Homeowners Caroline and Andrew Laski consider themselves to be very lucky. They are the proud owners of a newly renovated kitchen and didn’t suffer through one day of construction noise, dust or chaos.
The previous homeowners completed the renovation with the help of designer Anne Paul from Kitchen & Bath Galleries in Cary, then unexpectedly moved out of the area, making way for the Laskis to snatch up the gleaming kitchen and well-cared-for house. Caroline, a cook at The Umstead Hotel and Spa, said, “Not only did I get an amazing kitchen, it’s probably more than I ever dreamed I would have.”
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Emily Uhland: What was your first impression of the kitchen?
Caroline Laski: My first view was all online. We’d been looking for homes for about six months before we found this. Coming from an apartment, one of the No. 1 things we were looking for was a vent that vented outside. Nobody who’s not a cook looks for that, but I cook for us all the time.
I just happened to be off work the day I saw it online. At that point we were getting discouraged and almost ready to give up house hunting for the year. The second I saw the picture of the kitchen I thought, ‘We have to go see this, and we have to go see this today.’ And we did.
What was the space like before?
Anne Paul: The island was facing 90 degrees from where it is now. The sink was in the corner, and the cabinets were lower. There was a desk, like you see in a lot of kitchens.
Open shelves accomode on-counter appliances and showcase beautiful dishware.
How did the style of the kitchen evolve?
Anne: The previous homeowners did a lot of research on Houzz and had bookmarked a lot of ideas to look at. They really had no idea what they wanted, but they knew they wanted modern and clean, which was a far cry from the laminate counters and 1970s oak cabinets they started with.
Were there any bumps in the road?
Anne: At first, we picked a completely different tile. They took it home and hated it. We reselected that, and oriented it vertically, and they really liked it.
Caroline: I love the vertical nature of it because it draws your eye straight up!
What are some of your favorite elements?
Anne: I really like the floating shelves by the microwave. I think that’s such a cool little area. It was wasted before, the cabinet was so small. And now it’s a neat place to showcase the pretty things that everybody owns. And the lights were really fun to shop for.
Caroline: I think these light fixtures are amazing. I’d never seen anything like them before. And the wood — my dad’s hobby is woodworking, so I grew up with that appreciation — is pretty incredible.
Coming in here is like a breath of fresh air. Overall it’s incredibly elegant. We knew right away that it was the perfect home for us.
