Check out Emtek and Schaub’s One Room Challenge Finalist, The House that Lars Built for their dramatic kitchen renovation. Here, the designer paid special attention to the details and created an elegant, enchanting kitchen.
Twice a year, for the last 14 years, Emtek and Schaub sponsor an official One Room Challenge. Competing designers pick one room and complete a redesign using Emtek and Schaub products. The designers document the journey, sharing before and after photos and blog about the hardware selection and integration. When complete, applicants submit their stories and photos for a chance to win. See the finalist, The House that Lars Built Kitchen Renovation project and pay particular attention to the Providence Knob and Quincy Keyed Style Side Plates, and the Satin Brass Trinity Pulls from Emtek.
LESSONS LEARNED
A 6-week renovation is always a little nutty, but when that renovation involves gutting your kitchen, the chaos that ensues reaches a new level crazy. Since we’ve now made it through successfully, we asked Mary to share her top three lessons learned, and this is what she said:
- TIMING IS EVERYTHING: Spend time with your general contractor on the front end making a list of ALL your different construction and installation elements. Then work backwards from your final date. Appliances go in last. Refinishing floors happens just prior to appliance installation. Paint is just prior to floors. And so on. When you have a clear order of operations, your schedule becomes much easier to manage.
- A GOOD TEAM MAKES A GOOD RENOVATION: Determine what you can do yourself and what you’ll need help with. And then ask for referrals. You often save both time and money AND you end up with a better-finished product if you hire the right person for the job. Pop over to WEEK 5 for some tips on working with contractors.
- IT’S OKAY TO CHANGE YOUR DESIGN AS YOU GO: As the design started to take shape, I realized that I didn’t love some of the things I’d picked out. I was hesitant to make changes because work had either already been done or product had been ordered. But I’m so glad I ultimately did. I’m in love with the space, and it’s some of those small pivot points that really contributed to this sentiment.
Visit The House that Lars Built
About Emtek
Emtek is dedicated to helping bring your personal style to life. Door hardware is more than a way to open, close, and secure a space. To Emtek, it is an integral part of a room’s design theme. Each order is custom assembled in their Southern California facility. There is no predetermined combination of knobs, levers, rosettes, and finishes; they let you mix and match according to your own taste. Door hardware should make a statement, your statement.
