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This post is a part of a series that gives an inside look behind the creative process of homes featured on the upcoming ASID MN Designer Kitchen Tour on April 18-19, 2015. You’ll get to see each designer’s challenges and joys behind creating the perfect kitchen for their client.
Today, we’re featuring the work of Rita Larson of Larson Design Build.
Below: The kitchen before the remodel
About the kitchen:
Did you buy a brand new home in a great neighborhood, but are no longer happy with your kitchen cabinets and appliances? Perhaps your taste has changed or you’d like to give your kitchen a new look and update with higher quality products. This home in Champlin shows how you can have the kitchen of your dreams without moving.
What was your design dilemma?
This home is quite new so the suggestion to remove walls and add windows was beyond the scope of work the client’s were anticipating. Yet the developer had budget in mind—not light, views, or the flow inside the home. These changes to the structure allowed for an amazing use of space as well as brightening and enlarging the space with better light.
Tell us about your sources of inspiration for this project.
The couple themselves and their two girls were the source. They are young, modern, have great senses of humor, and deserved an upbeat home to match their personalities.
What were your top three go-to tools to get the job done?
1. Great window treatments from Karen at Seams @ Home
2. Wonderful lighting selections from Creative Lighting
3. A gifted builder (full disclosure, my husband!)
Tell us about the biggest challenge you encountered while executing the project and how did you overcome it?
The custom banquette was built incorrectly. One side of the L-shaped seating was made too long and so it jutted into the doorway nearby. It had taken months to build, with fabric no longer in stock, and the responsibility for the error was hard to pin down. Our upholsterer, Bob Yablonski of Harriann Upholstery actually took it apart salvaging all the fabric, rebuilt the piece and upholstered again perfectly. Whew!
What part of this project are you most proud of?
I’m proud of the mood of the space; it truly is a happy, light filled space. It makes you smile.
See this kitchen and others on the ASID MN Designer Kitchen Tour on April 18-19. Info and tickets can be found on mhmag.com/designweek
By Jennie Eukel, presented by ASID MN
After photos by Ansel Santosa
- This kitchen’s number on the tour: #2
- Home’s location: 10020 Hidden Oaks Ln, Champlin, MN, 55316
- Designer on project: Rita Larson
- Company Name: Larson Design Build, Inc.
- Website: larsondesignbuild.com
