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When Dr. Egerton and Anne van den Berg approached PSG Construction to renovate their kitchen, they brought along very specific goals. The family of seven – soon to be eight – needed more space to accommodate the whole family in the kitchen area, while allowing several tasks to take place at the same time.
Anne knew just what she wanted. As a former attorney, she set her career aside to devote full attention to her family. She wanted the space to be arranged so she could be close at hand to offer assistance and supervision to her children while they played games or completed homework.
“Wherever Mom is, that’s where the children want to be,” this active mother and wife explains. “So I wanted one big space that could be used simultaneously by several people. That’s exactly what’s happened [with our renovation].”
The client’s goals also called for an old European French look that “felt lived in and looked as if it had been around for a long time,” as Anne expresses it.
Existing Kitchen Moved to Temporary Location During Construction
The first task was to prepare a complete temporary kitchen for use during the construction period in order to keep the inconvenience of the project to a minimum.
“We were concerned about a family of this size being without a fully equipped kitchen for such a lengthy period of time,” Stephen Gidus says. In one day’s time, PSG dismantled the existing kitchen and re-assembled it in a nearby bedroom that was temporarily vacated. The sink was set up in a closet and temporary plumbing was run under the floor, which was situated on a crawl space. A 220 volt line for the appliances was also run under the flooring.
PSG also installed temporary insulated walls to close off the construction site from the rest of the house.
“We did not want the noise of the construction to disturb the children practicing their piano or playing on the computer,” Paul Gidus points out. A temporary entrance for construction workers was also created to minimize the inconvenience to the family.
“The temporary kitchen made a tremendous difference,” the client recalls. “It was definitely worth it. We experienced very little inconvenience.”
Creating One Extraordinary Space From Three
The existing kitchen was adjacent to a breakfast room and sunroom, all with various floor and ceiling heights. To deliver what the couple desired, PSG Construction teamed up with Joan Des Combes, CKD of Architectural Artworks Inc.
“We incorporated the three rooms into one large space by removing walls and relocating doors,” Joan explains. “The renovation increased wall space and improved traffic flow,” Joan points out.
Several task areas were designed to make the kitchen truly multi-functional. The kitchen now is comprised of a main work/prep area, dining space, an arts and crafts station placed at a lower height for the children, a work desk and a cleanup/seating area for adults.
PSG and Architectural Artworks created the Old World warmth the client wanted for the kitchen of their 7,000 square foot home by using weathered antique barn beams on the ceiling and doorway surrounds. The focal point of the kitchen is a custom limestone hearth designed by Joan. The distressed pine cabinetry is finished in a warm honey stain and deep red paint. Handmade glazed tiles used on the backsplash feature charming country and animal designs. Granite countertops and a deep farmhouse sink build on European practicality. A warming drawer holds prepared dishes for the large family while the remainder of the meal is being prepared. An undercounter refrigerator is positioned beneath the children’s arts and crafts station for easy accessibility. To accommodate the large family, the kitchen is also equipped with state-of-the-art appliances including two dishwashers, two ovens, a 48″ gas cook top and Sub-Zero® 36″ refrigerator and 36″ freezer.
The newly renovated kitchen purposefully provides a magnificent view of the swimming pool, tennis court and lake located at the rear of the property.
“I love cooking in the kitchen,” Anne says. “Several of the children can be helping me at the same time. Helping them with their homework is easy now. This is much more comfortable for me. PSG Construction accomplished what we intended.
