On Wednesday, June 30th Patrick stopped by Just Counters & other stuff’s showroom to make the final payment. That was the first time I had met him. He smiled when he said, “Dottie will be contacting you as soon as the tile backsplash is completed. She is very pleased with the new kitchen.”
Unfortunately, Dottie died four days later. On the 4th of July.
Sigh.
Excuse me for a moment while I cry in my home office.
…………………………………………….
Ahem, sorry. But now that I think I may be done crying, I will try to gather my thoughts so that I can tell you about the kitchen.
I met with Dottie last February in their lovely manufactured home. Patrick and Dottie decided to move from Boston, Massachusetts when Dottie fell in love with the layout of this home in a community named Maple Leaf Golf and Country Club. They became full time residents of Port Charlotte, Florida when they moved to this community. Maple Leaf is where many residents have settled because they want an active lifestyle in a serene Florida setting. Maple Leaf offers golf, athletic clubs, and a wide variety of other activities and entertainment. It wasn’t going to just be a home, but a lifestyle. In fact, the day I met with Dottie, Patrick couldn’t make it because he was out playing golf.
At first glance, there wasn’t anything really wrong with Dottie’s and Patrick’s kitchen. Maybe the basic builder grade thermofoil cabinets and laminate countertops looked a little out of date. But Dottie had a concise wish list and a clear idea of what she wanted to accomplish. This list included replacing the thermofoil cabinets, changing the laminate countertops, adding a tile backsplash, and installing new flooring throughout the home. The original kitchen “pantry” had a lot of unused space. One of the goals was to make better use of the available space.
Dottie started off with the cabinets. Though she basically still wanted an all-white kitchen, she disliked the existing thermofoil cabinets. Thermofoil is a type of cabinet finish that sounds fantastic … in theory. But in practice, thermofoil cabinetry has a serious disadvantage. The name “thermofoil” comes from thermo- (heat) plus foil (a thin sheet). Cabinet manufacturers produce thermofoil using heat and/or pressure to apply a white vinyl coating onto an inexpensive base material. While it can be any engineered wood, the base is most often medium density fiberboard (MDF), which is difficult to paint due to its porousness. Heat, moisture, or combinations of the two often are enough to loosen the bond between the thin thermofoil layer and the MDF core. That’s what had been happening to Dottie’s cabinets.
So, Dottie asked me to switch the cabinets with Aspect’s white painted wood in a Shaker-style cabinetry. Dottie hated the stiles in the middle of her current double door cabinets. She said it didn’t matter if the new cabinets were partial or full overlay. She wanted butt doors so they wouldn’t break up the utility of the space.
Next on her wish list were the countertops. She wanted a surface that was nonporous. You may hear the word nonporous used a lot as a selling feature for countertops. But what does this term mean, and is it really all that important?
Nonporous is actually something you probably want in your countertop. Let’s go over the ins-and-outs of kitchen surface porosity, so you can make a smarter choice for the heart of your home. Nonporous simply describes something that simply cannot allow or contain any air or water within it. Pores are minuscule openings or crevices that allow air and water to flow to and from—nonporous surfaces don’t have pores, so they do just the opposite. It’s almost as if they hold up a ‘Do Not Enter’ sign to air, water, bacteria or whatever else that might wish to intrude. And the air, and water, and bacteria have no choice but to obey. You’ve likely noticed that concrete sidewalks, rocks, and stones seem to change color after a rainstorm. The reason they appear darker is because they are porous, and the pores have allowed water from the rain to enter. Dottie did not want these annoying pores to be lurking within her kitchen countertop surface. For the bacteria-free kitchen of her dreams, Dottie chose LG Hausys HI-MACS® solid surface.
Next up was the existing pantry. Unlike her current pantry, she wanted storage below with roll out trays. She knew this would be a great way to optimize storage space and provide easier access to her stored items. One of my favorite ways to add storage is a tall cabinet with adjustable roll-outs that matches the new cabinetry. You don’t have to guess what’s behind the first row of supplies — simply roll out the tray to see.
The island provides a great amount of counter space for hosting guests and for meal prep. Generally speaking, the more drawers, the better. So, I designed the island with 2 three-drawer cabinets, side-by-side. The extra deep drawers would provide plenty of storage for pots and pans or handling plastic containers and their lids.
This remodel transformed our client’s home into a more modern and functional version, and they could not be happier with the finished room — Patrick reassured me that Dottie loved her kitchen. The all-white cabinetry paired beautifully with the playful, glossy, herringbone subway tile backsplash, which is one of the focal points in this bright and airy kitchen. The sleek design and modern color palette included satin nickel hardware. And last but not least, the wide-plank wood look vinyl flooring was a nice accent to the all-white kitchen.
Bravo to Just Counters & other stuff’s team who made this dream a reality. Ben Hanson and Tyler Mowatt are very talented cabinet installers and carpenters. They both take such pride in their work. Aaron Shaffer and Paul Damon templated and installed the solid surface countertops. Both of them are conscientious and skilled. Pucci Tile installed the beautiful flooring and tile backsplash.
My heart goes out to Patrick. I’m terribly sorry for his loss. Patrick and his family have my sincere condolences. May my prayers help comfort them and hasten the journey of Dottie’s soul to Heaven.
Meanwhile if your kitchen, bathrooms, living room, or another part of your home could use an update, our team would be happy to help.
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