Keep It Light & Bright

Splitting their time between Massachusetts and Florida has allowed our clients to lead a bit of a double life.

Retired snowbirds, George and Marilyn, purchased a Florida condominium in May 2021. The beautiful two-bedroom, two-bath, with a den condo had amazing views of the stunning Myakka River. Whether you’re standing or seated in the living room, breakfast nook, or kitchen, you can see the marvelous water view. The Port Charlotte home had much of what its new owners were looking for in a gated community. Built in 2004, this home had large rooms, large walk-in closets, and high ceilings. The 8-foot-tall pocketing patio doors lead from the great room and breakfast nook to the large screened in lanai.

Nonetheless, the couple purchased the condo knowing they would renovate the kitchen, master and guest bathrooms. The couple enlisted my help to update those three rooms before they moved into the condo.

Step into most any kitchen, and you can probably guess the decade when it was last remodeled, thanks to the presence of once-trendy color schemes, outmoded appliances, and dated cabinetry. George and Marilyn’s condo had Thermofoil cabinets which made the kitchen look like it was past its prime. Another telltale sign that gave away their kitchen’s age: the 4-inch backsplash. But the biggest complaint was the “elephant” in the room. The former kitchen was isolated from from the living room by a closed-off closet pantry.

After the in-home consultation with George and Marilyn, I felt excited and was ready to dive in and start designing, but first I needed to get my ducks in a row. Before I went any further, I had to make sure that we could remove the closet pantry, hence the elephant from the room. I was thrilled when I was given an affirmative response. Meanwhile I came up with a just-in-case-solution for missing floor tile, since the homeowners wanted to keep the existing flooring. My plan was to say bye-bye to the existing closet pantry and replace it with an island just a tad wider and deeper than the closet pantry had been. This would open up the room; provide a wonderful island counter space, while not requiring a flooring change.

Marilyn selected Aspect Cabinetry with Shaker-style doors and drawer fronts. She wanted soft white cabinetry to give the kitchen a light and bright atmosphere. She also selected gorgeous Fantasy Brown countertops, and transitional decorative cabinet hardware by Richelieu Hardware that are brushed nickel metal pulls.

Fantasy Brown is quite a unique piece of natural stone. If you do a Google search on “Fantasy Brown” you’ll find that it falls in a unique – and rather confusing – category. Different sellers label Fantasy Brown under different categories: quartzite, marble, serpentine, dolomite, or granite. Confused? Now you know why. It all depends on which quarry the stone was mined out of and how hard the material is. But technically, Fantasy Brown is a combination of marble and quartzite. It is made of layers of marble and quartzite that have been fused together over time. The look and feel of Fantasy Brown are reminiscent of marble, but with brown and sandy hues, instead of gray. Fantasy Brown is one of the most popular natural stone surfaces for kitchen countertops in the United States.

Next up was the master bath. The new homeowners wanted a master bath with a luxury feel in their coastal home where they could spend dedicated time for self-care not only in the present, but well into the future. George and Marilyn felt the existing bathtub was a waste of space because they only took showers these days. They felt the extra space could be used for something more important. So, they decided to go the no-tub route and ditch the oversize tub with its aging beige tile.

Although they planned to keep costs down by keeping the existing Thermofoil vanity cabinets, they wanted to replace the countertop with the same Fantasy Brown as the kitchen. They liked the idea of having double sinks. This way they both could occupy the vanity at the same time without bumping into one another. The homeowners’ plan was to live in this seasonal home for years to come. So, they requested a partial glass shower panel instead of a panel with a door, making it a no door walk-in shower. They also requested a couple of grab bars for future aging-in-place.

In addition to removing the bathtub, they hired Just Counters & other stuff, inc. to remove the wall-to-wall frameless mirror, light fixtures, recessed medicine cabinet, and toilet.

And last, but not least, on to the guest bath. The existing small bath came with a single-sink vanity without drawers. They really wanted to wring every inch of storage space, so we replaced the existing vanity with one with some drawer storage. They wanted to remove the mirror, light fixture, toilet, dated towel bars, soap dish and toilet paper holder.

I recently was invited to take “after” pictures in this lovely home. When you enter this relaxed and comfortable home, just past the foyer, you’ll see how it expands into an open floor plan that includes the kitchen, breakfast nook, and living room. I believe these rooms are meant to encourage togetherness and unobstructed views. That was the whole point in removing the pantry closet that divided the kitchen from the living room.

George is the cook. These days whenever he stands at the island preparing a meal, he can watch TV, or socialize with Marilyn (or guests) in the living room, or enjoy the blue Florida horizons.

While in the big open room, whatever you do, don’t call the paint color blue-green. Light green? Maybe. Mint green? Getting warmer. The color is called “Castaway.” When you find the perfect color, nothing else will do. As it turned out, the new homeowners liked this color so much they decided to paint the main rooms from one page of a Glidden Paint fan deck. Castaway is a soft, shaded, pasture green with a mint undertone.

One last thing. In some ways, Marilyn reminds me of myself. A lot of the pleasure I get from owning something comes from telling the story of where and how I got it, what sort of deal I struck, and, of course, what I went through to get it back home in one piece. While I was visiting, Marilyn described the fun she had when she found furniture and household items from Facebook Marketplace, secondhand shops, and garage sales. Making home your happy place shouldn’t cost a fortune.

I could barely tell I was in the same home when I recently visited. The smiles George and Marilyn had on their faces while I was there was the happy result of a project well done.

I’d like to recognize Just Counters talented teams who contributed to this project. Gifted Tyler Mowatt and Ben Hanson are professional cabinet installers. With their fine craftsmanship and attention to detail, their finished work is second-to-none. The brilliant Cindy Kohls-Brophy worked diligently with significant behind-the-scenes work. And Bill Rice re-measured the three rooms I designed. The little saying, about measuring twice and cutting once, is exactly what Just Counters does for every room that we design. I need to thank invaluable team members: Color Tile CarpetsPlus, Stone Art Creations, and Pucci Tile & Marble, Inc. for their hard work and dedication. Without each and every one of you, we never would have accomplished this goal.