Last month I wrote an article about what it would take to completely renovate an outdated kitchen, using resources entirely found in the city of Buffalo (see post here). If you’re familiar with the issues that I originally identified, then you are aware that the I was determined to source a kitchen floor, appliances, lighting, cabinets, and an assortment of odds and ends to bring it all together. After asking around for ideas where to even start the process, I settled on Artisan Kitchens and Baths, a retail warehouse located on Amherst Street in Black Rock, right down the street from Wegman’s.
Once I had my initial consultation with Artisan Kitchens and Baths (AKB), the next step was to find a contractor to help me with installation. After that decision was made, I began to look for a local flooring company… and that in itself is an interesting story. When asking around I was told by a number of people to look at the big box stores for the best selections. Instead of going in that direction I ended up paying a visit to G&L Flooring on Grant Street. Although I have been spending a lot of time on Grant Street in recent years, there was no reason for me to ever walk inside G&L because until this point I had not been in the market for a floor. To think that G&L and Artisan Kitchen and Baths were only a few blocks away made scouting out the flooring business simple. The question was, “Could G&L compete with the big box stores?” It turns out that the selections at G&L were vast. The problem soon became narrowing down the selections to a handful of top picks. This amazed my wife, who never in a million years thought that G&L would be able to deliver the goods, primarily because the outfit was not a brand name store.
So with a flooring outlet nailed down, we returned to our kitchen outfitter (AKB) where we met up with designer Derek Maloney to tell him that we had decided on a wood floor. Since we had last paid a visit to AKB, Derek had come up with a first stab at what our kitchen would one day look like. In his infinite wisdom, Derek proceeded to show us how we could eliminate all of the clutter that had turned our kitchen into a giant storage pantry. He pointed out how we could actually retain the counter space that my wife/chef desperately needed, while getting rid of some obstructions at the same time. By installing roll out cutting boards into the cabinets, we began to head down the road towards “less is more”. We also learned that we could remove an old half-wall that had served as a counter/bar, as well as an obtrusive counter extension, thus opening the kitchen and creating more space to move around in. The half wall was not load bearing, it just needed to be cut out. Derek also suggested that we cut a hole in the wall in front of the sink, which would open up the kitchen to the dining room. We talked to our contractor about that, and he assured us that it wasn’t a major deal – we had a limited budget and didn’t want to sacrifice a necessity for a wish list item. In the end, we actually used some of the excess flooring to build supplemental shelving, which enabled us to keep within budget. With a half wall out of the picture, Derek told us that much of the clutter that had been driving us nuts (recycle bins, spice cabinets, etc.) could be hidden out of sight, but would still be within easy reach. Perfect. Now we just needed to find countertop and cabinet materials that would match the G&L floors.
What is most amazing about Artisan Kitchens and Baths is not that the warehouse is a series of showrooms loaded with just about everything imaginable when it comes to outfitting a kitchen… the part that most amazes me is that more people don’t know that the business is open to the public. Maybe that’s because the buildings are not located right on the main drag of Amherst Street. Much of what AKB does business-wise is work with local developers on projects such at The Hotel @ The Lafayette or The Horsefeathers Market. AKB is a multi-faceted supplier of everything from backsplashes to stovetops… and don’t forget about the kitchen sink. Looking back to where we are today in the process of renovating our kitchen, I can’t imagine not having the help of the team that we worked with. The idea of retrofitting our kitchen was exciting… the idea of actually doing it was daunting. Having access to a resource like AKB, right here in the city was priceless. Supporting locally owned businesses/organizations along the way was also gratifying. “Having a designer to help you through this process is a valuable attribute,” Derek once told me when we first set out to tackle the kitchen. “Most people may only go through this one time in their life. Which means that not many clients have previous experience taking on a project of this magnitude. This is our job, it’s what we do, and that helps to get things done right the first time around.”
One of the organizations that did benefit from our remodel was ReUse Action. A number of original cabinets and the main countertop were handed off to Michael Gainer and his gang so as to find a new home for the materials. Within days the entire package was fixed up and purchased by a Bangladeshi family living on the East Side. Knowing that the materials had not gone into a landfill, and another family had picked up the restored pieces made us feel better about the entire process, especially considering that ReUSe Action had taken the time to repair many of the items that had been broken for years.
Another local business that we supported in the process was CooCoo U on Chandler Street in North Buffalo. Considering that the ceiling lights had been out of commission for years, I figured that I would attempt to replace them with an authentic retro vintage look. In true CooCoo U fashion, I found the perfect set of lights within moments of walking into the warehouse. Owner Michael Merisola had recently recovered the lights from an old diner near Albany, and now they were going to get a second life here in Buffalo.
Now that we had removed almost the entire kitchen, it was time to make some final decisions regarding what sort of materials and appliances we were going with for our new look. With the design completed, and a floor sample in hand and lighting taken care of, we set out to build our minimalist kitchen…