Blog | The Wiese Company

Custom-built kitchens-it’s in the design

April 5, 2018 by Ray Wiese Leave a Comment

Wellesley great room kitchen remodel.

We know a beautiful kitchen when we see one, but how do we know if it will work the way it looks?

When most folks think kitchen renovation they think of their obvious “pain points”, which leads to the first line of attack; get rid of the dated cabinets and countertops and bring in new appliances. That is without a doubt, a renovated kitchen. A custom-built kitchen; however, brings together three very important synergistic elements and strategies. First, is applying sound general ergonomic principles that are part of the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s guidelines and part of a good design professional’s arsenal. Then we add a balanced aesthetic based on your individual taste and style. And, finally… the most important part of a successful custom kitchen is that it works with your lifestyle.

How will my kitchen function better for me? There are so many things to consider with how it works. Will we gear work flow towards “sous chef” or “baker”? Are you a heat and serve kind of family or do you start from scratch with a myriad of ingredients? These sound like personal choices in lifestyle, but they pertain to fine tuning the ergonomic elements that we address first in a project. We then apply that to the fundamentals of kitchen prep and clean-up which relies on a series of pulling dry goods and fresh goods with a common place to put it all together.

Your style! Our designers have the creative genius needed to help mix the architectural details with the colors and textures our clients want in their home. I often pontificate that this is the easy part once we get a lay-out that works, but the truth is it is a lot of work for the client and the designer to make sure we create a lasting love in these choices. If the tile, cabinets, paint and all the other elements don’t work together- it won’t be that custom space built with the same beauty as the rest of the home.

Lifestyle choices. This is the part of the plan which usually starts with how many people are using the space… and any plans for more kids! You may be an entertainer or a homebody; you might have weekly family gatherings or host once a year. The list of questions and directions is based on a lot of factors such as how many cooks are in the kitchen, where homework and projects are done, what does a typical morning and evening look like? Or how can the space help you get your plan into action. I believe this is why knowing the life plan and the person is the most important part of making a great kitchen and a lifelong friend.

Wellesley kitchen addition and remodel.

Making a difference. This year all of the choices that go into making a truly custom space are going to help me and my design team create a unique kitchen experience for some folks who need some comfort. We are grateful to make our annual volunteer project a better working kitchen in a shelter that helps victims of domestic violence through a local organization, Voices Against Violence in Framingham.

While preparing design concepts for the shelter, my team asked countless questions about the number of families, typical child count, and views on mealtime prep. The feedback ultimately informed their design work around how all of the residents can be better served by providing a space where they can make a meal and feel “at home”. Not surprisingly, this project intake did not veer far from our daily design profession working on unique situations proving that design principles can be applied universally.

Voices Against Violence shelter kitchen “before” and an initial concept for remodel.

In the coming week we will be formally announcing our partnership with Voices Against Violence and inviting friends of The Wiese Company along with the general public to join with us in late-May for a food and wine fundraiser as we help bring attention to this cause and ask for a helping hand with our renovation efforts. We hope you will join us in this journey and kitchen transformation for the good of our community.

Modern Farmhouse Kitchens

March 30, 2018 by Ray Wiese Leave a Comment

It’s not a new concept, but it seems to be a strong trend continuing into 2018 according to Kitchen & Bath Design News (KBDN). The steadfast lifestyle of making the kitchen the center of the home has kept this aesthetic popular. But what does that mean?

The character relief of a single-basin, porcelain apron-front sink, commonly referred to as the “farmhouse sink” is a must have. Surrounding this are Shaker style or less fussy cabinets, often with inset drawers painted white with pops of colors- often blue. Instead of upper cabinets, the use of open shelving adds to the casual décor. You can see the use of reclaimed wood which is also a popular trend… we will have to keep out eyes on how long that one lasts.

Countertops also get an update opting for a matte surface which we blogged about recently in a home we renovated in Needham. The family was not lookng for an overt modern farmhouse look, but pulled details from the look like a suede finish on the countertops and reclaimed wood look on an accent wall in the kitchen nook for warmth. Another detail of the Modern Farmhouse look is exposed beams in the kitchen featured in the picture above that help tell an architectural story while the white walls and cabinets provide the unobstructed backdrop.

The more minimalistic look of the Modern Farmhouse style focuses on purposeful flow where the kitchen typically opens up to an eat in kitchen or great room concept where the formal dining room is let go in favor of open family living that a modern kitchen offers. This merging of styles is the perfect update for so many houses in New England towns like Dover, Sherborn, Holliston and Medfield where older farmhouses are common and young families are helping move them into the next generation of style.

What’s on our bookshelves…that’s not collecting dust…

March 21, 2018 by Ray Wiese Leave a Comment

Prominent architectural features like bold arches with detailed casing and wall treatments meant to look like stone, but are beveled wood panels create interest throughout his spaces.

During one of our recent snowstorms one of our staff poured over a coffee table book published by Rizzoli back in 2014, One Man’s Folly: The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood and fell in love with a man, his design principals and his passion for architecture. The sentence that caught her eye was when he salvaged a door off a house that was poised for demolition and brought it back to his “yard” (because he is too down to earth to call it an estate) and told his master carpenter, “Do you think you could build me a house around this?”

When you have a reliable team that shares a vision dreams become reality. Furlow and his right-hand man carpenter do not build on fancy design software, they sketch on the back of napkins or wherever they happen to be. That works for them because the client is the designer.

Our design-build philosophy shares one most important thread; we bring the clients dreams, the designers acumen and the craftsman’s insight to a table of synergy. It is up to us to hear the nuance of your ideas for your new space and translate it to a design that meets those expectations. We love the Furlow Gatewoods of this world, we just use CAD instead.

Designing pull out shelves and “paddles” secured under bookshelves in his built-ins allowed for lighting to be placed where it is needed.

A Quarter Century of Advancements in Design/Build

March 14, 2018 by Ray Wiese Leave a Comment

As we celebrate twenty-six years of design/build experience, I thought I would reflect on the “good ole days”. I went from a three-man show to having a staff of more than 20. We currently employ 12 great people, and I can enjoy closer relationships with the clients we are working for. I went from taking a jobs where they presented themselves (the Cape) to bringing it closer to home building from Boston to Holliston and the all the towns in between. The biggest lesson I have learned after seeing so many companies that jumped on the construction band wagon and failed is that to make it in this business you have to be passionate about design and construction; and more important, sincerely care about the people you work with, and for. The last 26 years in business has been one of the great journeys of my life and want to thank everyone that ever hired our firm from a small deck to a major home undertaking… “These are the good ole days” – Thank you!

Ray in a bathtub on his first job in Sharon, MA, 1992

Q: What do you think has had the biggest impact on home renovations since you opened shop? A: The information and technology age has really changed everything. I started out meeting with clients who had a folder full of magazine clippings, then I took two to three Polaroid’s (they were $1 each!) of the “before”…and with that produced hand-drawn sketches. Then I went to the drawing board… literally, I had to draw plans with a drafting table and pencil… oh the revision fun! Today our clients share their inspiration photos with a click of the mouse, and we can take as many photos as we want of the “before” right from our phone. While we can get a really good sense of a client’s aesthetic from inspiration photos, we still rely on getting to know someone and the true objectives of their project. This is how we can offer them with a solution that remedies more than great looking finishes. Computer-aided design has probably been the thing that has benefited the consumer the most. It is much more effective to help folks understand what they are really getting before we start. Not everyone is visual and this is tool that makes the design come to life for the first time. Q: What changes have you witnessed in housing trends? A: If you look back to the early 90’s; the ageing housing stock and low availability of land meant that many people could get the home of their dreams by renovating a home. The most popular project we did in the 90’s was adding a family room. When that wasn’t enough, we started adding family rooms and also renovating the kitchen…. and then, what I like to call, “The Wellesley Special” – family room, kitchen and master suite. My real estate friends are telling me that today, first time buyers want it all done and that is either a symptom or the driver of a robust tear down trend we all can see right now. I often hear people say that they don’t want to put too much into their home because they feel like it will be purchased as a lot. My experience is that well-maintained homes more often find buyers who want a good house. I watched the birth of the McMansion as well as its demise…. Death by Boredom. People were taught that you bought by size, and if you couldn’t afford quality and quantity, then quantity wins. In 2008 the tiny house movement and the tag line “simplify” got some interest, but I believe this too is a waning idea. Over the last five years I have seen the desire for more space make a comeback; however, unlike the era of the McMansion- homeowners are opting for space, but not without quality.

One of my first family room additions.

Q: What has been a negative effect of bringing design to the people through media and the Internet? A: There is more bad information available than ever. To get your name out there everyone is encouraged to write a blog and have a presence on the internet as an authority and tastemaker. This makes the task of obtaining good information (also known as the facts) a process of having to do extra research, or rely on poor advice. Some sites are offering multiple articles a day, with topics created to steer advertising and product sales, and less to inform people with sound advice. Q: What has benefited consumers with information technology? A: Our clients come to the table more informed about everything. They know more about costs of renovation, the style everyone in the home agrees on or has compromised on (and that’s ok, guys!), and what their goals are for the renovation. They are able to be agile when we are in the design and budget phase because they already know the difference between the must haves and the nice to haves. This makes the experience for consumers easier to pursue, even with less free time.

Maximize Your Kitchen Island’s Functionality

February 22, 2018 by Ray Wiese Leave a Comment

When renovating a space that is as highly functional as a kitchen we may try to capture all the different functionalities we want to see in the space, but there seems to be always something extra we can introduce. As kitchen islands continue to multi-task, get larger and remain for many as a must-have in kitchen remodels, the need to find creative solutions for power access both for small appliances and computers and devices alike is high on the list.

The low battery warning while grabbing breakfast with e-mail doesn’t have to require running a cord from one end of the island, where code requires an outlet as a safety measure. Often, we will sneak an extra outlet under the counter near the stools as an easy way to have something closer… but they can be a pain to plug into.

As our last takeaway from the Kitchen & Bath Design Show last month we offer one more item to consider- the Pop-Up Kitchen Power Grommet from Doug Mockett & Co. Not a new concept, but sleek and well-designed. The grommet is water tight, GFCI protected and tamper resistant, and it features circuit breaker protection for in use power safety. A press of the finger pops it up when needed and down to disappear into a nearly flush surface. This small addition to the kitchen counter allows easy access to plug-in and recharge.