Serving Up Change

Three designs that offer inspiration and insight for your kitchen and bath project

By CAROLINE GOBBLE 

“Out with the old, in with the new” is a common sentiment these days, as a new year has just begun. It is a time of new beginnings, new goals, and new projects. These local designers know how to help clients realize their dreams, by offering kitchen and bath design services that create beautiful rooms in the home. 

Dynamic Kitchens & Interiors
1815 Carolina Beach Rd., Wilmington

910-763-9870

dynamickitchens.com

Photos by LESLIE KOEHN

Alice Everett Evans is the President of and a designer at Dynamic Kitchens & Interiors. With over 30 years of design experience, Evans worked on remodeling a kitchen and transformed it into a light, clean space perfect for a home in a coastal city. Evans explains, “The unusual part of the renovation is that the base cabinets were painted and received new doors and drawer heads. The upper wall cabinets are all new. Therefore, the floor plan had to remain the same as the existing plan.”

The addition of the upper wall cabinets that reach all the way to the nine-foot ceilings, along with a frieze board and cove crown moulding, allow for much more storage space in the kitchen. Evans says, “the before kitchen had dark cherry base cabinets and white wall cabinets, so the kitchen was dark and had a choppy appearance. By having the cabinets go to the ceiling and all painted a soft white, the kitchen appears much larger.”

The tile back splash is the first item in the kitchen that draws your attention, followed by the wall cabinets. As Evans explains, “We moved the microwave from above the stove, over to a deep wall cabinet next to the refrigerator, to give more area for the tile back splash to be a wonderful focal point.” 

Dynamic Kitchens and Interiors designed the kitchen and the tile lay out. The marble tile backsplash is pearl white with sand dollar in an argyle pattern. The tile for the backsplash was supplied by Southeastern Tile Connection, and Versatile of Wilmington installed the tile. 

The light gray counter tops are Cosmos Quartz Lilt Silt by Southeastern Marble and Granite. The counter tops also provide a splash of color and help make the tile pattern really stand out.  

The project took about a month to complete, and it transformed a darker kitchen into a beautiful, white, sleek, room. Dynamic Kitchens & Interiors strives to “inspire with results! If we can encourage our clients to find creative solutions for their home, then we have succeeded.”

The company offers a myriad of services including remodeling rooms, constructing new rooms, and consulting prior to projects. 

Bluewater Surfaces
4022 Market St., Wilmington

910-233-9629

bluewatersurfaces.com

Photos by NASH TAYLOR

Nash Taylor, a 19 year-old student at the Savannah College of Art and Design majoring in Architecture, is the mastermind behind this modern bathroom remodel. A Wilmington native, Taylor says this project is his fourth bathroom renovation, and the one he considers his best yet.  

Taylor explains, “The inspiration for the bathroom came from a recent trip to South Beach, Miami. South beach has a clean aesthetic that uses lots of natural materials and clean lines. Rich materials like travertine and walnut wood were the starting point to create a master bathroom that would feel like one at a hotel. I used each surface as an opportunity for a different material. For example, the walls are covered with travertine and the vanity countertop is a continuous piece of Caesarstone that connects to the bathtub surround and the shower bench. The bathroom has a calming environment that brings Coastal design into the 21st century.” 

Taylor designed the entire bathroom from the tile to the sconces. Taylor Construction demolished the existing bathroom and did some minor changes to the layout. Bluewater Surfaces fabricated the continuous countertop that extends from the shower, vanity, and the bathtub. Hardy Tile laid the tile on the walls and floors. 

The project took about a month and a half to complete, and Bluewater Surface’s owner, Dustin Braudway, said the complexity of the countertops joining it to the shower and jaccuzzi tub was a major aspect of the renovation.

Braudway encourages clients and those thinking about undertaking a remodeling project to “think about how the different materials will play with each other. You don't want a bunch of busy, over dramatic materials fighting each other. Pick out the wow factor, and work off and around that.”  

He also explains that Bluewater Surfaces is doing more and more complex designs that are often blending European design with a lowcountry flair. “More exotic stones are being discovered and with the advent of new technology to quarry them, we will find some new and exciting looks in the next couple of years.”

Bluewater Surfaces is a 3rd generation fabricator of unique materials such as Marble, Soapstone, Quartzite, Glass and Engineered Concrete Countertops, Furniture and Functional Art.

Kitchen Blueprints
3115-J Wrightsville Ave., Wilmington

910-763-2536

kitchenblueprints.net

Photos by CHRIS FRICK 

Kitchen Blueprints strives to make clients’ kitchen dreams come true. Cynde Orr, President and designer, and her team of talented designers, Melinda Rider and Nancy Fonvielle, helped the Fisher family’s kitchen and bathroom dreams come true. The project lasted about eight weeks and included remodeling the kitchen and master bathroom. 

One of the major aspects of this project included changing the layout of the kitchen. Rider says, “We eliminated the peninsula and added a beautiful and functional island. The Fisher home is very tastefully done, so the old white thermofoil cabinets looked very out of place in an otherwise beautiful house. We added many functional details such as roll-out shelves, deep drawers, taller wall cabinets, built-in double waste baskets and a hidden wine rack in the island.”

Some of the many decorative details added during the project include the wood vent hood, Gothic glass door cabinets that are slightly bumped out and lighted, three levels of moulding going to the ceiling, furniture base valances, and intricate mouldings on the island.

The cabinets in the kitchen and master bath are by Touchstone Fine Cabinetry, built in Rutherfordton, N.C. They are quality custom cabinets. “In the Fisher`s case, the kitchen is a custom finish. The countertops are from Bluewater Surfaces,” says Rider. 

When planning to remodel, Rider suggests that a good way to begin is by making two lists. “The first list should be what you don’t like about your existing kitchen, and the second is a list of what you love about it.” She encourages clients to explore resources such as magazines or websites, to find inspiration from other kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms.  Rider also says, “Working with a professional kitchen and bath designer with good references is very helpful. It will save you time and money in the long run. Most designers can also give you guidance in choosing a qualified remodel contractor if the project requires it.”

Kitchen Blueprints has been serving clients in Wilmington for over 25 years. They have been chosen as the exclusive and award-winning designers for Wood-Mode and Brookhaven Cabinetry, though they offer other cabinetry companies as well to allow for varied project budgets and styles.