Tag: renovation

Historical Home Renovation with Ember & Brune

 in Interview, kitchen, Remodel

Initially clients Adam and Sarah came to Ember & Brune because they were having a difficult time finding their forever home. Adam and Sarah were moving from Chicago to the suburbs and had trouble finding everything they wanted in a home. They decided to buy a home and remodel it, and hired Ember & Brune. The firm looked at the house before Adam and Sarah closed on it and came up with a plan to add an addition, while also reconfiguring the existing space to make this historical house everything they wanted in a forever home. All while being budget conscious. As a full-service Design – Build firm, Ember & Brune designs the project, builds it and even provides interior design services to help furnish it!

Take a look at the final reveal Ember & Brune blog post as well as the intro and in progress posts.

 

We interviewed the team at Ember & Brune to learn a little more about the project.

SRFD: Any surprises on this renovation?

Ember & Brune: Endless. We were gutting the existing interior and adding an addition on a home that was built in 1910. Some things we found behind the walls were fun and interesting, like Saturday Evening Post magazines used as insulation and perfectly preserved. While others were scary like old electrical and gas lines that were still live and never properly disconnected and disposed of.

SRFD: What component of the project are you most proud of?

Ember & Brune: While it is impossible to pick just one component, I will say we are very pleased with the coffered ceiling in the kitchen. When our architect told us we could not open up the first floor without a hefty beam running down the middle, we decided to get creative. We designed the coffered ceiling to completely conceal the beam while adding an architectural detail in the kitchen. We tried to stay true to the home’s historical charm. The coffered ceiling has added so much character to the space.

SRFD: Tell us a little about the kitchen.

Ember & Brune: The clients like to entertain so a large kitchen was a must. The island is perfect for entertaining and comfortably sits their guests on the opposite side of their kitchen’s main cooking hub.

 

Save

Save

Monogram Kitchen Remodel with Siobhan and Jody Young

 in kitchen, Monogram, Remodel

Christina Dragota, lead product specialist in the Monogram Design Center in Chicago, talked with homeowners Siobhan and Jody Young about their recent kitchen remodel, why they chose Monogram appliances, and what they learned during the process.

Siobhan's Kitchen

Why did you decide to remodel your kitchen? 

We were very unhappy with the overall layout of our old kitchen. It was dated and very dysfunctional. We had large areas that were tremendous wastes of space. We also greatly disliked all of our white, outdated appliances.

Tell us about your design process for the kitchen.

Initially we went to a cabinet company to do our layout. Because of the strange shape of our kitchen it presented many challenges. Finally, my husband who is s structural engineer, decided to lay it out himself. We knew we wanted to maximize the space and wanted a design that was functional with our three kids. We needed storage, display area, and wanted to increase the value of our home with a gourmet kitchen. I knew I really wanted white somewhat traditional cabinets that would last the test of time. We knew that we wanted stainless steel appliances with an industrial look. Mostly we wanted a beautiful kitchen that would be the focal point of our very lived in home.

Why Monogram appliances?

We were attracted to Monogram appliances when we visited Chicago at Easter time. We went to the GE showroom and met with Christina who showed us the functional features and industrial gourmet look we wanted. I was most impressed with the induction cooktop especially with the speed and evenness of cooking. The Advantium oven was also another huge seller. I needed the bonus of additional oven and the functionality of a microwave and toaster all in one.  My husband was sold on the 48” refrigerator, it was enormous and absolutely amazing looking. It became the focal point of our pantry wall very quickly!

Siobhan's Kitchen3

Which appliance are you most excited about?

The Advantium!

Siobhan's Kitchen2

What would you have done differently with the remodel?

In the remodel, the only thing I would have done differently would be to add a wine cooler to the pantry wall. We are avid wine drinkers but struggle with getting the perfect temperature in both reds and whites. Currently, we are undertaking a remodel in our laundry room (our final downstairs project) and are exploring adding a wine cooler in there. A Monogram cooler is on our wish list.