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. PSG
