Kitchen & Bath Business May/June 2021 - 36

BALANCED BUDGET

Economical Upgrade

A d e s i g n e r c r e a t e d h e r c l i e n t 's d r e a m k i t c h e n
without breaking the bank - or her retirement

A NEWLY ENGAGED WOMAN in her 70s had
dreamed of a new kitchen in her Minneapolis
townhome for years.Having been long-time friends
with JoLynn Johnson, owner of Crystal Kitchen
+ Bath, it was only natural that this client would
choose the designer for her kitchen renovation.
At the top of the homeowner's wish list were to
open and brighten up the space and include improved and additional storage. It was Johnson's job
to not only create the perfect kitchen for her friend
but to also make sure the project stayed on budget.
" My client could not invest more into her townhouse than her retirement savings and did not want
to renovate above its resale value, " said the designer.

ABOVE To open up the space

without adding square footage, the design team took out
the walls between the kitchen,
living room and dining area.
To maximize storage, they
went taller with the cabinets
because of the vaulted ceiling.
Designer JoLynn Johnson
chose white cabinets and
countertops to brighten up
the space, which includes
a mother-of-pearl glass tile
backsplash as one of the
project's splurges.

USING INNOVATIVE TRICKS
OF THE TRADE TO STAY ON TRACK

To ensure the budget, which was about $40,000,
was kept on track, the homeowner hired her own
handyman to do all the labor and installation -

36
36-37_KBB_0521_BalancedBudget.indd 36

By CHELSIE BUTLER

rather than paying individual contractors. The designer and her client also
made some difficult decisions regarding what was most important and what
was not.
For example, a heat vent was discovered in one of the walls that needed
to be removed, but it would have been quite pricey to relocate it to the back
of the cabinets, which would have required tearing up the floor. It was easier
to change it to a floor vent where the wall once was, and the vent is almost
flush - eliminating a trip hazard.
The client also wanted to take advantage of the range's self-cleaning option,
but that would have required an outlet with more power in a challenging
location - what Johnson said would have been a $2,000 investment - so that
is something she chose to do without.
With those more challenging decisions aside, the designer set about making cost-conscious choices for her client without taking away anything about
the aesthetics of the new kitchen. She selected a semi-custom cabinet line that
was more middle of the line but that still offered all the soft-close, lighting
and accessible options as a completely custom profile.
The Corian quartz countertop material was on sale at a local showroom, and
although the Café appliances in matte white with brass handles were a bit of
splurge,most of those they also found in the bargain room.The cabinet hardware,
faucet, disposal and air switch are honey bronze to match the appliance pulls.
" My client was a good shopper and got wholesale prices for the plumbing
fixtures and the flooring, " said Johnson, who estimated about $1,000 for the
fixtures and $350 for the flooring.
Although the backsplash is small, the client chose more expensive tiles
for this area, which was one of the project's splurges at about $350 for
the materials.

/ MAY-JUNE 2021 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of NKBA (NKBA.org) and KBIS (KBIS.com)

5/11/21 11:16 PM
http://www.KBBONLINE.COM http://www.NKBA.org http://www.KBIS.com
Kitchen & Bath Business May/June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Kitchen & Bath Business May/June 2021
