Kitchen botox

Every homeowner wants a kitchen to shine with contemporary cool styling, technology and functionality. According to Denise Davies, founder of D2 Interieurs, traditional is not the only choice you have.

 

d2interieurs.com

Every homeowner wants a kitchen to shine with contemporary cool styling, technology and functionality. According to Denise Davies, founder of D2 Interieurs, traditional is not the only choice you have. In fact, she has a philosophy of designing kitchens that are anything but traditional. Their design firm is known for giving clients a modern aesthetic while keeping with the style of their home.

Denise believes that kitchens can be revamped into open, colourful and highly functional kitchens, often without the expense and hassle of typical makeovers that involve gutting a kitchen.

"So many homeowners buy houses built in the 90s and find they have great bones but are desperately in need of TLC," says Davies. "We take a look at what in the kitchen still works and base the design around this." Many times the general layout - flooring, cabinets and other key components - can be retained and re-worked.

Think of stripping and refinishing floors, replacing countertops, adding new tiled backsplashes, painting and / or replacing cabinet doors and hardware and similar, what D2 calls 'Kitchen Botox.'

ABOVE and BELOW: It isn't always necessary to rip out to renovate a kitchen with good bones. You can replace dated and damaged features easily and most materials and supplies can be found at your local Builders Warehouse and you will find plenty of ideas and inspiration right here in our Kitchen Section.

'Kitchen Botox' may not always make sense from a design, functionality or cost view. There are times when it makes sense to invest 10% more for a brand new kitchen. But before you do that, take a closer look at the kitchen and decide on the options you have to retain or replace. If cabinets are still in good condition, sometimes all that is required is to reface cabinet frames and add new doors and hardware. This alone can save you a substantial amount on a total makeover.

"Your home is your life and the kitchen is perhaps the most important part of that life," says Davies. "The trend today is for kitchens to look more like open living spaces, flowing into the rest of the house. Many times, you will find that kitchens are predictable and staid. We take stone, wood and other materials and mix them up. Just because it's a kitchen doesn't mean you can't hang art there."

Functionality is, of course, the bedrock of the design. "You live in your home for many years and no matter what the lifestyle, the kitchen is always the centre of activity," says Davies. "It's vital to make it seamless and beautiful."

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