Kristine's House: Kitchen Demo

You might remember my post about my friend Kristine’s house.Â She and her husband Fred are remodeling their kitchen and redecorating their living room.

I’ve been helping Kristine a bit in both of these pursuits.Â Kristine has chosen IKEA cabinetsÂ in the newÂ Ramsjo door style,Â which is aÂ shaker/traditional fusion.Â By electing to install IKEA cabinets she and Fred will save thousands of dollars without having to sacrifice quality.

Here is the space after drywall repair and floor installation,

Ziems kitchen before cabinets2

Kristine completed the demolition herself to save money and when I say “herself”…I mean just her.Â SheÂ rented a dumpster andÂ went at it!Â She hired a plumber and an electrician to come and terminate the connections and to relocate some of the plumbing and install recessed lighting.Â For the newÂ floors, Kristine choseÂ 4″ wide white oak which was continued from the kitchenÂ in to theÂ living area, down the hallÂ and in to the masterÂ bedroom.

After Kristine and IÂ talked through theÂ layoutÂ using a measuring tape, a pencil, a calculator and a little painter’s tape, Kristine got to work and downloaded IKEA’s kitchen designÂ software and begin putting the layout on paper.Â She and Fred travelled to IKEA and loaded it all up themselves.Â The couple isÂ lucky enough to have a contractor friend who is experienced in installing IKEA cabinets.Â

I have been encouraging Kristine along the way to wrap the island with wood.Â The reason why–because we (I’m)Â are shooting for a modern rustic, Southern California aesthetic.Â Kristine really had her heart set on white cabinets and soÂ in order to warm things and play up the rustic vibe, I have suggested wrapping the living room side of theÂ island in teak or another warm modern wood material. It also acts as a compromise between the natural finished wood cabinets I wanted her to get and the white kitchen she wanted.

Some images to illustrate,