DOWNING KITCHEN

The Downings wished for a major update for the kitchen so they could better entertain in their 80-year-old Long Beach home. Unfortunately when dealing with much older homes, the kitchens are typically much smaller than ones people wish for these days. This was especially problematic in this case because one of the items at the top of the wish list was a large island that included seating.

Our first order of business was to research the home’s original plans to find a way to gain additional space for the kitchen area. What we uncovered was that the house’s garage was built wider than what was required by code. This allowed us to borrow 4 feet from the garage and expand the kitchen’s footprint into that space. Down went the dividing wall and in came the desired island along with custom cabinets, detailed tile work and even an entertainment center housed in the extension of new cabinets just outside of the kitchen.

No detail was overlooked because our intention was to make this kitchen remodel feel like it truly belonged with the architecture of the rest of the house. New contoured soffits were built to match the profile of the original around the kitchen. Cabinet doors were inlaid with glass. The glass even continued inside to provide shelves with a cleaner look and to help the lighting within flood the whole interior with light. Our certified electricians even installed hidden outlets underneath the granite countertop in the kitchen island to remove clutter and provide easy access.

What we created is not only a space for cooking food, but also a space for cooking up new memories. It’s a new gathering space for family and friends that the Downings are now eager to host.