Woodland Ave Part I: Kitchen Transformation

We first met Shawna on March 13th, 2020. It was actually Friday the 13th and exactly 4 days before Covid shut the world down. Dr. Fauci could only predict what would happen next

ALT was initially hired to help Shawna update her furnishings but she was also in touch with K&V Homes about a potential remodel of her kitchen. You’ll see why in a minute. Our first impressions -
Magnificent Tudor home full of character - loads of stained trim, windows and rooms. Tons of room. Decor underwhelming. We would classify Shawna as a hip mom. She was wearing a rock and roll tshirt , but during the tour of her home we felt as if the furnishings did not pair with the person she was- hence why we were there ;) Shawna wanted more personality, color, & pattern. Yay! The current furniture was so formal in most of her rooms she felt she couldn’t even chill out. Ring! Ring! ALT Design to the rescue.

While we were busy ordering and installing new goodies for Shawna, her and her husband decided to move forward with their kitchen remodel starting the Fall of 2020. They asked us to be a part of it and help make sure their new vision for the home also made an appearance in the kitchen. Their current kitchen size was not the correct proportion for the size of the home. It was SMALL. Tiny oven, tiny dishwasher, no prep space, etc. And no lie- Shawna actually cooks a lot so it was quite impressive that she was working food magic in this dark cave.

First things first- walls have got to go. Giant 15.5’ island to fill the once dining room and kitchen? Yes please! Two-tone painted custom cabinets- Bold. Beautiful gold, classic hardware- Add to cart. Unexpected, playful lighting- Nailed it. Loads of drawer space- They got it.

This facelift was a total game changer for this family and you will see why scrolling through before and afters. They doubled their kitchen size which created a more open concept to the new dining and family room. Every detail was considered during this remodel. For example should the header in the kitchen be painted white or stained to match woodwork. Neither was the right or wrong answer but in the end we felt it was important to keep the integrity of the home and go stained so we could tie in old with the new.
What a journey! This Covid Kitchen had its highs and lows (6 months lead time on cabinet pulls) but in the end looking back it was worth every extra minute we had to wait for it. So honored to be a part of this incredible transformation. Scroll down to see the before and after!

Alt Design Studio and Alquist x Virginia Tech 3D Home Collaboration

We are excited to announce our collaboration with Alquist and Virginia Tech in designing a 3D-printed single-family home that is the first of its kind in the U.S. This project aims to solve the affordable housing crisis by bringing low-cost, sustainable, and resilient 3D-printed homes to rural communities across the U.S. Ground work on this home broke in early June at Richmond, Virginia, and is slated for completion in October. Beyond Richmond, Alquist is working to expand their planned projects to rural communities in Arkansas, California, Iowa, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, and more.

This three-bedroom, 1,550-square-foot bungalow-style home will have smart-home features such as emergency management: smoke/fire detection, security, and alarm: motion detection, and energy consumption optimization. The Richmond prototype is being built using a concrete pour mix in layers from the printer creating 3D printed exterior walls. The natural thermal properties of concrete mean the home will be sustainable as well as cost-efficient.

Our design team created interior and exterior 3D renderings, assisted with design selections, and we will be staging after construction is complete. The home will greet the street with a swing-equipped covered front porch, decorative gables and trim accents, with a contemporary coastal design aesthetic brought from the outside in. Check out the link to the live feed of the printing being done now! https://www.facebook.com/events/3951354534990556?ref=newsfeed

Exterior Plans:

837 19th St. Kitchen Reveal

This 1903 American Foursquare, the north triplet, was fully restored to its original layout after being a multi-plex apartment in Drake Neighborhood. We always had the intent to go a little more modern on this one. Our planned to mix stains, metals, patterns and top it off with funky fixtures. The buyers came along in the 2nd phrase of the project and were totally on board with our ideas. We collaborated and came up with a kickass kitchen full of character and beauty. Since we typically use a lot of neutrals in our designs, we really wanted to incorporate warm tones in the design. The dark tones really pop off the fun backsplash, the clear coat hardwood floors provide a lighter base and we wanted to make sure we tied that into the rest of the design. Drumroll please!… the custom hood cover and corner shelves. Instant warmth that added a more organic feel to a what could have been a lackluster kitchen. The fixtures were a perfect combo of modern and traditional. The soft brass finish of the lights, hardware and sink fixture added the perfect frosting to an already, in our opinion, delicious kitchen.

Special thank you to the homeowner for sitting in on the photoshoot and being an amazing client!

-Cabinets by Cabinet Boutique

-Lights YLighting

-Developed by Laneways

-Tile - Home Depot

Homeowner Michelle Yoshimura-Smith.