KITCHENS &BATHS. Find Your Style! 100+ Plus! CHANTAL KREVIAZUK S BATHROOM. Great Rooms & Must-Haves BRING ON THE COLOUR! A HOW-TO GUIDE. Win!

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1 KITCHENS Win! $5,000 in Prizes See p. 94 &BATHS H&H SPECIAL ISSUE Find Your Style! COUNTERTOPS VANITIES APPLIANCES FAUCETS ACCESSORIES 100+ Great Rooms & Must-Haves Display Until August 14, 2011 $7.95 BRING ON THE COLOUR! A HOW-TO GUIDE Plus! CHANTAL KREVIAZUK S BATHROOM

2 BEFORE & AFTER Calgary Designer Details REENA SOTROPA EMBARKS ON A HANDS-ON RENO, TRANSFORMING HER OWN DATED 50s KITCHEN INTO A FUNCTIONAL FAMILY SPACE. Text by JENNIFER HUGHES Photography by MICHAEL GRAYDON The new oversized window runs the length of one wall, opening up the view into the back garden. For a practical finishing detail, the tiled backsplash wraps neatly into the window well. Kindred sink, faucet, Kitchen & Bath Classics; window, Cossins Windows. A deep sink and an industrial faucet make washing large pots a breeze Designer Reena Sotropa KITCHEN 2 Reena Sotropa used her own kitchen as a design test lab, injecting it with the chic contemporary style she s known for. There s a lot to be said for custom kitchen design. But when designer Reena Sotropa, of Calgary s Corea Sotropa Interior Design, bought her 1956 bungalow, its kitchen had some unusual quirks. A doorbell in the kitchen rang in the basement rec room, and a hole for a central vacuum system receptacle was cut into a cabinet base not exactly the design details Reena had in mind. The main challenge, however, was the closed-off floor plan with a peninsula dividing the space into a small prep area and adjacent built-in eating area. Finishes like laminate countertops had seen better days, the original plywood cabinets offered little period charm and the dingy colour scheme left much to be desired. But Reena s keen eye saw through those challenges. She envisioned an open, bright, functional kitchen that would accommodate her busy family, which includes her husband J, and one-year-old daughter Annabelle. So she and J set to work gutting the space. They bid goodbye to the dividing peninsula as well as a partial wall that separated the 183-sq.-ft. kitchen from the dining room Before A closed-off, cramped layout and worn finishes made this kitchen look obsolete. TIMELINE six months BUDGET approx. $30, H&H KITCHENS & BATHS 2011 SEE SOURCE GUIDE

3 A concealed dishwasher allows cabinetry to continue uninterrupted The central island was designed specifically to suit the room s modest dimensions and to keep things open visually; while small, it comes in handy during food prep. A new ceiling fixture made of crystal orbs and drops provides a hit of glamour. Island, CountryFurniture; Glow Lighting light fixture, Cartwright Lighting. H&H KITCHENS & BATHS

4 next to it. To bring more light into the north-facing space and open up views to the back garden, two small windows were replaced with a single large one. In keeping with the plan for a more contemporary, open feeling, Reena eliminated upper cabinets. Instead, tall pantry cabinets lining one wall offer plenty of storage, supplemented by floating shelves on another. The new layout is a wide U shape that includes a custom central island. Beautiful finishes like walnut cabinetry, granite countertops, dramatic marble-tiled backsplash walls and marble flooring were added to give the space a luxe modern vibe that s far removed from the 50s kitchen and offer the kind of customized look Reena had in mind all along. Despite the quirkiness of the original kitchen, I could see the potential right away, she says. It s definitely living up to that now it s bigger, better and much brighter. A wall of full-height cabinetry made up for storage space lost when upper cabinets were removed Full-size fridge and freezer units that are normally installed side-by-side were separated to accommodate an existing chimney stack, which Reena concealed behind a wood panel. Frigidaire Professional Upright freezer and All fridge, Coast Wholesale Appliances. Pieces of walnut were cut to size to create cabinet doors and drawers. Reena planned carefully so the wood grain matched across each section. Clear round glass knobs coordinate with the crystal ceiling fixture. Walnut and walnut cutting, Windsor Plywood; knobs, Restoration Hardware; black granite countertops, Icon Stone & Tile. Reena and her husband, J, did all the tiling in the kitchen themselves, so they could splurge on the marble mosaic tile that covers the two backsplash walls. Painting by Caron Wiedrick; porcelain mortar & pestle, Williams-Sonoma. 72 H&H KITCHENS & BATHS 2011

5 Floor plan illustration by Jenn Lawrence All of Reena s everyday essential dishes and glasses are kept within easy reach on floating walnut shelves, which echo the linear quality of the tiled backsplash. Backsplash tile, Universal Slate International. The Plan Reena s Reno Advice Take inventory If you re looking to lose upper cabinets, take careful stock of everything you want to fit in the new plan. I thought long and hard about that, Reena says. Customize at a fraction of the cost Reena used basic cabinet boxes from a homeimprovement store, then made all the doors and drawers out of slabs of walnut cut to size. The result is a custom look at big-box-store prices. Don t be afraid to break the rules Reena disregarded the supposed rule of the proper kitchen work triangle between sink, stove and fridge to place her island in the centre of the room. If your room isn t overly large, an extra step or two really won t matter. Amp up the lighting Most older kitchens have only one central ceiling fixture, as Reena s did. Now, new halogen potlights around the perimeter cast a glow throughout the space, while a new central fixture lights up the island. Don t panic if you make a mistake Anything is fixable and reversible, says Reena. I put in a solid, built-in island that broke up the space too much and was a real visual blockade. So we tore it out, patched the floor, and had an open island made instead. We recouped a bit of the cost by reusing the same countertop. SEE SOURCE GUIDE H&H KITCHENS & BATHS