Designing Cabinets for Animals

Designing cabinetry for humans is cool and all, but designing cabinetry for animals.... THAT is just down right satisfying and rewarding. Last summer/fall fellow Bell Kitchen & Bath Studios designer Keri Perry and I were in the thick of working on designs for a huge remodeling project, when we found ourselves with some unique clientele to consider...two dogs and a cat.

This remodel was big and much of the first floor of the home was re-designed. As we worked through designing the various areas of the home, we had one very clear goal in mind. Make it beautiful, but make it explode with functionality.  As we dug into the details and began determining where various items would be housed we quickly realized there were certain 4-legged family members who had a fair amount of gear themselves and that gear needed to be organized just like everything else. Now I don't know how many pets you know, but pets, no matter how big or small, have stuff...lots of it.

When we first met this project the cat's food dish and water dispenser were sitting on the countertop in the kitchen, so as to keep it out of the dogs' reach. The dog bowls were sitting by the end of the island and the cat's litter box was housed behind a cabinet door in the laundry room with a small hole for access. It was functional, but far from pretty.

The truth is, if you have a cat, there really is no getting around having a litter box. So it came down to improving the housing of said litter box to blend seamlessly with the pretty that was the rest of the room/house. In general, I liked the concept of the litter box being housed behind doors, because really, who wants to look at that? So, we started playing with some ideas with our engineer Richard; one thing led to another and before we knew it we had dreamed up this:

Which then turned into this....

and finally....THIS:

Photo by Barbara Brown.

The whiskers! The tail! Can you even deal with the cuteness? 

Photo by Barbara Brown.

Now, not only does the cat have a chic' home for his litter box, but the entire set-up is easily accessible for both cat and human. Even better, now the LITTER BOX cabinet is the "cool kid in school" in this Laundry Room. 

As for the animal food and gear, we designed an entire area right outside the kitchen that we called THE PET STATION. 

Photo by Barbara Brown.

The pet station includes 3 dog bowls, 2 for food and 1 for water. These bowls were custom built to fit snugly in the base of the center cabinet with granite installed atop to ensure any splishing or splashing while drinking wouldn't harm the wood. As for the cat, another bowl was designed to sit on it's own ledge, high above the dogs, so the animals could eat together without bothering each other. A pullout was installed on each side of the dog bowls to house dry food.  The small drawers above the dog bowls were designed to hold leashes, collars and other small necessities. As for the rest of the space, behind each wall cabinet is a series of adjustable shelves so anything from wet food to treats and toys can easily be stored and organized, but out of sight.

Two of the animals were gracious enough to model for us during this shoot. The cat was reluctant to show off the litter box (understandably, everyone needs some privacy) but both the dog and the cat were more than happy to show the world how nice and functional their dream space is. It's always so nice to see a satisfied customer! ;)

All cabinetry is from Bell Kitchen & Bath Studios Signature Collection. The pet station is walnut and the laundry room is maple with a painted finish.

Unless otherwise noted all photos are my own. 

Home for the Holiday Showhouse 2014

Is Halloween too early to talk Christmas? I was thinking the answer was yes, and had planned to wait until next week to share my news, but then I saw Target's shelves are stocked with Holiday goods and I'm pretty sure I saw a Christmas Tree lot setting up on Piedmont Road, so I figured if they were getting in the holiday season a tad bit early, so could I.

The truth is, I've had Christmas on the brain for months now, because for the third year in a row the company I work for, Bell Kitchen & Bath Studios is designing the cabinetry for the Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Home for the Holidays Designer Showhouse.

No holiday season in Atlanta would be complete without a beautiful show house, adorned with festive decor and holiday cheer.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this event, each room in the house will be decorated by a different designer. But the cherry on top of this show house is that in addition to the beautiful decor and creativity, the house will also be decorated for the holidays. The halls will be decked, Christmas music will be played and the rooms will be full of inspiration. What more could you ask for?

This year's show house is located in the heart of Buckhead, off Habersham road. The house is a new construction project built by Sheehan Built Homes, here is a rendering of the house:

Show houses are always fast paced and hectic, but this one has been a fun project to work on and I've enjoyed watching it come together over the last few months. I'm just as excited as everyone else to see the finished space come to life, all decorated and festive! 

Here's some info for anyone interested in checking it out:

The house opens for tours Wednesday, November 19th and goes through Sunday, December 7th. 

Hours:

Wednesday - Saturday: 11:00 - 5:00

Sunday: 1:00 - 5:00

Address:

2865 Habersham Road

Atlanta, GA 

Tickets:

General admission will be $25 at the door.

Tickets purchased before November 19th will be $20. 

Tickets can be purchased online here or from various outlets including Bell Kitchen & Bath Studios Alpharetta showroom. 

To get you in the holiday spirit, check out these images of some of our past Holiday House Kitchens:

This kitchen was from the 2012.....

And this one was from last year's house, 2013.

Now, don't you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Me too...Christmas (or Bourbon...) will do that to ya. 

If you are anywhere near Atlanta you really should put this show house on your holiday season to-do list. I can assure you, you won't be disappointed! Happy Halloween and a Merry Christmas, folks!

Bridgett Court Kitchen - Before & After

I believe a good Before & After story is good for the soul. To see a room totally transformed can awaken your imagination and encourage you to consider the abundance of options awaiting you and your space. Today I want to feed your souls some serious grub AKA show you a recently completed kitchen remodel I did with Chris Pfahl of Dreamweaver Building &  Remodeling.

Let's face it, there are 101 ways to layout any given room, but for most - knowing that is overwhelming. Plus, it's hard to imagine what could be, when what you have, is what you look at everyday. That's where bringing in a fresh set of eyes can be a good idea. Like most projects I do, I met this one on paper. As I've said before I truly think this is the best way to start the creative process, because it allows me to focus in on functionality only.  All I could see was the black and white reality of what was going on, which allowed me to pinpoint areas that could use improvement right off the bat. Here's where we started:

Photo my own. 

Unlike some spaces we dive into, this Before was not begging for love. In fact, overall it looked fine. There were no glaring issues, but there were certain aspects the homeowners wanted to improve upon both aesthetically and functionally in the space. One of the main requests was to move some of the major components of the kitchen around, namely - get the cooktop off the island. They also wanted to increase the storage and brighten the space up.

After...

As you can see the cooktop was moved to the back wall which created a beautiful focal point with the wood angled hood and the dramatic marble accent piece. The cabinetry was taken to the ceiling, allowing the homeowners additional storage. The perimeter cabinets were painted Benjamin Moore's Smokey Taupe 983, which really brightened up the space, making the room feel larger.

Photo my own. 

The above wall had a large amount of open shelving and some storage, but because of it's positioning in the old kitchen design it felt sort of out of the loop. When we moved the cooktop to the back wall, we had to find a new home for the refrigerator. The above wall made the most sense and allowed for a larger refrigerator.

There was a little space left over which made for the cutest breakfast (coffee, toaster) + TV area you ever did see.

Across the room sat the sink and double ovens, both of which stayed in the same location in the new design. 

For a wall that changed very little layout wise, I think it's one of the most beautiful.

How pretty is this shot? I love the apron front sink, the beautiful tile all the way to the ceiling and the cabinetry proportions. The cabinetry is Bell Custom Cabinetry by Bell Kitchen & Bath Studios and is Inset Construction. I really love the delicate detailing of each and every door, not too heavy but subtly elegant.

The original island had a small overhang for stools. As practical as this is for a lot of kitchens, it really wasn't necessary for this one. The breakfast table sits a few feet away, plus utilizing stools in this location would of encroached on a heavy traffic zone. So, in the new design we scrapped the overhang and added shallow depth, full height cabinetry to the back of the island instead.

Not only does this approach offer more storage, but it gives the island a more furniture-like vibe. Speaking of furniture-like vibe - the island was constructed in alder wood and stained. I love how this finish offers a nice contrast to the floor and the perimeter cabinetry. 

So, what do you think? Pretty radical transformation, eh? I love the light, airy, elegant vibe of the space. The natural light is so good and the details are plentiful. The original kitchen was fine, the new kitchen is, let's see, how do I put this...awesome? Yeah, I'd say that adjective fits the bill! :)

Unless otherwise noted all photography is by Jen Wunderlich Photography. 

2013 Home for the Holidays Designer Showhouse

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in Atlanta! Santa is already sitting nice and comfy in his big chair at the mall. All of the the department stores are dripping with holiday decor. The gingerbread latte and peppermint mocha are back at Starbucks and The Atlanta Homes & Lifestyle's Home for the Holidays Designer Showhouse opens this Friday!

Photo from Atlanta Holiday Home website. 

For those of you unfamiliar with this showhouse, let me fill you in. This showhouse was formerly known as the Christmas House and is one of Atlanta's "must see" attractions during the holiday season. Like most showhouses, each room in the house has been furnished and decorated by a different designer. Where this showhouse stands apart is the Christmas decor and ambiance added to the mix. 

This year's house was built by Dovetail Homes and is a combination of American Colonial and Southern charm. See the rendering below for a little preview of the outside facade. 

Photo from Dovetail Homes' website. 

As is the case with all showhomes this one was a giant collaboration. For the second year in a row Bell Kitchen & Bath Studios has provided all cabinetry throughout the house. For a lot of rooms, the cabinetry defines the layout and vibe of the space. Mike Bell and I have been working on the cabinetry designs for months, striving to show new ideas and play outside the box while still maintaining the fundamental roots that make for a classic southern home. We have worked with Dovetail as well as Harrison Design Associates to finalize color selections, hardware and specific design details and we are all very excited with how everything has come together.  

If you follow me on Instagram you may of seen some of my sneak peek photos over the last few weeks. 

Like the day we had custom antique brass straps made for the hood.

Or this shot of the vanity for the Master Bath. 

I even have a WAY early shot of this "X" we made for the kitchen.

Now that you're all excited to see all of these elements and more let me fill you in on the details:

The house opens for tours starting this Friday, November 15th and will be open every Thursday through Sunday until December 8th. 

Hours:
Thursday: Saturday 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Closed: Thanksgiving Day

Where: 
The house is located at 58 Blackland Road NW Atlanta, GA

Tickets:
Tickets can be purchased on-line here. $20 in advance, $25 at the door.
Several companies are selling the tickets around Atlanta, including Bell Kitchen and Bath Studios in Alpharetta. For a complete list of the ticket outlets follow this link and scroll to the bottom.

Proceeds from this year's event benefit the Southeastern Horticulture Society whose mission is to "promote the knowledge, art and enjoyment of horticulture throughout the Southeastern United States."

It's been a fun process watching this home come together. I was at the house last week and the space was buzzing with activity. The finishing touches are being applied and things are really coming to life. I can't wait to see the finished product later this week!

So, if you know you will be in or near the Atlanta area this holiday season, make plans to check out this home. Whether you find yourself looking for inspiration and ideas, or if you're just in the mood to be surrounded by beautiful things, this Holiday House will be sure to deliver. Nothing says Happy Holiday's like a beautifully decorated home bursting from the inside out with inspiration and charm. I hope to see you all there!