The couple also chose a mix of stainless steel and different types of wood and stone. “My idea was to bring in a few different wood finishes because we have furniture in different finishes,” Sachitano says.
When Sachitano and Andrews first moved into the house they had the kitchen remodeled with maple cabinets. They wanted to use those cabinets in this remodel, so Brennan found matching cabinetry and added contrasting cherry slab door cabinets. To blend the two, he used cherry panels for the cabinet sides, the island base, and the ledges. He also added stainless steel panels on some of the cabinets and on the walls.
For the floor in the kitchen, dining room, and living room, the homeowners wanted a lighter clear-coated maple. Jaworski says that installing the floor required some fine-tuning. “The concrete floor was lousy — it had different levels,” he says. To create an even support for the wood floor, his crews installed a base of pressure-treated wood, but that cost the homeowners 2 inches of ceiling height.
MATERIAL CHOICES Sachitano says the finished space is a perfect fit for their day-to-day life and for special occasions. “We can entertain a lot of people within a reasonable space for two people — instead of having a huge McMansion,” she says.
Brennan points out that Sachitano and Andrews were involved in many of the design decisions. “Generally our customers have a better sense of what they want. At the initial stage, we ask them to go through magazines and tell us what images they respond to,” he says.
Jaworski says the couple was just as involved during construction. “We had weekly meetings with the homeowners to discuss details. Not every client is willing to spend two hours a week on discussions, but it helped get the project done on time and with proper results,” Jaworski says.
Nina Patel is a senior editor for REMODELING.