A Transitional Kitchen and Family Room Remodel in Lake Forest, Orange County

When you initially walked into the kitchen and living area of this Lake Forest home, you found a color palette of outdated earth tones that felt heavy and not in-line with the beautiful backyard and pool area these spaces open to. The medium tone oak cabinetry was placed alongside muted granite countertops, and the dining area felt cramped and oddly separated from the kitchen.

A big part of this design and remodel project centered around finding a way to improve the flow of the space and also to create a sense of cohesiveness and an updated design as you moved from the kitchen to the family room.

The Kitchen Cabinets

Pivotal to the transitional remodel in this Lake Forest home was the selection of cabinetry. To brighten and modernize the kitchen, where the footprint went largely unchanged, we chose 3-inch Shaker cabinets in straight white. They feature solid maple doors, and unique customizations including a valance set over the sink, as well as hidden storage underneath the peninsula. Wainscotting detailing cleverly conceals these storage additions.

We created a custom refrigerator door for a seamless design. There is also a custom microwave cabinet, so this small appliance is covertly out of view.

Tile and Countertops

The overall color palette in this kitchen remodel is gray and white. The stone kitchen countertops are polished Gray Savoie granite, and the profile is a 1 ½-inch square mitered profile.

Paired with the gray square-edged countertops is a sleek, modern tile backsplash consisting of Eleganza Vetro tile in Snow White with gray grout. This glass tile is a premium selection, evoking stylishness, with a clean edge, subtle texturing and a very glossy finish.

This tile is carried up to the ceiling behind the wall-mounted range hood.

Appliances and Sink

The appliances in the Lake Forest represent some of the finest available. The appliance package includes the eye-catching Zephyr wall-mounted stainless range hood, as well as a Wolf professional-quality convection steam oven.

There’s a compact yet functional bar area between the refrigerator and the ovens, and this is where you’ll find not only additional countertop space and cabinet storage overhead but also the inclusion of a sleek 24-inch stainless steel wine cooler.

The sink serves as not just a functional addition, but also a beautiful feature piece. The farmhouse sink is a Blanco Cerana 33-inch Fireclay Front Apron single design, and it’s set against a large window providing views of the backyard and pool.

Dining Space

Directly adjacent to the kitchen is a stunning, custom dining space, where there was once a cramped and somewhat awkward area with minimal space to eat.

What replaces that is a custom-designed and built banquette-style bench with a high back, paired with a butcher block dining table.

The butcher block table was the creation of the homeowners and the designer, and the table top is solid, natural walnut with an oil-rubbed finish. The richness of the wood is an ideal pairing with the airiness of the rest of the kitchen design.

The Family Room

To keep the design cohesive and flowing naturally, APlus Kitchen also revamped the homeowners’ family room. The walls were painted a modern shade of icy blue-grey, and custom cabinetry was installed to the right of the fireplace, which was also redesigned by the APlus team.

The fireplace features a natural stacked stone façade and a floating mantel that matches the butcher block dining table. To the right of the fireplace are a combination of custom floating shelves and a built-in cabinet with spacious drawers for storage.

Under the corner windows in the family room is a built-in seating area, again with a butcher block-inspired top, and additional drawer storage underneath.

The ceiling feels high and open thanks to the recessed lighting, and large windows ensure plenty of natural light comes into the family room.

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A Modern Kitchen & Home Remodel and Master Bedroom, Bathroom Room and walking closet Addition in Villa Park

Robin and Tom, the owners of this Villa Park home, came to APlus to achieve two main objectives. The first was a modernized lower level update while the second included the addition of a new master bedroom and bathroom.

The project represented a massive undertaking over the period of a year, as Alex and the team at APlus worked with Robin and Tom to design the home and master suite they’d always wanted.

The Home Before

Before the remodel the main living areas in the home felt cramped and dated. The ceilings were relatively low, and wood beams made it feel even more enclosed. The family room included a wide, white brick fireplace that lacked a mantle and was topped by plank panels.

The kitchen was large with a functional footprint, but the countertops, cabinets and light fixtures were outdated, and there was a shortage of cabinet and storage space. The kitchen island was also relatively small, and the bar hardly extended at all, with no additional leg room if people were seated here.

At the front of the house, there was a traditional staircase, which felt heavy because of its wood construction, and the hallway leading from the kitchen seemed narrow and closed off.

The guest bathroom featured a vanity with a tiled top, as well as dark tiling running along both the walls and the ceiling, making the space feel smaller than it actually is.

The Concept

Alex worked with the homeowners to create a remodeled kitchen, living area, guest bathroom and a revamped staircase. While this was a large project, it was the planned master suite addition that represented the bulk of the architectural work.

Robin and Tom, along with Alex, planned to add about 600 square feet of additional space through the master suite addition, which would include the creation of a foundation, framing, and roofing. The complexity of the addition required APlus to create not only architectural plans but also structural engineering.

The demo process included the removal of cabinetry throughout, the removal of flooring and baseboards throughout the downstairs level of the home, the removal of casings to all interior doors, the removal of an upstairs linen closet, the removal of ceiling drywall in the family room and kitchen, panel removal above the family room fireplace, the removal of the brick and hearth from the fireplace wall in both the living room and the family room and the removal of wainscoting in the dining room.

The Kitchen

The kitchen retained some of its original footprint and layout, but became an open, modern space with a sleek, clean design. APlus manufactured the custom cabinetry in a European style with a white finish. The maple cabinetry includes high-end chrome pulls and hardware. Built-in features include lazy Susans, spice pulls, and a double trash pull.

The island features abundant built-in storage and is topped by a white stone countertop with 2.25 mitered edges, cascading to the floor in a waterfall style. The customized built-in pantries feature three bottom drawers, rollouts to eye level and adjustable upper shelving. The high-end appliance package includes a Zephyr Sienna Pro range hood, a Wolf 48-inch dual-fuel range and a 48-inch side-by-side Sub Zero refrigerator. The island boasts a built-in microwave drawer while the beautiful kitchen faucet is a Meridian polished chrome pull-down sprayer.

The small bar area of the counter was removed to better open the kitchen to the family room.

A glass tile mosaic backsplash was carried to the ceiling, recessed lights were added, and pendant lights hang over the bar. The kitchen opens via a wide door to the outside patio and pool area, and between the kitchen and living area there is space for a dining table, as well as more built-in storage in the form of custom cabinetry and a bar-top counter with the same luxe thick, mitered stone edges of the rest of the kitchen.

Over the dining area hangs a sculpturally-inspired modern light fixture with straight lines and glass globes.

The sightlines between the kitchen and family room are completely open, which makes it feel much larger and more functional than the previous design.

The Family Room

The living area was transformed from cramped and dated to bright, open and modern. The main focal point of the room is the fireplace, which was redesigned to include a stacked stone surround, along with a custom mantle that extends to built-in shelving installed along the wall. The fireplace design includes a recessed TV niche, and the richly colored plank flooring from the kitchen continues here.

The heavy ceiling beams were removed and recessed lighting maintains the feeling of a high, airy ceiling, much like the kitchen.

Master Suite Addition

The main floor master addition was a crucial component of the redesign. The homeowners wanted a master bedroom and bathroom that would offer them space, functionality and a sophisticated design that was in-line with the remodel happening elsewhere in their home.

The addition and exterior work completed by APlus required the pouring of new footings and slabs before framing began.

The master bedroom includes ample natural light as well as incredibly high vaulted ceilings. There is a separate outdoor entry and exit space that includes French doors delivering views of the existing pool area.

One entire wall of the bedroom is made up of closets constructed of wood grain melamine with a customized APlus organization system.

In the master bathroom, white European-style cabinetry was used, and the expansive double vanity is topped with gray quartz. Adjacent to the vanity is a spacious walk-in frameless shower with a built-in seat area and large-scale Eleganaza tile from the Loft series, in Grigio.

More storage is included with the addition of custom free-standing linen closets that match the design of the bathroom’s primary cabinetry. A built-in vanity features seating space, and a walk-in bathtub is set under a large low-E window.

The Powder Room

Another area of the project included a refresh of the powder room to include a sleek, floating vanity with high-gloss Euro cabinetry in “Storm.” The dark color of the vanity juxtaposes the white, thick-cut countertop and additional storage was added diagonally from the toilet and vanity.

A decadent metallic wallpaper was added, while the plank flooring found throughout the rest of the house is also included in the new powder room design. The quartz countertop is carried upward to create a vanity backsplash.

Also included in the main level remodel of this Villa Park home was a refreshed staircase. In place of heavy, dark wood steps there are now black stairs with tile risers and a glass and steel railing floats alongside the stairs, which makes them feel more open than they were previously.

The formal living area includes a style similar to the living room adjacent to the kitchen, featuring the continuation of wide plank-style flooring with detailed graining.

The living area to the front of the home also includes another stacked stone fireplace, as well as recessed lighting.

The laundry room underwent changes as part of the remodel to include custom European maple cabinetry from APlus with 3-inch shaker doors.

During this intensive construction and remodel project APlus and Alex’s team were careful to not just produce an outstanding design that exceeded the owners’ expectations, but they also worked to make the process as seamless and comfortable as possible for them.

The result is a home that’s as beautiful as it is livable. The homeowners are now able to enjoy more square footage, a luxurious master retreat, and a stylishly updated living space, as well as a high-end kitchen with impeccable finishes and professional-quality appliances

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Mission Viejo Traditional Brown G-Shaped Kitchen Remodel with Custom Cabinets

A couple in Mission Viejo heard about the great work of APlus through a neighbor, and decided we were the perfect company to give their dated home a facelift.

Before

The home’s previous look was too cookie-cutter to make much of an impression. The owners wanted to change things up with a warm, inviting style inspired by traditional architecture and design themes. As the contractors on this job, our goal was to match the homeowner’s refined personal style, while still making the house comfortably livable and practical.

Restructuring

Everything was stripped down to the bare bones of the house’s walls and floors. Patagonian Rosewood amaretto planks from Johnson wood floors were installed, immediately introducing a warm cherry hue. The hardwood was extended out into the living room, and a balustrade was built as a separator between the two levels.

White River Granite countertops were installed over the brand new construction of custom cabinets in a G-shape. They were built from high quality maple wood in a Euro & Face frame style, with Tuscan style doors. A Honey wiping stain with witting glaze was applied to the wood’s surface to give a radiant finish that matches closely with the color of the floors. Unique touches were added, including a subtly carved wooden hood casing over the stove area, and spice pulls beneath, as well as textured glass inserts in two of the cabinets framing the window. Our team also installed hidden electrical outlets on the underside of the top cabinets, allowing for appliances to be plugged in without having unsightly wall plugs break the visual flow of the walls, which sport a full-height tile backsplash made of Bedrosians’ set of Tranquility tiles from their Eclipse collection.

On the far side of the kitchen, a breakfast bar was made, with carved posts and plenty of legroom to accommodate multiple seats. To the left of the stairs descending into the living room, we built a wine bar area with a sink and cabinets in a pale Swiss Coffee finish.

Appliances

Along with building this whole new traditional kitchen, we also helped the homeowners select and install premium appliances, including a KitchenAid 27” Electric Built-In Microwave/Oven Combination to the right of a KitchenAid 36” Gas Built-In Cooktop, and a KitchenAid Undercounter Dishwasher on the kitchen’s windowed side.

 

Fireplace

To make the living room more functional and fashionable, we created a new focal point for the room by installing built-in shelves in a pristine Swiss Coffee finish. The shelving was built around the fireplace, which was freshly faced with Ledger stones from Sparkstone’s Harbor Mist collection.

Bathroom

The same wood flooring was continued into the bathroom. which features the same cabinet and counter construction as the kitchen, and a walk-in shower also lined with tiles from Sparkstone’s Harbor Mist collection in mixed patterns.

Are you thinking of giving your Mission Viejo home a facelift as well? APlus Interior Designs handles all types of renovations throughout the entirety of Orange County. Contact us today for a quote!

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