Forest Hills Reno

This main floor home renovation for a growing family of four took place in Grand Rapids, MI. The homeowners not only wanted more living space but also an updated modern and cozy aesthetic…hygge all the way! We worked with a local architect to rework the floor plan and ultimately help with adding on a rather larger addition to the back of the home. The kitchen was really the main pain point for the clients. With 2 kids and a dog to feed they had barely no storage or counter space.

By adding the addition to the rear of the home we were able to expand the kitchen footprint drastically. We wanted to take advantage of the wooded backyard views and natural daylight so we added a wall of large fixed windows to the perimeter sink wall. The white oak custom kitchen cabinets were designed to have integrated pulls in order to keep that seamless look the clients desired. Caesarstone quartz countertops, INAX kit kat tile, Fisher & Paykel appliances, and Andrew Neyer lighting rounded out the remainder of the kitchen selections.

The homeowners also requested a separate coffee that we placed in close proximity to the kitchen and dining room. A beverage refrigerator and bar sink were on their list of must haves. We continued the same custom white oak cabinetry, quartz countertops, and tile into this space as well and then topped it off with a Cedar & Moss sconce.

The dining room was the next area to tackle. The original layout was closed off with a partial knee wall as you entered the home and did not feel open and spacious at all. They also had a bank of cabinets with a countertop that was being used as a catch all for odds and ends and then additional storage. We opted to remove the knee wall in order to open up the space. I also wanted to add a bank of cabinetry without a countertop and instead put everything behind closed doors for a neater appearance (especially with 2 young kids). In the end we were able to create much more storage space with adjustable shelving.

The laundry was relocated to the upper floor near all of the bedrooms in order to maximize the space for a locker area. We then created custom lockers featuring white oak inset handles. A peg board was placed in the middle for hanging coats and backpacks.

The half bath floor plan was kept the same in order to save money on keeping the existing plumbing where it was already located. We updated the flooring with a terrazzo tile that ran halfway up the sink wall and then terminated into a white oak floating shelf. A new large transom window was added as well to flood the space with natural light.

The front entryway needed minimal updates-we added tile, paint, and new custom cabinetry as well as some wood hooks. The main living area fireplace was painted black and a home office with custom cabinetry was added.

Some of the issues that we encountered included this rather large heating duct run that cut through the center of the home right into the newly designed coffee bar area. We did not have the budget to reroute that duct so we did the next best thing by leaving it as open up top as possible. More fun came with the electrical outlets required by code along the sink perimeter. In order to keep that clean and seamless look we used a countertop pop that sat flush with the countertop by S-box. It also allowed for a piece of the quartz to be inset into the top allowing for that clean look we wanted. We also had the same issue by the range and opted for placing outlets underneath the white oak floating shelf.

In the end the homeowners were extremely happy with how their home renovation turned out. They will be updating the 2nd floor sometime in the near future.