clear vision of her likes and dislikes but agreed to do something that was very hard for her to do - trust someone to bring her vision to life. Because again, she’s a firecracker with some strong opinions!
5. Their twins, Matthew and Sophie, were adorable and could not contain their excitement. 

Mindy is also a planner so there were things she already had in motion. She wanted a new kitchen window, new glass doors in the dining room and she wanted to know for sure if she could ditch a never used sliding door in her kitchen and raise one of the windows. Getting a consult at this stage was a game changer because had she spent money on a new sliding door and new breakfast window, we would have been forced to design the kitchen in it's existing footprint. Advice: always call in a designer very early in the process. It'll save you a lot of heartache later.

The family had never used the sliding door in the far right corner (there's a large sliding door to the left in the dining room which everyone uses instead) so we hatched a plan to seal that area, raise the window by the breakfast table and create much needed counter space and storage. We raise windows often to achieve this as most homeowners rarely use a breakfast table and prefer a true island with seating.

Just for you to know, I'm not a fan of peninsulas (attached to a wall) and much prefer an island (not attached to a wall) so most of our designs will have an island. That was the push here, but while the kitchen is very long, it's not very wide. Creating an island would mean sacrificing the back wall but we would create so much new storage and work space with the raised window and sealed sliding doors that it would be worth it. 

The new design included an island. We wanted drama to match Mindy's personality so did so on the floor with this stunning tile and kept the cabinet color palette a calm and soothing grey and white for a modern yet classic and timeless kitchen. 

To our surprise, Mindy decided not to wait until 2020 to tackle the project. The design had blown her away and she'd also lost a dear friend. She decided to live in the now and get the project done right away. Let the demolition begin. To note: we had decided to replace all the tiles and not just in the kitchen so since the dust from this is insanely epic, the family moved out for weeks and stayed with her hubby's family. Oh and hello, those popcorn ceilings you see were also removed and replaced with a smoothly skimmed ceiling.  

This was a massive renovation with loads of photos and videos which can't all be shared here, so please go check out the #nwdholyshit highlight reel on our Instagram feed to see how this all unfolded over several months.

But enough chatter! Here's what you came for. A smorgasbord of reveal pics. Go forth and indulge. 

We have an island! And a stunner of a gallery wall to display the love and happiness we always felt with this family of five. The gallery wall was raised to reach to ceiling, not sure why developers do those walls that stop inches from the ceiling - stop doing that please and thanks!

We also switched from chrome pendants to brass. This was a leap of faith for Mindy, who'd sworn up and down that chrome was a must. But once she saw those pendants, I mean, who could blame her? 

This new picture window was a game changer and we are glad Mindy had her mind set on having one. Because of the seamless nature of this window, we knew right away a continuous slab was the way to go instead of tiles as the backsplash. This is quartz with marble veining to mimic the look of marble. Much easier to maintain than marble, durable and zero grout lines to worry about. 

 We waivered once, when we realized we needed more slabs than we'd budgeted for - but thankfully Mindy agreed to push ahead to maintain this key component of the design plan. The dishwasher was their existing washer. It was in perfectly good shape and survived the renovation wars like a champ. 

A new counterdepth refrigerator was relocated next to the sink. This was the area where the old peninsula was once attached. A counter depth is pricier than a standard refrigerator but worth the splurge to not have such a huge bump out from the rest of the base cabinets. 

The new slide in range and hood are now along the wall where that old sliding door used to be. The handles and knobs on that range is as fire as it gets.  

 

This is a custom kitchen so we added some extra bells and whistles including a larger spice rack and a pullout for baking sheets. 

In the island, we used pegs to store the glasses and cups since we have no upper cabinet next to the refrigerator. These pegs can be used for plates as well. They're adjusted as needed. 

Now that we'd raised the window we have an entire new wall of much needed storage and counter space. The window is still large enough to pour in added sunlight. 

We made lemonade of of that corner for sure!

We added a desk area for either of the kids to do some homework, but it's mostly where Mindy sits to organize her bills and plot her next renovation project. The bulky pantry with the bi-fold doors that stayed open was removed and a new pantry with pullouts added. 

The view from the laundry room. The sliding door used to be what you saw while standing here. 

We are so thankful for Mindy, Danny and the kids for trusting us to bring so much more love and light to their home via this major renovation. They're now officially family and we can't wait to tackle another project in a few years. And happy upcoming bar mitzvah Matthew and Sophie. Xavier sends his love!

Shop the Look

1.Pendant //2. Pendant Light 2// 3.Glass Knob//4. Small Brass and Acrylic Pull//5. Large Brass and Acrylic Pull//6. Marble Look Backsplash Tile//7.Dark Wood-Look Tile//8. Light Wood-Look Tile//9. Black and Leather Bar Stool //10. Leather Bar Stool//11.Dark Grey Chair//12. Light Grey Chair//13.White Canister Set//14. White Textured Canister Set//15.Stainless Steel Hood//16. Chrome Faucet//17. Sink With Cutting Board

 

How Our Weston Hills Kitchen Goes from Drab to Fab!

Last year we ripped apart every inch of this two-story home in Weston Hills and slowly gave it a new a fabulous lease on life. This wasn't a standard renovation. Our clients own several properties and while they're considering downsizing, they weren’t sure if they would one day move back in to this home where they'd raised their three girls. They did know they wanted it to be a lot less traditional than their primary home, therefore no deep wood tones, no heavy drapery. They wanted a light and airy home, heavy on style and function. 

We started on the first floor and worked our way up.

Here's my process: When I walk into a space to consider it's potential design, nothing is off limits. I'll flip an existing floor plan upside down - relocate a sink if needed, move an ac unit or a  washer/dryer if one is sitting in kitchen...That's the beauty of starting afresh. Most homeowners who renovate assume they have to renovate within the existing footprint. Ummm, not so. Ever. 

So with that in mind, this kitchen was about to get a lesson in how to move things around to finally achieve great style and function. Here's where we started:

FYI: I loathe a bar height countertop! I just can't with the dangling legs and struggling to get on those bar stools so 99 percent of my kitchen designs have a counter height island. I'm still trying to remember that 1 percent, but carry on while I jog my memory.  I will also always prefer a hood that vents to the exterior when possible, over a microwave over the range. That means you'll see loads of convention/microwave combos in our projects or base cabinet microwaves or microwave drawers. 

There are more stylish ways to do a pantry. And that tiny refrigerator just won't cut it in a house of this size. 

Plumbing is our biggest pain in the rear. In two story homes the pipes are always, always in the wrong location for us to truly create a master piece kitchen so yes, we have to often relocate plumbing stacks. It's always worth it. Trust me on that. 

Demo days are the best days. 

  

 Okay. Enough chatter. Here's how she's looking these days. 

Counter height! Always. Always. Seating for five and in true style with these camel leather and chrome bar stools. FYI we sourced for hours for the perfect ones and I had to push my client on this choice because I really wanted the leather to warm things up a bit. 

Relocating the plumbing stacks allowed us to completely open the kitchen up. 

Relocating the range and hood directly in front of the sink just seemed to anchor the kitchen and allowed us to do a dramatic slab backsplash where it could truly be a star. 

This was our third choice of quartz! Our client travels a lot and we lost the first two we pitched while waiting on her approval in between flights. In the end I pulled the trigger on this one and said, sorry, this has to be it! Thankfully she agreed and my, what a beauty. 

Oh breakfast nook, you have made me a believer. 

It took five holes for this faucet and companion hose and garbage disposal button! 

But whatev, we so love it. 

   

I really think farm sinks are here to stay. Ditto two over-sized pendants over an island instead of three. 

Flour power.

Finally! A refrigerator that's the right scale for a five bedroom home, with pantries the way I like em  on either side of a refrigerator.

The new beverage station is a great addition and also houses a microwave drawer in the base cabinet. 

 

Whew. Let's have a seat! This was definitely a labor of love project. 

So many lessons learned on this one but man if it isn't now among our faves. 

But here's some Behind The Scenes (BTS) intel:

1. I originally wanted to move the sink to the under the windows where the banquette is and in a rare case, the windows were the perfect height from the floor to do so (we've raised windows before in order to relocate a sink) But out client loves a dedicated breakfast nook and so nope, that idea was nixed much to my dismay. And guess what, that little eating area is now just as fabulous as it was meant to be.
2. We debated a lot about the kitchen island color. My client wanted the navy color I'd used in another project but since I won't repeat a design or color that was not to be. We went back and forth for weeks about the color then one day she looked at my grey nail color and said, I really love that color on your nails. Can we do that? Ummm sure thing!
3. I'll always, always take cabinets to the ceiling - unless ceilings are over 10 feet in which case it just doesn't make sense because, ladders to get inside your cabinets shouldn't be an every day thing. 
4. Weeks after we finished the main floor, a pipe burst in the laundry and flooded the main floor. I was a wreck when I walked in to ankle deep water but thankfully we'd popped by just hours after it happened and so we the cabinets weren't soaked. All the doors and baseboards had to be removed and new ones reinstalled. It was a devastating turn of events for this project and slowed things down for weeks as we had to ensure all the walls were dry to avoid mold but thankfully we pulled through.

We'll reveal the other spaces we designed over the next few weeks.  What's your favorite part of this kitchen project? And have you had a difficult kitchen renovation that made you wanna pull your hair out? Tell us the worst moment and how you pulled you. 

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