The “drop zone” in the Kuppersmith kitchen helps keep everything organized.
We’re making great headway at the Kuppersmith home. When we started out, this 1920s house was very much a product of its era and in desperate need of some smart, 21st Century design improvements. Our goal was to use cabinetry to create designated storage spaces to bring more functionality and make living in the home easier for the family. I’m pleased to report that the cabinets are in and we already see huge improvement in the overall design and functionality of the home. Let me take you on a guided tour of sorts and explain the various cabinetry solutions Merillat has provided for specific areas of the house.
One of the first storage problems we noticed was the lack of a guest closet in the front entry. We used Merillat Classic® Portrait with a five piece drawer door style in a Maple Chiffon finish to substitute for the missing closet and to create a functional space to hang coats and store shoes. Since this space is next to the living room, the open wall shelves can also display decorative items and add to the aesthetics of the room.
From the living room, let’s move into the dining room. This room was also lacking sufficient storage space for dishes. Instead of buying furniture we created two hutches for two corners of the room. The Merillat Classic Somerton Hill door style in a Cherry Cider finish gives these hutches a furniture appeal detailed with crown molding. The homeowners now have a space to store their dinnerware and can even put their china dishes in the glass display cabinets for all to see.
In the kitchen, the new Merillat cabinetry makes entertaining, working and living in the kitchen easier. The Kuppersmith kitchen is full of functional storage accessories like Merillat’s deep drawer peg-board divider and roll-out trays giving every item in the kitchen a designated spot.
To create an even more functional kitchen space, Merillat has created a separate prep station for coffee, the microwave and extra pantry storage. The Maple Chiffon cabinetry finish used here is different than the rest of the kitchen giving this storage space a freestanding, furniture appeal. Designated spaces in a kitchen, like this prep station, make it easier to stay organized and help eliminate the stress of a cluttered mess.
Not only are the walls lined with cabinetry, but we have also installed an island fully equipped with additional storage space for cookie sheets and trays as well as a sink, dishwasher and trash compactor making clean up a breeze. The kitchen also includes Merillat’s CoreGuard™ Sink Base to help protect this new kitchen against damage caused by minor leaks and spills under the sink. We used Merillat Classic Avenue with a five piece drawer door style in a Maple Kona finish to complement the lighter Maple Chiffon finish on the pantry.
When designing a kitchen it is important to think of ways to make the kitchen more efficient. One way we did this was to install the refrigerator adjacent to the doorway to the garage. This makes it easier for the family to unload groceries when entering the house. On the other side of this doorway we created a drop zone area with cabinetry that surrounds the window looking out into the back yard. This is the perfect place to drop keys, sort mail and store the dog leash as you enter the home from the garage. There are even cubbies specifically for charging cell phones and iPod™ in this drop zone area. Now, everything has a place making things easy to find and much more organized. We also have a window seat making it easier to take off shoes and with space to store them below the seat in the two open cabinets.
Merillat cabinetry is also found in the Master bedroom and bathroom on the first floor of the home. With “His & Hers” closets, the homeowners are able to keep their items separate and organized. These cabinets and open shelves provide ample storage solutions for clothes, shoes and accessories. In addition, the bathroom is equipped with “His & Hers” sinks so each person has their own space to get ready without bumping into one another. For the Master bathroom and closet we used Merillat Classic Tolani door style in a Maple Chiffon finish.
As you can see, Merillat’s goal for the Kuppersmith home was to implement as many functional spaces and storage solutions as possible. Sometimes just adding a little cabinetry here and there can make a world of difference in keeping your home organized!
Watch sneak peeks of the project and keep track of the progress on Danny’s Facebook and Twitter pages. We’ll also be sure to keep you posted about the project’s status on Merillat’s RoundTable.
Tags: cabinets, danny lipford, Kuppersmith, merillat, merillat cabinets, The Kuppersmith Project