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Photo by Alexandros Kolazas
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When Lauren and Andreas Kolazas and their two young children moved into their Fort Hunt home almost four years ago, they knew they wanted to renovate the kitchen. Not only was it outdated, but it was cramped, with very little counter space.
It took a few years before they could undertake the project.
“I am so glad that we weren’t able to do the kitchen right away because the plan is completely different from what I wanted initially,” Lauren said.
Lauren Kolazas
The kitchen before renovations started.
Originally, they thought they would simply take out the wall between the kitchen and dining room and add a peninsula, but a number of factors led them to realize they needed to do much more. First, their kids were getting bigger. They wanted extra space where the kids could do homework or help cook. Also, they like to entertain and they have a lot of out-of-town guests. Finally, the Kolazases developed close connections with their neighbors, which made them realize they wanted to stay in the house longer than the five years they had envisioned.
With these factors in mind, the couple decided to add a 128-square-foot addition to the back of the kitchen. It allowed them to put in a large kitchen island, add more counter space and put in a door to the backyard patio and grill area.
Lauren said that figuring out how to pay for the extension was the first step. Not everybody has endless amounts of cash to pay for major renovations. The Kolazases ended up taking out a home equity line of credit (HELOC). For them it was important to set a budget.
Because they were changing the original footprint of their house, they hired an architect to make drawings of their plans. This gave them the ability to have something to present when interviewing potential contractors.
They ended up working with Dave Wilkerson of DMW Enterprises for the contracting work. Suburban Kitchens, in Chantilly, helped with the layout of the kitchen. Lauren chose most of the design and finishes herself.
Her inspiration for the new kitchen came from pictures of deVOL kitchens, a UK-based company that specializes in classic farmhouse kitchens. deVOL kitchens typically feature shaker cabinets, hardwood or stone floors, farmhouse sinks and wooden or soap stone counters. While Lauren would have loved to order everything directly from deVOL, they had a budget and with young kids, they needed finishes that were both durable and beautiful.
Lauren said that every aspect of the renovation project was influenced by her experience as a Realtor (she is an agent for Real Living at Home). While she chose a theme and details that she liked, she also kept in mind how potential buyers would perceive them and what would add the most value to the home.
Kitchen renovations offer the biggest return on investment compared to other home renovation projects. Spending every day listening to what buyers like influenced her choices of neutral colors, a large island and opening the kitchen up to the adjoining dining room. She knew it was important to consider the style of her home when renovating. While she was drawn to farmhouse style personally, she also knew it fit well in their 1960s Dutch Colonial.
When it came to finishes, the couple picked linen-colored Shaker cabinets and off-white quartz counter-tops with a gray and gold vein. To add contrast, they chose slate blue cabinets and wood counters for the island. They selected slightly antiqued brass hard-ware and fixtures. Lauren did not want a backsplash, but Andreas did. They compromised by putting up white shiplap instead. They splurged on a 33-inch Kohler Whitehaven sink which Lauren said was by far the best choice for a farmhouse-style, cast iron enameled sink.
