Riverside Drive Kitchen | GardnerBuilt - Gardner Construction Corp.

Project: Riverfront Kitchen Renovation
Designer: Jennifer Radakovic Design

Client Needs & Design Challenges:
• Increase & improve counter space, work space, & storage
• Increase connectivity to adjacent living spaces
• Improve natural light & views towards the river for this completely interior kitchen
• Create a timeless aesthetic with new materials & finishes
• Work within existing kitchen footprint

By rearranging the kitchen layout, we were able to add 6.5 linear feet of cabinets. The improved work triangle is now suitable for multiple chefs working simultaneously. Two new openings in masonry walls (one at the front of the
kitchen, the other at the rear) significantly increased natural light, views, and connectivity to adjacent living spaces. The new finishes fit the clients’ style and flow perfectly with the rest of the interior spaces. Their renovated kitchen is a
space they’ll be able to enjoy for many years to come.

Before & After: Floor Plans

Before & After: Opening to Morning Room

BEFORE: The wall between the kitchen & morning room (at one time an exterior wall)
significantly reduced both natural light in the kitchen as well as views from the kitchen to the river

AFTER: The new large opening in the masonry wall drastically increased both natural light
and views, as well as physically connecting the kitchen to the adjacent morning & river rooms.

Before & After: Range Wall

BEFORE: The side wall of cabinets contained a second oven & warming drawer and housed
countertop appliances. This configuration limited the function of this entire run of cabinets & countertop.

AFTER: A dual-fuel range replaces the separate cooktop & ovens, the warming drawer is
disguised within the drawers to the right of the range, and the countertop appliances have a home
along the back wall, freeing up the space around the range to be used for food prep.

Before: Rear Wall

BEFORE: The corner desk was an unused space that collected junk, and the window with integral blinds (looking into the side entry, another interior space) did not allow much natural light into the rear of the kitchen.

After: Rear Wall

AFTER: The tall cabinets along the back wall provide ample storage and create a unique transition between the kitchen and side entry. The new opening brings much-needed natural light into the back of the kitchen and greatly improves the flow between the kitchen and the office & yard. The walnut open shelves match the island and provide some visual relief at the intersection between the wall cabinets
and tall cabinets.

All countertop appliances are now housed along the rear wall of the kitchen. The appliance cabinet with pocketing door slides enables the microwave & blender to be accessible when they’re needed and hidden away when they’re not. The baking corner puts all baking-related appliances & ingredients within
easy reach.

Before & After: Refrigerator Wall

BEFORE: The refrigerator and adjacent dead-end corner

AFTER: Even though the refrigerator location did not change, the space around it did once the
opening between the kitchen & morning room moved to this side of the kitchen. Now instead of a deadend corner, the space to the right of the fridge has a variety of uses. Normally, the homeowners set it up as a coffee bar, and when they’re entertaining, this space transforms into a serving station, conveniently located near the living & dining spaces, but outside the main working area of the kitchen.
Walnut floating shelves match the island top and provide a space to display decorative dishes and plants.

Before & After: View From Morning Room

BEFORE: The kitchen, barely visible through the original openings, is almost completely cut off from the morning room

AFTER: The new opening greatly increases light, views, and connection between these two spaces. New cabinets in the morning room match those in the adjacent kitchen to further tie the two spaces together.

Process: During Construction

CHALLENGE:
The homeowners needed the kitchen to remain operational during the holidays as they were hosting family gatherings, but construction could not stop.

SOLUTION:
• The contractor carefully removed the masonry wall separating the kitchen & morning rooms while leaving the majority of the kitchen intact.
• Hardboard was installed as a backer to the exposed cabinets after the wall was removed.
• At the end of each work day, the jobsite was thoroughly cleaned and protective barriers were removed to keep the space operational for the clients at night.

The new wall between the kitchen & morning room was constructed with two custom niches –
one on the kitchen side to make the dishwasher (25” finished depth) flush with the cabinet faces, and
the other on the morning room side to provide a spot for keys, sunglasses, etc, and a charging station
for phones & devices. (Photo taken from morning room looking towards kitchen)

View towards the new opening between the kitchen & side entry. (Photo taken from the kitchen
looking towards side entry)

Process: Superior Craftmanship

A handmade Moroccan Zellige tile backsplash was selected as a nod to the homeowner’s passion for
world travel. The contractor provided mockups to illustrate two different grout joint options for this highly
irregular tile. As this tile has no coordinating edge pieces, the tiles behind the dishwasher were hand-mitered to create a finished edge.

The electrician installed three different recessed can lights for the homeowners to make their selection. The team selected DMF can lights (with dimmer switches) to complement the undercabinet task lighting and decorative fixture over the island.

A channel cut was made in the bottom of the lowest floating shelves to accept the LED light tape.
Floating shelves were set prior to tile installation in order to achieve the desired tile layout between shelves.

The craftsman who made the walnut countertops also crafted a custom cutting board to the homeowner’s specifications, using the same walnut as the island top.

CHALLENGE: During construction the homeowner requested that a custom dog bowl station be incorporated in the drop zone cabinets.

SOLUTION: The new cabinet design included a pull-out shelf for easy human access. A portion of the quartzite kitchen countertops was templated to perfectly accommodate the family dog’s water & food
bowls.

Conclusion

At the onset of the project, the clients had very few requests: they essentially wanted a more functional and more beautiful kitchen. Working within the existing kitchen footprint, no space was added, but the functionality was increased exponentially with simple plan shifts.

The end result is a beautifully simple, well-crafted space, equally suited for weekend baking or entertaining large groups. The design and finishes perfectly suit the rest of the home and the clients’ style, while still being timeless given the use of natural, high-quality materials.

The owners of this kitchen regularly travel all over the world, but have been spending unprecedented lengths of time at home since the onset of the global pandemic. They told our team that their newly renovated home has
given them a reason to love staying home, despite having
to cancel a number of exciting trips they’d planned for the
year.

They said their new space has become a true oasis in the
midst of the chaos. We can’t agree more.