One of our favorite projects at Godfrey Design-Build in 2022 was a complete kitchen remodel in Danvers, Massachusetts. For this month’s blog post, we highlight this stunning transformation with help from the homeowners Erin and Anthony Colgan.
Erin and Anthony knew up front they wanted to go with the Design-Build process. The couple sat down with Godfrey Design-Build at the start of the process — the Design Phase — and discussed all of their pain points, priorities, and goals for their remodel. Then, Godfrey Design-Build got to work to design and create a beautiful kitchen that also fits all of their family’s needs.
Read on to hear from Erin and Anthony about their project!
What wasn’t working in your original kitchen?
Erin: “The kitchen was not our aesthetic. The countertops were outdated, the cabinets were not functioning, and many drawers were broken. The refrigerator was too wide for the space, and we couldn’t even open the fridge without blocking the view to the dining room.”
Erin also wanted to maximize the storage space in the kitchen. The original cabinets did not reach the ceiling, and she felt like there was “so much wasted space” above them that she wanted to capitalize on, rather than leaving the space to simply “collect dust.”
The new kitchen layout has both great design and function. We flipped the location of the stove and refrigerator, and moved the sink out of the island and in front of the bright new window. The new setup provides better sight lines and improved countertop space for cooking and cleanup. Crisp white cabinets and luxe custom crown molding extend to the ceiling, providing ample storage space and drawing the eye up, highlighting the home’s tall ceilings.
What was one of your goals for the remodel?
Erin: “More light! There is only one window in the kitchen. We wanted to be sure we added plenty of lighting and that the cabinets were light and bright to keep the space from feeling too dark.”
Godfrey Design-Build helped the Colgan family create a bright kitchen with multiple lighting elements. The ambient lighting included recessed lights and classic glass pendants over the island. For task lighting, we installed both under and interior cabinet lighting, which help during meal prep, as well as to highlight some of Erin’s favorite display items.
Elements of the design and process
Blue! design elements and color
The first floor of Erin and Anthony’s colonial home already incorporated some beautiful blue elements, which they wanted to continue into the kitchen. For the island, they opted to use Sherwin Williams’ Indigo Batik for a fun pop of color. Erin embraced navy as a neutral tone in her home, explaining that “navy is my black” as it “provides a pop of color yet is still classic.” Their Serena and Lily Riviera Bar & Counter Stools in Navy complement the space perfectly, tying together the crisp white cabinets and the blue island.
Two looks with the same tile
For the kitchen tile backsplash, Godfrey Design-Build suggested the family use the same herringbone tile that Erin chose for the first-floor powder room floor. We suggested a darker grout color in the powder room while switching it out for a white grout for the backsplash, providing a slightly different yet cohesive look. The GDB team also guided Erin when choosing hardware — suggesting looking at several different samples in the space, and encouraging her to make sure the kitchen hardware made sense in relation to the other finishes on the first floor, which she really appreciated.
Sinks: decisions, decisions!
Picking a sink was one of the hardest decisions, and Erin and Anthony “went back and forth” about choosing a farmhouse apron-front sink or a stainless steel undermount. Erin really appreciated the discussion she had with our Head Carpenter, Fred Aston, who spoke with her in detail about how her choice would impact other kitchen elements.
Fred explained that the deeper basin of an apron-front sink requires a custom lower cabinet and reduces under-sink storage space. He also pointed out that an apron front sink affects the countertops, as there would be a break in the countertop at the front of the sink. For Erin and Anthony it made sense to go with a traditional stainless steel undermount sink, since they realized it would be easier to replace in the future if they ever wanted to make any changes to the somewhat farmhouse feel of the kitchen. The couple was so thankful for Fred’s detailed explanation, which gave them the confidence to move forward with their choice.
Storage
As with most kitchen renovations, getting storage right was one of our homeowners’ primary goals. Erin hated the stand-alone trash can in her kitchen and wanted to ensure that her new design included extra-large trash and recycling pull-out drawers. She also loves her collection of decorative serving trays, and was excited to create a cabinet where she could slide in the trays, so they were easy to find and access.
Godfrey Design-Build made sure to include these elements in the custom cabinetry design.
Why choose Design-Build?
Erin and Anthony wanted a company that could design the space and execute the construction. She was impressed that Godfrey Design-Build could provide 3D Renderings of the space, providing several options so that she could easily see how various layouts and design options might look. Erin loved that she could “see and feel” exactly how everything would look, which helped her to feel informed and confident with every decision, from layout to individual design elements.
Erin: “There were so many decisions! Pat, Fred, and the team helped us stay focused and clear-headed about every decision. Without their help, it would have been very overwhelming, since there are so many options out there — like magazines and HGTV. I didn’t have to go down the rabbit hole that is the Internet!”
Erin and Anthony also preferred that the Design-Build method laid out all of her “to-do lists” so it was very clear and easy to know every decision that needed to be made. They appreciated that Pat, Fred, and the team provided suggestions for every decision or gave constructive feedback if they came to the team with one of their own design elements.
Timing is everything
The Godfrey Design-Build team was clear on the timing for Erin and Anthony. These homeowners loved that the team was up front regarding any decision that needed to be made ASAP vs. other things that could be decided down the road or as the project progressed.
Erin: “Godfrey Design-Build provided a very realistic timeline, as well as an easy to understand explanation why certain elements took longer to complete than others.”
Show me the money!
Most importantly, Erin and Anthony were impressed with how detailed Pat was in providing a budget and the cost of every individual line item in the project. This could be updated on the fly so that they could see the financial impact of every single change or decision. Erin appreciated how clear and simple the pricing was and how easy it was to ensure they were staying within budget.
Final Thoughts
In the end, Erin and Anthony were thrilled with their finished product. From the first meeting until the final walk-through, they appreciated the honest, open, and timely communication. They always knew they could get in touch with a member of our team any time they had a question or wanted to discuss any design decision. We wish them many happy years of enjoying their new space!
Interested in seeing how we can improve your space? Contact us today to learn more.