Builder Grade to Contemporary Chic

Matt from Mint Construction partnered with decorator Crystal Ortiz from Bluestone Decorating on this long-overdue kitchen remodel.  Dan, the homeowner, loves to cook, and the outdated '90s kitchen wasn't conducive to showing off his skills.  The goal was to give him a gorgeous custom kitchen that would function for his family and have updated appliances and fixtures.

Dan had been wanting to renovate the kitchen for over a decade. "As a cook, it wasn't efficient.  It didn't look right.  It didn't work right.  I hated the cabinets.  I hated the countertops.  This has been fourteen years in the making."

Matt remembers the first time he visited the house. "Even though it's a good-sized kitchen and the house is a great size, the original kitchen was really boxed in, partially from a wall being built where it didn't really need to be." He faced challenges such as a load-bearing beam that couldn't be moved and a wall dividing the space. He had the engineer cut the space for a longer beam which is concealed inside the ceiling.

Because she knew how much Dan enjoys cooking, Crystal wanted to add custom details to make the space more functional. She envisioned a tiled-in niche within arm's reach of the gas stove. "This is going to be a great spot for Dan to set his oil and vinegar and all of his great little spices as he's cooking."

Dan couldn't believe how the kitchen opened up once they tore down the dividing wall. "You could see it right off the bat. It was an 'oh, my God' moment for both of us as to how much space it created, because that wall was absolutely useless. Walking in the kitchen when it's empty, the space it's created, is amazing." He's excited to see the finished room, which we'll reveal in a future episode. "Looking at the plans, and the pictures, and the renderings, knowing where things are going to be, is absolutely outstanding."