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Posts from the ‘Appliances’ Category

Adventures in Remodeling, Part 3: The Kitchen

If you imagine your ideal kitchen, do you dream of a spacious room connected to the outdoors through a sunny breezeway that provides lots of storage?

Hanifan_1920_BreezewayMudroom_A_Pro_

In this 3rd chapter about our 1920 bungalow project, Arciform’s lead carpenters Jamie Whittaker & Eric Delph share stories about the kitchen addition, with all of its special touches.

Jamie tell us that this kitchen is the hub & heart of the home, a space for living & creating. It’s full of ideas from the whole team that became reality, but not without challenges.

Some of his favorite features: the two beautiful dutch doors, one leading to the new covered back porch & the other to the the side yard.

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The custom kitchen table, which provides space for eating or lounging while watching a TV that can be concealed behind a drop-down panel in the wall.

Another favorite piece is the fridge. It started as a big, modern appliance & we “dressed it up” like a vintage cooler you might see in an old general store.

The spacious salvaged island provides plenty of room for family time, & the built-in storage has a pressed tin door panel to resemble a pie safe.

Eric lists the 1929 Magic Chef range as a gem. Our client bought it online from some distant state & had the seller store it while we remodeled. When our client called for delivery, he learned that the seller had passed away & the range could not be found! Our client had to fly someone down to find it & bring it home.

He also lists the large vintage sink as a favorite element, with its built-in double drainboards and legs.

We turned the original kitchen into a little walk-through library

Jamie installing the cabinetry in the breezeway

& PM Adam enjoying a hard day at work

Arciform & Versatile Wood Products Teams on this project included:

  • Brad Horne, senior drafter, responsible for documentation & working with the city of Lake Oswego. We could not have done this without him.
  • Marty Hegg did all the fixture & finish specifications.
  • Principal Designer Anne De Wolf worked closely with the creative clients.
  • PM Adam Schoeffel led the construction team, helped with detail development & found treasures like the kitchen island.
  • Devin Morrow assisted with project logistics.
  • Dave Thomas managed deconstruction, salvaged material organization & labeling, which was crucial.
  • Eric Delph was our primary site lead! Among many contributions he personally co-designed (with the client) & constructed the garage storage & its icebox doors, & kept the crew on track.
  • Jamie Whittaker was our co-site lead, chief of special projects & master of craftsmanship.
  • David Gamble built the cabinetry, walnut kitchen table & worked on the salvaged table & fridge panels.
  • Dan Brindusesc & Eric Voss built the exterior doors & did sash work on the stained glass windows.
  • Rene Flannigan & Brent Dickey did all specialty finishes on the salvaged table, wine cellar door & panels in the garage.

Thanks to our wonderful, creative & inspiring clients, we were all able to do what we love to do!

If you missed part 1 or 2 of this series, check them out here.

Professional photos by Photo Art Portraits & Blankeye.

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Designer Picks: New Appliances We Love

One of the most important decisions you make when planning a kitchen that will really work for your family is which appliances to select. But how to choose?

We polled our design team to find out which appliances they’ve been recommending recently.

Senior Designer Anne’s Picks

Liebherr Refrigerators

Why? They integrate beautifully and have models that fit fabulously in small spaces.

Viking Ranges

 

Why? They are great performers and have color options that allow them to integrate well.

Miele Integrated Appliances

 

Miele integrated range

Why? They are also great performers and are beautifully designed.

Vent-A-Hood

Why? This hood is one of my favorites because it comes in different colors and has such a classic shape.

Senior Designer Kristyn’s Picks

BEST Flush Inset Hoods

BEST flush inset hood2BEST flush inset hood

Why? These are ideal for 7’ – 9’ ceilings and can be up to 72” above a range. Great to use in spaces where you want clear sight lines. For example, they are a perfect choice for an island or peninsula that contains the cooking appliance and is open to an adjacent dining room or living room, or where the island extends into a seating area.

Wolf Convection Steam Oven

 

Wolf convection steam oven

Why? Because moisture, heat and air are the best combination! Moisture, heat and airflow work together to create tasty results while preserving foods’ natural nutrition. You can select a cooking mode that’s ideal for your dish and the oven’s unique digital technology senses the amount and size of the food and automatically adjusts all the details of cooking.

U-Line & Perlick Drawer Refrigeration

 

perlick drawer

Why? Adding additional refrigeration under the counter is a great space saver and often a must-have for families.

Senior Designer Chelly’s Picks

Jenn-Air’s Obsidian Interior Refrigerator

 

jenn-air-obsidian-refrigerator

Why? This fridge is exciting because there are now more options on the market that have dual compressors and LED lighting. And that black interior is pretty cool!

Miele’s Induction Cooktop

 

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Why? I love induction! It’s clean, responsive and energy efficient. Miele cooktops offer a distinctive non-contact method of heating using magnetic fields to transfer energy directly to cookware. They offer the benefits of a gas flame without introducing excess heat into the working environment. Their new induction range is also exciting and great for small kitchens.

Blue Star’s Frenchtop Series Range

Why?  Not only does it let you cook like a pro, it’s available in 750 colors!

Miele Dishwashers

 

miele dishwasher

Why? Hands down the best dishwashers out there! They are quiet, reliable, innovative and pretty. Rumor has it that they are working on their line up and soon their higher model features will be integrated in the lower classic and crystal models.

Big Chill Appliances

Why? Big Chill appliances (fridges, stoves, ovens, hoods, microwaves) combine modern day amenities with a vintage aesthetic that can play up the retro feel of a space.

Senior Designer Anne also loves Big Chill:

They are fun as they do not need additional work to look good in a kitchen!

Design Assistant Marty’s Picks

Electrolux Dryer

Electrolux-EWMED70JIW-controls-1

Why?  It has settings for a speedy dry (14 minutes), gentlest dry and steam dry to get rid of wrinkles so you don’t have to iron!

AGA Undercounter Refrigerated Drawers

 

Marvel_Refrigerated_Drawers_Marvel_Tile

Why? These are great for those who do not want a full-sized fridge.

Junior Designer Trisha’s Picks

 

SMEG Retro Refrigerators

smeg retro fridge

Why? A smaller, but still awesome, option.

Junior Designer Kat’s Pick

Blomberg Refrigerator

blomberg fridge

Why? I love their tall, skinny refrigerators. They take up less floor space but give you lots of storage with height. These last for years and are a bargain compared to other brands. The freezer on the bottom puts most foods at eye level.

And of course, who wouldn’t want one of these?

La Cornue W. Freestanding Induction Stove
La Cornue
In the words of designer Kristyn Bester:

“The most beautiful appliance I’ve ever seen!”

We agree.

Looking for more design inspiration for your kitchen? Join us for our Kitchens that Work Design Workshop on May 18th. Get the details and RSVP here by May 15th to attend FREE.

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