Kitchen & Bath Business October 2021 - 38

SOL UTIONS
A Demanding
Undertaking
Despite undergoing several
industry issues, a kitchen
achieves a necessary
transformation
WHEN A REMODELER IN DELAWARE was preparing
for an upcoming kitchen renovation for
his clients, he recalled what he had seen on the
Instagram page for Kaestner Designs and felt
that this fi rm would be a perfect fi t for the project.
It didn't matter that the designer was located in
Philly - he was sold.
Brian Cimorosi of Rova Remodeling LLC
subsequently reached out to Michael Kaestner,
CLIPP, who was called in for the total kitchen
overhaul for a couple in their 60s who spent
most of the project enjoying their boat on the
Chesapeake.
Th e husband, who is in commercial construction,
provided photos and dimensions of the former
space, so Kaestner had a jumping-off point
from which to create a few diff erent designs. As far
as issues in the " before " kitchen, the range was too
close to the entry, the sink was on a peninsula that
needed to be removed, and there was an awkward
cove between the study and refrigerator.
Certain areas in the previous kitchen were
cramped and unused. To improve the room's layout,
Kaestner had to remove some of the cabinets.
He was able to supplement those with larger base
cabinets and drawers in the island - creating more
storage than they originally had.
CHALLENGE 1: EARNING CLIENT TRUST
Because of the distance between them and the
fact that there was a global pandemic happening,
Kaestner and the homeowners spent a lot of
time communicating via emails and phone calls.
As the clients were out of pocket on their boat
much of the time, they were not always available,
and the designer spent a lot of time waiting on
their feedback.
" When courting my clients, I am always
heavy on the qualifying questions so I can exhaust
any potential back-and-forth, " said Kaestner.
" In this project, I began to question myself
and my processes and had to learn to exercise
patience and be okay not doing things the way
I normally would. "
38
ABOVE Designer Michael
Kaestner collaborated with
his client to choose a natural
granite countertop and a
recycled glass backsplash
behind the stove.
ABOVE & RIGHT At fi rst, the wife
was not sure about having a
secondary sink in the island,
as she wanted it to be a large,
clean surface from which she
could serve food for family and
friends. The prep sink's function
outweighed her doubts
when Kaestner said he would
place it off to the side while
off setting it with the range so
there was enough room for
someone to be at each station
at the same time.
Once the designer was able to ease the clients' comfort level regarding
ditching some of their usual habits in the kitchen, he began to get more buyin
and gained their trust.
CHALLENGE 2: CREATING A SPACE FOR AGING IN PLACE
Designing a kitchen to be more accessible doesn't have to take anything away
from the aesthetics, and it certainly didn't in this project. As a Certifi ed Living
in Place Professional, Kaestner presents his clients with options that will
enhance their lifestyle - everything is about comfort, accessibility and safety.
Instead of the range's previous location near an entryway, it is now on a
back wall where a window was and off ers ample landing space on either side
to make the area more secure. Th e designer specifi ed wide clearances around
the island and in front of the sink and distinct cleaning and cooking areas so
nothing feels cramped.
Most storage is waist-high - Kaestner used the " eyes to thighs " rule for
By CHELSIE BUTLER
placement - with the things they use on a daily basis and heavier items within
easy reach. He specifi ed door and drawer handles that would fi t both of their
/ OCTOBER 2021 / KBBONLINE.COM / Th e offi cial publication of NKBA (NKBA.org) and KBIS (KBIS.com)

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Kitchen & Bath Business October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Kitchen & Bath Business October 2021