sponsored AUGUST 2018 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 67
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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
BEFORE
accomplished this with using very
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