Lexington, KY – When Bonnie and Bob Briggs moved into their new home on Lakes Edge Drive five years ago, they knew that the dated kitchen would have to go. Eventually. They decided to wait it out so they could clearly articulate what it was they wanted in their new kitchen -
an evaluation period that lasted nearly four years.
“It’s always good to live in a place and see what you really do need, or really do like, or really do miss, and then go from there,” Bonnie said.
Several features in the original kitchen weren’t going to work for the couple, such as a heavy reliance on hard-to-reach upper cabinets, a refrigerator crowding the stove that made for a cramped cooking area, and an itsy window above the sink that offered a sparse view of the home’s impressive backyard.
There was also an “awkward thing” coming out of the ceiling that emulated the kitchen island -
a fixture whose concept still baffles the owners.
The couple also wanted to incorporate many of the antiques they had collected over the years into the kitchen so it would better complement the traditional feel of the rest of the house.
Working with designer Laura Dalzell at Cabinets & Designs, the kitchen was quickly transformed to fit the vision and functionality the owners had envisioned -
the refrigerator was moved to another nook, a large window was installed over the sink, and the up-top cupboards were replaced with an elaborate scheme of waist-high Wood-Mode cabinets and drawers and other space-efficient storage features, such as two narrow spice towers astride the new 36-inch stovetop range. A large marble-top island, also fitted with ample storage space, anchors the cooking area.
