Modern Kitchen Renewal - Page 2

"I always tell my clients to choose a look that suits their personal style instead of following trends," says Sue Olson, of Sue Olson Designs in Menlo Park, a designer specializing in Eichler homes. "This way, they'll be happier with the results."

The National Association of Realtors recently reported that on average, major midrange kitchen remodels in 2005 cost $43,862 and returned $39,920 at re-sale, or 91 percent of the costs to remodel, up from 66 percent in 2002. The National Kitchen and Bath Association suggests that the kitchen is worth about 10 percent of the total value of the home—but that doesn't mean that one should automatically spend $50,000 on the kitchen in a $500,000 home. It all depends on your personal situation.

"I always recommend that homeowners who plan on selling a home in a couple of years just do a quick facelift to modernize it and add value," says Cooke. "If you plan on living there a while, it's worth it to customize the kitchen and spend more to make it just as you want it."

A "quick" kitchen update might include stripping paint off of kitchen cabinets or refacing the cabinet doors. Refacing can work well if you want to match new countertops and works best for cabinets that look tired but are otherwise in sturdy shape. Updated light fixtures, fresh flooring, and decorative hardware can also go a long way in making older kitchens appealing to buyers.

In restoration, homeowners often maintain the original kitchen footprint and make every attempt to capture the original spirit of the space. In the case of Carol Bua and Todd Clark, the owners of an Eichler in Granada Hills, this meant finding a cabinetmaker who could recreate the original cabinetry in more elegant mahogany. Carol says the work paid off when an Eichler owner came to see the kitchen and thought it was the kitchen installed when the home was built.

A full remodel offers homeowners the opportunity to truly customize their space. Walls might be knocked down, custom cabinets are installed, and time is taken to solve a family's specific needs. This might mean designing a custom banquette for informal dining, adding two prep stations for couples who like to cook together, or extensive storage for dishware or cookbook collections.

All of these extra features can add up. "There are usually five parts of the kitchen remodel to consider—floor, cabinets, appliances, countertop, and contractor," says Nadja Pentic, an Eichler-savvy kitchen designer with La Vita ´ Bella, Inc., based in San Francisco. "All can vary dramatically in budget, so the clients should build their budget based on what is most important to them and how much contractor work will be involved in the projects."

Cooke says he usually takes a potential client on a first walk-though writing down a wish list of items they want to change in the space. He'll then compare this list with the overall budget and timeline and show the owner how to break up the project to different building stages that might work for their financial situation.

For best results, designers and contractors work together to specify materials that will help work within budget parameters. Substituting mid-sized ceramic tile for large-scale European porcelain tile for floors and backsplashes can help trim a budget. Installing ready-made cabinets instead of custom ones can also significantly reduce remodeling costs, but designers say that it is important not to substitute a lower cost for poor design or craftsmanship.

"You want to keep the feeling of an open space and maintain the relationship between the inside and the out," Olson says. "Also, be careful about lines. Larger 24-inch by 24-inch tiles will create fewer lines on the floor than smaller 12-inch by 12-inch tiles would. Fewer lines create a more open feeling."

The cabinetry is usually one of the more flexible parts of the puzzle, and it can be as plain or elaborate as the homeowner wants it to be. Simple cabinets made of veneered wood, oak, or maple will cost significantly less than those made of more exotic materials, like tigerwood or wenge, an African hardwood. Built-in storage features, such as revolving trays, pull-out baskets, and dish caddies, can also add significant cost for their added conveniences.

Designers of mid-century modern homes often recommend using plain doors to stay true to the clean, minimalist look. "It's the Eichler aesthetic to keep things uncluttered and as simple as possible," Olson says.

Also, it's important to think ahead to how tones and textures will work together upon completion. "When remodeling a house that has a lot of wood paneling, I always recommend going with color to minimize clashing of wood shades and also not to have the house look completely wooden," Pentic suggests.

A trend in Europe has been to keep all tall pieces, such as the refrigerator, double oven, and pantries, on one wall; and keep shorter elements, like sinks, cook tops, and low cabinetry, on another. "Large islands and peninsulas are also a trend, particularly when the wall between the kitchen and dining rooms disappear to create one large living space," Pentic says.

One of Olson's recent open designs included the Hahn-Clark Eichler in Palo Alto. In their striking remodel, new white concrete countertops top black cabinets and shine in front of stainless tambour wall cabinets. "We also covered the fireplace wall in black stone, which is what you look out at from the kitchen," Olson says. "This was a classic Eichler situation—with the flying coffins blocking all the views before."

"Now, we are able to multitask," Ava Hahn says. "We can cook while watching the baby, or while socializing with family or guests in the dining and living areas, or while watching the evening news. The kitchen, dining, and living areas are all unified into one beautiful space that makes it a joy to hang out at home."

The Kights worked together to complete their kitchen remodel. The most important choice, they say, was high-end Finnish plywood cabinetry for an authentic look. "As Birch plywood was used extensively in the original 1950s design, this product was a natural choice for the counters and cabinetry doors," Greg Kight explains. "The outer surface of the counters is plastic laminate similar to the 1950s original design."

The couple used environmentally friendly cork flooring, which is used in many modern homes. The result, the Kights admit, was a kitchen they could spend many happy hours in.

"To see this kitchen through from concept to completion has been extremely rewarding," Kight says. "The design-build relationship allowed for an intimacy where the kitchen was permitted to ultimately express its true form and function."

To create a more inviting and functional space in their Eichler, the Nicholls looked to Fu-Tung Cheng, an influential Bay Area designer known for his work with concrete, for inspiration. Scot and Carmen decided to use open walls and cabinet space for an airier feeling. A new, large island features a concrete wall and pull-out drawers. Swinging doors to the patio also brought the outdoors inside.

"Less formality invites people to take on new roles and rules in dining," Scot Nicholls says. "There is more participation in the preparation of the meal, and the openness invites interaction with others who may be relaxing in the patio but are not out of range for conversations that are going on in the kitchen."

No matter how extensive the renewal project, investing in the kitchen of a mid-century modern home will help keep it a treasured and enjoyable space and worthwhile investment for years to come.

Photos: David Toerge, John Eng, Arthur Coleman Studio, Rochelle Kramer of SoCalModern.com; and courtesy Sue Olson Designs, Paul Kaplan of midcenturyproperties.com, Kevin McPhee, Scot & Carmen Nicholls, Carol Bua & Todd Clark, Greg & Anna-Karin Kight, Jennifer & Paul Freudenberg

The Eichler Network sincerely thanks all of our readers who submitted before/after photos and anecdotes of their kitchens. Hopefully space will allow us to feature more of them in the future.

RESOURCES
• Keycon, Inc.: 650-965-1256