sponsored JULY 2019 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 59
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AN ALURE-ING MODERN FARMHOUSE KITCHEN RENOVATION
When a Long Island homeowner
recently came to Alure Home Improvements
for help renovating a
dysfunctional kitchen, the company
cooked up a Modern Farmhouse eatin
that perfectly solved the client’s
culinary conundrum.
Christina Piekut, the Custom Kitchen
and Bath Designer at Alure Home
Improvements, says the existing
kitchen had stock cabinets with no
thought put into the layout or detail.
The proportions were way off with
such a tiny island in such a large
area. The client hated the flow of the
space and was constantly all over
the kitchen to cook one simple meal.
“The client’s wishes were to have a
better flow, high-end appliances, all
the bells and whistles — but above
all, they wanted a high-end designer
look that fit their style,” Piekut says.
“They wanted modern colors, such
as the blues and grays. However, they
wanted the overall look of the kitchen
to be farmhouse. Modern Farmhouse
is what we went with for overall feel
and style.”
From a design point of view, Piekut
accomplished this with using very
BEFORE
large, rectangular bluestone porcelain
tile. It had a texture similar to the
grain in a wood floor but did not look
like wood.
The cabinets she went with are
frameless to reflect the modern
construction, and she used a
timeless wide-pland Shaker door
style. To enhance the Shaker door,
Piekut used a very ornate light
rail molding, crown molding, and
decorative legs on the stove focal
point and island. To help ground
the space and add contrast, Piekut
added an Espresso Oak Island cabinet
finish.
The 5-foot-by-11-foot island enhanced
the white painted main
cabinets, which also had a nickel
linen rub to pick up the blue in the
floor tile.
“It is the details that make a kitchen
a custom design,” Piekut says. “All of
the appliances were panelized to add
to the customization of this kitchen.
The stove and hood pop as a modern
focal point in stainless steel.”
The granite countertops are very
special, she adds. They are from a
limited lot of granite, filled with a few
different blue tones with some silver
iron running through it. Unlike a typical
high-gloss finish, a limited finish
called Leather, which replicates a real
leather look, is used to give additional
character to the counter. This makes
the stone highlights and lowlights
pop even more, giving it a unique
characteristic.
“Rather than do a simple subway
backsplash, we decided to add a pattern
to it and do the entire backsplash
in a subway herringbone pattern,”
Piekut says, noting that the tile is
also a unique 2-inch-by-8-inch size
that creates a more dramatic scale in
the kitchen.
“Of course, no kitchen is complete
without the finishing touches,” she
adds. “We did a farmhouse-style
sink, farmhouse-style island light
fixture, farmhouse island stools and
hardware.”
The finished product is a modern
farmhouse masterpiece.
“These clients were amazing, as
they trusted me as a designer and
allowed me to guide them with all
the selections, layout and special
details,” Piekut says. “As a designer,
when I meet with new clients to design
their kitchen, what I am really
doing is designing a relationship. I get
to know my clients so I can see their
hopes and dreams for the kitchen
clearly and execute the dream with
a little bit of magic.”
Alure Home Improvements is located
at 1999 Hempstead Tpke., East
Meadow. They can be reached at
516-296-7777 or alure.com
Alure’s Designer blends modern finishes with farmhouse flare in this Сustom kitchen.
“It is the details that make a kitchen a
custom design.” Christina Piekut, the Custom
Kitchen and Bath Designer at Alure Home Improvements
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